Explanation
The historical reason is the low level of economic development under the British colonial administration. The policies of the colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged development of industries like textiles.
With the spread of irrigation and the Green revolution, many job opportunities were created in the agriculture sector. But the effects were limited to some parts of India.
High poverty rates has been the huge income inequalities. One of the major reasons for this is the unequal distribution of land and other resources. Despite many policies, we have not been able to tackle the issue in a meaningful manner.
The poverty line is estimated periodically (normally every five years) by conducting sample surveys. These surveys are carried out by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).
Every fifth person in India is poor. (This means, roughly 270 million (or 27 crore) people in India live in poverty 2011-12.) This also means that India has the largest single concentration of the poor in the world.
One of the biggest challenges of independent India has been to bring millions of its people out of abject poverty. Mahatama Gandhi always insisted that India would be truly independent only when the poorest of its people become free of human suffering.
Usually the indicators used relate to the levels of income and consumption. But now poverty is looked through other social indicators like illiteracy level, lack of general resistance due to malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare, lack of job opportunities, lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation etc.
In this way in the year 2011-12, a family of five members living in rural areas and earning less than about Rs 4,080 per month will be below the poverty line. A similar family in the urban areas would need a minimum of Rs 5,000 per month to meet their basic requirements.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employmen Guarantee Act, 2005 aims to provide 100 days of wage employment to every household to ensure livelihood security in rural areas. It also aimed at sustainable development to address the cause of draught, deforestration and soil erosion.
Poverty is not merely about unemployment and less money. It is a social phenomenon in which a section of the society is unable to fulfill even its bare necessities of life.
Due to poverty a person does not enjoy a proper social life with respect and dignity. He/she is denied of equal rights in the society.
Poverty is one of the main causes which prohibit the people of society to live a dignified life and hence it deprives the access of the basic needs like education, health, food, clothing, housing etc. to the person.
This applies universally to all the countries in the world.
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