With decline in poverty, shift focus — from free food to nutritional security

Indian Express - Opinion · Published 9 November 2026 · Last updated 10 November 2026

India’s rapid poverty decline calls for a policy shift from universal food subsidies to targeted nutritional security and bio‑fortified staples.

Key points

World Bank released its India Poverty and Equity Brief in October 2026, showing extreme poverty (US$3 PPP/day) fell from 27.1 % in 2011 to 2.6 % in 2023.
At the US$4.20 PPP/day line, poverty dropped from 57.7 % in 2011 to 16.1 % in 2023, according to the same brief.
The brief bases its estimates on three Household Consumption and Expenditure Surveys: 2011‑12, 2022‑23 and 2023‑24.
World Bank cautions that part of the 2023 gain reflects improved measurement rather than solely better living standards.
Long‑term data show that from 1983 to 2004 only 0.2 % annual decline occurred, but after 2004 the rate accelerated to about 7.2 % per year by 2023.
NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index fell from 55.3 % in 2005 to 11.3 % in 2022, mirroring the income‑based trend.
The author argues that the food‑subsidy bill should be rationalised and reoriented toward nutritional security, including bio‑fortified wheat and rice rich in iron and zinc.
Despite poverty gains, malnutrition among children under five remains alarmingly high, prompting calls for a shift from free food distribution to quality nutrition.

In 1983, 78 % of Indians lived below the US$4.20 PPP/day poverty line, marking the baseline of chronic deprivation.
The 1991 economic reforms initiated modest poverty reduction, but between 1983 and 2004 the annual decline was only about 0.2 %.
2004 is identified as the inflection point when poverty reduction accelerated sharply, coinciding with deeper market‑oriented reforms and increased social spending.
World Bank’s long‑run series (1983‑2026) documents the shift from slow to rapid poverty decline, with a 14 % annual drop at the US$3 PPP line after 2004.
NITI Aayog introduced the Multidimensional Poverty Index in 2005, expanding poverty measurement to health, nutrition, education and living standards.

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