Bodo tribes are multidimensionally poor: Evidence from Udalguri district, Assam, India

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the income poverty, income inequality and multidimensional poverty status of Bodo people residing in Udalguri district of Bodoland, Assam. The study is entirely conducted on the basis of the novel data collected through multistage stratified purposive random sampling technique from 327 Bodo households. Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) weighted poverty index, the Gini coefficient, Atkinson index and Multiple Correspondence Analyses are used to measure the income poverty, income inequality and multidimensional poverty, respectively. The results suggest that in terms of both FGT and MPI indicators, Bodos are self-sufficient, far from saying surplus, and there is lower inequality in the distribution of income. The improvement in the MPI status can be achieved by giving more emphasis on education, proper health habits, infrastructure and appropriate implementation of the land reform policy.