Date: 2025-09-10Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNDP organised a National Workshop on ‘The National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): Strengthening Outreach and National Capacity’ in New Delhi on 09 September 2025
**Summary:**
On September 9, 2025, NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organized a National Workshop on the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): Strengthening Outreach and National Capacity in New Delhi. This workshop, part of the NITI-State workshop series under the State Support Mission, convened senior government officials from 30 States and Union Territories, along with representatives from various Ministries of the Government of India, UN agencies (UNDP, UNRCO), and think tanks (Institute of Economic Growth, IIT Roorkee, NCAER, CEEW, Institute of Human Development, and the Nudge Institute).
The inaugural session, chaired by Sh. Suman K. Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, featured addresses by Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman, EACPM; Dr. V. K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog; Sh. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India; Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI; Dr. Sabina Alkire, Director, OPHI; and Sh. Rajib Kumar Sen, Programme Director, NITI Aayog. Discussions emphasized the role of MPI in precise poverty reduction, improved governance, and the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A panel discussion explored the use of data by States for targeting social protection and poverty alleviation schemes, and the potential integration of MPI into these initiatives. Panelists shared insights on data-driven decision-making in program design and delivery, including reducing survey periodicity and complementing existing data. Experiences were shared regarding initiatives such as Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme, Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhav Abhiyan, Andhra Pradesh’s Zero Poverty P4, and Odisha’s Social Protection Delivery Platform.
The workshop also included a session on the Technical Methodology of National MPI and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) Analysis of Multidimensional Poverty in India. A practical exercise using a sample dataset demonstrated MPI calculations in Excel. The press release regarding this workshop was posted on September 10, 2025, at 2:41 PM by PIB Delhi, with Release ID: 2165241.
Key Entities Referenced
NITI Aayog: A policy think tank of the Government of India.
UNDP: United Nations Development Programme, an international organization.
National Multidimensional Poverty Index MPI: A national index for measuring poverty across multiple dimensions.
New Delhi: The capital city of India.
Suman K. Bery: Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
Institute of Economic Growth: A think tank that participated in the workshop.
Tamil Nadu: A state in India whose Chief Ministers Breakfast Scheme was discussed.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India whose Sambhav Abhiyan was discussed.
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNDP organised a
National Workshop on ‘The National
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): Strengthening
Outreach and National Capacity’ in New Delhi on 09
September 2025
Posted On: 10 SEP 2025 2:41PM by PIB Delhi
The workshop highlighted India’s MPI Journey and the technical methodology behind calculating the MPI.
A one-day National Workshop on ‘The National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): Strengthening
Outreach and National Capacity’ was organised by NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the United Nations
Development Programme, as part of the NITI–State workshop series under the State Support Mission, on 9
September 2025 in Delhi.
The conference brought together senior government officials from 30 States and Union Territories, along with
representatives from various Ministries of Government of India, UN agencies (UNDP, UNRCO), and think
tanks (Institute of Economic Growth, IIT Roorkee, NCAER, CEEW, Institute of Human Development and the
Nudge Institute).
The inaugural session, chaired by Sh. Suman K. Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, featured a series of
insightful addresses by Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman, EAC-PM; Dr. V. K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog;
Sh. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India; Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI; Dr. Sabina
Alkire, Director, OPHI; and Sh. Rajib Kumar Sen, Programme Director, NITI Aayog. The session
underscored the importance of MPI as a tool for precise poverty reduction, stronger governance, and ensure
progress of the SDGs.
A panel discussion was held on how States are currently using data for targeting in social protection and
poverty alleviation schemes, and on the potential for integrating the MPI into these efforts. The panelists
shared key insights on supporting more effective, data-driven decision-making in programme design and
delivery, including reducing the periodicity of surveys and complementing existing data. They also shared
their experiences of ideating and implementing various initiatives such as Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister’s
Breakfast Scheme, Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhav Abhiyan, Andhra Pradesh’s Zero Poverty - P4, and Odisha’s
Social Protection Delivery Platform.
The workshop also included a session focusing on the Technical Methodology of National MPI and Leave No
One Behind (LNOB) Analysis of Multidimensional Poverty in India. Workshop was concluded with a
practical exercise that used a sample dataset to demonstrate MPI calculations in Excel and helped participants
better understand the nuances behind the numbers.
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MJPS/SR
(Release ID: 2165241)