Pandemic, Poverty, and Inequality: Evidence from India

Surjit Bhalla, Karan Bhasin and Arvind Virmani

No 2022/069, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: The paper presents estimates of poverty [extreme poverty PPP$1.9 and PPP$3.2] and consumption inequality in India for each of the years 2004-5 through the pandemic year 2020-21. These estimates include, for the first time, the effect of in-kind food subsides on poverty and inequality. Extreme poverty was as low as 0.8 percent in the pre-pandemic year 2019, and food transfers were instrumental in ensuring that it remained at that low level in pandemic year 2020. Post-food subsidy inequality at .294 is now very close to its lowest level 0.284 observed in 1993/94.

Keywords: Poverty Measurement; Pandemic; food transfer; consumption inequality; consumption expenditure; poverty PPP; estimates of poverty; Consumption; Income inequality; Agricultural commodities; Household consumption; Global (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52
Date: 2022-04-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-dev
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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