poverty

                                                POVERTY

Poverty is not only about not having enough money to fulfill basic needs and requirements such as food, shelter and clothing.It is much more than not having enough money.It is also about being deprived of education and health facilities.Poor people are excluded from the society, for being not well educated.Those people who are hardly able to pay for food and shelter clearly cannot afford other expenses.

➦Background and history

       

In 1960-61, about 17 crore people (ie. 34% of the total population) lived below poverty line.In 1993-94, 32 crore people (36% of the total population)were living below poverty line.In 1999-2000,26 crore people(26% of the total population) were living below poverty line.Then it is estimated that (29.8% of the population) was below poverty line in 2009-10.It declined to 21.9% in 2011-12.

➦State comparison: 

Population below poverty line varies from state to state in India.According to Economic Survey 2013-14 and Planning Commission UP ,Bihar ,Odisha,                                 Chattisgarh,Jharkhand,Manipur,Assam and Madhya Pradesh were highest.About 29.4% of population of UP, 33.7% of Bihar,32.6% of Odisha and 31.7% of Madhya Pradesh population is living below the poverty line.In Punjab 8.3%of population is below poverty line,11.2% in Haryana and 14.7% in Rajasthan.

source:richmondvale.org

➦Current scenario:

India has one of the fastest growing economy in the world,(As per World poverty clock in 2012 India had 73 million people living in extreme poverty which is 5.5% of total population)In 2019, the Indian government stated that 6.7% of its population is below its official poverty limit.

➦The impact of Covid-19 on poverty in India:

 As Covid-19 is hitting the economy acroos the globe, the economies of all countries is getting highly impacted as the GDP's have drastically declined like never before.India's quarterly GDP was estimated to a decline of over 9% between April and June 2020. In the beginning of 2020 there was 5% decrease in growth of GDP.

source:statista.com

According to latest reports upto 135 million jobs can lost and 120 million people may be push back push back into poverty in India. Covid-19 extremely impacted people in terms of job loss,GDP is declining due to increase in poverty and reduction in per capita income.According to world bank about 40 million migrants lost their jobs. Around 5,000,060,000 workers moved from urban areas to rural areas. 

source:India.com

➦Causes of poverty:

➞Low level of per capita income:according to UNO norms the per capita income of our        country falls in the category of poorest countries.

➞Rising population: population is rising rapidly.As our country is the 2nd largest                    populated country in the world.

➞Unemployment and underemployment:due to rapid increase in population, there is             unemployment and underemployment in India.There is educated unemployment and             disguised unemployment.

➞Lack of infrastructure:energy, means of transport and communication have not been         developed properly.Industries do not get raw materials on time due to insufficient road         transport and less railways due this finish goods are not marketed properly.

➞Unequal distribution of income:people with higher income and wealth surely have             greater capacity to generate higher income in future too.People with lower income are         just capable of fulfilling their basic requirements and they remain same as they are. 

Programs and schemes introduced by government but what about the outcomes?    

The government initiates new programs and schemes for the poor in our country.Even after so many programs, the condition of our country has not improved.The richer are becoming richer and poor are becoming poorer.Lots of people do not even know about the government schemes and programs for eradication of poverty.Instead of programs what we need is the proper implementation of programs.After the release of the fund, only 20 to 30% of the fund reaches the right poor.Such activities should be eradicated for the sustainable development of the country.

source:The New York times 

Measures to remove poverty:      

➞Reduce poverty through GDP growth:GDP is the ideal solution to the problem of             poverty.New chance of employment will generate through the advancement of GDP             growth.

➞Reduce poverty through population control:per capita income continues to be low,due     to rapid increase in population.Size of labour force reduce through population                        control.This will correct the variation between labour supply and capital stock.Rate of           participation will increase and the percentage of population below poverty line will            decrease.

➞Eradication of unemployment:unemployment is the greatest waste of human resources     Government should take special measures to eradicate unemployment, underemployment     and disguised employment.Employment in rural areas is most important to remove rural        poverty.The more people get employed, the less people go towards poverty.

➞Development of agriculture:Agriculture sector contributes approx 17 to 18% in India's        GDP.Though 22% of the population is totally dependent on agriculture. So, special efforts     should be made to develop agriculture.Agriculture should be modernised. Enhance the        quality of seeds. Chemical composites and fertilizers should be used.Small farmers                 should be assisted financially. Landless farmers should be provided lands.   

➞Stability in the price level:stability in prices helps to remove poverty.If prices continue        to rise, the poor will become poor.Prices can be stabilised  through the increase in                 production of foodgrains and other goods of mass consumption.Though the goods of            mass consumption should be distributed to poor at fair prices.

As we all know that poverty is the misery for our country.It should be removed for the development of our country.Government should take major initiatives to reduce poverty by educating people and providing more and more job opportunities.

"poverty is the worst form of violence".