UPSC Mains Previous Year Questions: Eradication of Poverty | Indian Society for UPSC CSE PDF Download

‘Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty by the government in India, poverty is still existing’. Explain by giving reasons. (UPSC GS1 2018)

Poverty is a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. From “garibihatao”, to Reservations to Rozgharyojana to Skill Training to Priority Sector Lending to SelfHelp Grouping to Targeted Subsidies Indian public debates ,political mobilisation have been centred around “POVERTY ALLEVIATION”. Yet today as Per Committee reports namely Rangarajan and Tendulkar reports poverty rate ,its reduction and its spread and prospect of its reduction in near future isn’t encouraging.
Reasons: 

• It is multi-dimensional menace which needs convergence, synergy from all level of institutions which we lack today. 
• Poverty has certain behaviaral attributes—“culture of poverty”—relatively high rate of abandonment of wife and children ,strong feeling of marginality, of helplessness, of dependency, absence of childhood as a specially prolonged and protected stage in the life-cycle, early initiation into sex, free unions or consensual marriages, a tend toward female or mother-centered families, a strong predisposition toward authoritarianism, lack of privacy, verbal emphasis upon family solidarity which is only rarely achieved, Child Marriage, Trafficking, short time gratification, sex as the only source of entertainment, high rate of juvenile delinquency——These have not been suitably into policy convergence. 
• Sudden Social and Economic shock of Industrial society---Climate change, Jobless growth, high inflation/ commodity products World Development Report 2017 highlights India’s lagging in encashing Digital dividend resulting in which it calls “Digital Divide” (poor not able to reap benefits of Digital Technologies). 
• Way forward: Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 should be completed, National Citizen Registry like it’s done in Assam recently should be carried for all India, Formalisation of informal workforce through transferring social benefits like pension, insurance etc. Digital literacy and mohalla healthcare as in Delhi and PMBJP yojana, Swatch Bharat Abhiyan, Poshan Abhiyan, Greater convergence and transparency in governance so poor can demand what services they are entitled to, Enactment of Right to Public Delivery of Services Act, Citizen’s charter, using innovative solutions like waste-to-money models as in Kolkata, revitalising Indian Civil Society including Media (print and Broadcast) encouraging decentralised, local based solutions.
• Making new products of technology, Public Transport accessible to disabled (Braille friendly Currency notes, ATMs, Buses) Cost of access to Justice at all levels should be made accessible through use of E-courts, gramnyayalas, special courts and revitalise the instrument of PILs for greater good of poor.
• Corporate Social Responsibility of adopting villages as by Digi-goan by ICICI, recognising Environmental, Mineral, land Rights of Vulnerable specially tribals, farmers. Flagging problems in their early stage. Universalising higher education and tertairy healthcare, Mid-day meals not only to School-Going Children but to Senior Citizens etc, financial sector reforms in micro-insurance during disaster management.
• Disaster and related hazards impact the poor and increase their vulnerability hence inclusive policies should take into account land-use pattern, planned urbanisation etc. into account.