"NITI Aayog is cheerleader of PM Modi..." Congress brushes off poverty data

Mokokchung (Nagaland) [India], January 17 : Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, has taken a swipe at the central government after the report of the NITI Ayog on multidimensional poverty in the country and termed the think tank the "drumbeater" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jairam Ramesh, while speaking to ANI, also discarded the public policy think tank's report that nearly 25 crore people were moved out of poverty in the last nine years.
"The NITI Aayog report is bogus. The report is a lie. NITI Aayog isn't some independent organization. The NITI Aayog is the cheerleader and drumbeater for the PM. The data presented by the NITI Aayog cannot be trusted. All experts have criticised this," the Congress MP said.
He further said that the party will hold a press conference regarding the report.
"We will address a presser regarding the same tomorrow," he added.
As many as 24.82 crore individuals in India moved out of multidimensional poverty over the past nine years, according to a NITI Aayog report.
According to the paper, India has registered a significant decline in multidimensional poverty in India from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14 to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23 -- a reduction of 17.89 percentage points.
Uttar Pradesh registered the largest decline in the number of poor with 5.94 crore people escaping multidimensional poverty during the last nine years followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore, Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore and Rajasthan at 1.87 crore.
The paper also showed that the pace of decline in poverty headcount ratio using exponential method was much faster between 2015-16 to 2019-21 (10.66 per cent annual rate of decline) compared to period 2005-06 to 2015-16 (7.69 per cent annual rate of decline).
All 12 indicators of MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index) have recorded significant improvement during the entire study period. To assess the poverty levels in the year 2013-14 against the current scenario (i.e. for the year 2022-23), projected estimates have been used due to data limitations for these specific periods.
Findings of NITI Aayog's Discussion Paper 'Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06' give credit for this achievement to significant initiatives of the government to address all dimensions of the poverty between 2013-14 to 2022-23.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar hit out at the Congress government for its slogans on 'Garibi Hatao' saying that it has taken the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift 25 crore Indians out of poverty.
"After 65 years of empty slogans of 'Garibi Hatao', Prime Minister Narendra Modi through his focused, hardworking, determined, corruption-free governance and 'Garib Kalyan' policies, has lifted 25 crore Indians out of poverty," Chandrasekhar said at a press conference in New Delhi.
However, replying to the union minister's statement, Jaira Ramesh said, "Who is Rajeev Chandrashekhar..."
Meanwhile, commenting on the party's 'opposition' to the consecration ceremony of the idol of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya Ram Temple, the Congress MP said, "Congress is against the misuse of religion for political gains."