Write A Simple Note On Poverty

Gandhi says poverty is the most terrible type of violence. It gives the least essential requirements to individuals to live everyday life. It doesn’t look into the upliftment of the most unfortunate poor people. 

1. Absolute Poverty:(Destitution) It alludes to the condition of extreme. These people suffering absolute poverty don’t even get human needs.
2. Relative Poverty:It is characterised as a financial imbalance in the area of society in which individuals live. It can also be defined as economic inequality in areas where people reside. 

What Causes Poverty?

The causes of Poverty lie in the institutional and social factors that mark the existence of poor people. The poor are denied value training and unfit to get abilities that get better livelihoods. 

Likewise, medical care is denied to poor people. They are also victims of caste, class, religion and other social factors. These can be caused because of political imbalance. 

Poverty is due to broad economic issues, for example,

• Political inequality
• Social inequality
• Unequal distribution of wealth
• Unemployment
• Social exclusion

Poverty Line 

The Poverty Line pertains to the lowest income or, more generally, the lowest consumption and access to goods and services. These individuals are considered to be very poor. In India, the poverty line is the expense category at which the least calorie intake purchases are ensured. It must be noted that the variations in the degree of poverty vary even amongst the poor. Therefore, the government policies must focus on every level of poverty – the poor to the poorest. 

Several countries use nutrition-based poverty lines. Because of the several restrictions in the authorised poverty assessment, intellectuals have tried to find other methods. For example, Amartya Sen has formulated an index called the Sen Index. Several other methods, such as squared poverty gap and poverty gap index.

There are several factors, apart from earnings and possession, which are causes of poverty. For example, accessibility to drinking water, healthcare care, education, and sanitation health care. These factors are taken into consideration for analysing poverty. 

The Law Of Poverty 

The Universal Proclamation of Human Rights talks about a vast scope of human rights, comprising a statement that no person can be tortured or treated with cruelty (inhuman treatment). Every person has the right to have a standard of living, including their family, regarding food, medical care, clothing and shelter.

Why Is Defining The Poverty Line A Controversial Issue?

The poverty line is a contentious issue for a few reasons:

1. It is subjective and can change depending on the time and place used.
2. It does not consider a person’s income or expenses.
3. It does not account for inflation, making living conditions worsen over time.

Some have argued that the poverty line should be raised to reflect the increasing cost of living, while others argue that it should be lowered to reflect the increasing cost of living. Additionally, some have called for the elimination of the poverty line altogether because it does not measure the actual level of Poverty in any given area. Ultimately, it is crucial to understand the why and how of the poverty line before making any decisions.

Conclusion

Most of the rural population in India, the residents are small farmers.  The land they own is significantly less fertile and dependent on weather conditions, especially monsoon. Their food relies upon crops and livestock. Due to the ever-increasing population, the land per head has decreased because of land fragmentation. The revenue from these small land possessions is insufficient to feed the poor. Moreover, the unavailability of alternate employment options worsens it.