POVERTY STATISTICS OF INDIA

 According to the recently published Niti Aayog's Multi dimensional Poverty Index (MPI),

Kerala has the lowest poverty rate in India with 0.71% followed by Goa 3.76% and Sikkim 3.82%. Poorest states are Bihar 51.91%, Jharkhand 42.16% and UP 37.79%.

Here comes a question. As far as Kerala is concerned who deserves  the major share of appreciation for this, the central government or the state government? The answer would be a straight 'no' for both. Neither the central government nor the state government nor any political party has any contribution in this. The whole credit of this goes to the people of Kerala. From the early 1950s a good number of people of the state had left their homes and the near and dear ones in search of a living. They sweat their blood in every state of India and almost every country of the world to feed their near ones. And now the 'feeding rate' has reached much above a lakh crore rupees per year. The total own tax revenue of Kerala was estimated to be Rs 65,785 crores in 2019-20 shows the role of the people in the economy of the state. Therefore, the acclaim for this go to the entire people of Kerala, not to any political parties or their ideology and teachings. In fact what the political parties have taught them are strike, attack, assualt and destruction, as a whole they could contribute only a negative growth.

Let us now find the other side of poverty statistics. States with the top per capita income are, Goa Rs 4.66 lakhs, Sikkim Rs 4.25 lakhs and Delhi Rs 4.75 lakhs. These are all much above the national average. Kerala is 7th with Rs 2,21,904. National pci of 2020-21 is Rs 1,27,768. This is 4.8% lower than the previous year.

I would like to add that the people we have and the resources at our reach the state of Kerala can raise the pci to the level of developed countries within ten years, if the governments can rise to the occasion with a stern purpose.

K V George