Who would believe now that once our country was known as “ Sone ki chidiya” (golden sparrow) having gold in abundance?

The present situation of our country is in contrast with the earlier situation.

Poverty can be defined as a situation in which people remain deprived of basic amenities of life such as inadequacy of food, shelter & clothing. They do not get proper & healthy nutrition, medicines & other necessary things. The income of around 8 crore urban people is below poverty line & 4.5 crore urban people is on the borderline of poverty level. India is estimated to have one-third of the world's poor. Different economists have formulated various measures to check poverty on the basis of income level, consumption level, education & many more. Poverty line distinguishes people as Above Poverty Line & Below the Poverty Line. The value may differ for urban & rural population i.e. 2100 calories for urban people & 2400 for rural people.

CAUSES OF POVERTY

Almost 80 percent of the rural population depends on agriculture which is unorganised in India. The return & yield is uncertain, thereby, becoming a cause for poverty. Families can’t grow enough crops to feed themselves each year due to lack of new farming techniques, difficult weather conditions, poor storage conditions & lack of water. Our population is growing at a faster rate. India is the second most populous country after China but resources are not enough to sustain the increasing population. Many people migrate to urban areas in search of lucrative job opportunities but remains unemployed. Delhi, the capital of India has many such people on it’s outskirts. The distribution of income in India is highly skewed & unequal, this widening the gap between rich & poor. Illiteracy & corruption is highly prevalent in our country.

EFFECTS OF POVERTY

Poverty affects people’s lives in many ways. Many children become victims of malnutrition & deformed body. A third of the world's malnourished children live in India according to UNICEF, where 46 percent of all children below the age of three are too small for their age & 47 percent are underweight & at least 16 percent are wasted. Thus, infant mortality rate is quite alarming. Unemployment, poor hygiene etc. are also some major impacts of poverty on people. 75 percent of poor are in rural area & most of them are daily labourers, thus having uncertainty of income. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), it is estimated that 98000 people in India die from diarrhoea each year. The lack of adequate sanitation, nutrition & safe water has significant negative impact on health of people. Poverty compels small children to do work at low cost & support their families financially at the tender age of going to school. This, it can be concluded that there are many direct & indirect effects of poverty which can’t be ignored. The poorest parts of India are Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa & Jharkhand. This immediate measures need to taken to tackle it.

SOLUTIONS TO ERADICATE POVERTY

It’s utmost need to deal with this menace for sake of humanity on this planet. Many fundamental rights like Right to Education, Right to Equality, Right against exploitation etc. Are being provided in our constitution to empower the helpless. Family planning should be followed by people in order to check the ever- increasing population & thus poverty. Literacy should be one of the soul objectives of the government. In this regard, Mid- day meal, the scheme to cater children to school is highly applauded. Good agricultural facilities needs to be provided to farmers so as to ensure good productivity & high yield.Government has initiated many schemes to combat this problem. MNREGA is one such project providing 100 days of guaranteed employment to jobless people ready to do unskilled work. Public distribution system, ration shops & subsidy programme are also some of the steps taken by the government. The role of non governmental organisations can’t be underestimated & they also need to actively participate to eradicate poverty.

CONCLUSION

Poverty is not an individual problem, however it is a national problem. It must be solved on an urgent basis by implementing effective solutions. Although the government had taken many steps but the benefit doesn’t reach the targeted people due to corrupt officials & flaws in bureaucracy. Clear distinction needs to be made between rich and poor so that only those who genuinely need help are being provided with proper incentives. The measures will be salutary only if transparency is ensured.

Let’s work for the upliftment of poor by donating excess wealth for noble cause.

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