th

Class 9
Social Science
Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
Crafted with love
By Digraj Singh Rajput
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Poverty as seen by Statistics and Anti-Poverty

Poverty Causes of Poverty
social scientists Comparison Measures
● Definition ● Economic Indicators ● Poverty Line ● Multiple Reason ● Economic Growth
● Ram Saran, ● Social Indicators ● Poverty ● Schemes and
Lakha Singh Estimates Programmes
Poverty case ● Vulnerable
Groups
Poverty Leads to ● Inter-State
Disparity
● Social Exclusion
● Global Poverty
● Vulnerability
Scenario

The Challenges Ahead

 Poverty as a Challenge Why poverty is a challenge

Roughly 270 million (or 27 crore) people in India live in poverty 2011-12)

Two typical cases of poverty

Urban Case(Story of Ram Saran) Rural case( Story of Lakha Singh)

Conclusion

● Low & irregular income

● Malnourishment
● Poor living Condition
● Lack of Education for
Children
● No access to health Care
● Erratic work

What is poverty? Poverty means not having enough food, a place to live, or access to education,
healthcare, clean water, and jobs. This can make people feel helpless and treated
unfairly.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
Economic indicator ● Income and consumption.
● Illiteracy level
Poverty as seen by social scientists ● Lack of general resistance due to malnutrition
Social indicator ● Lack of Access to healthcare
Leads to ● Lack of job opportunities
● Lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, etc.
● Excludes peoples→ social Equality/opportunities.
Social Exclusion ● Both → Cause and Consequence
● Example → Caste system → certain Casts denied equal opportunities.
● Higher likelihood → certain groups (lower castes, widows, disabled people)
Vulnerability becoming/remaining poor due to fewer opportunities.
● Face greater risks in times→ natural disasters, terrorism, or job security.
Poverty Line

Measures poor→ Basis of income or spending(Food, clothing, Shelter).

Definition
Poverty Line Variation Changes → Country/time. Eg- A car Luxury/India, but Essential/US.
Poverty line in India Based on Minimum requirements(food, clothing, Shelter, Education, and health care)
Calorie Requirement Rural areas 2400 Calories/day & Urban areas 2100/day due to difference in physical work.
2011-12 Poverty line Rural areas RS 816 / month and Urban areas RS 1000/month (NSSO)
World Bank Standard uses $1.90 per day to compare poverty line between Countries.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Which of the following is a social indicator of poverty laid by social scientists?

A. Increase in population

B. Illiteracy level

C. Caste

D. Health club membership

 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
Poverty Estimates Vulnerable Group

Social
Economic groups Double Disadvantage Inequality in Families
groups
Scheduled Castes Rural Agriculture Labours, Landless, Casual labour From Women, Elderly, and Children
& schedule Tribes Urban Casual labourers SC/ST, Faces the worst often suffer more From Lack
poverty. of resources.
Inter-State Disparities

High poverty States Urban Poverty Decline in states

MP, Assam, UP, Bihar & Odisha higher Kerala, MH, AnP, TN, Gujarat & WB
Odisha, MP, Bihar & UP
than national Avg 21.9%, Bihar & Factors for Success
Odisha poorest states. Kerala → Focus on Human Resource Development
Punjab & Haryana → High Agriculture growth rates
Global Poverty
West Bengal → Land reform measures
Scenario Anp & T.N → Public distribution of Food grains.
● Global poverty Decline → 16.27 % (2010) to 9.05% (2019)
● China's success → 2.1% 2014 to 0.1% 2020 due to Economic growth & Human resource Investments.
● South Asia progress → Decreased 12.8% 2017 to 10.9% 2021
● Regional variations → Decreased slightly in sub-Saharan Africa but Increased in Latin America & Caribbean.
● UN Goals For 2030 → UN aims to end all forms of poverty Globally by 2030 through SD.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Which two states of India continue to be the poorest states?

A. Orissa and Bihar

B. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

C. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra

D. Bihar and Jharkhand

 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
Causes of poverty

● British Colonial policies → Ruined Traditional Industries like handicrafts & textiles.
● Low per Capita Income → Slow growing Economy, High population Growth rate
● Limited Impact of Green Revolution → Benefits limited to specific regions
● Income Inequality → Unequal land & resources distribution
● Indebtedness → Socio cultural Factors.

Anti-Poverty Measures

Economic Growth Targeted programs

Two strategy
Positive Link b/w Growth & MGNREGA (guaranteeing rural
Poverty reduction Challenges Employment)
Poor Implementation, PMRY (self Employment for youth)
improper targeting, REGP (Job creation)
overlapping of programs. SGSY ( self-help group for poor families)
PMGY ( Basic services)
Antyodaya Anna yozana (AAY)
Disparities b/w rural & Urban areas & among States
Vulnerable Groups → Certain castes,women, face more challenges in getting out of
The Challenges Ahead
poverty.
Not just about money→ Still lack things,education, good health, a safe place to live, job
Discrimination holds people back to poverty
 Key Words Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Poverty : Poverty means not having enough food, a Vulnerability: Vulnerability means being more likely to
place to live, or access to education, healthcare, become poor or stay poor. Some people, like those with
clean water, and jobs. This can make people feel disabilities or from poor families, face more difficulties. They
helpless and treated unfairly. have fewer chances for help, like good jobs or education.
They are also more likely to be hurt when bad things happen,
Social indicators: Social indicators are measures like a flood or losing a job.
that help us understand the well-being of people in
a society. These indicators highlight different Poverty line : The poverty line is a line that shows if someone
aspects of life that affect individuals and is poor. If a person’s income or what they can afford is below
communities. Ex- Illiteracy level, Malnutrition, this line, they are considered poor. The line is different in each
Healthcare, Job opportunities, Safe drinking water country and changes over time, based on the basic things
etc people need to live, like food, clothes, and healthcare.

Social exclusion: Social exclusion is when some Vulnerable groups Vulnerable groups are people who are more
people are left out and don’t have the same likely to be poor. In India, groups like Scheduled Castes,
chances as others. Poor people might have to live Scheduled Tribes, farm workers, and casual workers in cities
in poor areas and can’t enjoy the same things as face more challenges and find it harder to meet their basic
richer people, like better schools or jobs. needs.
 Key Words Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005: This program gives Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), 1999: This
people in rural areas 100 days of work every year to help program helps poor families in rural areas by organizing
them earn money. It also works to protect the them into self-help groups, providing a mix of loans and
environment by solving problems like drought and soil government support to improve their financial situation.
erosion. A third of the jobs are for women. The program
has helped millions of people find work and increased Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY), 2000: This
their wages over time. program gives extra financial help to states for basic services
like healthcare, education, housing, clean drinking water, and
Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY), 1993: This electricity in rural areas.
program helps educated young people in rural areas
and small towns start their own businesses, creating
self-employment opportunities. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): This is another important
scheme that focuses on providing food support to the
poorest families. You’ll learn more about it in the next
Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP), 1995: chapter.
The goal of this program is to create self-employment
opportunities in rural areas and small towns, with a
target to create 25 lakh (2.5 million) new jobs.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

What are the dimensions of poverty?

● Hunger and lack of shelter.

● Lack of clean water and sanitation facilities and Lack of a regular job at a minimum decent level.

● Above all, living with a sense of helplessness.

 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

How is poverty viewed by social scientists?

Since poverty has many facts, social scientists look at it through a variety of social indicators. These social
indicators are:

● Illiteracy level.
● Lack of general resistance due to malnutrition.
● Lack of access to health care.
● Lack of job opportunity.
● Lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, etc.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

What does 'social exclusion' mean?

● Social exclusion is when some people are left out and don’t have the same chances as others. Poor
people might have to live in poor areas and can’t enjoy the same things as richer people, like better
schools or jobs.
● Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty.
● Social exclusion is when certain individuals or groups are denied the same benefits and opportunities
as others.

For example, in India, the caste system excludes people from certain opportunities based on their caste.

.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

What do you mean by poverty line?How is poverty line determined in India?

The poverty line is a line that shows if someone is poor. If a person’s income or what they can afford is
below this line, they are considered poor.

● In India, the poverty line is decided based on how many calories a person needs to eat.
● In rural areas, people need 2400 calories a day, and in cities, they need 2100 calories a day.
● To figure out the poverty line in money, we calculate how much money is needed to buy enough food
for these calories. For example, in the year 2000, a person in a rural area needed 328 rupees a month,
and in the city, it was 454 rupees a month.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Identify the various groups vulnerable to poverty.

● Social Groups: The groups most affected by poverty are people from scheduled castes and

scheduled tribes. In rural areas, almost half of the scheduled tribe families can't meet their basic

needs.

● Economic Groups: Poor people working in agriculture in rural areas and in temporary jobs in cities

are the most affected by poverty.

● Inequality Within Families: In poor families, some members suffer more than others. Women,

older people, and baby girls often get less help and fewer resources than other family members.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Give an account of interstate disparities of poverty in India.

● The number of poor people is different in each state.

● In 2011-12, about 22% of people in India were poor, but states like Bihar and Orissa had much higher
poverty rates, at 33.7% and 37.6%.
● On the other hand, states like Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and
West Bengal have reduced poverty a lot.
● These States have used agricultural growth and Human Capital growth to reduce poverty.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Describe global poverty trends.

● The number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries dropped from 43% in 1990
to 22% in 2008.
● Poverty is different in different parts of the world. For example, in China, the number of poor
people went down from 85% in 1981 to 6% in 2011.
● In Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty went down from 51% in 1981 to 47% in 2008.
● In Latin America, poverty dropped from 11% in 1981 to 6.4% in 2008.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

What are the main causes of poverty in India?

● British rule hurt the economy: During British rule, many businesses were destroyed, which slowed
down India’s growth.
● Too many people and not enough jobs: There were more people, but not enough jobs for everyone.
● Limited job opportunities: In some places, there were jobs in farming, but not enough in factories, so
people took low-paying jobs.
● Unequal sharing of resources: Some people have more land and resources than others. The
government didn’t do enough to help share these fairly.
● Debt problems: Poor people often borrow money but can’t pay it back, which keeps them stuck in
poverty.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

State the various Poverty Alleviation Programs introduced by the government to

remove poverty.

● Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY): This scheme started in 1993 helps young, educated people in
villages and small towns start their own small businesses to make a living.
● Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP): Launched in 1995, this program helps create jobs
for people in villages and small towns, aiming to create 25 lakh new jobs.
● Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY): Started in 1999, this program helps poor families in
villages by grouping them together and giving them money to start small businesses, with support
from both banks and the government.
● Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): This program, launched in 2000, helps states by giving
extra money for important services like health care, schools, drinking water, and electricity in rural
areas.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

What are the reasons for the ineffectiveness of poverty alleviation programs?

● One big reason these programs don't work well is that they are not implemented properly and the
right people are not getting help.
● Many times, different programs do the same thing, causing confusion and waste.
● Even though these programs are meant to help, the poor people who really need them often don’t
get all the benefits.
● So, in recent years, the focus has been on carefully checking and watching how all poverty programs
are working.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

What are the main challenges in eradicating poverty in India?

● Even though poverty has decreased, it is still a major issue, especially in villages and some states.
● Women, children (especially girls), and old people often face more poverty and get less help.
● Poverty is more than just not having money, People also need good education, a safe home, health
care, and jobs to live a better life.
● Poverty keeps changing as the country grows, the idea of poverty changes. What is poor today might
be different in the future.
● Even if we fix income poverty, we still need to provide health care, education, jobs, and equal rights
for everyone.
 Economics |POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE
Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India.

‘Which of the main factor responsible for the reduction of poverty in the following states:
(i) Punjab (ii) Kerala (iii) West Bengal (iv) Tamil Nadu

Give an account of the inter-state disparities in poverty in India.

“There is a strong link between economic growth and poverty reduction.” Explain.

What are the major features of poverty? Explain.

Identify the various groups vulnerable to poverty.

Explain some measures which have been taken by the government to remove poverty.

Mention any two causes of poverty in India.

How can poverty be reduced in future in India? Suggest any two points.
 Team -
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