Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has proposed a household-level survey to identify vulnerable families, assess gaps in access to essential services and improve the targeting of welfare schemes.
The proposal was discussed at a meeting chaired by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, where officials reviewed the Union Territory’s progress in reducing multidimensional poverty and explored measures to identify households requiring targeted assistance.
According to the figures presented at the meeting, Jammu and Kashmir’s multidimensional poverty headcount ratio declined from 12.56 per cent in 2015-16 to 4.80 per cent in 2019-21. Its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) score fell from 0.055 to 0.020 during the same period.
At the national level, the multidimensional poverty headcount ratio declined from 24.8 per cent to 14.96 per cent.
The proposed enumeration will initially cover households under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and old-age pension beneficiaries under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and the Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS). Other households will remain outside the exercise at this stage.
The survey will assess deprivation across three MPI dimensions—health, education and living standards—and collect additional information on nutrition, healthcare, drinking water, electricity and connectivity.
It will also examine households’ access to existing welfare schemes and essential services to identify gaps requiring specific interventions.
The government will finalise the survey methodology, beneficiary lists, manpower requirements, digital data collection arrangements and financial estimates before launching the exercise. Its implementation will be subject to the necessary approvals and availability of resources.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Commissioner Secretaries of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Medical Education, and School Education departments, along with Secretaries of the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, Information Technology and Social Welfare departments.
The proposed exercise is intended to support evidence-based planning, improve coordination among departments and enable more targeted delivery of welfare benefits to vulnerable households.