A Comparative Study of Multidimensional Poverty between EAG and Non-EAG States of India

Abstract

Poverty has many dimensions beyond a lack of money. This article makes an attempt to analyse the multidimensional poverty for EAG states and compare it to Non-EAG states. The data has been collected from various secondary sources, viz., The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, 2019, Planning Commission, Census and RBI website. The data reveals that the MPI index of EAG states is 0.168 in 2015-16 and it is significantly higher than Non-EAG states and the national average. However, the reduction in the MPI, incidence and intensity of poverty is higher in EAG states than Non-EAG states in reference period. It also presents the changes in multidimensional poverty for the states from 2005-06 to 2015-16. The fall in the MPI values in the recent years across states is an indicator of a positive change in the economy. This study also identifies the factors that might have affected multidimensional poverty in the country. The result shows that higher per capita NSDP reduces the incidence and intensity of poverty for the state. So, the article suggests significant governmental efforts to improve educational standards including skill development for increasing per capita NSDP of the state.