Eradication Programmes Started By Government Of India

The poverty alleviation programme comprises a set of steps decided on the economic ground and humanitarian grounds for the complete eradication of poverty from the nation.  The target of the poverty alleviation policy is to support the individuals/households that are below the poverty line. Although the policies are implemented, eradicating poverty is not easy. Some schemes and programmes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Housing for All, Stand Up India, StartUp India, and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. Employment generation is also an important step toward poverty eradication. 

Anti-poverty programmes

During the state of poverty, the essentials required to maintain the minimum standard of living are not met. People living with such conditions either have very low income or no source of income. They might have no proper housing, required medical facilities, clean water, or nutrition-rich food. Since 1991, a noticeable reduction in extreme poverty has occurred due to rapid growth in the country’s economy. The people just above the poverty line have a very fragile economic lifestyle. The World Poverty Clock shows the real-time trends of poverty in India. As per current analysis and estimates, India will meet its sustainable development goals by 2030. The nation is on its path to ending extreme poverty. Various anti-poverty programmes for poverty alleviation are the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana, Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY), Annapurna, Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi – PM SVanidhi. 

Poverty alleviation programme

The nation has achieved more than 7% of annual growth over the last 15 years and manages to pull out millions of people from below poverty continuously. The poverty rate in India has halved over the last three decades. Very noticeable and sharp improvements have been seen in overall human development due to the poverty alleviation programme. The main objective of the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) is to provide self-employment to targeted families living below the poverty line and raise them above.  Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana creates housing units for the needy and gives loans at subsidized rates. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) provides money to senior citizens (above 65 years) living below the poverty line in a monthly pension. National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) ensures that the beneficiary gets a sum of 20,000 Rs after the death of the family’s breadwinner. Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana’s (JGSY) objective is to develop proper infrastructure in the rural areas, including schools, hospitals and roads.  Annapurna scheme provides free grains of food to senior citizens who are not enrolled under NOAPS. It gives 10 kg of grains to the needy. Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) generates employment in rural areas and provides food nutrition security. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana aimed to directly transfer insurance, pension, subsidy, etc., into the needy’s bank account. The target was to open 1.5 crore bank accounts for the poor. 

Conclusion

The basic characteristics of an individual living in poverty are little education, health issues, hygiene, and homelessness. Poverty is difficult to deal with, and the consequences are often dangerous. The economy of India is growing at a fast pace. It is a developing country, and still, poverty is a major issue to resolve. The world bank defines extreme poverty as living on 1.9 USD or less than that in terms of purchasing power parity. In India, it was 0.8% in 2019, and the same figure was maintained despite the unusual Covid-19 outburst.