Poverty Alleviation Policies and Programs - Plans Introduced by Government
Have you ever wondered about the lives of those 12 million people who sleep under the sky every night with an empty stomach? Since Independence, the planning commission and the government of India have worked towards the eradication of poverty from the nation. The fifth five-year plans have been formulated with the major goal of alleviating poverty with the slogan - ‘Garibi Hatao’.
The very first Sustainable Development Goal has been formulated with the idea of SDG1: No Poverty. Considering the importance and need of the society and to take India from a third (developing) World to a state of the first World (developed), the government has been coming up with various poverty alleviation policies and programs.
This section discusses the programs and initiatives taken by the government to remove the burden of poverty. A student needs to understand the poverty alleviation policy and remember the plans for an in-depth understanding of procedures.
Key Learnings from the Chapter:
What is Poverty?
Plans introduced by the Government for Poverty Alleviation
What is the need for Poverty alleviation?
Reason for the inefficiency of Poverty alleviation programs and policies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Poverty?
According to the World Bank, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is a lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, it is fear for the future, living one day at a time.
In other words, in addition to lack of money, poverty is the incapacity of a person to participate in recreational activities, incapacity to educate their children, incapacity to get an appropriate healthcare facility. To overcome these challenges, the Government has formulated the poverty alleviation program.
Plans Introduced by the Government throughout these Years
To discuss the government policies in eradicating poverty, a student must know the names of programs introduced. They must know the functions of each of these acts to have all-around information and knowledge.
Some of the renowned policies of poverty alleviation programs in India 2019 are -
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
This scheme is well known as NREGA aims to help the poor and BPL by promoting growth and development. It aids an individual by enhancing the general living standards of rural residents by promoting 100 days off employment opportunities. This is offered to adults belonging to a household interested in performing an unskilled form of labor.
This scheme was introduced on February 2, 2006, in different phases. This scheme holds an exceptional value due to its employment generating facility.
Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojna
PMGSY launched on December 25, 2002, to construct roads that connect an urban area to rural areas. It is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to build high-quality roads. This aided in generating employment for rural masses and their transportation development.
Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna
This plan was launched in 2001 by the unification of two important schemes EAS and JGSY. Its objective is to offer food security and employment to the residents of rural areas. This scheme also helped in the production of long-standing assets for the community. This program aids poor masses mostly emphasizing on SCs, women, STs, and parents of children inhibited from dangerous industries.
Indira Aawas Yojna
This scheme offers states shelter facilities and development options. Ideally, people belonging below the poverty line get this facility. This scheme was made to provide accommodation for the poor and convert Kachha houses into pakka ones.
Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana
Also known as JGSY, it was launched in 1999, aiming to create infrastructure living options in rural areas in a demand-driven way. It was aimed at the village community and their development. Moreover, it helped in creating employment options for the rural population based on skill. The village panchayat usually controls it.
Need for Poverty Alleviation Program
The poverty alleviation policies and programs discussed above were formulated for the given reasons -
To reduce the rate of poverty in the country
To ensure equality, liberty, and equanimity among all the citizen
To ensure justice is done to all the individuals
To fight problems related to poverty like malnutrition, illiteracy, high crime rate
To ensure a better standard of living for every individual
To make India transform into a developed nation
Reason for the Inefficiency of Poverty Alleviation Program in India
Though the programs and policies have been successful in reducing poverty to an extent, however, there have been certain loopholes, some of them are -
The disparity in resource allocation - some states receive more aids whereas others face scarcity of resources in implementing the program
One size fits all approach - has been inefficient as one program cannot match the need of all different challenges in different states
Bureaucratic inefficiency - untapped corruption and red-tapism delay the implementation of certain programs
People’s engagement - in certain programs is less, making it fail to reach the grassroots level.
Overlapping programs - various schemes and policies are repetitions in itself thus, unable to meet the needs of the beneficiaries.
You can think of other reasons and write in the comment box.
Continuing the problems is not enough to solve a problem, we need to find the solutions, some of them are discussed as -
Solutions to make the Poverty Alleviation Program Effective -
Adopting bottom-up approach - where programs are designed according to the need of the people at the grass-roots level
Decentralized allocation - of work, making the people participate in their development process
Use of technology - to eliminate any form of corruption at all the levels
Empowering Panchayats - by allocation enough resources to carry out the programs
Regular auditing - of the progress of the poverty alleviation policies.
Think of more solutions and suggest them in the comment box. Therefore, poverty is a disease that restricts a nation from becoming prosperous. Adopting the Gandhian philosophy of ‘trusteeship’, the whole nation should stand together to eradicate the problem of poverty and make India great again.
FAQs on Poverty Alleviation Policies and Programs in India
1. What is the current level of poverty in India?
According to the consumer expenditure data of NSSO the incidence of poverty in India increased from 31.15% to 35.1% between 2011-12 and 2017-18. And also, the absolute number of poor people has increased from 270 million to 322.22 million over the same period, which translates to 52 million more poor people in six years.
2. Who calculates the poverty rate in India?
Currently, the poverty rate in India is calculated by NITI Aayog which has been formulated by replacing the Planning commission of India. The Aayog uses the poverty-related data which is collected by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).
3. How do we collect data for poverty alleviation programs?
The data has been collected using two methods-
Uniform resource period (URP): asking people about their consumption expenditure across a 30-day recall period that is the consumption expenditure in the previous 30 days.
Mixed Reference Period (MRP): currently NSSO makes use of this method to measure the consumption of five low-frequency items (clothing, footwear, durables, education, and institutional health expenditure) over the previous year, and all other items over the previous 30 days.
4. What is the Below Poverty Line mentioned in Poverty alleviation programs?
To measure the level of poverty an approach is adopted where a minimum expenditure or income requirement is considered which is needed to purchase a basket of goods and services. That minimum line of requirement is considered as the poverty line and if the income or expenditure is below the standards, it is termed as Below Poverty Line (BPL).
Using the BPL approach, the government identifies the real beneficiaries of the poverty alleviation programs.
5. Can a state start its Poverty alleviation program?
Generally the poverty alleviation programs are initiated by the central government and the state government is responsible for the implementation of these programs. But yes, any state can start its poverty alleviation schemes and programs and many states currently have various ongoing Poverty alleviation schemes. Read about the poverty alleviation schemes in your state.
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6. What are the Programs Adopted by the Government to Help the Elderly, Poor and Women?
With an agreement to Directive Principles of State Policy, the Government of India introduced the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) in 1995. This was done to help the poor, elderly and weak women. It aims to ensure a lesser standard for social assistance to benefit those states offering aid in future.
Today, NSAP comprises five different schemes for people below poverty level. These schemes are - Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), Annapurna, Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS).
7. What is the Relationship Between Unemployment and Poverty?
There is a strong relationship between poverty and unemployment which affects the economy of a country. Unemployment and fickle nature of work drive jobless people into helplessness as they don't own resources. As this leads them to poverty and debts, where employment opportunities will aid people into security.
It also leads to a rise in people's income which also helps in reducing poverty. Moreover, unemployment stops people from availing necessities. These provisions include education, health facilities, proper sanitation, etc. Removing issues like inadequate human capital and skills lead to the removal of the vicious circle of poverty.
8. Define How Income Creation of Income Affects the Problem of Poverty.
The issue of poverty is a bigger problem that cannot be solved quickly, just by offering food grains or clothes. Government has to take severe actions and make laws for systematic eradication of poverty. For this issue to be removed, low individuals have to come forward and try harder for growth and development.
This can also be done by offering income-generating solutions and assets too low in the form of housing, agricultural land, equipment for income or proper training. This will help a BPL person to stand on his capability rather than depending on others. Again, participating in economic activities makes an individual irrespective of gender be empowered in order to sharpen the skill, literacy rate and health.
