-PTI NEW DELHI: A ban on construction activities came into force in the national capital on Thursday as Delhi's air quality was on the brink of turning "severe" due to stubble burning in the adjoining regions and unfavourable meteorological conditions, authorities said. The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 393, which falls in the "very Poor" category and is just seven points from turning severe, according to data...

-Hindustan Times 55 % Indians were classified as Poor by the MPI methodology in 2005-06. India halved its poverty rate in the next 10 years. In absolute terms, the number of Poor fell from 630 million to 360 million during this period. New Delhi: Improved nutrition, better sanitation and increased asset ownership have halved India’s poverty rate between 2005-06 and 2015-16, according to a study by the Oxford University. In the 10-year...

-The Hindu A national policy for internal migration is needed to improve earnings and enable an exit from poverty Though migration is expected to enhance consumption and lift families out of absolute poverty at the origin, it is not free from distress — distress due to unemployment or underemployment in agriculture, natural calamities, and input/output market imperfections. Internal migration can be driven by push and/or pull factors. In India, over the recent...

-The Indian Express The decision to declare 112 talukas as reeling under severe drought came on a day when the Devendra Fadnavis government completed four years. Mumbai: The state government on Wednesday declared “severe drought” in 112 talukas of Maharashtra. Besides, 39 talukas were placed under “medium drought” category, taking the total tally of talukas to 151. There are 355 talukas in Maharashtra. The government’s drought-mitigation measures, which were scaled up from...

For long, economists have argued among themselves whether income should be the only criterion for measuring poverty. After all, in real life a person can face multiple deprivations, say, in terms of access to education, health and living standards, among others. The multidimensional poverty index (MPI), which offers a valuable complement to traditional income-based poverty measures, was first introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report (HDR). The MPI looks at...