The gewogs or towns within Monggar, Zhemgang and Chhukha districts reported a huge variation in the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line, also referred to as the Poverty Headcount Rate. This is according to the National Statistics Bureau’s recently published Poverty Mapping Report.
Poverty Mapping Report shows huge discrepancies in the Poverty Headcount Rate or the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line in gewogs of Monggar, Zhemgang and Chhukha.
According to the Poverty Analysis Report of Bhutan 2022, the national poverty line stands at Nu 6,204. Meaning, that an individual will need at least Nu 6,204 a month to fulfil the basic necessities such as food and shelter.
According to the Poverty Mapping Report, in Zhemgang, the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line ranges from 9.6 per cent in Zhemgang town compared to 50.8 per cent in Bardo Gewog.
Similarly, in Monggar, 2.9 per cent of the population in Monggar Gewog and Kidekhar live below the national poverty line compared to 46.1 per cent of the population in Kengkhar Gewog living below the national poverty line.
As for Chhukha, the poverty headcount rate ranges from 4.5 per cent in Gedu to 43.7 per cent in Dungna and Maedtakha Gewogs combined.
The survey also found that Bardo, Goshing, Pangkhar and Shingkhar in Zhemgang and Kengkhar and Silambi in Monggar have the highest poverty headcount rate.
According to the report, the wide disparity across Gewogs or towns within the same district emphasizes the need for the government to prioritize targeted budget allocation to reinforce poverty reduction, service delivery and social protection interventions.
The government, today, allocates annual grants to each gewog based on various parameters. The poverty rate is one of the parameters. The others include geographical size, number of people and household income among others.
Samten Dolkar
Edited by Sangay Chezom
