Illustrate the difference between rural and urban poverty. Is it correct to say that poverty has shifted from rural to urban areas? Use the trends in poverty ratio to support your answer.
Difference between rural and urban poverty:
|
Rural Poverty |
Urban Poverty |
|
1. Open unemployment under and disguised unemployment are found simultaneously in rural areas. 2. It is difficult to differentiate between open unemployment and under-unemployment in rural areas. 3. As the population increases, dependence on agriculture increases. This leeds to further rise in seasonal, open, under and disquished unemployment in rural areas. 4. No or meagre facility of education, employment, social welfare etc. that lead to poverty among the masses. 5. Rural people possess few assets. 6. Many rural persons are landless. 7. Malnutrition among rural people is high. |
1. Open unemployment is generally found. 2. One can differentiate between open and disguised unemployment. 3. In urban areas, the main reason for increase in open unemployment is increase in education, health, and other facilities. 4. Good facility of education, drinking water, sanitation, social welfare etc. that make the standard of living of urban people high. 5. Urban people possess many assets. 6. Living in urban areas, persons are generally busy in business or in employment or some other activities. 7. Generally, malnutrition is not found. |
That the poverty has shifted from rural to urban. This is clear from the fact that in 1973-74 more than 80% of the poor resided in rural areas but in 1999-2000, this proportion has reduced to 75%. Meaning thereby, poverty which prevailed predominantly in rural areas, has shifted to urban areas. In the 1990s, the absolute number of poor in rural areas has declined whereas the number of poor in urban areas has increased.
The three dimensional attack on poverty adopted by the govern-ment has not succeded in poverty alleviation in India. Comment.
The government's approach to poverty reduction is of three dimensions:
I. The first one is the growth-oriented approach. It is based on the expectation that the effects of economic growth - rapid increase in gross domestic product and per capita income -would spreed to all sections of society and will trickle down to the poorer sections. This was the major focus of planning in the 1950s and early 1960s. It was felt that rapid industrial development and transformation of agriculture through green revolution in select regions would benefit the underdeveloped regions.
II. The second approach has been initiated from the third five year plan (1961-1966) that suggests that incomes and employment for the poor could be raised through the creation of incremental assets and by means of work generation. This could be achieved through specific poverty alleviation programme. The examples based on this approach are:
(a) Food for work programme: Minimum food was ensured to workers and their families instead of money under this programme.
(b) Rural Employment Generation Programme : It aims at creating self employment opportunties in rural areas and small towns.(c) Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojna : The educated unemployed from low income families in rural and urban areas can get financial help to set up any kind of enterprise that generates employment under this programme.
(d) Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojna : It mainly aims at creating employment opportunities both of self-employment and wage-employment in urban areas.
(e) National Food for work Programme and Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna : These programmes aim at generating wage employment for the poor unskilled people living in rural areas.
(f) In August 2005, the Parliament has passed a New Act to provide guaranted wage employment to every household whose adult volunteer to do unskilled manual work for a minimum of 100 days in a year. This Act is known as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, 2005.
III. The third approach to tackle poverty is to provide minimum basic amenities to the people. Programmes under this approach are expected to supplement the consumption of the poor, create employment opportunities and bring about improvement in health and education. Three major programmes that aim at improving the food and nutritional status of the poor are Public Distribution System, Integrated child Development Scheme and Mid-day Meal Scheme.
Suppose you are a resident of a village, suggest a few measures to tackle the problem of poverty.
Following measures have been taken by the government to remove poverty under five-year plans:
(i) Integrated Rural Development Programme : With a view to remove poverty in rural areas and making provision for full employment under this programme, attempts are being made to provide more employment by developing agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, small scale and cottage industries etc. in 5111 blocks of the country.
(ii) Jawahar Rozgar Yojna : It was launched in 1989. Its aim was to provide employment to atleast one member of a rural poor family for 50 to 100 days in a year.
(iii) Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojna (JGSY) : It was launched on 1 April 1999. It has two main objectives : (i) Creation of durable productive community assets at the village level (ii) Generation of supplementary employment for the unemployed poor in the rural areas. The programme is implemented entirely at the village panchayat level.
(iv) Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) : It was started on 1 April 1999. Its aims are (i) Focussed approach to poverty alleviation, (ii) Capitalising advantages of group lending, (iii) Overcoming the problems associated with multiplicity of programmes. It covers all aspects of self-employment. It integrates various agencies. The objective of this yojna is to bring the existing poor families above the poverty.
(v) Employment Assurance Scheme : The programme is presently being implemented in all the rural blocks. Its objectives are : (i) Creation of additional wage employment opportunities during the period of acute shortage for the rural poor living below the poverty line, (ii) Creation of durable community, social and economic assets for sustained economic development.
(vi) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojna (PMGY) : It was introduced in 2000-2001 focussing on village level development in five critical areas, health, primary education, drinking water, housing and rural roads with the objectives of improving the quality of life of people in the rural areas.
(vii) Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna (SGRY) : It was launched with effect from September 2001. The scheme aims at providing wage employment in rural areas as also food security, creation of durable community, social and economic assets.
(viii) Grameen Rozgar Guarantee Scheme : It was lanuched in February 2005 to provide work for 100 days a year in rural areas.
Suppose you are from a poor family and wish to get help from the government to set up petty shop. Under which scheme you will apply for assistance and why?
To get help from government to set up Petty Shop, The Swarnajayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY) is suitable. This was started on 1 Dec., 1997. Earlier three urban poverty programmes, Nehru Rozgar Yojna (NRY), Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP) and Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty Alleviation Programme (PMIUPAP) were merged in it. It has two main schemes : (1) The urban self employment programme, (2) The Urban Wage Employment Programme.
What is meant by Food for Work programme?
The policy makers started thinking that incomes and employment for the poor could be increased through the creation of incremental assets and by means of work generation through specific poverty alleviation programmes. This programme aims at ensuring food for poor instead of money. This programme enables the poor to have access to food instead of money as money can give birth to many evils or may be misutilised by the poor. But Food for Work programme provides assurance to the family of the worker to get minimum food to eat and survive well.
Switch
