Class 9 Economics Chapter 3 – Poverty as a Challenge

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Class 9 Economics Chapter 3 – Poverty as a Challenge

🧭 Chapter 3 – Poverty as a Challenge

🔹 Introduction

  • Daily life में हम कई लोगों को poor देखते हैं – landless labourers, slum dwellers etc.
  • Poverty independent India की बड़ी challenge है।
  • NITI Aayog के Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) के अनुसार –
    2005–06 में 55% → 2015–16 में 25% → 2019–21 में 15%।
  • उम्मीद है कि poverty ratio जल्द single digit में आ जाएगा।

🔹 Two Typical Cases of Poverty

Urban Case – Ram Saran (Ranchi):

  • Daily wage labourer in flour mill.
  • Monthly income ₹3500 + wife earns ₹1500.
  • 6 member family – food, clothes की कमी।
  • One-room rented house in basti.
  • बच्चों की पढ़ाई और भोजन दोनों में कठिनाई।

Rural Case – Lakha Singh (Meerut):

  • Landless labourer, works for big farmers.
  • Payment कभी cash, कभी grains/vegetables में।
  • Family barely gets 2 meals a day.
  • Lives in kuchha hut, father died of TB, mother ill.
  • Clothes, soap, oil जैसी basic चीज़ें luxury हैं।

Conclusion:

  • Poverty = Hunger + Lack of shelter + Illness + No education + Helplessness।
  • Gandhi ji: India truly independent तभी होगी जब सबसे गरीब व्यक्ति suffering से मुक्त होगा।

🔹 Poverty as Seen by Social Scientists

  • Poverty multi-dimensional है — कई indicators से मापी जाती है।
  • Earlier केवल income/consumption base पर मापते थे।
  • अब 3 major dimensions से देखते हैं:
    1. Health: nutrition, mortality, maternal health
    2. Education: years of schooling, attendance
    3. Standard of Living: housing, electricity, sanitation, bank account, etc.
  • Social Exclusion: कुछ caste/groups को society के benefits से बाहर रखना।
  • Vulnerability: कुछ groups (SC/ST, widows, handicapped) को गरीब बने रहने का ज़्यादा risk।

🔹 Poverty Line

  • Poverty Line = Minimum income/consumption needed for basic needs.
  • Earlier calorie basis पर तय की जाती थी —
    • Rural: 2400 calories/day
    • Urban: 2100 calories/day
  • Food, clothing, fuel, education, health – सबकी cost को जोड़कर poverty line तय।
  • अब Govt. 12 indicators वाले National Multidimensional Poverty Index (NMPI) से estimate करती है।

🔹 Poverty Estimates

  • 1993–94: 45% poor (404 million)
  • 2011–12: 22% poor (270 million)
  • 2015–21: 25% → 15% (Multidimensional Index)
  • 13.5 crore people ने गरीबी से बाहर निकला (2015–21 में)।
  • Rural areas में improvement ज़्यादा तेज़ रही।

🔹 Inter-State Disparities

  • हर राज्य में poverty समान नहीं।
  • Low poverty (<10%): Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab, HP, AP, Haryana, Maharashtra.
  • Improving states: Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan.
  • Kerala – education पर focus;
    West Bengal – land reforms;
    AP & Tamil Nadu – food distribution system से improvement।

🔹 Vulnerable Groups

  • Most vulnerable: SC, ST, rural agricultural labourers, urban casual labourers.
  • 43% ST, 34% urban casual labourers, 29% SC below poverty line.
  • Poor families में भी inequality – women, old, girl child suffer more.

🔹 Global Poverty Scenario

  • World Bank standard – people earning <$2.15 per day = poor.
  • Global poverty 2010 में 16.3% → 2019 में 9.05%.
  • Rapid decline: China, SE Asia.
  • Slow progress: South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh).
  • Highest poverty: Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • SDG Goal 1: End poverty in all forms by 2030.

🔹 Causes of Poverty

  • British rule → industry & handicraft collapse.
  • Slow economic growth till 1980s → less jobs.
  • Population growth high.
  • Green Revolution impact limited areas तक।
  • Unequal land & resource distribution.
  • Social customs, debt, religious spending → worsen poverty.
  • Poor farmers borrow at high interest → indebtedness बढ़ती जाती है।

🔹 Anti-Poverty Measures

Two main strategies:

  1. Promote economic growth
  2. Targeted anti-poverty programmes

Main Schemes:

  • MGNREGA (2005): 100 days employment guarantee, 1/3rd jobs for women, rural livelihood security.
  • PM Poshan (Mid-Day Meal): Improve nutrition + increase school attendance (Class I–VIII).
  • PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (2016): Quality antenatal care, reduce maternal & infant deaths.
  • PM Ujjwala Yojana (2016): Free LPG connection for BPL women; clean cooking fuel, women empowerment.

🔹 The Challenges Ahead

  • Poverty declined, but disparities अभी भी हैं।
  • Rural-urban gap & social inequality बने हुए हैं।
  • Focus areas – education, women empowerment, population control, human development.
  • Human Poverty: सिर्फ income नहीं, बल्कि education, health, shelter, dignity & equality भी ज़रूरी।
  • Development के साथ poverty की definition भी बदलती है।

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