Poverty Alleviation Research Paper

Introduction

To understand how poverty alleviation works, we will first look at the basics of poverty and its causes in India, following which we will see what poverty alleviation is and what have been the steps taken by the Indian government towards poverty alleviation. We will also briefly look at what other steps can be taken and how effective the steps being taken are.

What is Poverty?

Poverty is a multifaceted concept, a vice that is widely prevalent throughout the world. Poverty is deprivation in different walks of life like, nutrition, income, inability to have a say in decision making, corruption, lack of political power, denial or lack of opportunities, capability to convert available resources and access to the same. It is the lack

The World Bank website on ‘Poverty Reduction and Equity’ defines poverty in comprehensive manner, saying, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is 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, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom.”

Social Scientists distinguish between ‘relative’ and ‘absolute’ poverty. Relative poverty is defined by the general standards of living in different societies and what is culturally defined as being poor rather than some absolute level of deprivation. Absolute poverty occurs when people fail to receive sufficient resources to support a minimum of physical health and efficiency, often expressed in terms of calories or nutritional levels (The Penguin dictionary of Sociology,

It involves improving the conditions of those who are already poor by empowering them, leading to the betterment of life. They must be given government help, economically: subsidies, grants, loans at lower interest rates, food subsidies, etc: socially: health and sanitation campaigns, protection of women and children, eradication of bonded labor, stringent laws for practice of caste system etc and politically: reservations and better opportunities, stringent laws for dealing with political corruption, protection of right to vote from any kind of fraudulent activities