DESIGN THINKING

PROJECT

BY TEAM MEMBER
SALONI AVLANI ROLL NO.159
SUNNY AVLANI ROLL NO.173
Problem Identified – POVERTY IN RURAL
AREA

Rural Poverty in India Has Become the

Matter of Concern
Rural poverty in India tends to be increasing with passing time due to specific factors
responsible for it. On the one hand, India aims to create a milestone in the space and other
sectors. The increasing rural poverty is proving to be a significant roadblock on the way of
reaching its target. More than a quarter of the residents in the rural area is falling under
the poverty line category.
Causes of Rural Poverty
India is said to live in villages, the term though confusing yet delivers the meaning very well,
70 percent of the population lives in the villages. The massive influx of people back to the
villages due to the coronavirus crisis has burdened the economy. The rural areas, which were
already under stress due to underemployment and unemployment, have further witnessed a
decline in the agricultural sector’s investment over the years. Like demonetization and the
gradual shift from agriculture to manufacturing production, some other factors contributed
majorly to rural poverty in India. Due to these underlying factors, the scope of returning
migrant laborers will be challenging, giving rise to a vast new side of poverty.

Further looking into significant causes of rural poverty in India:

 Geographical factors- Geographical factors like unpredictable rain patterns in

monsoons and other weather conditions impact massively the crop products and their
yields that result in rural poverty in India.
 Personal factors– Major factors like sickness, lack of nutrition from food, un-
hygienic lifestyle have resulted in no work and no gain. This ultimately leads to rural
poverty in India. Factors like laziness, addiction to alcohol, drugs, etc. have further
added to this.
 Economic factor– Rural India mostly depends upon agriculture for a living. But
most
of the farmers rely on traditional methods of agriculture. With this, the annual
production is significantly less, leading to the agriculture sector, which is
underdeveloped to provide employment, leading to rural poverty in India.
 Population- Rapid increase in population leads to rural poverty in India.
Much
developed medical and healthcare facilities in India have reduced the overall death
rate, but the birthrate is not under control with much effectiveness. Prominent families
with limited resources have contributed to rural poverty in poverty.

 Shocks and adversities- the chaos amidst Covid-19 has re-added to the already
surviving issues of rural poverty in India
Ways To Solve The Problem Of Poverty
India has been showing a steep and a stable GDP growth rate,
which has impressed investors around the world. However, due to
the country’s inability to bridge the gap between the rich and the
poor, the people living in rural areas are still suffering from poverty.
Undoubtedly, this is a huge economic crisis that must be
addressed immediately.
There are a lot of diverse perspectives on the issue. Nobel Prize
winner and reputed economist Amartya Sen has suggested that
the government should invest in poverty aid programs. Many
economists also say that the government should work towards
income generation by increasing employment opportunities. Apart
from that, people living in small villages and rural areas should be
counselled and encouraged to save and invest their money
properly.

Education
Illiteracy is the biggest reason behind poverty in India. Illiterate
people living in rural areas, villages and small towns are the most
vulnerable to unemployment. More than 51% of the rural
population earns from casual labour. A huge chunk of population
works on farms and makes a living. Education is necessary to
enhance their farm productivity and overall income. Educated
people can also find new jobs, which can help them overcome
poverty. Girl child education is also important for the society.
Educated girls can grow into skilled workers and get well-paying
jobs. Working women can earn and support families, thus
giving their kids a better standard of living.
Investment on infrastructure
India’s poverty crisis also arises from the dearth of basic
infrastructure like schools, hospitals, toilets, electricity and non-
polluting heating options. The government must look to invest in
the infrastructure of the country, which can go a long way and help
build an environment suitable for enterprise development and
income generation.

Skill development
Today most of the industries seek skilled labourers and workers. The
government must introduce new programs for people to learn basic
skills that can help them find jobs. Development of vocational and
technical skills is also very important to eradicate poverty from the
country.

Providing Equal Access To Basic Amenities

With access to food , clean drinking water,and shelter, poor people
will be capable of working productively and pulling themselves out of
poverty
NARRATIVE THOUGHT FOR POVERTY
ALLEVIATION
Government Has Taken Initiative To
Overcome Poverty

1. Integrated Rural Development Programme(IRDP)

IRDP is one of the driving schemes of poverty alleviation programmes that has
bestowed a lot in ridding the evil of deprivation to some extent. Introduced in 1978- 79,
the major objective of the scheme stands as providing self-employment to the target
audience that exists below the poverty line. This target group includes agricultural
labourers, small and marginal farmers and rural artisans. In addition, inclusions are
compelled where 50% is allotted to the scheduled castes and tribes.

2. Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana

The above scheme is the reformation of the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana. Currently, this
programme is known by the name of Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana. Under this, the
matter-of-fact is generating demand-driven communities in the rural areas with the rationale
of employing the people. Employment is provided to those living below the poverty line
defined by the government. Furthermore, 3% has been allocated to providing barrier-free
infrastructure to those people who are disabled.

3. Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awaas Yojana

Launched in the year 2015, the above programme is one of the most flourishing schemes
under the poverty alleviation programmes initiated by the government
The main aim is to provide free houses for the people living in the rural areas that are
considered BPL. Here, the advancement is made through the subsidy process, involvement of
the private sector and reasonable housing to the people at subsidized rates.

4. National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

The programme was launched in the year 1995, with its main objective of giving social
security to the neglected categories of the society i.e., widows, disabled persons, aged
persons belonging to the BPL section of the society. There are three schemes under this
particular programme:
 National Old Age Pension Scheme
This provides pensions to the people who are contemplated as destitute. The main purpose
of this scheme is to bestow social security to the eligible beneficiaries. In
this, the beneficiaries don’t have to contribute at the first phase to receive this
pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme.
 National Maternity Benefit Scheme
The government provides funds under this scheme to the women for their prenatal and
postnatal sustenance. This financial grant is given to those women belonging to families that
aren’t well financially. The person gets cash-based aid directly from the government.
 National Family Benefit Scheme
The funds are provided to those families whose main wage earner dies due to any reason.
Under this, a sum of 10,000 is provided to the household.

5. Annapurna
The scheme had its initial enactment in 1999-2000 where its main aim has always been to
provide a nutritional diet to the senior citizens who are unable to do that for themselves. This
scheme under the poverty alleviation programme provides 10 kg of free nutritional diet
every month for the aged citizens of the above classification.
SCOPE OF SOLUTION

Rural development has witnessed several changes over the

years in its emphasis, approaches, strategies, and programs. It
has assumed the new dimension and perspectives as a
consequence. Poverty reduction strategies can make rural
development richer only through participation in
development. People’s participation is one of the foremost
pre-requisites of the development process both from
procedural and philosophical perspectives. The development
planners and administrators need to solicit different rural
people’s participation to make plans participatory. We
believe that when there is the availability of employment
opportunities, the gap between rich and poor shall get
reduced, and people from those underserved societies will
lead their life with full dignity. We aim to achieve zero
poverty Nation.
STARTUPS /NGO
NGO NAME – HINDRISETHE CHANGE WE
NEED

Enhancing Sustainable Rural

CASE STUDY -

Livelihoods for a Better Tomorrow

The mission of the Hindrise Social Welfare Foundation is
to build sustainable rural livelihoods so desirable that villagers
and individuals from poverty-stricken families will no longer
crave to strive for employment and job-related assistance in
big cities, and hence create a reverse migration . India’s rural
areas, the income of the majority of people living there is
irregular even during common circumstances, and livelihood
chances are restricted. There has been an immediate inpouring
of migrant labor during a lockdown situation, a complication
in acquiring inputs for agriculture & deterioration in demand
from the markets. There has been an increase in uncertainty;
people are also worried about forthcoming employment
opportunities in formal and informal patterns.
In order to support the migrant laborers and daily wage
workers, Hindrise Foundation is formulating policies and
strategies concerning the accomplishment of sustainable rural
livelihoods through a top-down approach and combined
efforts. We believe that bolstering farm & non-farm
sustainable rural livelihoods can pave the path for food
security, which can play a crucial role in combatting the
COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring that the rural economy
will stand tall even against the pressure of adjusting migrant
laborers and daily wage workers.
Conclusion
Poverty can only be effectively eradicated when the poor
begin to actively participate in the growth process and
contribute to it. This is accomplished through a social
mobilisation process that encourages poor people to
participate and empowers them. This will also assist in the
creation of job opportunities, which may result in an increase
in income, skill development, health, and literacy.
Furthermore, poverty-stricken areas must be identified and
infrastructure such as schools, roads, power, telecom, IT
services, and training institutions must be
provided.Government must also need to focus and keep track
on anti poverty measure for eradication.