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Poverty is defined as a lack of funds to cover basic requirements such as food, clothes, and shelter. In other words, Poverty is much more than that of simply not having enough money.
According to World Bank Organization, “Poverty is very much similar to hunger.” Poverty is defined as a lack of shelter. Moreover, even after being unwell and unable to see a doctor is also an example of poverty. Simply, we can define Poverty as the lack of access to education, the inability to read. Poverty is defined as not having a job, living in fear of the future, and taking each day as it comes.
Poverty has various faces that change accordingly from place to place and with time, and it has been defined in a variety of ways. People always desire to get out of poverty. So poverty is a call to action for both the rich and the poor, a call to transform the world so that many more people may have enough to eat, have a decent shelter, also have access to education and health care, safety from violence is also available, and a say in what happens in their communities.”
The Poverty Line
The poverty line is the amount of money required to provide a person’s fundamental requirements, such as housing and food. When a family falls below the poverty line, they are eligible for government assistance.
Different nations calculate the poverty line in different ways, including how much it costs to rent or purchase a house and what the average cost of food and other needs is. If a person’s income is over the poverty line, the government considers it is sufficient to cover the costs of housing, clothing, medication, food, and utilities. Being poor or living below the poverty line implies that you are officially impoverished.
India’s poverty line
Under the former Planning Commission, India had a well-designed poverty assessment methodology. The Planning Commission was the primary organisation for poverty estimation. In India, the Planning Commission appoints Expert Groups on a regular interval in order to determine the level of poverty and also the technique for calculating the poverty level. The Rangarajan Committee, for example, is the most recent of these Expert panels. Traditionally, the planning commission calculates the number of persons living in poverty in states, as well as in rural and urban regions, using the current poverty estimating methodology given by expert groups.
Absolute Poverty Measurement
Absolute Poverty: According to the United Nations World Summit for Economic Development, absolute poverty is defined as a severe lack of fundamental human requirements such as food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, housing, education, and information.
It is influenced not just by wealth but also by access to social services.
Poverty Threshold: In absolute poverty measurement, the poverty threshold is determined using the monetary worth of a basket of necessary items (needed for basic requirements), and any household whose income is less than this amount is classed as poor.
Limited Scope: The World Bank and developing nations like India utilise absolute poverty statistics that rely on a poverty level that remains constant across geographies and throughout time.
Criticism: Absolute poverty assessment ignores hardship within nations and the higher cost of life in developed countries.
Relative Poverty Measurement
Relative Poverty: It exists when a household’s income is less than the median income in a given nation and is mostly utilised by developed countries.
Those in relative poverty are not necessarily denied all essential requirements, but they may not have the same level of life as the bulk of society; in other words, they are relatively impoverished.
Poverty Threshold: In this strategy, a fixed percentage of the economically disadvantaged population is always deemed to be poor.
Criticism: This method, however, disregards the relevance of absolute living standards and implies that relative income is all that counts for welfare.
Impact of Poverty
Poverty has a greater impact on children, families, and individuals in several ways in India:
A high infant mortality rate: Every year, over 1.4 million children in India die before reaching the age of five; India has one of the worst child mortality rates in the world. Pneumonia, malaria, diarrheal illnesses, and chronic malnutrition are the leading causes of mortality
Less Nutrition: Not even a cup of rice each day, When it comes to malnutrition, India ranks first; more than 200 million people, including 61 million children, do not get enough food
Child Labour: There is no time for children to play and study. Child labour under the age of 14 is illegal in India, although according to government data, 12.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are employed. Furthermore, 65 million youngsters between the ages of 6 and 14 do not attend school and instead labour in farms, industries, quarries, private residences, and prostitution
Inadequate Education: According to UNICEF, over 25% of children in India do not receive an education. Girls are more likely than males to be excluded from school. Despite the fact that Indian law requires equal treatment of men and women, they are seen as inferior, particularly among the lowest socioeconomic castes. Their chances of getting a decent salary from a job in India are bleak due to a lack of education
Child Marriage: Even though it is illegal for adolescents to marry, it is nonetheless done in many Indian communities. Young girls, who are still children, become moms at an unsuitable age. Many people die during birth. Because of poverty, many parents urge early marriages in the hopes of bettering their children’s life
Conclusion
Moreover, even after being unwell and unable to see a doctor is also an example of poverty. Simply, we can define Poverty as the lack of access to education, the inability to read. Poverty is defined as not having a job, living in fear of the future, and taking each day as it comes. So poverty is a call to action for both the rich and the poor, a call to transform the world so that many more people may have enough to eat, have a decent shelter, also have access to education and health care, safety from violence is also available, and a say in what happens in their communities”. The poverty line is the amount of money required to provide a person’s fundamental requirements, such as housing and food.
