Over 10.45 lakh people moved out of poverty in J&K since 2015-16; CS reviews strategy for further reduction

Ziraat Times Team Report

Srinagar, June 17: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in Jammu & Kashmir and outlined a framework for accelerating poverty reduction through targeted interventions, improved data analysis and convergence of welfare schemes.

The meeting was attended by senior administrative officers, including Additional Chief Secretaries, Commissioner Secretaries of key departments, senior Planning Department officials and Deputy Commissioners of all districts through video conferencing.

Reviewing poverty trends across the dimensions of health, education and standard of living, Dulloo stressed the need to identify vulnerable households in every district, with an initial focus on families covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), to ensure outcome-based interventions.

He directed the Planning Department to conduct a comprehensive analysis of data from the upcoming National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) and prepare district-specific action plans to improve deprivation indicators and further reduce poverty levels.

The Chief Secretary said several Centrally Sponsored Schemes already provide effective tools for addressing multidimensional poverty. He highlighted programmes such as the National Food Security Act, Ayushman Bharat, initiatives under the National Education Policy-2020, housing schemes, Ujjwala Yojana and financial inclusion programmes as key instruments for improving living standards. He emphasized greater convergence among these schemes and supplementation through capital expenditure wherever necessary.

Dulloo also instructed the Planning Department to develop a standardized survey format for district-level assessment of vulnerable households and work with district administrations to identify service gaps and priority intervention areas.

Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Shailendra Kumar, advised district administrations to integrate poverty reduction measures into their annual development plans and prioritize AAY households for focused interventions.

Commissioner Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, R. Alice Vaz, said the MPI measures poverty beyond income by capturing deprivations experienced by households across multiple dimensions. She noted that the current baseline estimates are based on NFHS-5 data released in July 2023, while NFHS-6 data is under finalization and expected to provide updated insights.

Officials informed the meeting that the MPI framework comprises 12 indicators across three dimensions—health, education and standard of living—with equal weight assigned to each dimension. The estimates are derived from household-level data collected through the National Family Health Survey.

The meeting was told that Jammu & Kashmir has recorded substantial progress in reducing multidimensional poverty. The poverty headcount ratio declined from 12.56 percent in 2015-16 to 4.80 percent during 2019-21, with more than 10.45 lakh people moving out of multidimensional poverty during the period.

Officials said the Union Territory is on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 1.2, which aims to reduce multidimensional poverty by at least half before 2030. Improvements were reported across all 12 MPI indicators.

Among districts, Doda, Ramban, Rajouri, Poonch and Udhampur registered the steepest declines in multidimensional poverty. Rural areas showed significant improvement, with the proportion of multidimensionally poor people falling from 16.37 percent to 6.10 percent, while urban poverty declined from 3.51 percent to 1.09 percent.

The intensity of poverty, which measures the average level of deprivation among poor households, also improved, declining from 44.17 percent to 42.11 percent.

According to NFHS-5-based estimates for 2019-21, around 6.39 lakh people belonging to approximately 1.28 lakh families in Jammu & Kashmir were living in multidimensional poverty, representing an overall poverty headcount ratio of 4.80 percent.

District-wise data showed Ramban recording the highest multidimensional poverty ratio at 14.86 percent, followed by Reasi (11.40 percent), Kishtwar (10.59 percent), Udhampur (10.23 percent) and Rajouri (8.07 percent), highlighting the need for targeted interventions in these areas.

At the other end of the spectrum, Jammu district recorded the lowest poverty ratio at 0.49 percent, followed by Srinagar (1.34 percent), Shopian (1.54 percent), Pulwama (2.09 percent) and Samba (2.30 percent).

In absolute numbers, Baramulla had the largest estimated multidimensionally poor population, followed by Udhampur, Rajouri, Kupwara and Ramban, underscoring the need for district-specific strategies tailored to local challenges.

The meeting also reviewed the impact of various government schemes on poverty reduction. Officials said welfare and development programmes covering health, education, housing, livelihoods, social protection and financial inclusion have collectively contributed to improving living standards and reducing deprivation across Jammu & Kashmir.