New Delhi: A staggering 230 million Indians slipped below the poverty line after one year of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Azim Premji University.
The varsity report said rural India witnessed a 15% increase in poverty and a 20% uptick in poverty was recorded in urban areas after one year of coronavirus pandemic.
The ‘State of Working India Report 2021’ report released by researchers at Azim Premji University’s Centre for Sustainable Employment said these 230 million now earn less than the national minimum wage of Rs 375 per day.
The poorest 20% nearly lost all their income owing to unemployment during the lockdown while the top 20% lost a little less than a quarter.
The report further said that lockdowns in local regions forced over half of permanent salaried workers into informal jobs by the end of last year. Nearly 34% of formal workers moved into self-employment while 8.5% moved into temporary salaried roles and 9.8% to casual or daily wage jobs.
The impact of livelihood blues may last over 1-3 years, according to economists. Job losses were higher for states with a higher average Covid caseload such as in Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
