TIRUPATI: Kurnool district has the highest percentage of people living in high poverty with the highest Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) score of 0.094 among the 13 districts in Andhra Pradesh state, according to the Niti Aayog’s Baseline Report on National MPI in 2021.
This was revealed in the Socio-Economic Survey Book 2022-23 tabled in the Assembly during the recently concluded annual budget session. The MPI score indicates that about 9,400 people out of every 1 lakh population are highly poor in the Kurnool district.
The district also has the highest Head Count Ratio (HCR) of 20.69% i.e., a high proportion of individuals living below the poverty line who are deprived and unable to afford/access Health, Education and Standard of Living.
These three dimensions are calculated using nutrition, child-adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets, and bank account indicators to estimate the number of poor.
The Kurnool district further has the highest intensity of poverty, which indicates the living standards of the population below the poverty line. Next to Kurnool, Vizianagaram, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and Anantapur districts are the worst-performing districts in the MPI, HCR and intensity of poverty values in the State.
Meanwhile, the Guntur district with an MPI score of 0.034 and an HCR of 8.31 score remained in the first position with the lowest poverty among the 13 districts in AP.
According to the MPI score, only 3,400 people out of every 1 lakh population are estimated to be poor with an intensity of poverty of 41.21%, among the poor population in Guntur. East Godavari, Krishna, and West Godavari districts followed Guntur among the best-performing districts having the lowest poverty population in the state.
Further, AP has an overall MPI score of 0.053, an HCR of 12.31%, and an Intensity of poverty at 43.23%, ranking eighth among the 28 States in the country and fared better when compared to the Overall India score, which has an MPI score of 0.118, HCR of 25.01% and Intensity of poverty at 47.13%.
At the same time, Kerala and Goa states ranked in first and second places with MPI scores of just 0.003 and 0.015 respectively. The MPI score of 0.053 translates to 53,000 people out of every 10 lakh population in poverty in the State.
Further, Andhra Pradesh performed relatively decent in housing, electricity, maternal health, cooking fuel, school attendance and bank account indicators.
The State showed ominous signs in indicators like drinking water, years of schooling, sanitation, child-adolescent mortality and nutrition which need special attention, as per the survey book.
41.21% population poor in Guntur
Only 3,400 people out of every 1 lakh population are estimated to be poor in Guntur, with an intensity of poverty of 41.21%. AP overall performed relatively decent in housing, electricity, maternal health, cooking fuel, school attendance and bank account indicators. The State showed ominous signs in indicators like drinking water, years of schooling, sanitation, child-adolescent mortality and nutrition which need special attention.