Congress slams Modi government after World Bank said extreme poverty in India declined; says inconvenient data brushed aside

Congress criticizes Modi government for celebrating drop in poverty to 5.3% based on $3/day poverty line, lacking dignity.

“The Modi government is celebrating a drop in extreme poverty to 5.3% but this is based on a poverty line of $3 per day which is certainly not enough to live with dignity,” the Congress said on Tuesday (June 10, 2025) and accused the Centre of brushing aside “inconvenient data.”

The Opposition party's assertion came after the World Bank said India's extreme poverty rate declined sharply to 5.3% over a decade from 27.1% in 2011-12.

The World Bank revised upwards its threshold poverty line to $3 per day. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "The Modi government is celebrating a drop in extreme poverty to 5.3%. But this is based on a poverty line of $3 [₹250] per day — just enough to avoid starvation, but certainly not enough to live with dignity."

“The 2022-23 Consumption Expenditure Survey, conducted after an 11-year gap, came with a revised methodology — making direct comparisons with the UPA-era data appear favourable, but statistically invalid,” Mr. Khera said. “The 2017-18 survey was buried, likely to hide the fallout of demonetisation and GST. COVID-era poverty? Ignored,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the Modi government evaded Parliament on defining an official poverty line and ignored over 15 questions related to it,” Mr. Khera claimed.

"Their claim of lifting over 25 crore people out of poverty is based on a manipulated index. CMIE data shows 621 million Indians [44%] still live in poverty. On the Global Hunger Index, India ranks 105th, with 18.7% child wasting and 35.5% stunting," Mr. Khera said.

He pointed out that on the World Happiness Report, India sits at 118th and on the Human Development Index, India loses more than 30% of its score owing to inequality. "All this is inconvenient data. So, it is brushed aside. In the end, the poor are left to endure inflation, unemployment, a steady collapse of public services and declining quality of life while the ruling party's crony capitalist friends loot thousands of crores with absolute impunity," Mr. Khera said. "This is the story of two India: One that suffers and the other that cashes in," he added.