Growth and Deprivation in India: What Does Recent Data Say?

The report investigate the relationship between growth and deprivation in India, an issue of immense interest. Given the continuing controversy in India over poverty lines, they used a framework that rigorously assesses the impact of growth on the poor over a range of poverty lines. Using National sample Surveys on consumption expenditure, they have showed that while growth has "trickled down" in both rural and urban areas, it has not been in favor of the poor. In urban areas, growth has been "anti-poor." They extends this methodology to incorporate sub-groups and consider disadvantaged caste groups and poorer/lower classes. They find that growth has not been in favor of the poor among these groups. The findings raise serious concerns about the "inclusiveness" of Indian growth. The analysis also has implications for pro-poor growth and the measurement of inequality.