CLASS IX

CH 3- POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Q1 What is poverty? State the features/ dimensions associated with poverty.

Ans: Poverty is a multi-dimensional problem. Any person who does not earn
enough to meet his/her basic subsistence needs is said to be affected by
poverty. The associated features or dimensions are as follows:

1) Lack of nutritious food

2) Lack of safe and clean drinking water
3) Lack of healthy social environment
4) Lack of clothing and shelter

Q2 What is poverty line? How is poverty line estimated in India?

Ans: The line which divides the people as poor and non-poor on the basis of
per capita income and expenditure is called poverty line.

To estimate the poverty line in India a common method is used based

on income and consumption levels.

Income level

1) A minimum of food requirement and other basic needs such as

clothing, fuel, light etc., are determined for subsistence.
2) These are then calculated in terms of money required to consume
them by multiplying their physical quantities by their prices in
rupees.
3) Such consumption expenditure determines the poverty line. For the
year 2011-12, the poverty line for a person is fixed at ₹ 816 per
month for rural areas and ₹ 1,000 per month for urban areas.

Consumption level

1) The present formula for food requirement while estimating poverty

line is based on the desired calorie requirement.Food requirements
such as cereals, oil, vegetables, etc. together provide these needed
calories.
2) The calorie needs vary depending on age, gender and type of work
that a person does.
 3) The average accepted calorie requirement in India is 2400calories
per person per day in rural areas and 2100 calories per person per
day in urban areas.

Q3 Do you think that present methodology of poverty estimation in India is

appropriate?

Ans: 1) Methods used to measure poverty relate to income and consumption

levels.
2) However, poverty is also indicated by social indicators such as literacy
level, lack of general resistance due to malnutrition, lack of access to
safe drinking water and sanitation.
3) Analysis of poverty based on social exclusion and vulnerability is now
becoming more common.

Q4 How are characteristics of rural poor different from urban poor?

Ans: Rural poverty is characterized by landlessness, based on

agriculture,kutchahouse, poor health, no sanitation and hygiene, lack of
electricity, no access tosafe drinking water, seasonal unemployment, debt trap
etc.

Urban poverty is characterized by hutment dwellers, illiteracy, irregular

employment, no sanitation and hygiene, lack of electricity, no access to
safe drinking water, low income, non-availability of medical facilities, etc.

Q5What is vulnerability? Explain.

Ans: Vulnerability is a condition in which certain communities or sections of
society are adversely affected due to an unforeseen event related to
natural calamity or a fall in availability of jobs.

1. It is a new concept of measuring the extent to which certain groups are

more prone to poverty. Vulnerability to poverty measures the
possibility of certain communities of becoming poor in the coming
years.
2. Such groups are not able to handle social and economic risks and face
many risks at the time of natural disasterssuch as earthquake, tsunami, etc.
3. It is determined by the various options available to different
communities for finding an alternative living in terms of education,
health and job opportunities. So vulnerability can be caused due to
 natural disaster or terrorism or unexpected tragedy in life or a fall in
employment level.

Q6Why do different countries use different poverty lines?

Ans: 1. In developed countries the cost of living and price level is high in
comparison to the developing countries.
2. Basic needs are different at different times and at different
countries.
3. For example, a person not having a car in US may be considered poor. In
India owing a car is still considered as luxury.

Q7Describe the poverty trends in India since 1973.

Ans: 1.There has been a substantial decline in poverty ratio.

2. The poverty ratio has fallen from 45% in 1993-94 to 37.2% in 2004-05. It
camedown further about 21.9% in 2011-12.
3. If the trend continues, people below poverty line may come down to less
than 20% in the next few years.
4. The number of people living below the poverty line in declined from 407.1
million in 2004-05 to 269.3 million in 2011-12.

Q8Explain various essential features of poverty.

Ans: 1. Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter.

2. It is a situation where parents cannot send their children to schools or a
situation where sick people cannot afford treatment.
3. Poverty also means lack of clean water and sanitation facilities.
4. It also means lack of regular jobs.
4. It also means living in insecurity and helplessness.
5. It means high illiteracy level.
6. It also means lack of general resistance to diseases due to malnutrition.

Q9Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty.

Explain.
Ans: 1.Social exclusion is a condition in which certain individuals or groups are
excluded from some facilities, benefits and opportunities that are available
to others.
2. Poor people are forced to live only in poor surrounding with similar people
and can’t enjoy social equality.
 3. It can also lead to the lower communities having even lower income.

4. For example: The working of caste system in India in which people

belonging to certain castes are excluded from equal opportunities.
5. Thus social exclusion can cause more damage than having very low
income.

Q10Why do people living in rural areas require more calories but less income as
compared to urban areas?
Ans: 1. People living in rural areas engage themselves in more physical work.
2. The cost of living and price level in rural areas is lower as compared to
urban areas.
3. Therefore in India the calorie requirement in rural areas is fixed at 2400
calories per person per day and in urban areas it is 2100 calories per person
per day. The income level is fixed at ₹ 816 per person per month in rural
areas and ₹ 1,000 per person per month in urban areas.

Q11Which organization in India undertakes the task of estimation of poverty line?

Ans: The poverty line in India is estimated every five years through sample
surveys.Such surveys are carried out by National Sample SurveyOrganisation
(NSSO).
Q12How is inequality reflected even within a family?
Ans: 1. In poor families all suffer, but some suffer more than others.
2. Women, elderly people and female infants are systematically denied equal
access to resources available to the family.
3. Male members are considered as the bread earners of the family.
4. Therefore, women, children (girl child) and old people are the
poorest of the poor.

Q13 Is poverty a characteristic of only the rural economy?

Ans: No, poverty exists in urban areas too. It is explained as under:
1. The industries provide limited jobs. These were not enough to absorb all
the job seekers.
2. Unable to find jobs, many start working as vendors, domestic servants etc.
 3. With little incomes, these people begin to live in slums.
4. They suffer due to social exclusion.
5. Moreover the migration of the rural poor to the urban areas in search of
better job opportunity adds to the poverty of urban areas.
Q14 What is the average Indian poverty ratio?

Ans: The average Indian poverty ratio is 22%.

Q15 Name the groups vulnerable to poverty. Explain the extent of poverty in
various social and economic vulnerable groups?

Ans: The groups vulnerable to poverty in India are social groups and economic
groups. From the social group the types of people vulnerable to poverty are

Scheduled Castes -29%

Scheduled tribes- 43%

Economic groups which are vulnerable to poverty are

Rural landless labourers- 40%
Casual labourers- 33%

Q16.Write an account of inter-state disparity in poverty in India?

Ans: 1.Recent estimates show that in 20 states and union territories, the poverty
ratio is less than the national average of 21.9%.

2. On the other hand poverty is a serious problem in Orissa, Bihar, Assam,

Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

3. Bihar and Orissa continue to be the two poorest states with poverty ratios of
33.7% and 32.6% respectively.

4. Along with rural poverty, urban poverty is also high in Orissa, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

5. Thus, the proportion of poor people is not the same in every state.

Q17. What initiatives have been taken by some states to alleviate poverty?

Ans: 1. States like Punjab and Haryana have succeeded in reducing poverty with the
help of high agricultural growth rates.

2. Kerala has focused more on human resource development.

 3. In West Bengal, land reform measures have helped in reducing poverty.

4. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, public distribution of food grains have
been responsible for the improvement.

Q18 Give an account of global poverty scenario.

Ans: 1.The poverty has declined substantially in China and South East Asian
countries as a result of rapid economic growth and massive investment in
human resource development. The number of poor in China has reduced from
88.3% in 1981 to 14.7% in 2008 and to 1.9% in 2013.

2. In the countries of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Nepal,

Bangladesh, Bhutan) poverty has declined from 54 % to 15%.

3. In Sub- Saharan Africa, poverty has declined from 54% in 1990 to 41% in
2013.

4. In Latin America, the poverty ratio has declined from 16% in 1990 to 5.4%
in 2013.

5. Poverty has also resurfaced in some of the socialist countries like Russia
where it did not exist earlier.

Q19 Explain various causes of poverty.

Ans: 1. British colonial administration: The policies of the colonial government
ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged development of industries like
textiles. This resulted in poor economic development.
2. The low rate of growth continued till 1980. This led to less job
opportunities and low growth rate of income.
3. The population increased drastically due to which the per capita income
was low.
4. Due to the use of traditional techniques of production and lack of adequate
inputs, Indian agriculture has continued to be backward.
5. There is unequal distribution of land and other resources. Policy initiatives
like redistribution of assets in rural areas have not been implemented
effectively by most of the state governments.
6. Various socio cultural factors are also responsible for poverty. In order to
fulfill social obligations and observe religious ceremonies, people in India,
spend a lot of money.
 7. Some economic factors also cause poverty. Small farmers need money to
buy agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, etc. Since poor people save less,
they borrow and suffer due to indebtedness.
Q20 Suggest some steps that can be taken in order to eradicate poverty in the
society?

Ans: General Measures:

1. Universalization of basic education is necessary as it is helpful in yielding

better returns.
2. Development and diversification of industries is required. Our country
should encourage not only production of consumer products but also capital
goods. Initiatives must be taken to set up Small Scale Industries.
3. Development of infrastructural facilities like roads, bridges, clean drinking
water, food, education etc. is essential for such a fast growing population.
4. Advancement in agriculture is required since it is the main occupation of
our country.
5. A periodic check on population is essential.
6. Empowering women and weaker section of the society.

Q21 How is it possible to achieve better success in poverty reduction through

higher economic growth?

Ans: 1.There is a strong link between economic growth and poverty reduction.
Economic growth widens opportunities and provides the resources needed to
invest in human development.

2. It also encourages people to send their children, including the girl child, to
schools. This would lead to better economic returns as there is investment in
the field of education.

3. Economic growth leads to a higher per capita income which is helpful in

eradicating poverty.

Q22 Explain various anti-poverty programmes initiated by the government of

India.

Ans: Various anti-poverty programmes are explained as under

1. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)-

a. It was passed in September 2005.
 b. The Act provides 100 days assured employment every year to every
household to ensure livelihood security in rural areas.
c. It also aimed at sustainable development to control the cause of
draught, deforestation and soil erosion.
d. One third of the proposed jobs are reserved for women. The share of
SC, ST and women person days in the scheme is 23%, 17% and 53%
respectively.
e. The scheme provided employment to 220 crores person days of
employment to 4.78 crore households.
f. The average wage has increased from ₹ 65 in 2006-07 to ₹ 132 in 2013-
14.
g. If an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days he/she will
be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance.

2. National Food for Work Programme (NFWP)–

a. It was launched in 2004 in 150 most backward districts of the country.
b. The programme is open to all rural poor who are in need of wage
employment and desire to do manual unskilled work.
c. It is implemented as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme and foodgrains
are provided free of cost to the states.

3. Prime Minister RozgarYojana (PMRY)-

a. It was started in 1993.
b. The aim of this programme is to create self-employment opportunities
for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.
c. They are helped in setting up small business and industries.

4. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP)-

a. It was launched in 1995.
b. The aim of this programme is to create self-employment opportunities
in rural areas and small towns.
c. A target for creating 25 lakh new jobs has been set for the programme
under the Tenth Five Year plan.

5. Swarnajayanti Gram SwarozgarYojana (SGSY)-

a. It was launched in 1999.
 b. The programme aims at bringing the assisted poor families above the
poverty line by organizing them into self-help groups through a mix of
bank credit and government subsidy.

6. PradhanMantriGramodayaYojana (PMJY)-
a. It was launched in 2000.
b. Additional central assistance is given to states for basic services such as
primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water
and rural electrification.

7. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)-

a. It was launched in December 2000.
b. It covers 2 crore BPL families under the public distribution system
who are supplied with 25 to 35 kg of food grains at a highly subsidized
rate of ₹2/kg for wheat and ₹ 3/kg for rice.

Q23 What are the reasons for failure of poverty measures?

Ans: 1.The poor are not able to take direct advantage from the opportunities created
by economic growth.

2. Most rural people in India are dependent on agriculture. The growth in the
agriculture sector is much below expectations. It has not been developed.

3. One of the major reasons for less effectiveness is the lack of proper
implementation and right targeting. Moreover, there has been a lot of
overlapping of schemes.

4. Despite good intentions, the benefits of these schemes are not fully reached
to the deserving poor.

5. These schemes have remained largely government sponsored programs.

Q24.Distinguish between the two indicators of poverty i.e., income poverty &
human poverty.

Ans: Income poverty: It refers to lack of basic necessities of material well-being.

Traditionally, poverty is taken in the sense of income poverty. Income level
and consumption level are the usual indicators taken to express income
poverty.
Human poverty: It refers to the denial of opportunities for living a tolerable
life. Human poverty is expressed not only through income indicators but also
through social indicators such as literacy level, life expectancy, social
inequalities etc. People who are deprived of enjoying economic, social and
political opportunities are regarded as poor in terms of human poverty.