Multidimensional Poverty Index — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Draw three dimension boxes with total weight one-third each, then place the twelve indicators inside them. This prevents the common error of assigning one-twelfth to every indicator. Two education deprivations, each weighted one-sixth, reach the one-third cutoff; two living-standard deprivations, each one-twenty-first, do not. Use the weights, not the raw count of missing services.

Separate classification from aggregation. First determine whether the weighted deprivation score reaches the cutoff. Then calculate H for the population and A among those classified as poor. If H is 20 per cent and A 50 per cent, multiply 0.20 by 0.50 to obtain 0.10, rather than adding them or multiplying percentages without conversion.

Read reported changes carefully. A fall from 24.85 to 14.96 per cent is 9.89 percentage points, not a 9.89 per cent relative reduction. Keep NFHS periods attached to the 2023 comparison and distinguish the estimated periods in the 2024 discussion paper and its stated method.