Modi government’s equality boast draws ‘intellectual dishonesty’ accusation

• India's government claimed the country ranked fourth globally in income equality, citing a World Bank report.
• The World Bank's April report noted a significant reduction in extreme poverty, from 16.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent, and an improvement in its consumption-based Gini index.
• However, the World Bank also warned of data limitations and its own report highlighted that income inequality, according to the World Inequality Database, has risen.
• India's opposition party, the Indian National Congress, accused the government of "intellectual dishonesty," stating no country with a high poverty rate could make such a claim.
• Economists and the opposition argue that using income-based Gini figures or different poverty benchmarks paints a far less equal picture, with one analysis ranking India 176th globally for income inequality.

IN FULL

Modi government called ‘out of touch’ for claiming India is one of world’s most equal nations