Poverty is defined as a condition in which a person or family lacks the financial resources to

afford a basic, minimum standard of living. Poor people don’t have adequate income; they
can’t afford housing, health facilities and education which is essential for basic survival. So,
poverty can be understood simply as a lack of money, or more broadly, barriers to everyday
human life.

What Causes Poverty?

There are various factors that are responsible for poverty. The major causes are
unemployment, illiteracy, increasing population, lack of proper education and training. As
people are not able to find work for themselves, they are not able to earn their livelihood.
Due to this, they lack access to basic education, health care, drinking water and sanitation.
They are unable to feed their families and children. The other causes of poverty include war,
natural disasters, political instability, etc. For example, World War II impacted many
countries and they had to suffer from poverty for a long time. It took a lot of effort for such
countries to recover their normal state. Similarly, natural disasters affect some areas so
badly that poverty and hunger arise.

How is Poverty Measured in India?

The minimum expenditure (or income) required to purchase a basket of goods and services
necessary to satisfy basic human needs is called the Poverty Line. Poverty can be
measured in terms of the number of people living below this line. It is measured by the
State Governments and information is provided by Below Poverty Line (BPL) censuses.
Different countries use different measures for measuring poverty but the basic concept
remains the same. The definition of poverty line remains the same, i.e, consumption
required for maintaining the minimum standard of living in a country.

Efforts to Eliminate Poverty

Earning income is the first step towards poverty eradication. Poverty can be eliminated by
empowering people, and by giving them a good education that will prepare them to have a
better career and future. With the help of education, people can get good jobs which allow
them to earn a good living. In this way, they will be able to provide their children a better life.
People should be given easy access to transportation, information, communication,
technologies, and other public facilities and services to help remove poverty.
The government has also taken several steps to eradicate poverty from India. It has
launched various programmes and schemes such as the Five Years Programme, Prime
Minister’s Rozgar Yojana, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,
Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, Deen Dayal
Antyodaya Yojana etc. These programmes help to generate wage employment for the poor,
unskilled people living in rural areas. The government also has social security programmes
to help a few specific groups such as poor women, elder people, and widows. Apart from
these government initiatives, citizens of India have to take an active part in eliminating
poverty because it can’t be achieved by just a few people. It needs the support of everyone.