VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh, with 12.31 per cent poor population, stands at 20th place in the country in the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The Niti Aayog released the report based on the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16).
The MPI is based on multiple and simultaneous deprivations faced by households across health, education and living standards. Telangana, with 13.74 per cent of poor population, stood at 18th position. Among the five southern States, AP stood third while Kerala with just 0.74 per cent poor population is at bottom.
In AP, Kurnool district topped the chart with 20.69 per cent of poor people followed by Vizianagaram (19 per cent). Guntur is at the bottom of the 13 districts with just 8.31 per cent poor people.The MPI captures multiple and simultaneous deprivations faced by households across the three macro dimensions of health, education and living standards.
It highlights the need for a whole-of-government approach towards addressing poverty and its multi-dimensionality. This multi-sectoral approach must be horizontally and vertically integrated across all levels of governance, the Niti Aayog observed. In AP, 26.38 per cent of the population are deprived of nutrition, the report said. 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 is found to be undernourished.
A total of 9.66 per cent of the population in the State deprived of maternal health. A household is deprived of maternal health if any woman in the household, who has given birth in the five years preceding the survey, has not received at least four antenatal care visits for the most recent birth or has not received assistance from trained skilled medical personnel during the most recent childbirth.
Another 11 per cent of population of the State are deprived of assets (The household is deprived if it does not own more than one of these assets: radio, TV, telephone, computer, animal cart, bicycle, motorbike, or refrigerator; and does not own a car or truck).
Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as the poorest states. Kerala (0.71%), Goa (3.76%), Sikkim (3.82%), Tamil Nadu (4.89%) and Punjab (5.59%) have registered the lowest poverty across India and are at the bottom of the index.
Rich dad, poor dad