essay on poverty class 9

Poverty as a Challenge (Easy Notes for class 9th)

Introduction:

View from social scientists:, social exclusion:, vulnerability:, defining the poverty line:, calorie-based poverty line:, vulnerable groups:, inequality within families:, state-level variations:.

• China & Southeast Asia:
• Sub-Saharan Africa & Latin America:

Former Socialist Nations:

Causes of poverty:, anti-poverty measures:, challenges ahead:.

In this chapter, we’re going to discuss a major problem in India: poverty. Poverty means not having enough money for a good life. We’ll look at real-life examples and how experts in social sciences study it. India has a lot of poor people, around 270 million in 2011-12, which is about one in every five people. This makes India the country with the most poor people in the world. We’ll talk about why people are poor, what the government is doing to help, and how we can think about poverty beyond just not having enough money.

• Social scientists use various indicators to examine poverty.
• Income, consumption levels, and social indicators like education, healthcare, clean water, and job opportunities are considered.
• Social exclusion and vulnerability are critical aspects, as poverty is both a cause and consequence.

Two common aspects of Poverty:

• Poverty is not just about income; it’s also about living in poor surroundings with other impoverished people.
• Social exclusion deprives the poor of social equality with better-off individuals in better environments.
• Vulnerability means certain communities or individuals have a greater chance of remaining poor due to limited options and risks.
• Risks include natural disasters and economic downturns, with some groups more adversely affected.
• Vulnerability depends on social and economic resilience.
• The poverty line is the minimum income or consumption level required to meet basic needs.
• It varies by country and time based on societal norms and development levels.
• In India, it’s determined by caloric requirements for food.
• Caloric needs depend on age, gender, and the type of work. Rural areas require more calories due to physical labor.
• In 2011-12, the rural poverty line was about Rs 816/month, and the urban line was Rs 1000/month for one person.
• A rural family of five earning less than Rs 4,080/month is below the poverty line.
• An urban family with a similar income needs at least Rs 5,000/month for basic needs.

Progress in Reducing Poverty:

India has made remarkable strides in lessening poverty. In 1993-94, the poverty rate was a staggering 45%, but by 2011-12, it significantly dropped to 22%.

The number of people grappling with poverty has followed a positive trajectory, decreasing from 407 million in 2004-05 to 270 million in 2011-12. This reflects an average annual decline of 2.2%.

• Poverty isn’t uniform in society; it varies significantly.
• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are highly vulnerable to poverty; these groups face notable risks.
• Vulnerability to poverty is also substantial among rural agricultural labor households and urban casual labor households.
• Particularly noteworthy is that about 43% of Scheduled Tribes and 34% of urban casual workers fall below the poverty line.
• The challenge intensifies when individuals from socially disadvantaged groups engage in landless, casual wage labor.
• Poverty affects all family members, but some suffer more than others, especially women, the elderly, and female infants.
• Poverty reduction success varies from state to state.
• States like Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha have poverty levels above the national average.
• Bihar and Odisha continue to have high poverty ratios.
• States like Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and West Bengal have seen significant reductions in poverty.
• Some states have reduced poverty through agricultural growth, human resource development, land reform, and public distribution of food grains.

Global Poverty Trends:

• World Bank’s extreme poverty threshold: living on less than $1.90 per day.
• In 1990, 36% lived in such poverty; by 2015, it reduced to 10%, yet disparities persist.

China & Southeast Asia:

• Rapid growth and human resource investments reduced poverty.
• China went from 88.3% in 1981 to just 0.6% in 2019.
• South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, etc.) dropped from 34% in 2005 to 15.2% in 2014.
• Number of poor in India declined: 510.4 million (2005) to 274.5 million (2013).

Sub-Saharan Africa & Latin America:

• Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa fell from 51% (2005) to 40.2% (2018).
• Latin America saw a decrease from 10% (2005) to 4% (2018).
• Poverty re-emerged in some ex-socialist countries like Russia.
• Historical Factors: Low economic development during British colonial rule.
• Impact of British Policies: Damage to traditional handicrafts and discouragement of industrial development.
• Economic Growth and Population: Low growth rate of incomes combined with high population growth.
• Limited Agriculture Benefits: The Green Revolution’s effects were limited to some regions.
• Income Inequality: Linked to unequal land and resource distribution.
• Socio-Cultural Factors: Excessive spending on social obligations and religious ceremonies contributing to indebtedness.
• Promotion of Economic Growth: India’s anti-poverty strategy based on fostering economic growth.
• Impact of Economic Growth: Higher economic growth rates linked to poverty reduction.
• Challenges for the Poor: The poor might not directly benefit from opportunities, especially in agriculture.
• Targeted Programs: Initiatives like MGNREGA, PMRY, REGP, SGSY, and AAY aim to create self-employment and support basic services.
• Implementation Challenges: Issues like scheme overlap and improper targeting affect program effectiveness.
• Persistent Poverty: Despite progress, poverty reduction remains India’s most significant challenge.
• Regional Disparities: Wide variations in poverty between rural and urban areas and among states.
• Vulnerable Groups: Certain social and economic segments are more susceptible to poverty.
• Future Progress: Expected poverty reduction in the next decade due to higher economic growth, improved education, declining population growth, and empowerment of women and economically weaker sections.
• Broadening the Concept: The official definition of poverty focuses on subsistence rather than a reasonable standard of living.
• Human Poverty: Advocates argue for a broader concept encompassing factors like education, shelter, health care, job security, self-confidence, and freedom from discrimination.
• Changing Targets: Eradicating poverty is an evolving goal. As income needs are met, larger challenges like healthcare, education, gender equality, and dignity for the poor emerge.

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Causes of poverty - Concepts - Chapter 3 Class 9 Economics - Poverty as a Challenge - Economics

Last updated at April 16, 2024 by Teachoo

Causes of Poverty

• There were a number of causes for widespread poverty in India.
• Low level of economic development under the British colonial administration.
• The policies of the colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged the development of industries like textiles.
• This resulted in fewer job opportunities and a low growth rate of income . This was accompanied by a high growth rate in the population.
• The two combined to make the growth rate of per capita income very low.
• 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.
• Unable to find proper jobs in cities, many people started working as rickshaw pullers, vendors, construction workers, domestic servants, etc.
• With irregular small incomes , these people could not afford expensive housing. They started living in slums on the outskirts of the cities and the problems of poverty, largely a rural phenomenon also became a feature of the urban sector.
• Another feature of high poverty rates has been the huge income inequalities.
• Major policy initiatives like land reforms aimed at the redistribution of assets in rural areas have not been implemented properly and effectively by most of the state governments.
• Many other sociocultural and economic factors also are responsible for poverty.
• Small farmers need money to buy agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. Since poor people hardly have any savings, they borrow. Unable to repay because of poverty, they become victims of indebtedness.
• So the high level of indebtedness is both the cause and effect of poverty.

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Poverty in India Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on poverty in india.

Poverty refers to a situation in which a person remain underprivileged from the basic necessities of life. In addition, the person does not have an inadequate supply of food, shelter, and clothes. In India, most of the people who are suffering from poverty cannot afford to pay for a single meal a day. Also, they sleep on the roadside; wear dirty old clothes. In addition, they do not get proper healthy and nutritious food, neither medicine nor any other necessary thing.

Causes of Poverty

The rate of poverty in India is increasing because of the increase in the urban population. The rural people are migrating to cities to find better employment. Most of these people find an underpaid job or an activity that pays only for their food. Most importantly, around crores of urban people are below the poverty line and many of the people are on the borderline of poverty.

Besides, a huge number of people live in low-lying areas or slums. These people are mostly illiterate and in spite of efforts their condition remains the same and there is no satisfactory result.

Furthermore, there are many reasons that we can say are the major cause of poverty in India. These causes include corruption, growing population, poor agriculture , the wide gap of rich and poor, old customs, illiteracy, unemployment and few more. A large section of people are engaged in an agricultural activity but the activity pays very less in comparison to the work done by employees.

Also, more population needs more food, houses and money and in the lack of these facilities the poverty grows very quickly. In addition, being extra poor and extra rich also widens the gap between the rich and poor.

Moreover, the rich are growing richer and the poor are getting poorer creating an economic gap that is difficult to fill up.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Effects of Poverty

It affects people living in a lot of ways. Also, it has various effects that include illiteracy, reduced nutrition and diet, poor housing, child labor, unemployment , poor hygiene and lifestyle, and feminization of poverty, etc. Besides, this poor people cannot afford a healthy and balanced diet, nice clothes, proper education , a stable and clean house, etc. because all these facilities require money and they don’t even have money to feed two meals a day then how can they afford to pay for these facilities.

The Solutions for Ending Poverty

For solving the problem of poverty it is necessary for us to act quickly and correctly. Some of the ways of solving these problems are to provide proper facilities to farmers . So, that they can make agriculture profitable and do not migrate to cities in search of employment.

Also, illiterate people should be given the required training so that they can live a better life. To check the rising population, family planning should be followed. Besides, measures should be taken to end corruption, so that we can deal with the gap between rich and poor.

In conclusion, poverty is not the problem of a person but of the whole nation. Also, it should be deal with on an urgent basis by the implementation of effective measures. In addition, eradication of poverty has become necessary for the sustainable and inclusive growth of people, society, country, and economy .

FAQs about Poverty in India Essay

Q.1 List some ways to end poverty in India. A.1 Some ways to end poverty in India are:

• Develop a national poverty reduction plan
• Equal access to healthcare and education
• Sanitation facility
• Food, water, shelter, and clothing facility
• Enhance economic growth with targeted action

Q.2 Which is the poorest state in India? A.2 Chhattisgarh is the poorest state of the country.

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Poverty as a Challenge class 9 Notes Economics

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CBSE Class 09 SST Revision Notes Chapter 3 Poverty as a Challenge

In our daily life we come across many poor people such as land less labourers in villages, people living in jhuggis, daily wage workers at construction sites, child labourers in dhabas, rickshaw-pullers, domestic servants, cobblers, beggars, etc.

About 30 crore people live in poverty.

Poverty : Usually the levels of income and consumption are used to define poverty. In India, poverty can be defined as the lack of common things like food, clothing and shelter , safe drinking water, medical care  and education, which determine quality of life.

Poverty has both dimensions economical and social.

Other Indicators of Poverty :

Now poverty is looked through other social indicators like illiteracy level, lack of access to health care, lack of job opportunities, lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, etc. Nowadays, the concept of social exclusion is becoming very common in the analysis of poverty.

Social exclusion means , generally poor are excluded in the community of better off people.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability describes the greater probability of certain communities  or individuals of becoming, or remaining, poor in the coming years.

The people from backward cast, individuals like widows, physically handicapped are  more vulnerable.

They possess greater risks at the time of natural disasters.

Poverty Line 

It is based on the income or consumption level.

A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given ‘minimum level’ necessary to satisfy basic needs.

Poverty line varies with time place.

For the year 2009-10, the poverty line for a person was fixed at  Rs.673 per month for rural area and Rs. 860 for the urban areas.

The poverty line is estimated periodically by conducting sample surveys by National Sample Survey Organisation. ( NSSO)

Estimates of Poverty :

The incidence of poverty in India was around 55 per cent in 1973 which declined to 36 per cent in 1993 and further to 26 per cent in 2000.

The poverty in India is reduced percent wise but number wise it is huge.

Social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty are Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households.

Inequality of Incomes within a Family:

In poor families, old people, women and female children are denied equal access to family’s available resources. They are the poorest of the poor.

Inter-State Disparities :

The proportion of poor people is not the same in every state. In 20 states and union territories the poverty ratio is less than the national average. Orissa and Bihar are the poorest states of India with poverty ratios of 47 per cent and 43 per cent respectively. Lowest incidence of poverty is found in Jammu and Kashmir with poverty ratio of just 3.5 per cent.

Global Poverty Scenario :

There has been substantial decline in global poverty. However, it is marked with great regional differences. Poverty has declined more in China and South-East Asian countries.

World bank has defined poverty as the people earning less than 1.25 $ per day.

The Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations call for reducing the proportion of people below poverty line to half the 1990 level by 2015.

Causes of Poverty :

There are a number of causes for the widespread poverty in India.

One historical reason is the low level of economic development under the British colonial administration.

There are some other reasons.

These are :

1. Rapid growth of population , particularly among the poor is considered a major cause of Indian poverty.

2. Our agricultural sector has failed to generate much employment opportunities for the farm labourers. Similarly, our industries could not provide much job for the job seekers.

3. One of the major causes of poverty is the unequal distribution of land and other resources. Various land reform measures introduced after Independence could not improve the life of millions of rural poor because of their poor implementation.

4. Social factors  :

People in India, including the very poor, spend a lot of money on social occasions like marriages, festivals, etc. Poor people hardly have any savings; they are, thus forced to borrow. Unable to pay because of poverty, they became victims of indebtedness.

Joint family system has prevented people from doing hard work.

• Steps taken by the Government for Poverty Alleviation

Our government’s strategy to poverty reduction has been twofold. One, promotion of economic growth and, two, targeted poverty alleviation programmes.

Poverty Alleviation Programmes :

To address the poor, a need for targeted anti-poverty programmes was strongly felt.

Some of them are given below :

1. Prime Minister Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) : The aim of this programme (which was started in 1993) was to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.

2. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP): REGP was launched in 1995 to create self-employment opportunities in rural areas.

3. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY ): SGSY was started in 1999. The programme aims at bringing the assisted poor families above the poverty line.

4. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) was launched in 2000.

5. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) for ‘the poorest of poor’s and elders.

6. National Food for Work Programme (NFWP) was launched in 2004.

7. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was passed in September 2005. The Act provides 100-days assured employment every year to every rural household in 200 districts.

The Challenges Ahead :

Though poverty has declined in India, poverty reduction remains India’s most compelling challenge. We will have to do something special to fight against wide regional disparities. We must broaden the definition of poverty from ‘a minimum subsistence level of living to a reasonable level of living’. Bigger challenges before us are: providing health care, education and job security for all the achieving gender equality.

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• Poverty Essay for Students in English

Essay on Poverty

Poverty is a disease that has no cure. The deeper this disease is, the deeper its wound. By the way, man lives under compulsion. But usually one wants to avoid it. Poverty is a condition of extreme poverty for any person or human being. This is a situation when a person starts to lack important things in his life such as the roof, necessary food, clothes, medicines, etc. to continue his life.

The causes of poverty are excessive population, fatal and contagious diseases, natural disasters, low agricultural yields, unemployment, casteism, illiteracy, gender inequality, environmental problems, changing trends in the economy of the country, untouchability, little or limited access to people's rights, Problems such as political violence, sponsored crime, corruption, lack of encouragement, inaction, ancient social beliefs, etc. have to be faced.

Poverty has become a big problem of the world, efforts are being made across the world today to remove poverty, but the problem is that it does not take the name of ending. This problem affects a human's economic and daily life. Poverty teaches man to live like a slave in which he has to change the place over time, in this situation due to the lack of education of the poor, his nature and speech also make a difference. Living in a world of poor people has become a curse. Getting enough money to get food is like getting relief from a curse for the poor, that's why they do not have access to education.

Reasons of Poverty

There are many reasons that have continued with carrying it for a long time. Because of this,  freedom, mental and physical fitness, and lack of security in a person remains. It is very important that in order to live a normal life, the country and the whole world will have to work together to bring proper physical and mental health, complete education, a home for everyone, and other important things.

In today's time, there is the problem of poverty which gives all the pain, pain, and despair to the poor. Due to the lack of money from poverty, I show the lack of many things. Poverty makes children spend life in compulsion. If forced to make bread, sometimes in bringing children's books. At that time he is also unable to raise children.

We can tell poverty in many ways like it has become a common thing in India. Most of the people here are unable to get the things they need. Here a vast section of the population is illiterate, hungry, and forced to live without clothes and a home. About half of India's population suffers from this epidemic of poverty.

A poor person lives his life without possession of basic things like food for two times, clean water, house, clothes, proper education, etc. There are many reasons for poverty in India. Incorrect distribution of national income is also a reason. People in the low-income group are much poorer than those in the high-income group. Children of poor families never get proper education, nutrition, and a happy childhood environment. The main cause of poverty is illiteracy, corruption, growing population, weak agriculture, the growing gap between rich and poverty, etc.

Measures to Control Poverty

Corruption has to be erased.

Unemployed will have to give proper employment

A growing population will have to be stopped

Farmers have to be given proper facilities for farming

Education should be provided to children for proper education

Poverty is not just a human problem but it is a national problem. It should be solved by implementing some effective methods on a quick basis. Every person should be united by ending corruption. A problem has been created in which he does not get even the basics. That is why at present, many measures are being taken to prevent poverty so that the standard of living of people around the world can be improved.

Short Essays on Poverty

Poverty is akin to being a slave, as a person cannot achieve anything he desires. It has various faces that alter depending on who you are, where you are, and when. It can be defined in various ways depending on how a person feels or experiences it.

Poverty is a state that no one wants to be in, but it must be removed owing to cultural norms, natural disasters, or a lack of adequate education. The individual who is experiencing it frequently wishes to flee. Poverty is a call for poor people to earn enough money to eat, have access to education, have adequate shelter, dress appropriately, and take steps to protect themselves from social and political violence.

It's a problem that goes unnoticed yet significantly impacts a person's social life. Poverty is an entirely avoidable problem, but there are various reasons why it has persisted in the past.

Poverty robs people of their freedom, mental health, physical well-being, and security. Everyone must strive to eradicate poverty from the country and the world, ensuring appropriate physical and mental health, full literacy, a home for all, and other necessities for living a simple life.

When a person cannot do anything according to his will, he is said to be in poverty. Many different faces alter depending on who you are, where you are, and time. It can be characterized in a variety of ways, depending on how the person feels or what they have achieved. Poverty is a circumstance that no one wants to be in, even if it is forced upon them due to a lack of experience, nature, natural disasters, or a lack of suitable education. Humans have won it, but they prefer to stay away from it. Poverty is a call for needed clothing and protection against social and political violence for the poor to earn enough money to buy food, receive an education, and find a suitable place to live.

This is an unseen problem that harms a person's social life. Even though numerous factors have contributed to its long-term persistence, poverty is a perfectly preventable problem. As a result, a person's freedom, mental and physical well-being, and sense of security are all compromised. It is critical to bring poverty and poverty from worldwide to work together to live everyday life, provide adequate physical and mental health, complete education, a home for everyone, and other essential things.

FAQs on Poverty Essay for Students in English

1. What are the Effects of Poverty?

When people are not able to afford their basic necessities. For example medications and hospital fees are impossible to afford for that means they choose crook ways of obtaining money i.e. stealing, robbery, etc.  

2. What are the Possible Ways to Remove Poverty?

Since India is a developing country, eliminating poverty here is much tougher than in other countries but still some measures can be taken and government assistance would be much helpful in this step which requires some relevant planning and policies for those who fall under the poverty line. Another major factor of poverty is illiteracy and unemployment. Therefore education is the most efficient tool to confine the poverty line in the country. 

3. What is the Poverty Line?

The Below Poverty Line (BPL) signifies the state of people who fall under poverty status. It also symbolizes an economic drawback. In addition, it is used for people who are in need of help and assistance from the government.

4. What are the causes of poverty?

Poverty has several causes, including a lack of access to essentials such as water, food, shelter, education, and healthcare. Poverty is also caused by inequities such as gender or ethnic discrimination, bad governance, conflict, exploitation, and domestic violence. These disparities not only cause a person or a society to fall into poverty, but they can also prevent people from receiving social assistance that could help them get out of it. Due to political upheaval, past or present conflict, corrupt authorities, and lousy infrastructure that restricts access to education, clean water, healthcare, and other essentials, children and communities in fragile states confront greater poverty rates.

5. What can we do to put an end to extreme poverty?

We can aid in the eradication of extreme poverty by determining what causes it in a particular community and then determining what needs to change. Because poverty manifests itself differently in different regions and is caused by different circumstances, the work to end extreme poverty differs depending on the situation. More economic resources are needed to assist people in increasing their income and better providing for themselves and their families. To ensure that poverty does not return, the work must be sustainable, regardless of the solution. As a result, the community must be involved at every stage.

6. What criteria are used to assess poverty?

Each country's government determines poverty levels by conducting home surveys of its citizens. The World Bank, for example, assists and may conduct their surveys, although data collecting is time-consuming and slow. New high-frequency surveys are being created and tested, leveraging estimations and mobile phone technologies. If you want to learn more about these topics, download the Vedantu App that has been specifically designed and curated for students by experts.

7. What is the poverty cycle?

Poverty can be a catch-22 situation. To escape poverty, a person requires access to possibilities such as education, clean water, local medical services, and financial means. Poverty creates a generational cycle if these critical factors are not there. If parents cannot afford to take their children to school, they will struggle to find work when they grow up. Even natural disasters and conflicts can exacerbate the poverty cycle by bringing more people.

8. What are the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of goals for countries worldwide to work together in a global partnership for the benefit of people, the environment, and prosperity. The Sustainable Development Goals aim to abolish extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 and to reduce the proportion of people living in poverty in all forms by at least half. In September 2015, the United Nations member states accepted this objective as one of 17 to end extreme poverty.

Class 9 Economics Chapter 3 Notes - Poverty as a Challenge

Introduction

Around 270 million people, or every fifth person, faced this challenge in 2011-12, making India the country with the highest concentration of poor individuals. 

It's a serious issue that the government and experts are working to address.  

What is Poverty?

Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter . It is also a situation in which parents are not able to send their children to school or a situation where sick people cannot afford treatment.

• Poverty also means a lack of clean water and sanitation facilities . 
• A lack of a regular job at a minimum decent level. Above all, it means living with a sense of helplessness. 
• Poor are in a situation in which they are  ill-treated at almost every place , including the farms, factories, government offices, hospitals, railway stations, etc.

Two Typical Cases of Poverty

• Poverty refers to the state of deprivation in which an individual or community lacks the necessary resources to maintain a minimum standard of living.
• It is characterized by hunger , lack of shelter , inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities, and insufficient employment opportunities .
• Poverty remains one of the most significant challenges faced by independent India , as the nation can only be considered truly independent when its poorest citizens are free from human suffering.

• His wife and son also work, but their combined income is not enough to afford education for their 4 children , who are unable to attend school.
• The family lives in a one-room rented house on the outskirts of the city, and the children are undernourished, lacking proper clothing, footwear, and access to healthcare.

Lack of access to education and healthcare

Inadequate employment opportunities

Insufficient access to clean water and sanitation facilities

All of the above

• Lakha Singh is a landless laborer in a small village near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, earning Rs. 50 per day by doing odd jobs for farmers, sometimes receiving food grain, or other items instead of cash.
• He is not literate and has a family of 8 people  living in a Kuchcha hut at the edge of the village.
• The family has no access to healthcare and cannot afford new clothes, soap, or oil.

Lakha Singh is a landless labourer living in a small village near Meerut.

The family lives in a one-room rented house on the outskirts of the city.

Ram Saran earns Rs. 50 per day by doing odd jobs for farmers.

None of these

In the given passage, the urban case of poverty describes the story of Ram Saran, a daily wage labourer in a flour mill near Ranchi, Jharkhand. The passage mentions that Ram Saran's family lives in a one-room rented house on the outskirts of the city. This information aligns with option B, making it the correct answer.

Option A is incorrect because Lakha Singh is actually described as a landless labourer in the rural case, not the urban case.

Option C is incorrect because the mentioned earning of Rs. 50 per day corresponds to Lakha Singh's situation in the rural case, not Ram Saran's in the urban case.

Option D is also incorrect because the undernourished children lacking proper clothing and footwear are specifically mentioned in relation to Ram Saran's family, not Lakha Singh's.

Therefore, the correct answer is B) The family lives in a one-room rented house on the outskirts of the city.

Poverty as Seen by Social Scientists

The usual way to measure poverty is by looking at income and spending levels. But now, we also consider other factors like education, health, job opportunities, and access to clean water and sanitation. Nowadays, we often analyze poverty by focusing on social exclusion and vulnerability.

Social Exclusion

Poverty is not only about low income but also about being confined to  poor surroundings and excluded from the benefits enjoyed by better-off individuals.

• Social exclusion can lead to poverty by limiting access to opportunities and resources.
• It can also result from existing poverty, perpetuating a cycle of disadvantage.
• Individuals or groups are systematically barred from accessing facilities, benefits, and opportunities that others enjoy.
• Example:  The caste system in India illustrates social exclusion by denying certain castes equal opportunities and social equality.
• Impact: Social exclusion can cause greater harm than low income alone, as it restricts access to resources and opportunities beyond financial measures.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability describes the greater probability of being more adversely affected than other people when a bad time comes for everybody, whether a flood an earthquake, or simply a fall in the availability of jobs.

Factors Influencing Vulnerability:

• Community and Individual Factors: Members of marginalized communities (e.g., backward castes) or individuals with specific challenges (e.g., widows, physically handicapped) are more vulnerable.
• Options and Resources: Access to assets, education, health care, and job opportunities influences vulnerability.
• Risk Exposure: Greater vulnerability is associated with higher risks from natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis) and other crises.

Poverty Line

• A common method used to measure poverty is based on income or consumption levels . A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs. 
• The poverty line may vary with time and place. Each country uses an imaginary line that is considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted minimum social norms. 

• While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, education, and medical requirement is determined for subsistence. These physical quantities are multiplied by their prices in rupees. The total equivalent is considered the poverty line. 
• The daily minimum nutritional requirement for a person has been fixed at 2400 calories  per person/ per day in rural areas and  2100 calories per person/ per day in urban areas. The monetary expenditure per capital needed for buying these calorie requirements in terms of food grains etc. is revised periodically, taking into consideration the rise in prices. 
• On the basis of these calculations, for the year 2011-12, the poverty line for a person was fixed at Rs. 816 per month in rural areas  and Rs. 1000 per month in urban areas. In this way in the year 2011-12, a family of five members living in rural areas and earning less than about Rs. 4080 per month will be below the poverty line. A similar family in the urban areas would need a minimum of Rs. 5000 per month to meet their basic requirements.
• 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).  
• For making comparisons between developing countries, many international organizations like the World Bank use a uniform standard for the poverty line: minimum availability of the equivalent of  $ 1.90 per person per day.

 Rs. 816 per month

 Rs. 1000 per month

Rs. 4080 per month

Rs. 5000 per month

The poverty line for a person in urban areas in India for the year 2011-12 is Rs. 1000 per month. This amount represents the minimum income required to meet basic needs according to the determined levels of food requirement, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, education, and medical requirements.

Therefore, the correct answer is B) Rs. 1000 per month.

Is the Present Methodology of Poverty Estimation Appropriate ?     

• No, the present methodology of poverty estimation is not appropriate. It is only a quantitative concept. It captures only a limited part of what poverty really means to the people. It is about a ‘minimum' subsistence level of living rather than a ‘reasonable level of living'.  
• Many scholars advocate that we must broaden the concept of human poverty. Other aspects like education, shelter, health, job, self-confidence, equality, etc. should also be included while calculating poverty.

Poverty Estimates

• There is a substantial decline in poverty ratios in India from about 4 5 percent in 1993-94. The preparation of people below the poverty line further came down to about 37.2  percent in 2004-05.  
• If the trend continues, people below the poverty line may come down to less than 20 percent in the next few years. The latest estimates indicated a significant reduction in the number of poor from 407 million in 2004-05 to 270 million in 2011-12.

Income and spending levels

Education and healthcare access

Social exclusion and vulnerability

Minimum level of living requirements

Vulnerable Groups

• The proportion of people below the poverty line is also not the same for all social groups and economic categories in India.
• Social groups that are most vulnerable to poverty are scheduled caste  and  scheduled tribe households.
• Among the  economic groups , the most vulnerable groups are the rural agricultural labor households and urban casual labor households.

• The double disadvantage of being a landless casual wage labor household in the socially disadvantaged social groups of the scheduled caste or the scheduled tribe population highlights the seriousness of the problem.
• Some recent studies have shown that except for the scheduled tribe household, all the other three groups, i.e. scheduled castes, rural agricultural laborers and the urban casual labor household have seen a decline in poverty in the 1990s.
• Women, elderly people, and female infants are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family. Therefore women, children (especially the girl child) and old people are the poorest of the poor. 

Story of Sivaraman

• The family of Sivaraman, a rural landless labourer has been cited as an example of such a family. 
• There are  8 members in the family and both he and the wife work. His children do not attend school due to poverty. 
• Only his son gets milk sometimes and they find difficulty in managing even two meals in a day.

• The story portrays the sufferings of Sivaraman who works as an agricultural labourer, that too for just 5-6 months in a year. 
• The suffering and inequality within the family for women and children are even more. 
• Girls are not sent to school and not even given milk to drink, while the youngest child, who is a son gets milk to drink sometimes and his parents also plan for his education.

Scheduled caste households

Urban casual labor households

Scheduled tribe households

Rural agricultural labor households

Inter-State Disparities

• States with a poverty ratio more than the national average: Orissa, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh are the most poverty-ridden states of India. The poverty ratio in these states is much higher than the national average. Bihar  and Orissa are the poorest states with a poverty ratio of 33.7 and 32.6 percent, respectively. Most of these states are facing rural as well as urban poverty.

• States with a poverty ratio less than the national average: There has been a significant decline in the poverty ratio in Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and West Bengal.
• States with low poverty ratio:  Punjab and Haryana have low poverty ratios because of high agricultural growth rates. Kerala has focused on human resource development; West Bengal has taken necessary land reform measures to reduce poverty. In states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the public distribution of food grains has helped in improving the poverty ratio.

Global Poverty Scenario

• The population of people in developing countries living in extreme economic poverty-defined by the World Bank as living on less than $2.15 per day has fallen from 16.67 percent in 2010 to 9.05 percent in 2019. Although there has been a substantial reduction in global poverty, it is marked with great regional differences.
• Poverty declined substantially in  China and Southeast Asian countries as a result of rapid economic growth and massive investments in human resource development. The number of poor in China has come down from 2.1 percent in 2014 to 0.1 percent in 2020.
• In the countries of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan) the decline has also been rapid from 12.8 percent in 2017 to 10.9 percent in 2021.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa , the poverty ratio declined from 36.6 percent in 2017 to 35.4 percent in 2019.
• In Latin America , the ratio of poverty has also declined from 10 percent in 2005 to 4 percent in 2015.
• Poverty has also resurfaced in some of the former socialist countries like Russia, where officially it was non-existent earlier.
• The new sustainable development goals of the United Nations propose ending poverty of all types by 2030.

Kerala and Maharashtra

Orissa and Bihar

Punjab and Haryana

Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Causes of Poverty

• Colonial Impact: British policies undermined traditional handicrafts and stifled industrial development, resulting in low economic growth and fewer job opportunities.
• Population Growth:  High population growth combined with low economic growth led to a low per capita income, perpetuating poverty.

• Irrigation and Green Revolution:  Created job opportunities in agriculture but benefits were limited to specific regions.
• Insufficient Job Creation: Limited job opportunities in both public and private sectors led many to work in low-income jobs (e.g., rickshaw pullers, vendors) and live in slums.
• Unequal Resource Distribution: Disparities in land and resource distribution contribute to high poverty rates.
• Ineffective Land Reforms:  Poor implementation of land reform policies has failed to address rural poverty effectively.
• Social and Religious Expenses: Poor people often spend on social obligations and ceremonies, exacerbating their financial strain.
• Indebtedness: Small farmers and the poor borrow money for agricultural inputs and other expenses, leading to high levels of debt and further entrenching poverty.

 British Rule

 Rural Economy

Heavy Pressure of Population

Religious Factors

The correct answer is D) Religious Factors.

Explanation: The passage mentions several causes of poverty, including British Rule, Rural Economy, Heavy Pressure of Population, Chronic Unemployment and Underemployment, and Lack of Proper Industrialization. However, Religious factors  are not explicitly mentioned as causes of poverty. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Anti-Poverty Measures   

Removing poverty is a top goal  for India's development. The government's strategy centers on  two main ideas:   1. Promoting economic growth 2. Targeted anti-poverty programs.

Economic Growth 

• Before the 1980s, not much progress was made, but since then, India's rapid economic growth has significantly reduced poverty.
• Economic growth, reaching about 6 percent  annually, creates opportunities and resources for human development.
• It encourages people, including girls, to pursue education for better economic prospects.

Need for Targeted Programs

• Given the challenges, there's a clear need for specific anti-poverty programs.
• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act  (MGNREGA) guarantees 100 days of employment to households in rural areas.
• The program, active since 2005, focuses on sustainable development and has reserved jobs for women, providing significant employment.

Targeted Anti-poverty programs 

1. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 

• It was passed in September 2005 . This Act provides for 100 days of assured employment every year to every rural household in 200 districts. Later the scheme was extended to 600 districts.
• One-third of the proposed jobs have been reserved for women.
• The Central Government established National Employment Guarantee Funds.
• The state government established State Employment Guarantee Funds for the implementation of the scheme.
• Under the program, if an applicant is not provided employment within fifteen days, she/he will be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance.
• The scheme provided employment to 220 crore person-days of employment to 4.78 crore households.
• After the revised wage rates in  March 2018, the range of wage rate lies in between Rs 281 per day(for the workers in Haryana) to Rs 168 per day(for the workers of Bihar and Jharkhand).

2. National Food for Work Programme (NFWP)

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

3. Prime Minister Rozgar Yozana (PMRY)

• It is another scheme which was started in 1993.
• The aim of the program is to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small businesses and industries.
• They are helped in setting up small businesses and industries.

To provide basic services in rural areas

To create self-employment opportunities in rural areas and small towns

To bring assisted poor families above the poverty line

To provide highly subsidized food grains to the poorest families

4. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP)

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

5. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

• It was launched in 1999.  
• The program 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. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana (PMGY)

• It was launched in 2000.  
• 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 Yozana (AAY)

• This scheme was launched in December 2000 . Under this scheme, one crore of the poorest among the BPL families covered under the targeted public distribution system was identified. 
• Poor families were identified by the respective state rural development departments through a Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey. Twenty-five kilograms of food grains were made available to each eligible family at a highly subsidized rate of Rs. 2 per Kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per for rice. This quantity has been enhanced from 25 to 35 kg with effect from April 2002. 
• The scheme has been further expanded twice by an additional 50 lakh BPL families in June 2003 and in August 2004. With this increase, 2 crore families have been covered under the AAY.

Lack of proper monitoring and targeting

Wide disparities in poverty between rural and urban areas

Increasing stress on universal free elementary education

Eradication of poverty as a moving target

Challenges in Implementation

• While these programs have good intentions, their effectiveness varies due to improper implementation and targeting.
• Overlapping schemes and a lack of proper monitoring contribute to limited benefits reaching deserving individuals.
• Recent efforts emphasize proper monitoring to ensure the success of poverty alleviation programs.

The Challenges Ahead

• Poverty has certainly declined in India. But despite the progress, poverty reduction remains India’s most compelling challenge. Wide disparities in poverty are visible between rural and urban areas and among different states.
• Poverty reduction is expected to make better progress in the next ten to fifteen years. This would be possible mainly due to higher economic growth, increasing stress on universal free elementary education, declining population growth, and increasing empowerment of women and the economically weaker section of society.
• The official definition of poverty captures only a limited part of what poverty really means to people. It is about a “minimum” subsistence level of living rather than a “reasonable” level of living. We must broaden the concept into human poverty.
• With development, the definition of what constitutes poverty also changes. Eradication of poverty is always a moving target. Hopefully, we will be able to provide the minimum “necessary” in terms of income to all people by the end of the next decade. But the target will move on for all and achieve gender equality and dignity for the poor. These will be even bigger tasks.

Difficult Words

• Social Exclusion : This refers to the process by which certain individuals or groups are systematically blocked from rights, opportunities, and resources that are normally available to members of society and that are key to social integration. This exclusion can happen in various areas such as employment, healthcare, education, and civic engagement.

Vulnerability : In the context of poverty, vulnerability refers to the increased likelihood of certain populations to fall into poverty or to be adversely affected by economic crises or natural disasters due to a lack of adequate social, economic, and environmental protections.

Poverty Line : A monetary threshold used to differentiate between those who are considered poor and those who are not, based on their income or consumption levels. This benchmark helps to measure the extent of poverty within a country.

Subsistence Level : The minimum level of resources necessary for physical well-being, typically including food, water, and shelter. In poverty measurements, subsistence refers to the absolute basics needed to maintain life.

Disguised Unemployment : Occurs when more people are working in a job than is necessary for its fulfillment. For example, if three people are doing a job that two people could accomplish, the third person is considered disguisedly unemployed because their work does not contribute to increased output.

Underemployment : This involves individuals working less than they would like or in jobs that do not utilize their skills and educational qualifications. It represents a wastage of human resources.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes : These are specific categories of historically disadvantaged groups in India that are identified in the Constitution of India. Members of these groups face higher levels of poverty and social exclusion.

Universal Adult Franchise : Also known as universal suffrage, this is the right of all adult citizens to vote in elections without restrictions due to race, sex, belief, wealth, or social status.

National Food for Work Programme (NFWP) : An initiative aimed at alleviating poverty by providing food in exchange for work. This program targets the most backward districts of the country to enhance food security while creating employment.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) : A landmark labor law in India that aims to guarantee the 'right to work' by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Below Poverty Line (BPL) : A governmental classification in India to identify families that are economically weaker and in need of government assistance and aid. Families under this line receive benefits from various government schemes.

Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana (PMGY) : A comprehensive scheme aimed at improving the availability and quality of critical services like healthcare, education, and rural shelter through additional central assistance to states.

Antyodaya Anna Yozana (AAY) : A government scheme aimed at reducing chronic hunger and malnutrition by providing highly subsidized food to the poorest segments of society.

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Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers

Embark on an insightful exploration of poverty as a multifaceted challenge, understanding its causes, impact, and the measures to alleviate its effects. Have you ever wondered about the complexities of poverty, its implications on human well-being, and the efforts made by governments and organizations to address this pressing issue? In this article, we present you with a Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions with Answers . Read this also Extra Questions for Class 9 Social Science with Answers.

Question 1. What is poverty? Or Explain the term ‘poverty. Answer: Poverty means a situation in which a person is unable to get minimum basic necessities of life i:e. food, clothing and shelter for his or her sustenance.

Question 2. What is poverty line? Answer: Poverty line is referred to as minimum requirement for basic necessities.

Question 3. Mention two measures to alleviate poverty in India. Answer: Measures to reduce poverty in India are:

• to create more employment opportunities.
• to check the growth of population.

Question 4. How social scientists look at poverty? Answer: Social scientists look at poverty through a variety of indicators. Usually, the indicators used relate to the levels of income and consumption. But now the poverty is looked through other social indicators like illiteracy level, lack of general resistance due to malnutrition, lack of access to health care, lack of job opportunities, lack of access to safe drinking water etc.

Question 5. Who estimates poverty line in India? Answer: National-sample survey organisation.

Question 6. What is the poverty line for a person according to the 2000 census? Answer: According to the year 2000, the poverty line of a person is Rs. 328 per month, for the rural areas and Rs. 454 for urban areas.

Question 7. Mention the three most poor states of India. Answer: The there most poor states of India are Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Question 8. What is the poverty line an defined by the World Bank? Answer: Poverty line as defined by the world bank is the people living on less than per day.

Question 9. How does growth rate in population increase poverty in a country? Explain. Answer: Population growth is one of the major causes of unemployment in India: When the number of people increases in a country much faster than the increase in employment opportunities, that situation may lead to unemployment. Since the pressure of population on agriculture/primary sector is already very high, the responsibility of creating new jobs is to be borne and shared by the secondary and tertiary sector.

Question 10. Explain the term ‘poverty? Answer: Poverty is a situation in which a person is unable to get minimum basic necessities of life, i.e. food, clothing and shelter for his or her sustenance. Such people are called as poverty-ridden or people living below poverty line.

When a larger section of the people in an economy is deprived of these basic necessities that economy is said to be in mass poverty. During 1999-2000, approximately 26 crore people in India were reported to be poverty-ridden.

Question 11. Explain any four causes of poverty. Answer: Four causes of poverty are:

• Unemployment-When With the increase in population, employment opportunities does not grow at the same rate, it results in poverty. Social factors-Social factors like illiteracy, ignorance; fatalism and joint family system have stopped from adopting modem ideas and techniques so that they could not increase their income.
• Underutilised natural resources-The resources have not been, fully utilised. The bulk of our resources are still lying unused. Backward agriculture-There is lack of basic facilities like water, fertiliser, pesticides etc. The productivity is low and Indian farmer remains poor.Question 12. Explain structural and cyclical unemployment. Give one example of each. Answer:
• Structural unemployment-If in an economy, there is no capital or resources to provide employment to all the labour force that situation is referred to as structural unemployment. The nature of unemployment in India is partly structural. “India does not have sufficient capital to employ labourers working in agriculture.
• Cyclical unemployment-When there is unemployment due to shortage of demand for %oods, it is referred to as cyclical unemployment. It generally occurs in capitalist countries.

Question 13. Explain any two measures undertaken by government to alleviate poverty in rural India. Answer: Programmes started by government to alleviate poverty in rural/ areas are as follows: Swaranjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana-The objective of the programme is to help the existing poor families to come above the poverty line. It is actually a sponsored scheme and is in operation in all – the development blocks of the country since 1980. Under it families below poverty line are provided financial assistance.

The objectives of the programme is, to give employment, to those, men and women who do not get sufficient days of employment in rural areas. This programme aims at creation of community assets such as Social forestry/ soil conservation, minor irrigation projects, and renovation of village wells, rural roads, schools etc.

Question 14. What are the methods to measure poverty line? Answer: Methods to measure poverty line:

• Expenditure method: Firstly, for each person the minimum nutritional food requirement for survival is measured. Then it is converted into equivalent money value i.e. rupees. Apart from food, money required for other items is also added into it. This total equivalent amount is considered as poverty line. An those families which spend less than the poverty line, are considered as below poverty line families.
• Income method-In this method, all those families whose total income in a month is less than foe poverty line as fixed- by the government are considered to be below poverty line. families.

Question 15. How did government table problems of poverty in foe initial stages of economic planning? Answer: In the initial, stages of. economic of poverty from four dimensions, as given below:

• The government believed that efforts towards developing foe heavy industries and green revolution would create employment opportunities and incomes, which would lead to rapid economic development.
• Several land reform measures such as abolition of zamindari system, security of tenant farmers against eviction, fixation of rents, ceilings on land holdings and distribution of surplus land etc.
• Small scale and cottage industries were encouraged.
• An attempt was made to reduce gap between rich and poor through income and wealth redistribution.

Question 16. Explain social exclusion concept of poverty. Answer: According to this concept, poverty must bee seen in terms of the poor having to -live only in a poor surrounding with other poor people, excluded from enjoying social equality of better-off people in better surroundings. Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty in foe usual sense. Broadly, it is a process through which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others enjoy.

Question 17. What is vulnerability? Or Explain the concept of vulnerability. Answer: Vulnerability to poverty is a measure which describes the greater probability of certain communities or individuals of becoming or remaining poor in the coming years. Vulnerability is determined by the finding an alternative living in terms of assets, education, health and job opportunities. Further, it is analysed on the basis of greater risks these groups face at the time of natural disasters. Additional analysis is made of their social and economic ability to handle these risks.

Question 18. How indebtedness of farmers is responsible for poverty? Or How indebtedness of fanners is both the cause and effect of poverty? Answer: Small farmers need money to buy agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizer, pesticides etc. Since poor people hardly have any savings, they borrow from money-lenders. Money-lenders give them loan at very high-interest rates. Therefore, they are unable to repay these’ loans because of poverty. They become victims, of indebtedness. So the high. level of indebtedness is both the cause and effect of poverty.

Question 19. Examine the causes of poverty and explain any three measures adopted to remove poverty in India. r Answer: Causes of poverty:

• Britishers adopted the policy to discourage traditional industries. This has left millions of weavers poor.
• Excessive dependency on agriculture has resulted in low level of income for the rural masses.
• Majority of the rural poor do not have enough land and machinery. They are mostly landless labourers and people without work.
• Social factors like illiteracy, large size of family, law of inheritance and caste system are also responsible for prevalence of poverty-ridden people.

Poverty alleviation programmes: Swarnajayanti Grain Swarojgar Yojana-It is a centrally sponsored scheme which is in operation since 1980. It provides financial assistance to rural poor.

JawaharGram Samriddhi Yojana-Its objecüve is to generate employment for those men and women who do not get sufficient days of employment in rural areas.

Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana and Swarnajayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana- These schemes are aimed at the welfare of the educated unemployed in urban areas. It aims to provide self-employment to the educated unemployed in the age group of 18 to 35, particularly, in the urban areas. Employment Assurance Scheme and Pradhanmantri Gramodaya Yojana were launched in 1999 and 2000-01.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics Chapter 3 Poverty as a Challenge

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 3 Poverty as a Challenge contain answers to the textbook exercise questions. The NCERT solutions are easy and accurate that helps with the questions asked in the examinations. These solutions cover all the questions of the chapter in detail. NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 1 are prepared by our subject experts in very easy language. All our solutions are updated as per the latest CBSE Syllabus and Guidelines.

Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 3 NCERT Solutions

Let’s Discuss Page no. 32

Question 1: Why do different countries use different poverty lines?

Answer: Different countries use different poverty lines because (a) The calorie requirement of different human races is different depending on their physical condition and dietary habits. Those races which have greater height and build require higher calories. (b) The per capita income in different countries is also different i.e., per capita income is higher in developed countries as compared to developing countries. (c) The standard of living of Western countries is higher than that of developing countries. (d) The cost of essential items used in calculating poverty line is higher in the developed countries.

Question 2: What do you think would be the “minimum necessary level” in your locality?

Answer: I live in a city so the poverty line should be calculated according to the urban area. In the year 2000, the urban poverty line was fixed at 454 per month per person. Now in the year 2012 seeing the high level of inflation and price rise it should be at least 1500 per person per month.

Let’s Discuss Page no. 33

Question 1: Study Table 3.1 and answer the following questions:

(a) Even if poverty ratio declined between 1993–94 and 2004–05, why did the number of poor remain at about 407 million? (b) Are the dynamics of poverty reduction the same in rural and urban India?

Answer: (a) The poverty ratio declined between 1073-74 and 1993-94 but the number of poor remained at about 320 million because the total population of the country increased during the same period. Out of this increased population more people got employment due to the green Revolution, establishment of more industries and growth of the tertiary sector. As result the poverty ratio declined.

(b) No, the dynamics of poverty reduction are not the same in rural and urban areas because the conditions in both the areas are completely different. Urban area poverty has decreased due to expansion of the service sector, increased industrialisation and consequent increase of jobs. This has resulted in migration to cities and towns from rural areas. Rural area poverty has reduced due to improved agricultural practices resulting in higher incomes. Some contribution to this improvement is due to the migration to urban areas.

Let’s Discuss Page no. 3 5

Observe some of the poor families around you and try to find the following:

Question 1: Which social and economic group do they belong to?

Answer: There is a poor family living near our colony. They are living below the poverty line and belong to lowest socio-economic category.

Question 2: Who are the earning members in the family?

Answer: The wife and husband are casual construction labourers and they are the earning members of the family.

Question 3: What is the condition of the old people in the family?

Answer: The old people of the family, i.e., the grandparents are physically weak and suffering of old age diseases and problems without proper medical aid

Question 4: Are all the children (boys and girls) attending schools?

Answer: There are two girls and one boy in the family. Because of poverty, the father of the children Bhola is only able to send his son to school and the daughters help in the household work.

Let’s Discuss Page no. 36

Question 1: Study the Graph 3.2 and do the following:

(a) Identify the three states where the poverty ratio is the highest. (b) Identify the three states where poverty ratio is the lowest.

Answer: (a) Three states where poverty ratio is the highest are (i) Orissa 47.2%, (ii) Bihar 42.6%, (iii) Madhya Pradesh 37.4%

(b) Three states where the poverty ratio is the lowest are (i) Himachal Pradesh 7.6% (ii) Punjab 6.2% (iii) Jammu and Kashmir 3.5%

Question 1: Describe how the poverty line is estimated in India?

Answer: A common method used to measure poverty is based on income or consumption levels. A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs. 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. These physical quantities are multiplied by their prices in rupees. The resent formula for food requirements while estimating the poverty line is based on the desired calorie requirement.

In India poverty line is measured or calculated considering the following factors required for subsistence:

1. Minimum level of food requirement, 2. Clothing 3. Footwear 4. Fuel and Light 5. Education and 6. Medical requirement etc.

These physical quantities are multiplied by their prices. The present formula for food requirement is based on the desired calorie requirement. As per 2000 figures; a family of five which is earning less than Rs. 1,640 per month is considered to be living below the poverty line. This figure is Rs. 2,270 per month for the urban area.

The expected calorie intake has been fixed at 2400 calories per person in rural areas and 2100 calories in urban areas. A person consuming less than this amount is considered to be living below the poverty line.

Question 2: Do you think that present methodology of poverty estimation is appropriate?

Answer: Any method of poverty estimation cannot be appropriate. However, the current methods give some starting point to discuss the issue and to tackle the problem. The goal of poverty alleviation is a moving target because definition of poverty changes with time. Once the basic needs of all the people are fulfilled then some higher needs would need to be taken into account to address the issue of poverty.

Question 3: Describe poverty trends in India since 1973?

Answer: As per the data, there is a substantial decline in poverty ratio in India from 55 percent in 1973 to 36 percent in 1993. There was further decline from 36 percent in 1993 to 26 percent in 2000. Although the number of poor people remained stable (about 320 million) in the earlier two decades (1973 to 1993), there was significant reduction in the number of the poor to about 260 million till 2000.It may also be noted that poverty ratio always remained higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. If the present trend continues, the people below poverty line may come down to less than 20 percent in the next few years.

Question 4: Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India?

Answer: There were a number of causes for the widespread poverty in India. One historical reason is the low level of economic development under the British colonial administration. The low rate of growth persisted until the nineteen-eighties. This resulted in fewer job opportunities and a low growth rate of incomes. This was accompanied by a high growth rate of the population. The two combined to make the growth rate of per capita income very low. Another feature of 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 major reasons for poverty in India are:

Colonial Rule: India went through a long phase of low economic development under the British colonial administration. The policies of the colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged development of industries like textiles.

High growth in Population: The rapid growth of population, particularly among the poor, is considered one of the major causes behind Indian poverty. Poor people are illiterate and have traditional outlook. Hence, they are either ignorant of birth control measures or not convinced of the need of birth control. Moreover, they consider male child as an asset, that is, as a source of income and a source of security during old age.

Low Rate of Economic Development: The actual rate of growth in India has always been below the required level. It has been around 4 per cent since 1951. This has resulted in less job opportunities. This was accompanied by a high growth rate of population.

Unemployment: Another important factor that can be held responsible for the incidence of high poverty in India is the high degree of unemployment and underemployment. The job seekers are increasing at a higher rate than the increase in the employment opportunities.

Unequal Distribution: Although national income of India has been increasing since 1951, it was not properly distributed among different sections of the society. A large proportion of increased income has been pocketed by a few rich. They become richer. Consequently, the majority of people have to live below the poverty line.

Social Factors: Various social factors, viz., caste system, joint family system, religious faiths, law of inheritance, etc., have blocked the path of economic development.

Question 5: Identify the social and economic groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India.

Answer: Social Groups Vulnerable to Poverty:

• Scheduled caste households
• Scheduled tribe households

Economic Groups Vulnerable to Poverty:

• Rural agricultural labour households
• Urban casual labour households

Question 6: Give an account of interstate disparities of poverty in India.

Answer: Poverty in India differs for different states. The success rate of reducing poverty varies from state to state, causing inter-state disparities in poverty level. Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the three poorest states in India with their people living below the poverty line being 47, 42 and 37 per cent, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are the three better-off states in India as far as poverty is concerned. There are various factors that are responsible for these interstate disparities of poverty in India.

Question 7: Describe global poverty trends.

Answer: The percentage of people living below povery line has fallen from 28% in 1991 to 21% in 2001; in the developing countries. Poverty declined substantially in China and some South Asian countries because of rapid economic development. On the other hand, reduction was not as sharp in countries; like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. In Sub Saharan Africa, poverty increased from 41% in 1981 to 48% in 2001. The poverty level has remained the same in Latin America. Poverty has resurfaced in Russia and some of the former communist countries.

Question 8: Describe current government strategy of poverty alleviation?

Answer:  The current anti-poverty measures are targetted at two planks, viz. promotion of economic growth and anti-poverty programmes. Economic growth helps in overall improvement of income through employment generation and hence is highly important to reduce poverty. Anti-poverty programmes are aimed to help those who suffer because of socioeconomic inequality. Such programmes are an attempt to support poor people so that they can improve their condition.

Removal of poverty has one of the major objectives of Indian developmental strategy. 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 anti-poverty programmes undertaken by government at present are discussed below:

• Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY): Started in 1993, this programme aims to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.
• Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): Launched in 2000, this aims to create and improve basic services like primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water and rural electrification.
• National Food for Work programme (NFWP): Launched in 2004 in 150 most backward districts of the country, this programme is open to all rural poor who are in need of wage employment and desired to do manual unskilled work.
• National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA): 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 will be extended to 600 districts and also one third to the proposed jobs would be reserved for women.

Question 9: Answer the following questions briefly

(i) What do you understand by human poverty? (ii) Who are the poorest of the poor? (iii) What are the main features of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005?

Answer: (i) A general scarcity of basic necessities of life is called poverty. The basic necessities include food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, sanitation, etc. Some of the issues which are related to poverty are; Landlessness, Unemployment, Size of families, Illiteracy, Poor health/malnutrition, Child labour and Helplessness.

(ii) Women, children (especially the girl child) and elder people in a poor family are regarded as the poorest of the poor because they are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family.

(iii) Main features of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005:

• The Act assures 100 days employment every year to every household.
• Initially covering 200 districts, the Act would be extended later on to cover 600 districts.
• One-third of the jobs are reserved for women.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 9th: Ch 3 Poverty as a Challenge Economics

Ncert solutions for class 9th: ch 3 poverty as a challenge economics social studies (s.st), contact form.

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NCERT Solutions For Class 9 Economics Social Science Chapter 3: Poverty as a Challenge

Ncert book solutions for class 9 economics chapter 3 – cbse free pdf download.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics Chapter 3 – Poverty as a Challenge consist of accurate solutions, which help the students quickly complete their homework and prepare well for the CBSE exams. It ensures that they get all the necessary information about all concepts included in the chapter. Class 9 is a critical level as it forms the base for students for the forthcoming classes.   NCERT Solutions of the exercises are provided, which will help Class 9 students to develop a skill for writing answers in an effective way. These solutions provided by BYJU’S cover all these concepts, with detailed explanations. Students are suggested to practise these solutions given in the PDF, which also helps them to understand the basic concepts provided in this chapter easily.

• Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur
• Chapter 2 People as Resource
• Chapter 3 Poverty as a Challenge
• Chapter 4 Food Security in India

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NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science (Economics) Chapter 3 – Poverty as a Challenge

The Solutions for Chapter 3 of Economics are given below. Students should also check NCERT Solutions for Class 9 for other subjects.

Exercises Page No. 40

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

A person is considered poor if their income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfil basic needs. This minimum level is called the poverty line. In India, the poverty line is estimated by multiplying the prices of physical quantities like food, clothing, footwear, fuel, light, education, etc., in rupees. The numbers involved in determining the poverty line vary for different years. Also, the poverty line for rural areas is different from that of urban areas because the work, lifestyle and expenses are different for rural and urban areas.

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

No, the present-day methodology of poverty estimation does not seem to be completely appropriate. This is because the only factor taken into consideration is economic status, and moreover, it considers a minimum subsistence of living instead of a reasonable status of living. Poverty today is a larger concept than only the economic status of the people. With advancements and development, the definition of poverty has also changed. People might be able to feed themselves and their families, but education, shelter, health, job security and dignity remain far from their reach. To overcome poverty entirely, all the above-mentioned factors also need to be kept in consideration. To completely remove poverty from the country, the methodology to estimate poverty should also be changed.

3. Describe poverty trends in India since 1973.

The Economic Survey of 2017-18 showed that although poverty has declined in the country, the number of poor still remains very high. The poverty ratio of 1993-94 for both rural and urban areas together was at 45%, and the ratio for the year 2011-12 has declined to 22%. However, the topic of concern still remains that there has not been any massive decline in the number of poor living in the country. While 404 million poor population was accounted for in both rural and urban areas in 1993-94, the poor population in 2011-12 was 270 million. The survey clearly tells that the concerned authorities must take some serious steps in order to make India a country free of poverty.

4. Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India.

The major reasons for poverty in the country are

• The low level of economic development under British colonial rule. The policies of the colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged the development of industries like textiles.
• The spread of the Green Revolution created many job opportunities for the people of the country, yet they were not sufficient in comparison to the number of job seekers.
• The unequal distribution of land and resources is another important factor for poverty in India.
• In order to fulfil social obligations and religious ceremonies, the poor end up spending a lot, which results in poverty.
• Inequality in the income of the people is also a major reason for poverty.

5. Identify the social and economic groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India.

The social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India are

• Scheduled Caste Households
• Scheduled Tribe Households

The economic groups which are most vulnerable to poverty in India are

• Rural Agricultural Labour Households
• Urban Casual Labour Households

6. Give an account of interstate disparities of poverty in India.

Poverty in India differs for different states. The success rate of reducing poverty varies from state to state, causing inter-state disparities in the poverty level. Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the three poorest states in India, with their people living below the poverty line 47, 42 and 37 per cent, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are the three better-off states in India as far as poverty is concerned. There are various factors that are responsible for these interstate disparities of poverty in India.

7. Describe global poverty trends.

The success rate of reducing poverty varies from state to state, causing inter-state disparities in the poverty level. Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the three poorest states in India, with their people living below the poverty line 47, 42 and 37 per cent, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are the three better-off states in India as far as poverty is concerned. There has been a substantial reduction in global poverty. Poverty declined in China and South-East Asian countries as a result of rapid economic growth and huge investments in the development of human resources. In Latin America, the ratio of poverty remained almost the same. In sub-Saharan Africa, poverty saw an upward trend rather than a downward trend. It rose from 41% in 1981 to 46% in 2001. Poverty has surfaced in some of the former socialist countries, like Russia, where formerly it was non-existent.

8. Describe the current government strategy of poverty alleviation.

Removal of poverty has been one of the major objectives of the Indian developmental strategy. The current anti-poverty strategy of the government is based broadly on two planks: promotion of economic growth and targeted anti-poverty programmes. Awareness is being spread across the nation specifying the importance of education, which has resulted in an increase in the literacy level. Various schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) and Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) have been introduced by the government with an aim to abolish poverty from the country.

9. Answer the following questions briefly.

(i) What do you understand by human poverty?

Human poverty is a term that means that poverty is not just limited to the economic status of the people but rather spreads in various other sectors, which include lack of education, negligence of the health care system, discrimination and disparity. Abolishing poverty should not be the only aim of the authorities, but abolishing human poverty must be the aim.

(ii) Who are the poorest of the poor?

Women, female infants and the elderly are considered the poorest of the poor. This is because, in a poor household, these people suffer the most and are deprived of the maximum necessities in life.

(iii) What are the main features of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005?

The main features of the National Rural Employment Act 2005 are as follows:

• To provide 100 days of wage employment to every household to ensure livelihood security in rural areas.
• Sustainable development to address the cause of drought, deforestation and soil erosion.
• One-third of the proposed jobs under this scheme have been reserved for women.

Poverty as a Challenge Summary

In this chapter, students will study one of the biggest challenges faced by independent India, i.e., poverty. Also, urban and rural case of poverty has been discussed in this chapter. Chapter 3 – Poverty as a Challenge from Class 9 Economics books also talks about

• Poverty Line
• Poverty Estimate
• Global Poverty Scenario
• Interstate Disparities
• Causes of Poverty
• Anti Poverty measures

How poverty is estimated in the country and what are the global trends of poverty across the world have also been discussed in the chapter.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12

Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions Economics Chapter 3

June 11, 2019 by Sastry CBSE

Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions Social Science Economics Chapter 3

Extra Questions for Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 3 Poverty as a Challenge

Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. When the health of a person suffers due to deficiency of nutrients in food as per his daily requirement, he/she is said to be the victim of _______ . Answer: Malnutrition

Question 2. What helped West Bengal in reducing poverty? Answer: Land reform measures.

Question 3. How many people in India live below the poverty line? Answer: 270 million.

Question 4. In rural areas in India, the accepted average calories requirement per person per day is _______ . Answer: 2400 calories.

Question 5. What is the most difficult challenge faced by independent India? Answer: Poverty

Question 6. PMRY was started in 1993, stands for _______ . Answer: Prime Minister Rojgar Yozana

Question 7. SGSY was launched in 1999 for assisted poor families above poverty line by organising them into self-help groups. Answer: Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana

Question 8. PMGY was launched in 2000 to provide rural shelter, rural drinking water, primary health, primary education and rural electrification. It stands for _______ . Answer: Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana

Question 9. What is poverty? Answer: Poverty is a situation in which a person is unable to satisfy minimum basic necessities of life, i.e., food, clothing, education, shelter, health, etc.

Question 10. What are the two methods of estimating the poverty line. Answer: There are two methods of measuring poverty line—

• Level consumption expenditure method and
• Income method.

Question 11. What are the two main causes of poverty in India? Answer:

• Low level of economic development under the British colonial administration.
• A high growth rate of population.

Question 12. What is the full form of NSSO? Answer: National Sample Survey Organisation.

Question 13. Which are the poorest states in India? Answer: Odisha and Bihar

Question 14. How is poverty defined by the World Bank? Answer: Poverty is defined by the World Bank as living on less than $ 1.90 per day.

Question 15. What is the major reason behind huge income inequalities? Answer: It is the unequal distribution of land and other resources.

Question 16. Which organisation carries out survey for determining the poverty line? Answer: National Sample Survey Organisation

Question 17. How do you define vulnerability to poverty? Answer: Vulnerability to poverty is a measure, which describes the greater probability of certain communities or individuals of becoming, or remaining, poor in the coming years.

Question 18. How does a country measure its poverty? Answer: Each country uses an imaginary line that is considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted minimum social norms.

Question 19. How is the food requirement estimated in poverty line? Answer: The present formula for food requirement while estimating the poverty line is based on the desired calorie requirement. Food items, such as cereals, pulses, vegetable, milk, oil, sugar, etc., together provide these needed calories.

Question 20. What is the accepted average calorie requirement in India? Answer: The accepted average calorie requirement in India is 2,400 calories per person per day in mral areas and 2,100 calories per person per day in urban areas.

Question 21. Who advocated that India would be truly independent only when the poorest of its people become free of human suffering? Answer: Mahatma Gandhi

Question 22. Which scheme was started in 1993 to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns? Answer: Prime Minister Rozgar Yozana (PMRY).

Question 23. For how many days MGNREGA provides employment? Answer: 100 days

Question 24. Which country of Southeast Asia made rapid economic growth resulting in a significant decline in poverty? Answer: China

Question 25. Which social groups are most vulnerable to poverty? Answer: The social groups, which are most vulnerable to poverty are Scheduled caste and Scheduled Tribe households.

Question 26. Which states of India have seen a significant decline in poverty? Answer: Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal

Question 27. On which two planks does the current anti-poverty strategy of the government is based upon? Answer:

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

Question 28. What are the biggest challenges before India? Answer: Providing healthcare, education and job security for all and achieving gender equality and dignity for the poor are the bigger challenges before India.

Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What are the indicators used by social scientists to understand poverty? Answer: The indicators used by social scientists to understand poverty are :

• Levels of income and consumption
• 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.

Question 2. What do you understand by vulnerability to poverty? Answer: Vulnerability of poverty means some communities or social groups are more prone to poverty than other sections of the society. Members of a backward caste or individuals such as a widow or a physically handicapped person of becoming, or remaining, poor in the coming years. Vulnerability is determined by the options available to different communities for finding an alternative living in terms of assets, education, health and job opportunities. Further, it is analysed on the basis of the greater risks these groups face at the time of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunami), terrorism, etc.

Question 3. How were the British policies responsible for the increase in poverty in India? Answer: There were a number of causes for the widespread in India. One of the historical reasons is the low level of economic development under the British colonial administration. The policies of colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged development of industries like textiles. The low rate of growth persisted until the nineteen-eighties. This resulted in less job opportunities and low growth rate of incomes. This was accompanied by a high growth rate of population. The two combined to make the growth rate of per capita income very low. The failure at both the fronts : promotion of economic growth and population control perpetuated the cycle of poverty.

Question 4. What does social exclusion mean? Answer:

• According to this concept, poverty must be seen in terms of the poor having to live only in poor surrounding with other people, excluded from enjoying social equality of better-off people in better surroundings.
• Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty in the usual sense.
• Broadly, it is a through in which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others enjoy.

Question 5. How is economic growth linked with poverty reduction in India? Answer: Till the early eighties, there were little per capita income growth and not much reduction in poverty. Afterwards the growth rate jumped from the average of about 3-5 percent a year in the 1970s to 6 per cent during the 1980s and 1990s. The higher growth rates have helped significantly in the reduction of poverty. 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. This also encourages people to send their children, including the girl child, to schools in the hope of getting better economic returns from investing in education.

Question 6. How are socio-cultural and economic factors responsible for poverty? Answer: Many socio-cultural and economic factors are responsible for poverty. In order to fulfil social obligations and observe religious ceremonies, people in India, including the very poor, spend a lot of money. Small farmers need money to buy agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Since poor people hardly have any savings, they borrow. Unable to repay because of poverty, they become victims of indebtedness. So, the high level of indebtedness is both the cause and effect of poverty.

Question 7. Explain the principle measures taken in Punjab, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to reduce poverty. Answer: The measure taken in Punjab, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to reduce poverty are :

• The principal measures taken in Punjab to reduce poverty is increasing the agricultural growth rates.
• Kerala has focused more on human resource development to reduce poverty.
• Andhra Pradesh focused on public distribution of food grains to reduce poverty.

Question 8. Illustrate the seriousness of poverty in India? Answer: In our daily life, we come across many people who we think are poor. They could be landless labourers in villages or people living in overcrowded jhuggis in cities.

They could be daily wage workers at construction sites or child workers in dhabas. They could also be beggars with children in tatters. We see poverty all around us. In fact, every fourth 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. This illustrates the seriousness of the challenge.

Question 9. Is it correct that poverty line may vary with time and place? Answer:

• A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill the basic needs. What is necessary to satisfy basic needs is different at different times and in different countries.
• Therefore, poverty line may vary with time and place. Each country uses an imaginary line that is considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted minimum social norms.

Question 10. Explain how the low level of education of the poor people can be held responsible for poverty in India. Answer:

• Low level of education of the poor is a major cause behind their poverty. Poor people do not have access to education.
• Because of illiteracy, the Indian farmers have failed to learn new methods of cultivation. Even the village moneylenders succeed in cheating them quite easily.
• Moreover, poor parents are not able to send their children to schools. So, the poor people are employed as unskilled workers and are paid low wages due to low level of education.

Question 11. Describe the aims of Swarnajanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana. Answer: Swarnayanti Gram Swarozgar : Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was launched in 1999. The programme aims at bringing the assisted poor families above the poverty line by organising them into self-help groups through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy.

Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana : The Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana (PMGY) was launched in 2000. Under this scheme, additional central assistance is given to states for basic services such as primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water and rural electrification.

Question 12. What are the major reasons for less effectiveness of anti-poverty measures? Answer: The major reasons for less effectiveness of anti-poverty measures are :

• 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.
• Despite good intentions, the benefits of these schemes are not fully reached to the deserving poor.
• Therefore, the major emphasis in recent years is on proper monitoring of all the poverty alleviation programmes.

Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Extra Questions Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. How does rapid growth rate of population increase poverty in a country? Answer:

• Rapid growth of population in comparison to the rate of growth of resources hampers the process of economic development.
• Increase in population reduces the per capita income and lowers the standard of living in an economy.
• In India, rapid growth of population has put in more stress on its economic and social infrastructure and thereby, aggravating the problem of poverty and unemployment.
• Due to enormous population, a large portion of national income is used on consumption and less is left for saving which, in turn, reduces the capital formation.
• As a result of low capital formation, enough employment opportunities cannot be created which further aggravate the problem of poverty. Poor people in India are ignorant, illiterate and has very less means of entertainment. So, they end up adding more to the population.

Question 2. What is poverty? What are the dimensions of poverty? Answer: Poverty is a situation in which a person is unable to get the minimum necessities of life. Due to poverty poor people are in a situation in which they are ill-treated at almost every place. The dimensions of poverty are :

• Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter.
• It is a situation in which parents are not able to send their children to school or a situation where sick people cannot afford treatment.
• Poverty also means lack of clean water and sanitation facilities.
• It also means lack of a regular job at a minimum decent level. :
• Poor people are in a situation in which they are ill-treated at almost every place, in farms, factories, government offices, hospitals, railway stations etc.

Question 3. Discuss the various groups that are vulnerable to poverty. Answer: The following groups are vulnerable to poverty :

• Social Groups: Social groups, which are most vulnerable to poverty are Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households. Although, the average for people below poverty line for all groups in India is 22, 43 out of 100 people belonging to Scheduled Tribes are not able to meet their basic needs.
• Economic Groups: Among the economic groups, the most vulnerable groups are the rural agricultural labour households and the urban casual labour households.
• Inequality of incomes within a family: There is also inequality of incomes within a family. In poor families, all suffer, but some suffer more than others. In some cases, women, elderly people and female infants are denied equal access to resources available to the family.

Question 4. How can poverty be reduced in future in India? Answer: Poverty can be reduced in the following ways :

• Increasing stress on universal free elementary education
• Increasing empowerment of the women and the economically weaker sections of society.
• Declining population growth.
• Avoiding caste and gender discrimination.
• Improving healthcare, education and job security.
• Removing inequality of wealth among people.

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