POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

CLASS-9

1. Describe how the poverty line is estimated in India?

Answer:
A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum
level” necessary to fulfil the basic needs. This minimum level is called the poverty line.
1. In India, the poverty line is estimated by multiplying the prices of physical quantities like food,
clothing, footwear, fuel, light, education, etc. in rupees.
2. Also, the poverty line for rural areas is different from that of the urban areas because the
work, lifestyle and expenses are different for rural and urban areas.
2. Do you think that present methodology of poverty estimation is appropriate?
Answer:
1.No, the present-day methodology of poverty estimation does not seem to be completely
appropriate. This is because the only factor is taken into consideration is the economic status, and
moreover, it considers a minimum subsistence of living instead of a reasonable status of living.
2.Poverty, today is a larger concept than only the economic status of the people. With
advancements and development, the definition of poverty has also changed. People may have been
able to feed themselves and their family, but education, shelter, health, job security and dignity are
still at a threat.
3.To overcome poverty entirely, all the above-mentioned factors also need to be kept in
consideration. To completely remove poverty from the country, the methodology to estimate poverty
should also be changed.
3. Describe poverty trends in India since 1973.
Answer:
1.The Economic Survey of 2017-18 shows that although poverty has declined in the country, the
number of poor still remains very high.
2.The poverty ratio of 1993-94 for both rural and urban areas together was at 45% and the ratio for
the year 2011-12 has declined down to 22%.
3.However, the topic of concern still remains that there has not been any massive decline in the
number of poor living in the country. From 404 million poor population in both rural and urban areas
together in 1993-94. The poor population till 2011-12 remains to be 270 million for both rural and
urban areas.
4.The survey clearly tells that the concerned authorities must take some serious steps in order to
make India a country free of poverty.
4. Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India.
Answer:
The major reasons for poverty in the country are:
 1. The low level of economic development under British colonial rule. The policies of the
colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged the development of
industries like textiles.
2. The spread of the Green Revolution created many job opportunities for the people of the
country, yet they were not sufficient in comparison to the number of job seekers.
3. Unequal distribution of land and resources is another important factor for poverty in India.
4. In order to fulfil social obligations and religious ceremonies the poor end up spending a lot
which results in poverty.
5. Inequality in the income of the people is also a major reason for poverty.

5. Identify the social and economic groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India.
Answer:
The social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India are:

1. Scheduled Caste Households

2. Scheduled Tribe Households

The economic groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India are:

1. Rural Agricultural Labour Households

2. Urban Casual Labour Households

6. Give an account of interstate disparities of poverty in India

Answer:
Poverty in India differs for different states. The success rate of reducing poverty varies from state to
state, causing inter-state disparities in poverty level.
Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the three poorest states in India with their people living
below the poverty line being 47, 42 and 37 per cent, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and
Himachal Pradesh are the three better-off states in India as far as poverty is concerned. There are
various factors that are responsible for these interstate disparities of poverty in India.
7. Describe global poverty trends.
Answer:
The success rate of reducing poverty varies from state to state, causing inter-state disparities in
poverty level. Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the three poorest states in India with their
people living below the poverty line being 47, 42 and 37 per cent, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir,
Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are the three better-off states in India as far as poverty is concerned.
There has been a substantial reduction in global poverty. Poverty declined in China and South-East
Asian countries as a result of rapid economic growth and huge investments in the development of
human resources. In Latin America, the ratio of poverty remained almost the same. In sub-Saharan
Africa, poverty saw an upward trend rather than a downward trend. It rose from 41% in 1981 to 46%
in 2001. Poverty has surfaced itself in some of the former socialist countries like Russia, where
formerly it was non-existent.
8. Describe current government strategy of poverty alleviation.
Answer:
Removal of poverty has been one of the major objectives of Indian developmental strategy. The
current anti-poverty strategy of the government is based broadly on two planks, being, promotion of
economic growth and targeted anti-poverty programmes. Awareness is being spread across the
nation specifying the importance of education, which has resulted in the increase of literacy level.
Various schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005,
Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) and
Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) have been introduced by the government with an aim to
abolish poverty from the country.
9. Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) What do you understand by human poverty?
Answer:
Human poverty is a term that means that poverty in India is not just limited to the economic status of
the people but rather spreads in various other sectors, which include lack of education, negligence of
health care system, discrimination and disparity. Abolishing poverty from the country should not be
the only aim of the authorities but to abolish human poverty must be the aim.
(ii) Who are the poorest of the poor?
Answer:
Women, female infants and elderly are considered to the poorest of the poor. This is because in a
poor household, these people suffer the most and are deprived of the maximum necessities in life.
(iii) What are the main features of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005?
Answer:
The main features of the National Rural Employment Act 2005 are as follows:

1. To provide 100 days of wage employment to every household to ensure livelihood security
2. Sustainable development to address the cause of drought, deforestation and soil erosion
3. One-third of the proposed jobs under this scheme have been reserved for women

Question 10.
What are the major reasons for less effectiveness of anti-poverty measures?
Answer:
The major reasons for less effectiveness of anti-poverty measures are :

 One of the major reasons for less effectiveness is the lack of proper implementation and right
targeting.
 Moreover, there has been a lot of overlapping of schemes.
 Despite good intentions, the benefits of these schemes are not fully reached to the deserving
poor.
 Therefore, the major emphasis in recent years is on proper monitoring of all the poverty
alleviation programs.

Question 11.
What is poverty? What are the dimensions of poverty?
Answer:
Poverty is a situation in which a person is unable to get the minimum necessities of life.
Due to poverty poor people are in a situation in which they are ill-treated at almost every place.
The dimensions of poverty are :
  Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter.
 It is a situation in which parents are not able to send their children to school or a situation
where sick people cannot afford treatment.
 Poverty also means lack of clean water and sanitation facilities.
 It also means lack of a regular job at a minimum decent level. :
 Poor people are in a situation in which they are ill-treated at almost every place, in farms,
factories, government offices, hospitals, railway stations etc.

Question 12.
What do you understand by vulnerability to poverty?
Answer:
Vulnerability of poverty means some communities or social groups are more prone to poverty than
other sections of the society. Members of a backward caste or individuals such as a widow or a
physically handicapped person of becoming, or remaining, poor in the coming years. Vulnerability is
determined by the options available to different communities for finding an alternative living in terms
of assets, education, health and job opportunities. Further, it is analysed on the basis of the greater
risks these groups face at the time of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunami), terrorism, etc.

Question 13.
What does social exclusion mean?
Answer:

 According to this concept, poverty must be seen in terms of the poor having to live only in
poor surrounding with other people, excluded from enjoying social equality of better-off people
in better surroundings.
 Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty in the usual sense.
 Broadly, it is a through in which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities, benefits and
opportunities that others enjoy.

Question 14.
Describe the aims of Swarnajanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri
Gramodaya Yozana.
Answer:
Swarnayanti Gram Swarozgar : Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was launched in
1999. The programme aims at bringing the assisted poor families above the poverty line by
organising them into self-help groups through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy.

 Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana : The Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana (PMGY) was
launched in 2000. Under this scheme, additional central assistance is given to states for
basic services such as primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water
and rural electrification.