Human Poverty

Human poverty shifts the focus from a lack of income to a lack of fundamental human capabilities. While Income Poverty is defined by a specific “poverty line” (expenditure or calorie intake), Human Poverty is a multidimensional concept that accounts for the denial of choices and opportunities to live a tolerable life. It emphasizes the deprivation of longevity, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

Core Pillars and Indicators of Human Poverty

Human poverty is measured by the degree of deprivation in three essential elements of human life:

• Longevity: Vulnerability to death at a relatively early age, often measured by the probability at birth of not surviving to age 40 (in developing nations) or 60 (in developed nations).
• Knowledge: Being excluded from the world of reading and communication, typically measured by the adult illiteracy rate.
• Decent Standard of Living: Lack of access to overall economic provisioning, represented by the percentage of the population without access to safe water, health services, and the percentage of malnourished children.

Key Measurement Indices for UPSC Prelims

1. Human Poverty Index (HPI)

Introduced by the UNDP in the 1997 Human Development Report, HPI was designed to complement the Human Development Index (HDI).

• HPI-1: Used for developing countries. It focuses on deprivations in longevity (death before 40), knowledge (adult illiteracy), and living standards (water access and child weight).
• HPI-2: Used for high-income OECD countries. It includes a fourth dimension: Social Exclusion, measured by the long-term unemployment rate.

2. Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

In 2010, the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) replaced HPI with the MPI.

• Methodology: It identifies overlapping deprivations at the household level across 10 indicators categorized into three dimensions: Health (Nutrition, Child Mortality), Education (Years of schooling, School attendance), and Living Standards (Cooking fuel, Sanitation, Water, Electricity, Floor, Assets).
• National MPI (India): NITI Aayog releases India’s National MPI, adding two more indicators—Antenatal Care and Bank Accounts—to better reflect Indian policy priorities.

Comparative Table: Income Poverty vs. Human Poverty

Human Poverty Trends in India

India has made significant strides in reducing human poverty, yet deep pockets of deprivation remain:

• Nutrition: India remains home to a high burden of “hidden hunger.” According to NFHS-5, while stunting and wasting have declined, the prevalence of anemia remains a major human poverty challenge.
• The Learning Gap: Although school enrollment (GER) is high, the “Learning Poverty” (as highlighted by ASER) suggests that many children cannot read a basic text by age 10.
• Sanitation and Health: Massive improvements through the Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission have directly targeted the “Living Standards” dimension of human poverty.
• Digital Poverty: In the modern economy, lack of digital access is a new form of human poverty, hindering access to e-services and employment.

Vulnerable Groups and Regional Disparities

Human poverty is not distributed uniformly across the Indian landscape:

• Social Strata: Human poverty is significantly higher among Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs) due to historical exclusion from education and land ownership.
• Aspirational Districts: NITI Aayog identifies 112 districts where human poverty indicators (stunting, female literacy, and electricity access) are notably below the national average.
• The Gender Dimension: Women often face higher human poverty due to “Time Poverty” (unpaid domestic work) and lack of nutritional autonomy within the household.

Schemes Targeting Human Poverty Dimensions

• POSHAN Abhiyaan: Aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, and anemia among young children, women, and adolescent girls.
• Samagra Shiksha: An integrated scheme for school education from pre-school to class 12, focusing on the “Knowledge” dimension.
• Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY): Addresses “Health Poverty” by providing a safety net against catastrophic health expenditures.
• PM Ujjwala Yojana: Reduces “Energy Poverty” and indoor air pollution by providing clean cooking fuel (LPG).

UPSC Trivia and Critical Facts

• Capability Approach: The intellectual foundation of human poverty was laid by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, who argued that poverty is the deprivation of “capabilities” (the freedom to achieve what one values).
• National MPI Findings: According to the NITI Aayog 2023 report, India registered a steep decline in the number of multidimensionally poor, with nearly 13.5 crore people moving out of poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
• Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh: These states have recorded the fastest reduction in the number of MPI-poor individuals in recent years.
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1.2: This specific goal targets reducing at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions.