NCERT Solutions-Poverty As a Challenge-Class 9

Q1. Describe how the poverty line is estimated in India.

Answer:

1. A common method used to measure poverty is based on income or consumption levels. 

2. A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs. 

3. While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirement, etc. are determined for subsistence. 

4.  The expected calorie intake has been fixed at 2400 calories per person in rural areas and 2100 calories in urban areas.

5. A person consuming less than this amount is considered to be living below the poverty line.

Q2. Do you think that the present methodology of poverty estimation is appropriate?

Q3. Describe poverty trends in India since 1973.

Answer:

1. As per the data, there has been a substantial decline in poverty ratios in India from 45 percent in 1993-94 to 37.2 percent in 2004-05. 

2. There was a further decline to 22 percent in 2011-12. 

3. Although the number of poor people declined from 1973 to 1993, there was a significant reduction in the number of the poor (about 407 million) in 2004-05 and a further 270 million in 2011-12 with an average annual decline of 2.2 percent. 

4. It may also be noted that poverty ratios always remained higher in rural areas as compared to urban areas. 

5. If the present trend continues, the people below the poverty line may come down to less than 20 percent in the next few years.

Q4. Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India.
Answer:

• Rising population: India, the second-most populous nation on earth. And this has an immediate impact on the need for resources.
• Less economic development: Due to India’s slow economic development rate, there is an imbalance in the demand and supply of consumer goods and services.
• Unemployment: With a rapidly increasing population, more and more people are looking for employment. Since there are more job seekers than job opportunities, the unemployment rate has been rising quickly and contributing to poverty.
• Unequal distribution of resources: India lacks a robust distribution system, which is why there is an uneven distribution of resources. As a result, the rural and semi-urban population is still suffering.
• Income inequality: The government needs to reduce income inequality and check the concentration of wealth in India. Bringing suitable monetary policies can help with this.
• Social aspects: Lastly, social factors like the caste system, rules of inheritance, and archaic customs stand in the way of development and are a major cause of poverty in India.

Answer: Social groups, which are most vulnerable to poverty, are scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households. 

Similarly, among the economic groups, the most vulnerable groups are the rural agricultural labour households and urban casual labour households.

Q6. Describe global poverty trends.
Answer:

1. The proportion of people in developing countries living in extreme economic poverty— defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1 per day—has fallen from 28 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2001. 

2.  Poverty declined substantially in China and Southeast Asian countries as a result of rapid economic growth and massive investments in human resource development. 

3. Despite the decline in the percentage of the poor, the number of poor has declined marginally from 475 million in 1981 to 428 million in 2001. 

4. Because of different poverty line definition, poverty in India is also shown higher than the national estimates.

5. The proportion of people living under poverty in different countries is defined by the international poverty line (means population below $1 a day).

Q7. Describe the current government strategy of poverty alleviation.

Answer:
The current anti-poverty strategy of the government is based broadly on two planks

• Promotion of economic growth.
• Targeted anti-poverty programs.

Q8. What do you understand by human poverty?
Answer:

Answer: The current government strategy of poverty alleviation is based on two planks:

1. Promotion of Economic Growth
2. Targeted Anti-poverty Programmes

Some of the targeted anti-poverty programmes undertaken by the government are:

1. Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY): This programme was started in 1993. It aims at creating self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.
2. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): This programme was launched in 2000. It aims at creating and improving basic services like primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water and rural electrification.
3. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP): This programme was launched in 1995. It aims at creating self-employment opportunities in rural areas and urban towns.
4. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): This act was passed in September 2005. The act provides 100 days assured employment every year to every rural household in 200 districts. Later, the scheme would be extended to 600 districts. One-third of the proposed jobs have been reserved for women.