Poverty is defined as the lack of basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. The World Bank describes poverty as hunger, lack of shelter, inability to access healthcare or education, unemployment, and living in fear without stability. There are two types of poverty - relative poverty which compares economic conditions between regions, and absolute poverty which measures minimum calorie intake and consumption levels. Poverty is measured using either expenditure or income methods to determine who falls below the poverty line, which indicates the minimum purchasing power required to meet basic needs. Vulnerable groups with high poverty rates in India include scheduled tribes, urban/rural laborers, and scheduled castes. Causes of poverty include historical factors like British rule, population pressure

3. Poverty is about not having enough money to
meet basic needs including food, clothing and
shelter. However, poverty is more, much more
than just not having enough money.
The world bank describes poverty as:
“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter.
Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a
doctor. Poverty is not having access to school
and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not
having a job, is fear for the future, living one
day at a time.”

4. TWO WAYS OF POVERTY
RELATIVE POVERTY ABSOLUTE POVERTY
• Under Relative poverty the • Absolute poverty refers to the
economic conditions of measure of poverty , keeping in
different regions or countries is view the per capita intake of
compared. The capita income calories and minimum level of
and the national income are the consumption .
two indicators of relative • Per capita income :
poverty. According to the UNO
those countries are treated poor National income
whose per capita income is less Population
than US $725 per annum.

5. MEASUREMENT OF POVERTY
EXPENDIURE METHOD INCOME METHOD
• Under this the minimum food • This method is used by the
requirements for survival is government while distributing
estimated. food through PDS at the local
• The food value is converted level.
into calories. • Under this a poverty line is
• The caloric value of food is fixed by the government.
then converted into the money • All the families whose total
value i.e. in rupees. income is less than the poverty
• The total equivalent amount is line fixed by the government
considered as the poverty line. are considered as BPL.

6. WHAT IS POVERTY LINE?
• Poverty line is the line which indicates the level of purchasing
power required to satisfy the minimum needs of a person. It
represents the capacity to satisfy the minimum level of human
needs. The line divides the people into 2 groups :
1. Above poverty line 2.Below poverty line

7. VULNERABLE GROUP
Poverty and occupation both are co-related. Most of the
poor people include agricultural and casual laborers, the
SCs , STs and the physically challenged.
60
Poverty in India 2000 : Most vulnerable Group
51 50
50 47
43
40
30 26
20
10
0
Sheduled Urban Casual Rural Sheduled Average
Tribes Labourers Agricultural Castes Indian
Labourers Poverty Ratio

8. CAUSES OF POVERTY
• BRITISH RULE
• RURAL ECONOMY
• HEAVY PRESSURE OF POPULATION
• CHRONIC UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT
• LACK OF PROPER INDUSTRIALISATION
• SOCIAL FACTORS
• INDIA’S ECONOMIC POLICY
• NEO-LIBERAL POLICIES AND THEIR EFFECTS

9. POVERTY IN INDIAN STATES
STATES No. Of People BPL % of People BPL
BIHAR 425.64 42.60
MADHYA PRADESH 298.54 37.43
MAHARASHTRA 227.99 25.03
ORISSA 169.09 47.15
TAMIL NADU 130.48 21.12
UTTAR PRADESH 529.89 31.15
WEST BENGAL 213.49 27.02
GOA 0.70 4.40
GUJARAT 67.89 14.07
HARYANA 17.34 8.74
HIMACHAL PRADESH 5.12 7.63
JAMMU & KASHMIR 3.46 3.48
KERALA 41.04 12.72
PUNJAB 14.49 6.16

10. POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES
• Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
(SGSY)
• Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)
• Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY)
• Swarnajayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SSRY)
• Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY)
• National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(NREGA)

11. POVERTY IN THE WORLD