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Poverty

Poverty is defined as a lack of basic needs like food, shelter, clothing and education. It can lead to problems like illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition and becoming trapped in a cycle where being poor causes inability to work, earn enough money, afford education, and remain employed. Poverty has various causes such as overpopulation, lack of education, employment opportunities, infrastructure, and natural disasters. It affects individuals by reducing health, work capacity and forcing children into labor instead of school. Governments implement schemes to reduce poverty through employment programs, population control, agricultural development, industrialization, and social services.

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7 views

Poverty

Poverty is defined as a lack of basic needs like food, shelter, clothing and education. It can lead to problems like illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition and becoming trapped in a cycle where being poor causes inability to work, earn enough money, afford education, and remain employed. Poverty has various causes such as overpopulation, lack of education, employment opportunities, infrastructure, and natural disasters. It affects individuals by reducing health, work capacity and forcing children into labor instead of school. Governments implement schemes to reduce poverty through employment programs, population control, agricultural development, industrialization, and social services.

Uploaded by

Marialou Quinding
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Poverty

“Poverty is the worst form of violence.”- Mahatma Gandhi

We can define poverty as the condition where the basic needs of a family, like food, shelter, clothing,
and education are not fulfilled. It can lead to other problems like poor literacy, unemployment,
malnutrition, etc. A poor person is not able to get education due to lack of money and therefore
remains unemployed. An unemployed person is not able to buy enough & nutritious food for his
family and their health decline. A weak person lacks the energy required for the job. A jobless person
remains poor only. Thus, we can say that poverty is the root cause of other problems.

How is Poverty Measured?

For measuring poverty United nations have devised two measures of poverty – Absolute & relative
poverty. Absolute poverty is used to measure poverty in developing countries like India. Relative
poverty is used to measure poverty in developed countries like the USA. In absolute poverty, a line
based on the minimum level of income has been created & is called a poverty line. If per day
income of a family is below this level, then it is poor or below the poverty line. If per day income of
a family is above this level, then it is non-poor or above the poverty line. In India, the new poverty
line is Rs 32 in rural areas and Rs 47 in urban areas.

Causes of Poverty

According to the Noble prize winner South African leader, Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not
natural, it is manmade”. The above statement is true as the causes of poverty are generally man-
made. There are various causes of poverty but the most important is population. Rising population
is putting the burden on the resources and budget of countries. Governments are finding difficult to
provide food, shelter and employment to the rising population.

The other causes are- lack of education, war, natural disaster, lack of employment, lack of
infrastructure, political instability, etc. For instance- lack of employment opportunities make a
person jobless & he is not able to earn enough to fulfill the necessities of his family and becomes
poor. Lack of education compels a person for less paying jobs, and it makes him poorer. Lack of
infrastructure means there are no industries, banks, etc. in a country resulting in lack of employment
opportunities. Natural disasters like flood, earthquake also contribute to poverty.

In some countries, especially African countries like Somalia, a long period of civil war has made
poverty widespread. This is because all the resources and money are being spent in war instead of
public welfare. Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like
cyclone, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.
Effects of Poverty

Poverty affects the life of a poor family. A poor person is not able to take proper food and nutrition
and his capacity to work reduces. Reduced capacity to work further reduces his income, making him
poorer. Children from poor family never get proper schooling and proper nutrition. They have to
work to support their family, and this destroys their childhood. Some of them may also involve in
crimes like theft, murder, robbery, etc. A poor person remains uneducated and is forced to live
under unhygienic conditions in slums. There is no proper sanitation and drinking water facility in
slums that is why he falls ill often and his health deteriorates. A poor person generally dies an early
death. So, all social evils are related to poverty.

Government Schemes to Remove Poverty

The government of India also took several measures to eradicate poverty from India. Some of them
are – creating employment opportunities, controlling population, etc. In India, about 60% of the
population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Government has taken certain
measures to promote agriculture in India. The government constructed certain dams and canals in
our country to provide easy availability of water for irrigation. Government has also taken steps for
the cheap availability of seeds and farming equipment to promote agriculture. Government is also
promoting farming of cash crops like cotton, instead of food crops. In cities, the government is
promoting industrialization to create more jobs. Government has also opened ‘Ration shops’. Other
measures include providing free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age,
scholarship to deserving students from a poor background, providing subsidized houses to poor
people, etc.

Poverty is a social evil; we can also contribute to control it. For example- we can simply donate old
clothes to poor people, we can also sponsor the education of a poor child, or we can utilize our free
time by teaching poor students. Remember before wasting food, somebody is still sleeping hungry.

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