Bare Necessities Index (BNI)
🟠 Topic 93: Bare Necessities Index (BNI)
📌 Introduction
The Bare Necessities Index (BNI) was introduced in the Economic Survey 2020-21 as a new indicator to assess the access to basic necessities — water, sanitation, housing, micro-environment (clean surroundings), and kitchen facilities — across rural and urban India. It measures how well households have access to essential living conditions, directly reflecting the success of welfare programs and infrastructure policies in improving quality of life.
🔹 What is Bare Necessities Index (BNI)?
📖 Definition
The Bare Necessities Index (BNI) measures the access of households to five essential facilities:
- Drinking water.
- Sanitation.
- Housing quality.
- Micro-environment (cleanliness of surroundings).
- Kitchen facilities (cooking fuel and ventilation).
Objective
✔️ Track progress in improving basic living conditions.
✔️ Assess regional, rural-urban disparities.
✔️ Evaluate the impact of government schemes on basic services.
BNI Score Scale
BNI scores range from 0 to 1, where:
- 1 indicates universal access to all bare necessities.
- 0 indicates no access to bare necessities.
🔹 Methodology – How BNI is Calculated
The BNI is computed using data from:
✔️ National Sample Survey (NSS) rounds.
✔️ Household-level data on access to water, sanitation, housing, and fuel.
✔️ Data disaggregated across states, rural-urban, income groups.
Parameters & Indicators
| Parameter | Indicators |
|---|---|
| Water | Piped water, distance to source, frequency of supply |
| Sanitation | Toilet availability, drainage |
| Housing | Permanent structure, separate kitchen |
| Micro-environment | Waste disposal, household surroundings |
| Kitchen Facilities | LPG/PNG use, kitchen ventilation |
BNI Regional Comparison (Economic Survey 2021)
| Region | Rural BNI (2018) | Urban BNI (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Northern States | 0.64 | 0.81 |
| Southern States | 0.71 | 0.86 |
| Eastern States | 0.51 | 0.73 |
| Western States | 0.66 | 0.84 |
Key Findings
✔️ Overall improvement in BNI across all regions between 2012 and 2018.
✔️ Southern states performed best, reflecting better infrastructure and welfare delivery.
✔️ Eastern and North-Eastern states lagged due to historical deficits in infrastructure.
✔️ Rural-urban gap reduced significantly, particularly in access to cooking gas and toilets due to Ujjwala Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission.
WordPress HTML Code – BNI Rural vs Urban Graph
🔹 Role of Government Schemes in BNI Improvement
1️⃣ Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)
✔️ Built over 11 crore toilets across rural India.
✔️ Significantly improved sanitation indicators.
2️⃣ Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
✔️ Provided affordable housing with basic amenities to rural and urban poor.
✔️ Enhanced housing and micro-environment scores.
3️⃣ Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
✔️ Targeting universal tap water connection by 2024.
✔️ Directly improves water access indicator.
4️⃣ Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
✔️ Distributed 9.6 crore LPG connections to poor households.
✔️ Dramatically improved kitchen facilities and indoor air quality.
5️⃣ Solid Waste Management Initiatives
✔️ Promotes waste segregation, composting, and community waste management.
✔️ Enhances micro-environment indicators.
🔹 Importance of BNI for Policy Planning
✔️ Provides district-level granular data to target lagging areas.
✔️ Enables convergence of schemes for holistic development.
✔️ Tracks SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) progress.
✔️ Facilitates state-level comparisons and peer learning.
🔹 Challenges in Improving BNI
1️⃣ Regional Disparities
✔️ Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha lag in access to safe water, sanitation, housing.
2️⃣ Quality of Infrastructure
✔️ Many rural households have toilets and tap water, but functionality issues persist.
3️⃣ Behavioural Change
✔️ Open defecation-free (ODF) status reversal in some areas.
✔️ Waste segregation awareness low in rural areas.
4️⃣ Urban Slum Challenges
✔️ Migrants in urban slums lack basic housing and sanitation facilities.
5️⃣ Climate Vulnerability
✔️ Floods, droughts, and other climate shocks affect rural infrastructure sustainability.
🔹 Way Forward
✔️ Integrate BNI into Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
✔️ Conduct annual BNI surveys at block level.
✔️ Ensure convergence of rural housing, water, and sanitation schemes.
✔️ Focus on quality assurance through real-time monitoring platforms.
✔️ Promote community-led waste management systems.
📚 Practice MCQs
1️⃣ Bare Necessities Index (BNI) was introduced in which Economic Survey?
✅ Options:
(a) 2018-19
(b) 2019-20
(c) 2020-21
(d) 2021-22
2️⃣ Which of the following factors are covered under Bare Necessities Index (BNI)?
- Drinking water
- Sanitation
- Electricity supply
- Housing quality
✅ Options:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2, and 4 only
(c) 1, 2, 3, and 4
(d) 2 and 3 only
3️⃣ Which of the following schemes directly contributes to improving BNI?
✅ Options:
(a) PM-JAY
(b) PM-KISAN
(c) Jal Jeevan Mission
(d) FAME India
