Eight states in India have more poor people than 26 of the poorest countries in Africa. The states include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Rajasthan. This shocking review is according to a new measure of poverty developed at Oxford. It is called the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). This shows that these states are poor, not because they lack money. It is because they lack even the most basic standards of living. The new indicators to measure poverty include education, health, housing, nutrition, and assets. Access to basic services like drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel and electricity are also included. If we use the MPI, it turns out that more than 50% of the world's poor live in South Asia, and only over a quarter (28%) in Africa.
India has had great progress with rapid GDP growth, higher income and less poverty measured in cold monetary terms. However, in terms of actual human development, we are still one of the world's poorest. Hopefully, our government pays heed to such measures and allocates money to where it is most needed - education, health, and sanitation.
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