logo
#

Latest news with #MultidimensionalPovertyIndex

Iraq records slight decline in poverty rate
Iraq records slight decline in poverty rate

Shafaq News

timea day ago

  • Business
  • Shafaq News

Iraq records slight decline in poverty rate

Shafaq News – Baghdad (Updated at 14:06) Iraqi Minister of Planning Mohammed Tamim revealed a modest drop in the national poverty rate of almost 1%. Speaking at a press conference to announce the release of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index Report, Tamim said the report was developed in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is based on the findings of the national household social survey, which served as a key foundation for constructing Iraq's poverty index. 'The poverty rate in the country declined from 11.3% to 10.8% and continues to decrease gradually,' he noted. أطلقت #الحكومة_العراقية ، بالشراكة مع برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي ومبادرة أكسفورد للفقر والتنمية البشرية، رسمياً التقرير التحليلي لمؤشر الفقر متعدد الأبعاد في #العراق ، مُمثلةً بذلك خطوةً كبيرةً إلى الأمام في كيفية فهم البلاد للفقر ومعالجته.(1/2) — UNDP Iraq (@undpiniraq) July 30, 2025 The minister also announced plans to launch a gender-specific Multidimensional Poverty Index focused on women, 'making Iraq among the first countries in the world to issue a national-level report of this kind.' In turn, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Sascha Graumann acknowledged Iraq's progress but emphasized the need to address persistent deprivation in provinces like al-Muthanna, Maysan, and Saladin, despite improvements in areas such as Baghdad and Kirkuk. 'Now that material poverty is beginning to decline, it is time to ensure that no region, woman, or community in Iraq is left behind,' Graumann stressed. A separate index focusing on child poverty is also being developed, based on data from the upcoming general census.

Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty
Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty

The Hindu

time3 days ago

  • General
  • The Hindu

Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty

India's efforts to reduce poverty have produced admirable results. As per the World Bank's revised poverty line, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 270 million people have been able to come out of extreme poverty. That's more than the population of Germany and Russia, combined. The poorest caste and religious groups saw the fastest absolute reduction in this period. It is now widely recognised that poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just lack of money. It includes deprivations in health, education, and quality of life. India's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures poverty using multiple indicators. It looks at 12 basic needs across health, education, and standard of living to understand how people are deprived in different parts of their lives. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of the indicators used. Based on this approach, NITI Aayog's discussion paper reminds us that nearly 200 million people in India still face multiple hardships. Poverty remains severe, with the poorest struggling to meet about half of their 12 basic needs. These people often live in mud houses in which piped water and proper sanitation are still considered luxuries. It is not unusual for them to skip meals in a day, and an illness or an unexpected life event can have disastrous consequences. It's important to remember that when people face simultaneous deprivations — especially non-monetary ones — these challenges can reinforce each other, keeping people trapped in poverty. For example, people who are deprived in both nutrition and sanitation are potentially more vulnerable to infectious diseases. These deprivation bundles are a recurring pattern observed among people living in extreme poverty around the world. Quite often, poverty reduction policies are not framed keeping these interlinkages in mind. Graduation Approach This multi-pronged way to measure and study poverty also demands a fresh approach to design anti-poverty programmes. For governments, it means investing in programmes that give people living in extreme poverty the tools to escape the poverty trap. Bangladesh-based NGO BRAC's Graduation Approach offers an effective model to do that. The Graduation Approach provides the poorest of the poor a sequential and complementary package that includes a productive asset such as livestock or small items for trading, training to manage them, some money for up to a year to meet their immediate needs, and mentorship to manage their income and savings. The programme has become a global success. It has reached and improved the standard of living for millions of households across 43 countries following randomised evaluations by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Households around the world receiving the multi-component support package of the Graduation Approach made significant gains in all the key MPI indicators. Let's take a closer look at them. Standard of living: The model increased household spending on food, fuel, and assets — all key elements of the MPI's standard of living dimension. In Bangladesh, researchers observed that participants were more likely to own land and a shop just two years after the programme — activities which the rural middle class partakes in. Even in Yemen, among the poorest countries in the world, people spent more on refurbishing their houses, suggesting they had money to spare after meeting their essential needs. Families also reported better financial security and higher spending on children. In India, households held more assets and reduced their dependence on informal credit. Health: Graduation Approach's focus on improving food security and access to healthcare can directly contribute to better health outcomes. In Afghanistan, the programme helped reduce diarrhoea among children under five years of age by eight percentage points. A study in Pakistan, India, Honduras, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Peru found people reported better health and happiness. In India too, some emerging lessons from studies show significant and sustained improvement in food security with 99% of participant households not skipping meals. Education: Researchers found that certain adaptations of the Graduation Approach also increased school enrolment rates among children. A study in Afghanistan conducted over 2016-2018 found that school enrolment rose by 7 percentage points for boys and 5 for girls. The Graduation Approach's close alignment with the national MPI indicators gives Indian States as well as the federal government a useful blueprint to design anti-poverty programmes effective in handling its multidimensional nature. Common deprivations It helps policymakers to identify the key areas that need urgent attention. For instance, the most common deprivation bundle in India is across four categories: nutrition, housing, sanitation, and clean cooking fuel. More than 34 million people lack access to these in India. Policies that target these areas in tandem are likely to have a much greater impact on poverty reduction. Over the past few years, India has introduced a slew of policies to improve children's nutrition, health and well-being of mothers, and financial inclusion for people living in poverty. And it has been successful too. Initiatives such as Poshan Abhiyan have been instrumental in improving health outcomes, particularly in reducing malnutrition, and PM Awas Yojana has reached millions through affordable housing. But these actions are often led by different Ministries. A multifaceted programme such as the Graduation Approach makes it easier for policy planners to achieve these different goals through one concerted strategy. In 2024, the Ministry of Rural Development took an important step in this direction by piloting the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative (Inclusive Development Programme) initiative across 11 States with a consortium of partners including BRAC, The Nudge Institute and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab ( J-PAL) South Asia. The programme — based on the Graduation Approach model — is designed to help rural women become entrepreneurs and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. Using this as a platform and in the spirit of cooperative federalism, States can identify vulnerability hotspots through MPI and target them through integrated proven solutions such as the Samaveshi Aajeevika to fight poverty and its multiple facets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid down an ambitious vision for inclusive development with a singular objective: leave no one behind. And as India marches towards becoming a high-income country by 2047, States must embrace evidence-based, innovative models such as Samaveshi Aajevika that can set people free from the poverty trap. Parikrama Chowdhry is the Lead - Policy (Scale-ups) at J-PAL South Asia; views are personal

India among top 10 global tourism economies in 2024–25: What UPSC aspirants must know
India among top 10 global tourism economies in 2024–25: What UPSC aspirants must know

Indian Express

time15-07-2025

  • Business
  • Indian Express

India among top 10 global tourism economies in 2024–25: What UPSC aspirants must know

Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your UPSC current affairs knowledge nugget for today on WTTC's 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report and Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024. (Relevance: UPSC frequently asks questions on reports and indices. The key takeaways from these reports are also essential fodder for your Mains examination for intricate points. In 2012, a question was asked in relation to the Multidimensional Poverty Index; in 2019, the question appeared on the Global Competitiveness Report. Therefore, it becomes important to know about the indices and reports that are in the news.) Amid a strong post-pandemic recovery and despite various challenges, the global travel and tourism sector contributed US$10.9 trillion to the world economy in 2023, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The WTTC's 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report shows the industry on an upward trajectory, with the World Economic Forum (WEF) forecasting the sector to hit $16 trillion by 2034, representing over 11 per cent of global GDP. In this context, let's know where India stands globally in terms of tourism economy and highlights of the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024. 1. As per the WTTC, the United States remains the world's largest tourism economy in 2024, contributing an unprecedented $2.36 trillion, nearly double that of its closest competitor. China ranks second with $1.3 trillion, and is projected to become the global leader within the next decade. 2. While established players like Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain continue to hold strong positions in the top 10, Asian economies such as Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, and the Philippines are fast emerging as regional tourism powerhouses. Japan, notably, climbs to fourth place with a $297 billion contribution. Source: WTTC Economic Impact Research (EIR) 3. India has also made notable progress, now ranking as the eighth-largest tourism economy worldwide with a contribution of $231.6 billion, up from its previous position of tenth. This advancement highlights the country's increasing significance in the sector, with the WTTC forecasting a rise to fourth position within the next decade. 4. Several countries have also seen significant jumps in international tourism spending compared to pre-pandemic levels. These include Saudi Arabia (+91.3 per cent), Türkiye (+38.2 per cent), Kenya (+33.3 per cent), Colombia (+29.1 per cent), and Egypt (+22.9 per cent). Having known the key highlights of WTTC's 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report, let's now learn the key takeaways of a significant global travel and tourism index. 1. The Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024, released by the WEF, is the second edition of an index that evolved from the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) series, a flagship index of the WEF that has been in production since 2007. 2. According to WEF's official site, 'The TTDI is part of the Forum's broader work with industry and government stakeholders to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for economies and local communities.' 3. The TTDI is a biennial index. It measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the T&T sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country. 4. In TTDI 2024, among the 119 countries, the US topped the list. After the US, Spain, Japan, France and Australia figure among the top five in the 2024 list. High-income economies in Europe and Asia-Pacific continued to lead the index. Source: World Economic Forum, compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. 5. Notably, in Southeast Asia, India ranks 39th as the TTDI's top lower-middle-income economy. It was ranked 54th in the previously published index in 2021. 6. The index, prepared in collaboration with the University of Surrey, showed India is highly price-competitive (18th) and boasts competitive Air Transport (26th) and Ground and Port (25th) infrastructure. 7. In particular, India's strong Natural (6th), Cultural (9th) and Non-Leisure (9th) Resources help drive travel, and the country is only one of three to score in the top 10 for all the resource pillars, the WEF said. 1. The Swadesh Darshan Scheme was launched by the Centre in 2014-15 for the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits. Under the scheme, the Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to states and Union territories for the development of tourism infrastructure. 2. Prominent circuits launched under the scheme included Buddhist Circuit, North-East Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit etc. However, the scheme could not take off in a way it was expected to, mainly because resources had to be distributed and spread across several states, with too many stakeholders being involved. 3. Therefore, Swadesh Darshan 2.0, focussing on one destination at a time, to attract domestic tourists, was conceptualised. 4. According to the official site of Swadesh Darshan 2.0, 'With the mantra of 'vocal for local', the revamped scheme, namely Swadesh Darshan 2.0, seeks to attain 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' by realising India's full potential as a tourism destination. Swadesh Darshan 2.0 is a generational shift to evolve the Swadesh Darshan Scheme as a holistic mission to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations covering tourism and allied infrastructure, tourism services, human capital development, destination management and promotion backed by policy and institutional reforms.' The Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 is released by: (a) Economist Intelligence Unit (b) United Nations Development Programme (c) World Economic Forum (d) World Bank (Sources: World's top 10 biggest tourism economies in 2024–25: India breaks into top 10 at this rank, India's global travel and tourism index rank up at 39th: WEF index,Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at

Some progress, gaps galore: Bihar's development remains a challenge
Some progress, gaps galore: Bihar's development remains a challenge

India Today

time11-07-2025

  • Health
  • India Today

Some progress, gaps galore: Bihar's development remains a challenge

As with any Indian election, development is an oft-repeated word in Bihar right now. But poll promises or not, data shows that the state continues to struggle with basic human development literacy, high dropoutThe literacy rate in the state was 61.8 per cent as of the 2011 census, significantly lower than the national average of 73 per cent, according to the NITI Aayog report, Macro and Fiscal Landscapeof the State of At the school level, enrolment in higher secondary education (Classes XI–XII) was just 35.6 per cent in 2015–16, and the pass percentage for Class X board exams also reflects this. In 2016–17, only 55.4 per cent of students in Bihar passed, compared to 86.1 per cent at the national level. And the dropout rate in Class X was 73.3 per cent in Bihar, more than double the national figure of 35.2 per childrenNutrition is also a major issue in Bihar. According to NFHS-5 data from 2019 to 2021, 42.9 per cent of children under the age of five in the state are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age due to chronic undernutrition. This is higher than the national rate of 35.5 per cent. Similarly, 41 per cent of children are is a major issue in the state, affecting nearly 70 per cent of children in Bihar, slightly above the national average of 67.1 per cent. However, Bihar's total fertility rate stands at three children per woman, compared to the national average of state's infant mortality rate, at 27 deaths per 1,000 live births, is slightly better than the national rate. Bihar's life expectancy is 69.5 years, almost the same as India's, which means many children in the state are growing up without adequate food, healthcare, or early life utilities improving, sanitation still poorBihar has improved utilities, but basic sanitation is missing. As of NFHS-5 (2019–21), 99.1 per cent of Bihar households had access to improved drinking water and electricity access has also expanded. Both indicators had higher percentages in comparison to the national access to sanitation remains low. Only 47.3 per cent of households in Bihar had access to any kind of sanitation facility, compared to 69.3 per cent nationally. This means that more than half of Bihar's population either uses shared, unsafe facilities or practices open terms of broader well-being, Bihar's Multidimensional Poverty Index is twice the national score. The state's Sustainable Development Goals Index score for 2023–24 is 57, while India's overall score is 71. This reflects poor performance across multiple areas, including education, gender equality, sanitation, and health. Bihar remains among the bottom-performing states in the national SDG lagadvertisementBihar's developmental challenges are further reflected in its fiscal and economic structure. The state's nominal per capita GSDP stands at Rs 52,379, which is less than a third of the national average of Rs 171,498 in FY 2021– economy also leans heavily on agriculture, which contributes 24.3 per cent to its GSDP, far more than the national average of 16.9 per cent, while the industrial sector contributes just 17.2 per cent, much lower than India's 27.1 per cent. This points to a weak industrial base and limited income-generating data shows that while Bihar has made progress in some areas, serious challenges remain in education, child health, sanitation, and the industrial sector. And in the upcoming elections, these issues must be highlighted for a better future of the state.- EndsTune InMust Watch

Pakistan faces 44.7% poverty while neighbours progress, reveals World Bank
Pakistan faces 44.7% poverty while neighbours progress, reveals World Bank

Business Standard

time11-07-2025

  • Business
  • Business Standard

Pakistan faces 44.7% poverty while neighbours progress, reveals World Bank

Neighbouring countries like China, Bangladesh, and Nepal have managed to make meaningful progress in poverty alleviation through targeted strategies, industrial growth, and social reforms ANI Asia Pakistan's poverty crisis continues to spiral out of control, with the World Bank's 2025 assessment revealing a shocking 44.7 per cent of the population living below the $4.20/day poverty line, according to Geo News. This alarming figure exposes the failure of successive Pakistani governments to effectively address the rampant poverty afflicting nearly half of the nation's citizens. The report further highlights that extreme poverty, defined by the World Bank's $3.00/day threshold, has surged to 16.5 per cent from a previously reported 4.9 per cent, demonstrating that millions more Pakistanis are sinking deeper into destitution. Meanwhile, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) indicates that over 30 per cent of Pakistan's population suffers from severe deprivation in health, education, and living standards. In stark contrast, neighbouring countries like China, Bangladesh, and Nepal have managed to make meaningful progress in poverty alleviation through targeted strategies, industrial growth, and social reforms. China has slashed its extreme poverty rate below 1 per cent, and Bangladesh's microfinance and garment sectors have propelled millions out of poverty despite recent setbacks. Even Nepal boasts a poverty rate below 2.2 per cent. Pakistan's struggle is compounded by bloated social welfare programs like the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), which, despite increased funding, remain patchwork solutions unable to break the cycle of poverty. Overreliance on these handouts without integrating effective poverty graduation methods leaves millions trapped in dependency, as Geo News reports. While the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) has made some strides, empowering women entrepreneurs and disbursing millions in interest-free loans, its achievements remain isolated successes amid a vast sea of deprivation. The lack of a comprehensive, updated poverty database cripples targeted policymaking, leaving millions invisible to the state's welfare mechanisms. Experts argue that without political will and institutional reform, Pakistan will continue to lag behind regional neighbours. Fragmented data systems, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and limited coordination among aid agencies undermine any meaningful progress. Geo News further reported that to reverse these devastating trends, Pakistan must adopt data-driven policies inspired by global best practices, strengthen public-private partnerships, and scale up community-driven poverty graduation models. Without bold reforms, the nation risks remaining a poverty hotspot in South Asia, perpetually failing its most vulnerable citizens. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store