According to the National Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) constructed by the NITI Aayog, a household is considered deprived if 1. a single member of the household is identified as under-nourished 2. the body mass index of a woman member, between 15 years and 49 years of age, is below 18·5 kg/m² Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — C, Both 1 and 2. Both statements reproduce the National Multidimensional Poverty Index's own nutrition rule almost word for word. NITI Aayog's baseline report defines the indicator thus: 'A household is considered deprived if any child between the ages of 0 to 59 months, or woman between the ages of 15 to 49 years, or man between the ages of 15 to 54 years — for whom nutritional information is available — is found to be undernourished.' It then adds, in terms: 'It is to be noted that even if a single member of the household is identified as undernourished, the entire household is treated as deprived in nutrition.' That is statement 1 exactly. On the measurement, the report says: 'A woman (15 to 49 years) or a man (15 to 54 years) is considered undernourished if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 18.5 kg/m2.' That is statement 2 exactly. Both are correct, so the answer is (c).
- (a)1 only — Rejects statement 2, which is the report's own measurement rule for adult undernourishment. The 18.5 kilograms per square metre threshold is the standard cut-off for adult underweight and is the one the National MPI uses.
- (b)2 only — Rejects statement 1, which is the report's explicit design choice. The household, not the individual, is the unit of deprivation, so one undernourished member marks the whole household as deprived in nutrition.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Rejects both. Each statement is a direct paraphrase of the published definition; there is nothing in the item to reject.
The National Multidimensional Poverty Index, published by NITI Aayog, applies the Alkire-Foster method used by the global index of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and the United Nations Development Programme, but adapts the indicators to India. It has three equally weighted dimensions — health, education and standard of living — spread over twelve indicators, of which Maternal Health and Bank Account are additions to the global set. Within health, weighted one third, sit Nutrition, Child and Adolescent Mortality, and Maternal Health, each carrying one sixth of the total. The data come from the National Family Health Survey; the baseline report of November 2021 rested on the 2015-16 round and identified 25.01 per cent of the population as multidimensionally poor.
This is one of those items where reading the definition carefully is the whole task. Two design features of the index are being tested, and both look surprising until you see why they are there. The household-level rule in statement 1 follows from the fact that the index is measuring poverty as a condition of households, so a deprivation anywhere in the household counts against all of it; that also gives policy the right incentive, because relieving any one person's deprivation lowers the index. The BMI threshold in statement 2 is the standard clinical cut-off for adult underweight, and the age bands are set by what the health survey actually collects — women aged 15 to 49 and men aged 15 to 54. Two cautions. Do not confuse the National MPI with the global MPI, whose indicator set is slightly different; and do not confuse either with the consumption-expenditure poverty line, which is a monetary measure computed from a quite separate survey. NITI Aayog followed the 2021 baseline with a progress review that used the later health survey round and recorded a substantial fall in the headcount ratio.
- The National MPI has three dimensions of equal weight — health, education and standard of living — and twelve indicators.
- Nutrition carries one sixth of the total weight, within the health dimension's one third.
- A household is deprived in nutrition if any child aged 0 to 59 months, any woman aged 15 to 49 or any man aged 15 to 54 for whom information is available is undernourished.
- Adults are counted undernourished at a Body Mass Index below 18.5 kilograms per square metre; children under five are assessed by height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores below minus two standard deviations.
- Maternal Health and Bank Account are the two indicators India added beyond the global MPI; the baseline report of November 2021 used the 2015-16 health survey and put the headcount ratio at 25.01 per cent.
Both statements in the question are the published definition of a single indicator carrying one sixth of the index.
- Assuming deprivation is measured person by person; the National MPI treats the household as the unit.
- Confusing the National MPI with the global MPI or with a consumption-based poverty line.
- Misremembering the BMI cut-off; 18.5 kilograms per square metre is the adult underweight threshold.
As a two-statement item quoting the published indicator definitions, or as a which-indicator-is-included question on the National MPI.
The Multi-dimensional Poverty Index developed by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with UNDP support covers which of the following? 1. Deprivation of education, health, assets and services at household level 2. Purchasing power parity at national level 3. Extent of budget deficit and GDP growth rate at national level Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(a) 1 only
The parent index, and the same essential point — deprivations are counted at the level of the household, not from national aggregates. India's national index inherits that architecture and then adapts the indicator list.
Human Poverty Index was introduced in the Human Development Report of the year
- (a) 1994
- (b) 1995
- (c) 1996
- (d) 1997
Answer(d) 1997
The predecessor measure. The Human Poverty Index of 1997 was replaced in the 2010 Human Development Report by the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which is the line of descent behind India's national index.
Consider the following statements regarding poverty in India: 1. While determining poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirements, etc. are determined for subsistence. 2. The accepted average calorie requirement in India is 2400 calories per person per day in rural areas and 2100 calories per person per day in urban areas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(c) Both 1 and 2
The monetary measure that sits alongside the multidimensional one. Keeping the consumption-expenditure poverty line and the deprivation-counting index apart is the single most useful distinction in this part of the syllabus.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The National Multidimensional Poverty Index published by NITI Aayog is built on how many dimensions?
- (a)Two
- (b)Three
- (c)Four
- (d)Five
Answer(b) Three — health, education and standard of living, each carrying one third of the weight.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which two indicators does India's National Multidimensional Poverty Index add beyond the global MPI?
- (a)Maternal Health and Bank Account
- (b)Electricity and Housing
- (c)Cooking Fuel and Sanitation
- (d)School Attendance and Assets
Answer(a) Maternal Health and Bank Account — the two indicators added to reflect Indian policy priorities.