New Delhi: In a heartening tale of resilience, Bihar and Odisha have emerged as frontrunners in India’s war on poverty, registering the steepest drops over the past decade, according to a fresh analysis using the updated Rangarajan poverty line.
This benchmark, recalibrated to mirror evolving consumption patterns from 2011-12 to 2022-23, paints a picture of transformative progress in these once-beleaguered states.
Nationally, the proportion of people below the poverty line has nosedived, lifting millions into stability, though exact figures underscore a robust rural-urban shift. But it’s the eastern duo stealing the show: Odisha’s rural poverty plummeted from a staggering 47.8% in 2011–12 to just 8.6% in 2022–23— the sharpest rural decline across any state.
Meanwhile, Bihar notched the biggest urban victory, with rates tumbling from 50.8 per cent to 9.1 per cent in the same period. Both states witnessed an overall 40 percentage point slash, a testament to targeted welfare schemes and economic revival.
Contrast the previous year with laggards like Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, where declines were modest at around 5-7 percentage points, starting from already low bases. Chhattisgarh lingers with the highest rural poverty at 25.1 per cent in 2022-23, while urban woes persist in pockets. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand too showed gains, but none matched the duo’s vigour, with UP lifting over 59 million from multidimensional poverty in recent years, according to NITI Aayog data.
This surge signals policy dividends – from direct benefit transfers to infrastructure boosts – but experts caution that sustained growth is key to preventing backsliding. As Bihar and Odisha rewrite their narratives, they offer a blueprint for India’s inclusive ascent.