Social Studies

STD 9 C.B.S.E Total Marks : 140

ECO ch-3

SECTION D

* Answer The Following Questions In Brief.[5 Marks Each]

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

RE
Ans. : A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a

NT
given minimum level necessary to fulfil basic needs. Each country uses an imaginary line
that is considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted
CE
minimum social norms. This is called the poverty line.
While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement,
clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirements, etc., are
NG

determined for subsistence. These physical quantities are multiplied by their prices in
rupees, and thereby the poverty line is arrived at. The numbers involved in the calculation
HI

of the poverty line vary. Since the economics of living in the rural parts of the country is
different from that of living in the urban parts, the poverty line deducted for individuals
AC

living in the rural areas is different from that deducted for individuals living in the urban
areas.
CO

2. Why poverty still remains a challenge for the Indian government?

Ans. :
AL

a. Though poverty has declined in India, but despite the progress, poverty reduction
remains India’s most compelling challenge.
ZE

b. Wide disparities in poverty are visible between rural and urban areas and among
different states.
c. Certain Social and Economic groups are more vulnerable to poverty.
d. Poverty reduction is expected to make better progress in the next ten to fifteen
years.
e. This would be possible mainly due to higher economic growth, increasing stress
on universal free elementary education, declining population growth, increasing
empowerment of the women and the economically weaker sections of the society.
3. How is economic growth associated with poverty reduction?
OR
"There is a strong link between economic growth and poverty reduction." Explain.

Ans. :
i. Till the early eighties, India's economic growth was very slow. Afterwards the
growth rate jumped from the average of about 3.5 percent a year in the 1970s to

[1]
 about 6 percent during the 1980s and 1990s.
ii. The higher growth rates have helped significantly in the reduction of poverty,
making it clear that there is a strong link between economic growth and poverty
reduction.
iii. Economic growth widens opportunities and provides the resources needed
to invest in human development.
iv. 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.
4. Describe any two poverty alleviation programmes, currently being implemented in
India.

Ans. :
a. Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana (PMRY)
1. This programme was launched in 1993.
2. It is aimed at providing self-employment opportunity to educated
unemployed youth in the rural and urban areas.

RE
3. Under this programme, scheduled banks provide loans at a lower interest
rate to start small business and set up industries.
b.

NT
Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP)
1. This programme was launched in 1995.
2. The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunity in rural
CE
areas and small towns.
3. A target for creating 25 lakh new jobs has been set for this programme
NG

under the Tenth Five Year Plan.

5. What measures can be taken to reduce poverty in India?
HI

Ans. : No doubt, poverty has declined in India, but despite the progress, poverty reduction
is still India's most compelling challenge. Wide disparities in poverty can be seen between
AC

rural and urban areas and among different states.

For reducing poverty in India, the following measures can be taken:
CO

i. Stress should be given on universal free elementary education. One should keep it
in mind that spread of education can reduce poverty to a great extent. Hence,
every educated person must try to spread education among illiterate people.
AL

ii. It is very important to control growing population of our country. Unless population
growth is declined, it is difficult to bring any desired results in reducing poverty.
ZE

iii. Empowerment of the women and the economically weaker sections of society is
very important. Their upliftment would definitely reduce poverty.
6. Mention any three major challenges before India with respect to poverty alleviation.

Ans. : Although over the years, India has witnessed a reduction in poverty but still a lot
remains to be achieved. One of the major issues that needs to be addressed is the wide
disparity between the rural areas. Efforts are required for a more balanced development
in both the rural areas and urban areas. In addition, the focus should be on the concept of
"human poverty" rather than simply poverty. In this regard, aspects as availability of
education, health care, freedom from caste and gender inequality, etc. must be given due
attention.
Although there is some progress in poverty reduction, it is still the most compelling
challenge in India. The wide disparities in poverty between rural and urban India are still
visible. Major challenges before India with respect to poverty alleviation are

[2]
 1. Providing universal free elementary education.
2. Providing job security.
3. Providing healthcare.
7. Describe poverty trends in India since 1973?

Ans. : 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.

8. What is the concept of poverty line? How does it vary with time and place?

Ans. :

RE
a. A poverty line is an indicator of poverty, i.e., it is a level of income which barely
meets sustenance. A common method used to measure poverty is based on the

NT
income or consumption level.
b. A person is considered poor, if his or her income or consumption level falls below
a given ‘minimum level’ necessary to fulfil basic needs.
CE
c. What is necessary to satisfy basic needs is different at different times and in
different countries.
NG

d. 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.
HI

e. For example, a person not having a car in the US may be considered poor. In
India, owning of a car is still considered a luxury.
AC

9. Why is the population of poor people not the same in every state? Explain in three
points.
CO

Ans. : Proportion of poors is not being the same in every state.

The reasons are:
AL

1. The success of reducing poverty varies from state to state.

2. 20 states have poverty ratio less than national average.
ZE

3. Bihar and Odisha continue to be the two poorest states with poverty ratios of
33.7% and 32.6% respectively.
4. There is significant decline in poverty in Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and some other states.
5. With the help of high agricultural growth rates, states like Punjab and Haryana
have succeeded in reducing poverty to a large extent.
6. Proper organisation of Public Distribution System (PDS) in Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu has also helped to tackle the problem of poverty.
10. What factors are responsible for the reduction of poverty in Punjab, Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh?

Ans. : The factor responsible are:

West Benga: Poverty has been reduced through land reform measures.
Kerala: Poverty has been reduced through human resource development.

[3]
 Punjab: Poverty has been reduced due to high agricultural growth rate.
Tamilnadu: Poverty has been reduced through proper PDS.

11. Mention any two aims of the following anti-poverty schemes started by the government:
i. National Food for Work Programme.
ii. Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana.
iii. Rural Employment Generation Programme.

Ans. :
i. National Food for Work Programme (NFWP): It was launched in 2004 in 150
most backward districts of the country.
It was started for the poor who were in need of wage employment and had desire
to do manual unskilled work.

Foodgrains are provided free of cost to the states.

ii. Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana (PMRY): It was started in 1993.
The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities for

RE
educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.

NT
It also helped in setting up small businesses and industries.
iii. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP): It was launched in 1995.
CE
The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities in rural
areas and small towns.
NG

A target for creating 25 lakh new jobs has been set for the programme under the
Tenth Five-Year Plan.
HI

12. Describe how some social and economic groups are most vulnerable to poverty in India.

Ans. :
AC

The proportion of people below poverty line is not same for all social groups and economic
categories in India. Social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty are scheduled
CO

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

labour households. The following graph shows the percentage of poor people in all these
groups:
ZE

Source: Reports on Employment and Unemployment among Social Groups in India No.
469,472, NSSO, Ministry of Statistics, Programme Implementation, Govt of India.

[4]
 Although the average for people below poverty line for all groups in India is 26.51 out of
100 persons belonging to scheduled tribes are not able to meet their basic needs.
Similarly, 50 percent of casual workers in urban areas are below poverty line. About 50
percent of landless agricultural workers and 43 percent of scheduled castes are also poor.
However, some recent studies have shown that except for the scheduled tribe households,
all the other three groups mentioned earlier have seen a decline in poverty in the 1990s.
In families also we see some suffer more than others. Such families are usually poor. In
these families women, elderly people and female infants are poorest of the poor because
they are denied equal access to resources available to the family.

13. Who amongst the social vulnerable groups suffer more than others do and why?

Ans. : The social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty are scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe households.
In India there are multiple socio-economic disadvantages that members of particular
groups experience which limits their access to health and healthcare. The task of

RE
identifying the vulnerable groups is not an easy one. Besides there are multiple and
complex factors of vulnerability with different layers and more often than once it cannot

NT
be analysed in isolation. The present document is based on some of the prominent factors
on the basis of which individuals or members of groups are discriminated in India, i.e.
CE
structural factors, age, disability and discrimination that act as barriers to health and
healthcare. The vulnerable groups that face discrimination include- Women, Scheduled
Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Children, Aged, Disabled, Poor migrants, People living
NG

HIV
with and Sexual Minorities. Sometimes each group faces multiple barriers due to
AIDS

their multiple identities. For example, in a patriarchal society, disabled women face double
HI

discrimination of being a women and being disabled.

AC

14. “Poverty is the root cause of many evils”. Suggest some measures to be taken by
government to eradicate poverty.
CO

Ans. : Some measures to be taken by the government to eradicate poverty

include:
1.
AL

Literacy at the elementary level, as well as secondary and higher education,

vocational training and skill development are necessary tools to eradicate
poverty.
ZE

2. Control of population has become necessary to eradicate poverty. Family planning

or family welfare programmes should be effectively implemented. Adequate
awareness about having a small family must be generated.
3. Proper implementation of the of poverty alleviation programmes must be made
for which there is a great need of political and social awakening. Funds must be
released in time for carrying out the scheme work.
4. Some of the small scale industries, such cottage industry like furniture making,
weaving, spinning, etc, must be encouraged to flourish so that it helps in removing
unemployment and reducing poverty.
15. Who is a poor person according to the World Bank?

Ans. : World Bank has set a criteria for describing people according to their earnings.
World Bank describes an individual as an extremely poor person if he lives on less than US
$1.90 per day.

[5]
 In the same way, a person is said to be living in moderate poverty if his daily pay is below
the mark of $3.10 a day.
However, World Bank has implemented various reforms in order to tackle the issue of
poverty globally.

16. Describe global poverty trends.

Ans. : The proportion of people in developing countries living on less than $1 per day has
fallen from 28 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2001. There has been a substantial
reduction in global poverty since the nineteen eighties. However, the reduction in poverty
is marked with great regional differences. Due to rapid economic growth and massive
investment in human resource development, poverty declined substantially in China and
Southeast Asian countries.
On the other hand, in South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh,
Bhutan), the decline has not been as rapid. While the ratio of poverty in Latin America has
remained the same,in sub-Saharan Africa, poverty has risen from 41 percent in 1981 to 46

RE
percent in 2001. According to the world development report of 2001, countries like
Nigeria, Bangladesh and India still have a large percentage of people living under poverty.

NT
Poverty has also resurfaced in some of the former socialist countries like Russia, where
officially it was non-existent earlier.

17.
CE
State the various Poverty Alleviation Programmes introduced by the government to
remove poverty.
NG

Ans. :
a. Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY): It is a scheme started in 1993. The aim
of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities for educated
HI

unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns. They are helped in setting up
small businesses and industries.
AC

b. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP): It was launched in 1995.

The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities in rural
CO

areas and small towns. A target for creating 25 lakh new jobs has been set for the
programme.
c. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY): It was launched in 1999. The
AL

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
ZE

government subsidy.
d. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): It was launched in 2000. Under
this programme, additional Central assistance is given to states for basic services
such as primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water and
rural electrification.
18. “Poverty reduction is expected to mark better progress in the next ten to fifteen years."
Justify.

Ans. : 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, increasing
empowerment of the women and the economically weaker sections of society.
The official definition of poverty, however, captures only a limited part of what poverty
really means to people. It is about a “minimum” subsistence level of living rather than a

[6]
 “reasonable” level of living.

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

Ans. :
a. The proportion of poor people is not the same in every state.
b. Government has made many efforts to reduce poverty by following various
programmes but the success rate of reducing poverty is different in different
states.
c. In 20 states and union territories the poverty ratio is less than the national
average.
d. Poverty is still a serious problem in Orissa, Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Uttar
Pradesh.
e. Orissa and Bihar continue to be the two poorest states with poverty ratios of 47%
and 43% respectively.
f. There has been a significant decline in poverty in Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal.
g. States like Punjab and Haryana have traditionally succeeded in reducing poverty

RE
with the help of agricultural growth rates.
h. In West Bengal, land reform measures have helped in reducing poverty.

NT
i. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, public distribution of Ioodqrams has been
responsible for the reduction of poverty.
20.
CE
Do you think that present methodology of poverty estimation is appropriate?

Ans. : The present methodology of poverty estimation takes into account a minimum
NG

subsistence level of living rather than a reasonable level of living. A person is considered
poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given minimum level
necessary to fulfil basic needs. While ensuring the minimum necessary in terms of income
HI

is indeed essential for India to bring a large section of its population out of the clutches of
AC

poverty, the government must also focus its attention upon the broader element of human
poverty. A future state may be achieved wherein everybody is able to feed himself or
CO

herself. However, in the continuing presence of factors like illiteracy, lack of job
opportunities, lack of access to proper healthcare and sanitation, caste and gender
discrimination, etc., such a state cannot be called a poverty-free state.
AL

21. There is plenty of food in the world for everyone then why do so many people still die of
hunger?
ZE

Ans. :
i. Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter. It also is a situation where a person fails
to attain the basic facilities like medical facilities, educational facilities and basic
civic amenities.
ii. Around 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes,
according to the United Nations and most of them are children. Though there is
plenty of food in the world for everyone but due to lack of money to buy, people
are malnourished, they become weaker and often sick.
iii. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even
poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them
and their families.
iv. Several programmes have been started to solve this problem in India. e.g.
a. National Food for Work Programmewhere the adults are paid with food to
build schools, dig wells, make roads and so on. This both nourishes them and
builds infrastructure to end the poverty.

[7]
 b. Food for Education Programmewhere the children are provided with food
when they attend school. In this way, their education will help them to
escape from hunger and global poverty.
22. Describe the objectives of the following anti-poverty programmes:
i. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY).
ii. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY).

Ans. :
i. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY): This programme 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.
ii. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): This programme was launched in
the year 2000. Under it, additional central assistance is given to states for basic
services such as primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking
water and rural electrification.

RE
23. How is economic growth and poverty reduction linked with each other? Substantiate.

Ans. : Economic growth provides the resources needed to invest in human development. It

NT
increases the opportunities for employment. As there is no unemployment and the people
earn more their standard of living improves. They are able to educate their children,
CE
including the girls. They in turn become capable of taking up better jobs and earning. In
this way economic growth helps to reduce poverty.
NG

India's economic growth has been one of the fastest in the world during the eighties. The
growth rate increased from the average of about 3.5% a year in the 1970s to about 6%
during the 1980s and 1990s. This helped to bring about a significant reduction of poverty.
HI

24. What are the main features of the Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri
AC

Gramodaya Yojana?

Ans. : The Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana aims at creating self-employment opportunities
CO

for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns. They are helped in setting
up small business and industries.
AL

Under the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana, additional central assistance is given to
states for basic services such as primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural
ZE

drinking water and rural electrification.

25. Mention some anti-poverty programmes undertaken by the government.

Ans. :
a. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed in
September 2005. The act provides 100 days assured employment every year, to
every rural household, in 200 districts.
b. The central government will also establish National Employment Guarantee
Funds. Similarly, state governments will establish State Employment Guarantee
Funds for implementation of the scheme.
c. Under the programme, if an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days
he or she will be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance.
d. Another scheme is the National Food for Work Programme (NFWP) which was
launched in 2004, in 150 most backward districts of the country. The programme
is open to all rural people who are in need of wage employment and desire to do

[8]
 manual unskilled work. Under this scheme, foodgrains are provided free of cost to
the states.
26. Write briefly about anti-poverty programmes started by the government.

Ans. : The government formulated several anti-poverty schemes to eradicate poverty such
as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) 2005, Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana
(PMRY), Rural Employment Generation Programme, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
(SGSY), Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), National
Food for Work Programme.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005:
i.National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) 2005 was passed in
September 2005.
ii. The Act assures 100 days employment every year to every household.
iii. Initially covering 200 districts, the Act would be extended later on to cover 600
districts.
iv. One-third of the jobs are reserved for women.
v.

RE
The Central Government will also establish National Employment Guarantee
Funds. Similarly state governments will establish State Employment Guarantee
Funds for implementation of the scheme. Under the programme, if an applicant is

NT
not provided employment within fifteen days, he/she will be entitled to a daily
unemployment allowance. CE
National Food for Work Programme (NFWP):
i. It was launched in 2004 in 150 most backward districts of the country.
ii.
NG

It was started for the poor who were in need of wage employment and desire to do
manual unskilled work.
iii. Food grains are provided free of cost to the states.
HI

Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana (PMRY):

i. It was started in 1993.
AC

ii. The aim of the programme was to create self-employment opportunities for
educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.
CO

iii. It also helped in setting up small businesses and industries.

Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP):
i. It was launched in 1995.
AL

ii. The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities in

rural areas and small towns.
ZE

iii. A target for creating 25 lakh new jobs has been set for the programme under the
Tenth Five-Year Plan.
Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY):
i. It was launched in 1999.
ii. 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 Yojana (PMGY):
i. It was launched in 2000.
ii. It aims at providing basic services such as primary health, primary education,
rural shelter, rural drinking water and rural electrification.
27. Give one example each of socially and economically vulnerable group.

Ans. :

[9]
 1. Social Vulnerable Group: These are groups of people considered to be at risk
of poverty or social exclusion.
Ex-culture, tradition, religions, local norms and values etc.
2. Economically Vulnerable Group: Economic vulnerability of a community can
be assessed by determining how varied its sources of income are, the ease of
access and control over means of production.
Ex-farmland, irrigation, livestock, capital etc.

28. Describe current government strategy of poverty alleviation?

Ans. : 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

RE
aims to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in

NT
rural areas and small towns.

Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): Launched in 2000, this aims to

CE
create and improve basic services like primary health, primary education, rural
shelter, rural drinking water and rural electrification.
NG

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.
HI

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA): This act was passed in
AC

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
CO

districts and also one third to the proposed jobs would be reserved for women
----- -----
AL
ZE