NITI Aayog B.V.R. Subrahmanyam recently claimed that less than 5% of Indians now live
below the poverty line. He made the claim based on the findings of the Household
Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES), 2022-23.
HCES claimed that India’s rural poverty level had declined to 7.2% in 2022-23 from 25.7% in
2011-12, while urban poverty slipped to 4.6% from 13.7% over the same period. At a
national level, the report reckoned that the poverty rate in India could now be in the range of
4% to 5%.
Poverty in India and Current Issues
Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable
livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education
and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of
participation in decision-making.
Current Issues are going on Debates on Definition and Measurement, Different poverty lines
(income levels considered poor), and data sources leading to varying estimates. There is
uneven progress, Poverty reduction has been faster in rural areas compared to urban areas.
Causes of Poverty
There are many causes behind prevailing poverty in India:
1. Lack of access to good jobs, especially in rural areas.
2. Caste discrimination, gender bias, and lack of access to education.
3. The poor mainly consists of unskilled labor, which typically does not command a high
enough level of wage income.
4. The lack of access to social services such as health and education.
5. The magnitude of poverty is directly linked to the unemployment situation.
Suggestions and Measures
There are many ways and Measures to overcome poverty:
1. Inequalities of income, education, and opportunity are all interconnected and must be
addressed together.
2. Jobs and employment are the surest way to reduce poverty and inequality.
3. Reducing inequalities of opportunity and income.
4. Provide education and health services free of cost for deserving citizens
Government Initiatives to Reduce Poverty
The government has taken many initiatives to reduce poverty in India some of them are:
1. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Work (MGNREGA).
2. Poshan Abhiyan and Anaemia Mukt Bharat.
3. Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
4. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) .
5. Saubhagya, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY), etc.
Way Forward
India has made progress in eliminating extreme poverty but still, there is a long way to go
ahead, as seen in the World Bank’s recent claim that 74% of Indians still can’t afford a
nutritious diet. Further, to get the real picture of poverty in India revision of the poverty line as
per changing socio-economic realities is needed.
https://saachibaat.com/education/in-issuing-ai-advisory-by-prerna-gupta/
References:
https://www.nextias.com/ca/editorial-analysis/16-03-2024/poverty-estimation-in-india\
