What Is Poverty And Social Exclusion In India

Poverty and Social Exclusion in India through a multi-dimensional perspective:

India has come a long way, from being ruled by a foreign entity for two centuries to become a free and fast-growing economic power in the modern world. However, poverty and social exclusion still prevail in large parts of the country. They are often more inter-related than people would otherwise think. This essay will begin by defining the two terms; moving on to the history of poverty and social exclusion in India and finally to the causes and effects through a multi-dimensional view.

Poverty is defined as A state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials to enjoy a minimum standard of life and well-being that's considered

The population of India currently stands at 1.253 billion behind China but is estimated to overtake China in 2025 with a population of about 1.4 billion. This rapid growth of population should ideally be accommodated with increase in natural resources but this is not the case, the country’s natural resources are depleting rapidly. With the agricultural land depleting at the rate of 1% every year in India, it is almost impossible to provide adequate resources to the entire populace. The growth in population would lead to the increase in the number of children and teenagers, the task of catering to their educational and healthcare needs is not being fully achieved. The number of primary schools and the number of seats in professional college are increasing at a very slow pace. The growing population also results in the surplus of labour , making it difficult for people to find jobs through which they can support their families. For this large population 20 million new jobs would be required, at the current rate of job openings, achieving this figure would be like lighting an entire palace with a small

The Brahmins were the places higher them all while the Shudras also known as Dalits were considered most ‘impurest’ of them all. With 12% of the population being Muslim, Christians form about 3% of the population, while other smaller religious groups constitute another 3%. Nonetheless, the Hindu stratification system has tended to dominate Indian society. A significant majority of Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs identify with caste groups defined by Hindu traditions. This categorization not only specifies the hierarchy in the society but also the kind of occupation and jobs they could practice, due to which the lower sections of society was always left at a disadvantage. There are approximately 180 million to 220 million people who are considered to be in the lowest caste in India (Ninian, 2008). These lower castes or ―Dalits (broken people) are essentially restricted to slavery and labour-intensive jobs. Out of the 180-220 million people of the lower castes, 40 million of them are employed as labourers because of which, it is difficult for many people of a lower caste to have a steady income, therefore keeping them in extreme poverty. In order to support their families, children from the lower castes are left with no other option but to seek employment from a very young age. This social inequality has