Welfare programs lift 22 crore people in India

Statisticians from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in India found that government welfare programs improved the standard of living for approximately 22 crore people across the country.

The study, based on the 2022-23 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, measured changes in household consumption after accounting for the value of in-kind transfers like food grains, laptops, and school uniforms.

Researchers determined that a household improved its level of living when it moved to a higher consumption class after these transfers were included in its expenditure. West Bengal experienced the most significant improvement, with 40.5% of its population seeing a higher standard of living due to the schemes. Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Karnataka followed, with 29.2%, 29%, and 28.4% improvements respectively.

The impact of these programs was more pronounced in rural areas, where 18.8% of the population benefited, compared to 8.4% in urban areas. The MoSPI paper noted that it did not include the value of free medical services or education in its calculations. Including these benefits would likely have shown even greater improvements, particularly for households in lower consumption classes.

The authors, Amitava Saha and Gopal Saha, emphasized that the analysis demonstrated a positive impact of social welfare programs on the lives of beneficiary households, with the greatest movement occurring among the poorest segments of the population.