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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