Poverty In India

What Is Poverty?

Poverty could also be a state or condition during which a private or community lacks the financial resource and essentials for a minimum standard of living. Poverty means the income level from employment is so low that basic human needs cannot be met. Each nation may have its own threshold that determines what percentage of its people sleep in poverty.

Types of Poverty:

Absolute Poverty:

A condition where household income is below a necessary level to need care of basic living standards (food, shelter, housing). This condition makes it possible to match between different countries and also over time.

Relative Poverty:

It's defined from the social perspective that's living standard compare to the economic standard of population living in surrounding. Hence it is a measure of income inequality. 

Usually, relative poverty is measured because the percentage of the population with income but some fixed proportion of median income.  

 

Poverty In India

Causes of Poverty in India

Population Explosion:

India's population has steadily increased through the years. During the past 45 years, it's risen at a rate of 2.2% per annum, which suggests, on the average, about 17 million people are added to the county's population annually.

Low Agriculture Productivity:

A serious reason of for poverty within the low productivity within the agriculture sector. The reason of low productivity not having proper knowledge about farming technologies. There is underemployment and disguised unemployment within the country, particularly within the farming sector. This has resulted in low agricultural output and also led to a dip within the standard of living.

Low Rate of Economic Development:

Economic development has been low in India especially within the primary 40 years of independence before the LPG reforms in 1991.

Price Rise:

Price rise has been steady with within the country and this had added to the burden the poor carry. Although a couple of people have benefited from this, the lower income groups have suffered due to it, and aren't even ready to satisfy their basic minimum wants. 

Unemployment:

Unemployment is another factor causing poverty in India. The ever-increasing the population has led to be a better number of job-seekers. However, their is not expansion in opportunities to match this demand for jobs.

Lack of Capital and Entrepreneurship:

The shortage of capital and entrepreneurship results in low level of investment and job creation in the economy.

Social Factor:

A side from economic factors, there are also social factor hindering the eradication of poverty in India. Some of the hiderencs during this regard are the laws of inheritance, social organization, certain traditions etc. 

Colonial Exploitation:

The British colonization and rule over India for about two countries deindustrialized India by ruining it's traditional handicrafts and textile industries.  

Climatic Factors:

Most of India's poor belong to the states of Bihar, UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand etc. Natural calamities such as frequent floods, disasters, earthquake and cyclone cause heavy damage to agriculture in these states. 

Poverty Alleviation Programs in India

Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP):

It had been introduced in 1978-1979 and universalized from 2nd October 1980, aimed toward providing assistance to the agricultural poor within the sort of subsidy and bank credit for productivity employment opportunities through successive plan periods. 

Food for Work Programme:

It was meant to extend food security through wage employment. Food grains are supplied to states freed from cost, however, the availability of food grains from the Food Corporation of India(FCI) godown has been slow.

National Adulthood Pension Scheme(NOAPS):

This pension is given by the central government. The job of implementation of this scheme in the state and union territories is given to panchayats and municipalities. The state contribution may vary counting within the state. The state contribution may vary relying on the state. The amount of adulthood pension is ₹ 200 per month, for applicants aged 60-79. For applicants aged above 80 years, the quantity has been revised to ₹500 a month consistent with the 2011-2012 budget.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)2005: 

The act provides 100 days assured employment once a year to every rural household. One-third of the proposed jobs would be reserved for ladies. The central government also will establish National Employment Guarantee funds.

National Rural Livelihood Mission (Aajeevika-2011): It involves out the necessity to diversity the requirements of the agricultural poor and supply them jobs with regular income on a monthly basis. Self help groups are formed at the village level to assists the needy.

National Urban Livelihood Mission:

The NULM focuses on organizing urban poor in self help groups, creating opportunities for skill development leading to market-based employment and helping them to set up self-employment ventures by ensuring easy access to credit.

Pradhan Mantri Kushal Vikas Yojna:

It will focus on fresh entrant to the labor market, especially labor market and class X and Xll dropouts.

Pradhan Mantri Jhan-Dhan Yojna:

It aimed at direct benefit transfer of subsidy, pension, insurance etc. and attained the target of opening 1.5 crore bank accounts. The scheme particularly targets the unbanked poor.

Conclusion:

The poverty rate within the country has nearly halved, falling from 55% to twenty-eight over the ten-years period. Still a bog a part of population in India lives below the poverty level. Rapid  process and thus the utilization of technology for social sector programs have helped make an enormous dent in extreme poverty within the country.  

Despite rapid climb and development, an unacceptably high proportion of our population continues to suffer from severe and multidimensional deprivation. Thus, a more comprehensive and inclusive approach is required to eradicate poverty in India.

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