India’s Silent Revolution Against Poverty has Transformed Half a Billion Lives
Sometimes data speak more powerfully than political rhetoric. One such example is the World Bank’s current estimate of poverty in India. In just twelve years, over 496 million Indians have been pulled out of poverty one of the most dramatic socio-economic revolutions in recent history.
The change was most evident in rural India, where extreme poverty dropped from 31 per cent to 3.1 per cent. Urban extreme poverty fell from 17.4 percent to 1.4 percent. These numbers suggest that improvement has spread beyond the major cities to the communities that have historically been the most economically disadvantaged.
Several factors explain this progress. Household security and economic engagement have been improved by better access to banking through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfers, the subsidized food distribution, rural electrification, sanitation, infrastructure development, and digital connectivity.
Free supply of food grains to needy households has also helped save millions from food insecurity and economic shocks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government deserves credit for expanding benefit distribution and developing digital public infrastructure. But intellectual honesty demands recognition that poverty reduction is the result of decades of economic reforms, agricultural advancements, market expansion, and measures undertaken by succeeding administrations.
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