In a contentious turn of events, the recently released NITI Aayog report, asserting that 24.82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23, has ignited a fierce verbal clash among political leaders nationwide.
Congress General Secretary, Jairam Ramesh, dismissed the findings, asserting, “The report of NITI Aayog is absolutely wrong. NITI Aayog is not an independent organization; it is the cheerleader of PM Modi. No one is going to believe the report of NITI Aayog…”
The verbal sparring intensified when Chandrasekhar, in a counterattack, accused the Congress party of perpetrating atrocities against the poor for the past 65 years. “As many as 25 crore people got to come out of poverty only after PM Modi came to power. So, who is doing justice and who is doing injustice, the whole country knows…,” he remarked to ANI.
According to the NITI Aayog discussion paper, India witnessed a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty, declining from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23, leading to 24.82 crore people moving out of this category.
The multidimensional poverty index considers deprivations across health, education, and standard of living, measured by 12 sustainable development goal-aligned indicators, including nutrition, mortality rates, maternal health, education, sanitation, and access to basic amenities such as electricity and bank accounts.