Q. What is poverty? Examine the reason behind the poverty in Indian society. What are the steps taken by the Indian and Bihar government to remove poverty?
Ans:
Poverty is a complex phenomenon and the notion of poverty has different meaning for different people. Though there is no universally accepted definition of poverty, it is generally viewed as a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living- life, food, clothing, shelter, safe drinking water etc. It also includes the deprivation of opportunities to health, education, skills, employment etc.
The World Bank conceptualises poverty as deprivation in well-being, low income and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. According to world bank, the Extreme poverty level is living on less than $1.90 a day.
UNDP measures poverty in terms of a new parameter, namely, Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) which considers average value of living standard, health and education. Thus, Poverty is multidimensional in nature.
Poverty estimation in India is carried out by NITI Aayog through the calculation of poverty line based on the data captured by the National Sample Survey Office. While identifying the poor in India consumption expenditure that is taken into account. According to 2011 census data, 21.9% of population in India is below poverty line.
The reason behind the poverty in Indian society:
- Colonial exploitation: the policies of the colonial government led to dis-industrialisation. At the time of Independence the incidence of poverty in India was about 80%. Domestic saving rate was only 10.4 percent of GDP.
- Unequal distribution of land and resources is another vital cause for poverty in India.
- Inequality in earning the income of the people is also a wide cause for poverty.
- To fulfil the demands of social obligations and religious ceremonies the poor community end up spending a lot which leads to poverty.
- The rapid rate of increase in population is also a factor of poverty.
- Growth is not as rapid as we need to eradicate poverty.
- Models of growth may be unsuitable for poverty alleviation. For example, capital-intensive growth in a labour surplus country in India.
- Poverty is a vicious cycle preventing investment and development.
- Due to urbanisation, there has been a continuous decline in the productivity of agriculture.
- Migration of qualified and educated citizens to other countries has reduced the economy of our country
- Shortage of Entrepreneurship
- Anti-poverty schemes not being effective due to institutional and other inadequacy.
- Insurgencies as in North-Eastern India, Naxalism as in the eastern states, communal violence etc.
- Caste ridden society, Patriarchal society.
- IMF had earlier said that equal participation of women in economic activity can boost India’s GDP by 27%.
- Lack of education and skills.
- Natural and Man-made disasters causes huge economic destruction e.g. devastation of infrastructure, disruption of normal life.
- Pandemic, like recent Covid-19 further aggravates the poverty situation in the country and hinders the progress towards poverty elimination.
The steps taken to remove poverty:
- By the Indian government:
- Integrated Rural Development Programme:
- started in 1980-81 in all blocks of the country and continued as a major self-employment scheme till April 1, 1999.
- Then, it was restructured as the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana which aimed at self-employment of the rural poor.
- Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY):
- It was launched as Centrally Sponsored Scheme on 1st April, 1989 by merging National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) and Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP). Its main objective was generation of additional gainful employment for the unemployed and under-employed people in rural areas through the creation of rural economic infrastructure, community and social assets.
- Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana:
- JRY has been strengthened and restructured as Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana w.e.f. 1st April, 1999.
- The main aim of this programme was the development of rural areas. Infrastructure like roads to connect the village to different areas, which made the village more accessible and also other social, educational (schools) and infrastructure like hospitals. Its secondary objective was to give out sustained wage employment.
- Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY):
- To target poorest of poor population and provide them relief from hunger.
- Targeted public distribution system (TPDS):
- To identify the poor households and giving them a fixed entitlement of food grains, rice and/ or wheat, at specially subsidized prices.
- Under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population of the country are covered for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains.
- PM Awas Yojna:
- affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor
- It has two components: PMAY-U) for the urban poor and PMAY-G for the rural poor.
- Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya: for helping the poor in both rural and urban India by providing skill training.
- In includes both Deendayal Antayodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NRLM) and Deendayal Antayodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NULM).
- Pradhan mantri ujjwala yojana: deposit free LPG connections to women from BPL households.
- Deendayal upadhyaya gram jyoti yojana: 24×7 uninterrupted electricity supply to each rural household across the country by 2022.
- Saubhagya Yojana electricity connection
- Shyama prasad mukherjee rurban mission: It aims to create 300 rural growth clusters across the country to:
- bridge the rural urban divide- economic, technological and those related to facilities and services.
- spread development in the region.
- attract investment in the rural areas.
- stimulate local economic development with emphasis on reduction of poverty and unemployment in rural areas.
- MGNREGA: Providing not less than 100 days of unskilled manual work as a guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand, resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability.
- Mission Antyodaya: To address the multidimensionality of poverty in a time bound manner through a convergence of resources, both financial and human to provide an opportunity for transformational changes.
- Gram Panchayat is the basic unit for monitoring transformation and for ranking on the basis of objective criteria.
- National social assistance programme: To provide support to aged persons, widows, disabled persons and bereaved families on death of primary bread winner, belonging to below poverty line households.
- It comprises schemes like- Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), Annapurna Scheme
- Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a scheme of the Government of India to provide free access to healthcare for 40% of people in the country
- Integrated Rural Development Programme:
- By the Bihar government:
- Agriculture sector reforms:
- Formulation and effective implementation Agriculture Road Map, with a prime focus on productivity and value chain development of small and marginal farmers.
- Enhanced Agriculture sector expenditures
- Formulation of Manav Vikas Mission:
- To identify, target and monitor social dimensions of development.
- It identified 20 indicators to capture outcomes required for allowing each individual to develop its fullest human potential.
- In 7 nishchay resolve the HDI and Skill development were emphasized
- Different missions– Mahadalit Vikas mission, Bihar state water and sanitation mission and Bihar gramswaraj mission were initiated.
- Arthik Hal, Yuvaon Ka Bal: For strenthening of the youth economically.
- Bihar Anganwadi Beneficiary Scheme: Government transfer cash money to the bank account of all the registered beneficiaries in exchange for food and ration.
- Bihar Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojana- The scheme applies to all senior citizens, wherein a sum of Rs. 400 is provided to the beneficiaries as pension. The scheme can be availed by all senior citizens irrespective of their caste, income, community and religion.
- Bihar Unemployment Allowance Scheme: the unemployed youth of the state who are unemployed despite being educated, get 1000 rupees per month by the Bihar government.
- Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme- Under the scheme, state government is providing education loan of up to Rs. 4 Lakh to 12th Pass students at 0% interest rate.
- Effective implementation of Housing scheme, ICDS, Mid-day-meal scheme
- The Government of Bihar (GoB), through the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS),an autonomous body under the Department of Rural Development, is spearheading the World Bank aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), locally known as JEEViKA with the objective of social & economic empowerment of the rural poor.
- It has mobilized 57 lakh households into 5 lakh SHGs and 50% of the poor still to be mobilized.
- Bihar’s average economic growth since 2005, has been more than 11 per cent which is among the fastest in the country.
- Agriculture sector reforms:
Thus both Indian and Bihar government is constantly moving forward with the goal of eradication of poverty. According to UN report, India fared best in poverty alleviation in 10 years to 2016. About 273 million Indians moved out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2005-6 and 2015-16. But, still India has highest population of poor people living in any country in the world. Going forward quality education, health, skill development as well as boosting the innovation and entrepreneurship spirit among citizen etc are key areas to focus upon.
