Kerala stand different from Bihar in the case of poverty

-Niti Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

According to Niti Aayog Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have turned up to be the poorest state in India whereas Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Punjab have the lowest poverty rate.

Statistics by MPI where Kerala stands in a good position

UNION TERRITORIES	POVERTY RATE
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	27.36
Jammu & Kashmir	12.58
Ladakh	12.58
Daman & Diu	6.82
Chandigarh	5.97
Puducherry	1.72
Lakshadweep	1.82
Andaman &Nicobar	4.30
Delhi	4.79

STATES	POVERTY RATE
Bihar	51.91
Jharkhand	42.16
Uttar Pradesh	37.79
Madhya Pradesh	36.65
Meghalaya	32.67
Kerala	0.71
Goa	3.76
Sikkim	3.82
Tamil Nadu	4.89
Punjab	5.59

Bihar also has the highest number of malnourished people followed by Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Even in the case of maternal health, percentage of population deprived of years of schooling, school attendance and percentage of population deprived of cooking fuel and electricity, Bihar ranks worst.

But the case was not the same back in 1960. Bihar was not a poor state back then and Kerala was fighting with poverty. But since 1994 Kerala has shown a decline in the poverty rate and after 2005 the poverty rate reduced faster compared to other states.

Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a non-profit organization established in 1994 with a view to improving the quality of governance and according to PCA study, these are the reasons why the Kerala poverty rate is low as compared to Bihar.

Better governance

The leadership quality is better in Kerala and southern part states as compared to the northern side. The poverty rate has declined because of better leadership and better law and others.

Decline in migration

Back in 1960, the migration of people from the southern part to the northern part was more. However, it’s vice-versa now. People from the southern part migrated more.

Literacy level

The Literacy rate in Kerala has always been good as compared to Bihar and other northern states since independence.

Education

In terms of technical education, the south had been always ahead. More than half of the engineering colleges are in the southern part.

Supply-Side Miracle

Social movement in Kerala made people aware of the importance and the need for them to demand. A strong moment in Kerala and Tamil Nadu (the former presidency) a century ago began to mobilize vast segments of the population, especially the lower Caste to push for job reservation and education. This result in an increased spread of education awareness, networking and entrepreneurship in the southern state. Such a moment was missing in northern states like Bihar. “When demand was missing the pressure on the supply side was weak” Samuel Paul of PAC said.

To read more about Multidimensional Poverty Index click here.

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