New Delhi, June 8: The central government announced on Monday that approximately 250 million people have successfully emerged from multidimensional poverty over the past 12 years, thanks to the expansion of welfare schemes and social security measures.
The government highlighted significant progress in areas such as access to tap water, sanitation, health security, food security, and the enrollment of girls in primary education as key factors contributing to this achievement.
According to an official statement, access to tap water in rural India increased from 32.3 million households in August 2019 to 158.4 million households by May 2026. Under the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ initiative, 100% tap water coverage has been achieved in 277,000 villages, raising the national domestic tap water coverage to 81.87%.
The government reported that over 121.1 million household toilets have been constructed in recent years, resulting in sanitation coverage in rural areas rising from 39% in 2014 to nearly universal levels.
Additionally, the Prime Minister‘s Ujjwala Yojana has provided more than 105.7 million free LPG connections, improving women’s health and reducing indoor smoke and pollution.
The statement noted that the rate of multidimensional poverty decreased from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23, marking a significant reduction of 17.89 percentage points during this period.
The government also stated that the average inflation rate fell from 8.1% between 2004 and 2014 to 5.1% from 2014 to 2025, enhancing families’ purchasing power.
Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has significantly improved the health, education, and socio-economic status of the rural population. The budget allocation for this initiative has increased by approximately 488% from 2020-21 to 2026-27, reaching ₹67,670 crores.
In health and food security, the government emphasized that the Ayushman Bharat scheme has provided economically weaker families with access to affordable healthcare services. Meanwhile, over 810 million beneficiaries have received free food grains under the Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
According to the government, the dropout rate for girls at the primary level decreased from 4.6% in 2013-14 to just 0.3% in 2024-25. Furthermore, digital governance initiatives, such as Aadhaar-based ration distribution, have made the benefits of government schemes more transparent.
The government also reported that targeted schemes related to water, sanitation, and livelihood have expanded welfare services in aspirational districts and tribal areas.
The statement mentioned that the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign aims to prevent declining child sex ratios and gender-based discrimination. As a result, the sex ratio improved from 943 females per 1,000 males in the 2011 census to 1,020 females per 1,000 males in 2021.
Moreover, the enrollment of girls in secondary schools increased from 75.51% in 2014-15 to 80.2% in 2024-25.
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