Which district in Madhya Pradesh showed the highest improvement in multi-dimensional poverty as per the report of Madhya Pradesh State Policy and Planning Commission (2023)?
- (a)Barwani
- (b)Khandwa
- (c)Balaghat
- (d)Alirajpur
Correct — D, Alirajpur. The Madhya Pradesh State Policy and Planning Commission's 2023 report tracked district-wise change in multidimensional poverty (deprivation across health, education and living-standard indicators, on the same three dimensions NITI Aayog uses for the national MPI) and found Alirajpur — MP's westernmost, predominantly tribal (Bhil/Bhilala) district and one of NITI Aayog's original Aspirational Districts — recorded the sharpest improvement of the districts assessed.
- (a)Barwani — Barwani, Alirajpur's tribal neighbour on the Gujarat border, is also a historically poor Aspirational District, but the report credited Alirajpur, not Barwani, with the steepest improvement.
- (b)Khandwa — Khandwa, a Nimar-region district on the Narmada, has a markedly better poverty profile than MP's western tribal belt and was not the district flagged for the biggest gain.
- (c)Balaghat — Balaghat lies in MP's eastern, Chhattisgarh-bordering tribal belt — a different poverty pocket from the one the 2023 report highlighted for the largest improvement.
Madhya Pradesh's own State Policy and Planning Commission — the state-level counterpart to NITI Aayog — publishes periodic multidimensional poverty assessments for the state's districts, measuring deprivation across health, education and standard-of-living indicators. This lets the state track which districts are converging fastest with the rest of MP, distinct from — but built on the same methodology as — NITI Aayog's national Aspirational Districts Programme.
The options tempt with other well-known tribal/backward MP districts (Barwani, Balaghat) that a student might associate with poverty in general; the question specifically tests recall of the 2023 state report's finding, not just 'which MP district is poorest.'
- MP State Policy and Planning Commission = the state's own planning body, publishing district-wise poverty tracking
- Multidimensional poverty is measured across health, education and living standards — the same dimensions as NITI Aayog's national MPI
- Alirajpur: tribal-majority (Bhil/Bhilala), MP's westernmost district, on the state's border with Gujarat
- Alirajpur is also one of NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts (launched 2018)
- Confusing Alirajpur with its similarly poor neighbour Barwani
- Assuming the 'poorest' district and the 'most improved' district must be the same
MPPSC frequently tests state-specific report findings (which district/scheme/ranking) rather than generic definitions — expect it to name the exact commission/report and year.
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 MPI covers household-level deprivation in education, health, assets and services.
Tests the foundational concept (health/education/living-standard dimensions of the Multidimensional Poverty Index) that underlies MP's own district-wise MPI tracking referenced in this question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
NITI Aayog's national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures deprivation across which three dimensions?
- (a)Health, Education, Standard of Living
- (b)Income, Employment, Housing
- (c)Literacy, Sanitation, Nutrition
- (d)Agriculture, Industry, Services
Answer(a) Health, Education, Standard of Living — the three dimensions used by both the national MPI and MP's state-level poverty tracking.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is one of NITI Aayog's original Aspirational Districts (2018) in Madhya Pradesh?
- (a)Alirajpur
- (b)Indore
- (c)Bhopal
- (d)Gwalior
Answer(a) Alirajpur — one of MP's tribal-majority districts selected under NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme in 2018.