Poverty As A Challenge Flashcards
Define Poverty.
It is the state in which people do not have sufficient income to fulfill the basic necessities of life like food, clothing and shelter.
What is social exclusion?
A process through which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others enjoy. Eg: Indian caste system.
What is vulnerability?
The greater probability of certain communities or individuals of becoming or remaining, poor in the coming years and of being more adversely affected than other people in case of a disaster.
Issues related to poverty
Landlessness Unemployment Size Of Families Illiteracy Poor health/malnutrition Child labour Helplessness
What is poverty line?
A common method used to measure poverty based on the income or consumption levels. Each country uses an imaginary line that is considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted minimum social norms to divide the population into the poor and non-poor.
How is the poverty line in India determined?
A minimum level of food requirement in calories, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirement, etc. are determined for subsistence.
Calories and poverty line in 2009, and surveyors?
Urban- 2100 calories, ₹860/month
Rural- 2400 calories, ₹673/month
National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)
Which are the social and economic groups most vulnerable to poverty?
Social groups- scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households
Economic groups- rural agricultural labour households and urban casual labour households.
How is there inequality of income within the family?
Women, elderly people and female infants are systematically denied access to resources available to the family and they end up being the poorest of the poor.
Poverty Estimates In India
Poverty ratios declined from 55% to 30%
Proportion of people below poverty line became 26%
The number of poor remained stable at 320 million for a long period
Inter-State Poverty Disparities
Poverty is high is Orissa, Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh; UP, Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have high urban poverty.
Significant decline in poverty in Kerala, J&K, Andhra Pradesh, TN, WB, Haryana, Punjab.
How did poverty reduce in some states?
Punjab and Haryana- high agricultural grown rates.
Kerala- HRD.
WB- Land reform measures.
AP and TN- Public distribution of food grains.
What are the causes of poverty?
- Britishers ruled India for more than 200 years and they destroyed the traditional Indian handicrafts and discouraged development of textiles industry. This led to less job opportunities.
- 70% of total population is engaged in agriculture but its contribution to GDP is only 1/3rd.
- Heavy pressure of large population.
- Unemployment.
- Socio-cultural factors: people spend a lot on rituals and religious ceremonies
- Lack of proper industrialization
Describe global poverty trends.
World Bank’s poverty line = $1
Global poverty reduced from 28% to 21% in 2001
Due to rapid eco. growth and and HRD, reduced in China and SE Asia
Decline is not rapid in S Asia
Sub-Saharan African countries it rose from 41% to 46% in 2001
In Latin American countries the ratio has not changed.
What is the current anti-poverty strategy of the government based on?
(1) Promotion of economic growth
(2) Targeted anti-poverty programmes
