Inequality: The BNI summarises 26 indicators on five dimensions—water, sanitation, housing, micro-environment, and other facilities—using the National Statistics Office (NSO) data (rounds 69 and 76). The index has been created for all states from 2012-18 and has three categories depending on the level of access that people have to basic necessities.
In all the states, access to the bare necessities for households in 2018 was significantly better as compared to 2012. The Economic Survey also highlighted the positive correlation between access to bare necessities and better health and education outcomes. There was a significant decline in still births, malnutrition, and infant mortality with improved access to sanitation and clean drinking water.