CH-POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

1. What is Poverty?

 A situation where people lack basic needs → food, shelter, clothing,

healthcare, education.

 Also includes lack of clean water, sanitation, regular job &

minimum wages.

 Poor people often live with helplessness, humiliation, social

discrimination.

2. Two Case Studies

Urban – Ram Saran (Jharkhand)

 Daily wage labourer (₹3500/month), irregular work.

 Family of 6 + supports old parents.

 One-room rented house, limited food (dal-rice twice a day).

 Children work to support income → schooling affected.

 Clothes, shoes are luxury.

Rural – Lakha Singh (Meerut)

 Landless, works for big farmers on daily wage/in-kind.

 Family barely manages two meals.

 Lives in kuchha hut, lack of hygiene, mother ill due to no treatment.

 Children now attend school though parents couldn’t.

Conclusion:
Poverty includes → hunger, unemployment, no healthcare, no education,
poor housing, vulnerability.

3. Poverty as Seen by Social Scientists

Used multiple indicators:

1. Income/Consumption
 2. Education

3. Health

4. Living Standard

5. Vulnerability & social exclusion

Social Exclusion

 Poor are excluded from facilities enjoyed by others.

 Example: caste system.

Vulnerability

 Higher risk of becoming/remain poor (widows, disabled, SC/ST, old age

people).

 Less access to assets, education, jobs.

4. Poverty Line

 Measured on minimum consumption expenditure/income

required for basic needs.

Calorie Criteria (Earlier method)

Required
Area
Calories

2400
Rural
calories/day

2100
Urban
calories/day

 Poverty line value earlier based on food grains price.

 Revised periodically with inflation.

Multidimensional Poverty Index (NITI Aayog)

12 indicators grouped under Health + Education + Standard of Living:

Category Indicators

Health Nutrition, Child & adolescent mortality, Maternal health

Category Indicators

Education Schooling years, School attendance

Living Cooking fuel, Sanitation, Drinking water, Housing, Electricity,

Standard Assets, Bank Account

If household lacks multiple indicators → multi-dimensionally poor.

5. Poverty Trends in India

HCR%
Year
(Consumption)

1993–94 45%

2004–05 37%

2009–10 30%

2011–12 22%

Global MPI:
| 2015–16 | 25% |
| 2019–21 | 15% |
➡ 13.5 crore people escaped multi-dimensional poverty.

6. Inter-State Disparity

Low poverty (<10%): Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi, Punjab, HP,

Haryana, Maharashtra
Improving fast: UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan

Example methods:

 Kerala → human resource (education+health)

 West Bengal → land reforms

 TN + AP → Public Distribution System (PDS)

7. Vulnerable Groups
Highest poverty among:

1. Scheduled Tribes (43%)

2. Urban Casual Labour (34%)

3. Rural Agricultural Labour (34%)

4. Scheduled Castes (29%)

8. Global Poverty Situation

 World Bank poverty line → $2.15/day

 Poverty sharply declined in China, East Asia, South Asia.

 Sub-Saharan Africa still most poor region.

9. UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-1)

Goal: End poverty everywhere by 2030

 Reduce poverty by half → men, women, children.

10. Causes of Poverty in India

 British colonial policies destroyed industries.

 Low economic growth + high population.

 Regional inequality in Green Revolution.

 Unequal distribution of land/resources.

 High indebtedness → both cause + effect.

11. Anti-Poverty Measures

Government strategy → Economic growth + Targeted programmes

1. MGNREGA (2005)

 100 days employment guarantee.

 1/3 jobs reserved for women.

  Sustainable development (soil, drought relief).

2. PM POSHAN

 Mid-day meal → nutrition + school attendance boosted.

3. PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (2016)

 Reduce maternal & infant mortality.

 Free antenatal check-ups.

4. Ujjwala Yojana (LPG Connection)

 Free LPG for BPL families.

 Save women from smoke hazards, reduce deforestation.

12. Challenges Ahead

 Still wide rural-urban & state-level poverty gaps.

 Need broader concept beyond income → Human Poverty

 Education, women empowerment, job security needed.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Poverty refers to a situation where a person’s income or consumption is

so low that they cannot meet their basic needs like food, clothing,
shelter, healthcare, education, and sanitation. Poverty is measured not
only through income but also through various social indicators such as
illiteracy, malnutrition, lack of job opportunities, and unsafe drinking
water.

1. Issues Related to Poverty

 Homelessness

 Unemployment

 Large family size

 Illiteracy

 Poor health / malnutrition

 Child labour

 Helplessness

2. Social Exclusion

 Poverty must also be understood as the poor being excluded from

better surroundings, opportunities, and social equality.

 Social exclusion is both a cause and effect of poverty.

 The caste system in India is a typical example where certain groups

are denied equal opportunities.

3. Vulnerability

 Vulnerability means the higher chance of certain groups

becoming poor in the future.

 Factors: low assets, low education & skills, and few job opportunities.

 Vulnerable groups include members of backward castes, widows,

old-aged people, etc.

 Natural disasters, terrorism, and social instability increase vulnerability.

4. Poverty Line

 A person is considered poor if their income or consumption falls below

a minimum level needed for basic needs.

 In India, the poverty line is measured using:

o Income

o Consumption

 Poverty lines differ across countries because basic needs vary with
time, place, and country’s development level.
5. Groups Most Affected by Poverty

Social Groups

 Scheduled Castes (SC)

 Scheduled Tribes (ST)

Economic Groups

 Rural agricultural labourers

 Urban casual labourers

Double Disadvantage

Groups facing both social & economic disadvantages:

 SC landless labourers

 Casual labourers

 Women, elderly people, female infants—because they receive fewer

family resources.

6. States and Poverty Reduction

Some states have reduced poverty through strong development

measures:

1. Punjab & Haryana – High agricultural growth due to Green Revolution

2. Kerala – Human resource development (education, health)

3. West Bengal – Land reforms

4. Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu – Public distribution system (PDS)

improvements

7. Major Causes of Poverty in India

1. Historical causes – Colonial rule ruined traditional industries,

reducing jobs.

2. Low per capita income – Slow rate of growth for many years.
3. Low growth in agriculture & industry – Unequal impact of Green
Revolution.

4. Income inequality – Land concentrated in few hands; improper land

reforms.

5. Socio-cultural causes – High expenses on social ceremonies drain

savings.

6. Economic causes – Farmers borrow for seeds, fertilizer; fall into debt
due to low savings.

8. Anti-Poverty Measures

Government’s strategy focuses on:

1. Economic growth

2. Targeted anti-poverty programmes

Major Programmes

 MGNREGA (2005) – 100 days of guaranteed wage employment; jobs

reserved for women; promotes rural development.

 PMRY (1993) – Self-employment for educated unemployed youth.

 REGP (1995) – Self-employment in rural/ small towns.

 SGSY / SJSRY / PMGY – Formation of self-help groups (SHGs), creation

of rural assets and employment, help for poor families.

Reasons for limited success

 Poor implementation

 Benefits not reaching deserving people

 Lack of proper monitoring

9. Human Poverty

Human poverty focuses on:

 Quality of life

 Education, healthcare, job security, self-confidence

 Not just basic survival

It means lack of dignity, equal opportunity, and capability, not

merely lack of money.