• The India Human Development Survey (IHDS) researchers published their monthly updates related to socioeconomic development in June 2024.

• It covers more than 40,000 households on multiple topics related to socio-economic development in India.

• The fieldwork for IHDS-3 was conducted in 2022-2024, and the results have yet to be published.

• Reflecting on the findings, Sonalde Desai, one of the lead researchers at IHDS, wrote an opinion article about poverty in India.

• The Human Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) places India’s poverty at 5%, while the IHDS calculates it at 8.5%.

• The difference in the estimates of poverty is due to differences in the methodologies used.

1. As the economy grows, more rural and urban people are finding work. 

2. Chronic poverty is decreasing, but transient poverty is increasing.

3. As the number of gig workers rises, so does the risk of fatal accidents and, as a result, a lack of social security.

• Social policies need to be developed to cover risk insurance.

• The Ayushman Bharat Yojana (PMJAY) is limited only to hospital admissions but a large amount of health expenditure is also borne by those who visit OPDs or are not admitted.

• For immediate cash needs, access to registries can be ensured by linking current residential addresses to bank accounts.

• She emphasizes the need for a shift in our focus from poverty estimate numbers to using the data to develop social policies.

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