Thorat for faster growth of poor

PATNA: Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) chairman Sukhdeo Thorat has said there has been decline in poverty from 70% to 27% in the last three decades owing to increase in the national income but poverty of social groups like Dalits, tribals, Muslims and women has not declined proportionately. The upper caste poor have benefited more compared to the poor belonging to the marginalized sections of the society, he said.

Delivering the foundation day lecture at A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies here on Saturday, Thorat said distribution-neutral growth cannot address the issues afflicting the poor. Emphasizing on the various facets of poverty across education, health, gender, caste etc, he lamented the exclusion of the marginalized sections of the society from the so-called growth in the country's GDP.