Extreme poverty in India fell by 90 per cent since 2011, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited World Bank data stating nearly 50 crore people moved out of poverty between 2011 and 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that India's extreme poverty rate collapsed by 90 per cent between 2011 and 2023, reaching a low of 2.6 per cent.
According to a Times of India report, the Prime Minister stated on Instagram that the elimination of poverty is a commitment for his government and not just a slogan.
Modi noted that nearly 50 crore people moved out of poverty during these 12 years, with the number of Indians in extreme poverty moving from more than 1 in 4 to roughly 1 in 38.
The Prime Minister also said employment grew by 13.4 crore between 2017 and 2023, which he stated was nearly twice the increase in India's working age population.
Modi further claimed that inequality has fallen sharply, noting that India's Gini index dropped from 29 in 2011 to 23 in 2023.
The World Bank's Poverty and Equity brief released last week stated that extreme poverty, defined as spending $3 a day, declined from 27.1 per cent in 2011 to 2.6 per cent in 2023.