📚 Class 9 Economics – Chapter 3: Poverty as a Challenge
🔹 Introduction
Poverty is visible in our daily life –
🏚️ Landless labourers in villages
🏘️ People living in overcrowded jhuggis (slums) in cities
👷 Daily wage workers
👶 Child workers in dhabas
Fact: In India, every fourth person is poor.
🔹 Two Typical Cases of Poverty
Poverty includes:
🍽️ Hunger
🏚️ Lack of shelter
💧 Lack of clean water and sanitation
💼 Lack of regular jobs at a minimum decent level
Poverty is one of the biggest challenges of independent India. True independence means freedom from human suffering for the poorest.
🔹 Poverty as Seen by Social Scientists
Indicators of poverty:
📉 Income & consumption levels
📚 Illiteracy (अनपढ़ता)
🥗 Malnutrition (कुपोषण)
🏥 Lack of healthcare
💼 Lack of job opportunities
🚰 Unsafe drinking water & poor sanitation
🔹 Poverty Line
Poverty line = minimum income/consumption required for basic needs.
In India:
- Rural: 2400 calories/day/person → Rs 816/month (2011–12)
- Urban: 2100 calories/day/person → Rs 1000/month (2011–12)
📊 Calculated by National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) every 5 years.
🔹 Poverty Estimates in India
- 1993–94 → 45% people below poverty line
- 2004–05 → 37.2%
- 2011–12 → 22%
🔹 Vulnerable Groups
👥 Social groups: Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST)
👷 Economic groups: Rural agricultural labourers & urban casual labourers
Note: Except STs, other groups saw decline in poverty in the 1990s.
🔹 Inter-State Disparities
- Poorest states: Bihar (33.7%), Odisha (32.6%)
- High urban poverty: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
- Success stories: Kerala (human resource development), Punjab & Haryana (agriculture growth), West Bengal (land reforms), Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu (public distribution of food grains)
🔹 Global Poverty Scenario
🌏 China & Southeast Asia → Rapid economic growth → Poverty declined
🌍 Sub-Saharan Africa → 51% (2005) → 41% (2015)
🌎 Latin America → 10% (2005) → 4% (2015)
🔹 Causes of Poverty in India
1️⃣ Colonial legacy: Low economic development, ruined handicrafts, discouraged industries
2️⃣ Income inequalities: Unequal distribution of land & resources
3️⃣ Debt traps: Small farmers borrow for seeds, fertilizer, pesticides → cannot repay → poverty
🔹 Anti-Poverty Measures
Two strategies:
- Promotion of economic growth 🌱
- Targeted anti-poverty programmes 🎯
Key Programmes:
- MGNREGA (2005) – 100 days wage employment, 1/3 jobs for women
- Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY, 1993) – Self-employment for educated youth
- Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP, 1995) – Self-employment in rural areas
- Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY, 1999) – SHGs + bank credit + govt subsidy
- Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY, 2000) – Assistance for health, education, shelter, drinking water, electrification
🔹 The Challenges Ahead
📉 Poverty has declined but still remains a major challenge.
Solutions:
- Higher economic growth
- Universal free elementary education
- Declining population growth
- Empowerment of women & weaker sections
