Poverty remains a significant problem in India, with around a third of the world's poor living in the country despite government efforts. It is caused by factors like high population growth, unscientific agriculture, illiteracy, unemployment, and social discrimination. The government has implemented various programs to alleviate poverty such as rural employment guarantees, village entrepreneurship programs, and a proposed universal food security law. However, poverty reduction has been slow, declining by around 1% per year according to a World Bank report. Faster reductions will require greater participation of poor communities in economic growth.

1. Poverty Alleviation : The Task Ahead
Considered as a world wide problem since historic times, poverty can be
defined as a condition where an
individual or a community lacks the
resources and the favourable
environment to meet and fulfill the
basic requirement of life.
Indian Scenario
Despite tireless & renewed efforts by the country since independence,
poverty is still rampant in India. Still the country is the home for
third of the total poor of the world.
Causes
The major causes of poverty in India are high population growth,
unscientific agriculture practices, agrarian from of agriculture,
illiteracy, unemployment, caste based politics, urban rural divide
and discrimination on the basis of caste, creed and religion.
Initiative by the government
In order to alleviate poverty, the government has initiated a number of
programmes such as providing subsidised food and other necessities,
advanced agriculture methods and price support & loan scheme etc.
Among the new flagship programmes launched, the Mahatma Gandhi
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) was launched

2. in February 2006 & extended to several backward districts to
provide assured wage employment to the rural poors. The objective
of the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (launched in April
1999) was to bring the daily wages earners above the poverty line by
providing them income generating tools through government
subsidy and bank credit.
In addition to these, the government is about to complete a legislation to
provide food entitlement to both rural and urban poor. This would
for sure provide a more safe and reliable place to the poor in the
society.
World Bank Report
As per a recently released World Bank Report, India is indicating a slow &
steady progress against poverty since the 1980's. It shows the
poverty rate declining at a little under one percent point per year.
Conclusion
In order to attain a higher & faster rate of poverty alleviation, India will
have to insure to ensure the active participation of the poor people in
the growth process. Poverty alleviation process is expected to attain
a comparative higher role in the coming 50 years than as a trickle
down effect of the growing middle class. Apart from this
development in the field of education, employment, women
empowerment and uplifting of the weaker section of the society
would certainly contribute in the poverty alleviation.

3. Importance from the examination point of view
i) Short Notes - MGNREGS, SGSY
ii) Related Topic - Main - 1994 - Paper II Can excessive economic
backwardness itself is a cause of excess population.
iii) What are the various causes of poverty in India. Discuss in brief
various initiatives taken by the government to alleviate the same.
iv) Short Essay - Poverty and its causes in India.
::: ADMISSION OPEN :::
GS / CSAT Complete Intensive Main cum
PT Regular & Weekend
Batches Begin From 28th September,
2012.
Public Administration (Foundation Course) Under
the Guidance of Srikant Bhagat. (Director,
Royal IAS)
Sociology (Foundation Course) Under the
Guidance of P.K. Pandey. (Director, Daksh IAS)
Batches Begin From Last Week of September
2012