India’s Poverty Eradication: A Sustainable Drive

17 October, 2024: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Global observance calls for a fight against poverty, an international front for sustainable living for all. India-a country that is in excess of 1.4 billion people is diverse in its richness and challenge in the context of development. Poverty eradication is a major plank of Indian economic and social policies, and India aims to reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Poverty Status in India:

Even with huge economic growth over the last two decades, poverty remains a tough problem India faces today. World Bank figures cite that around 10% of the country’s population is living below the national poverty line, which translates to more than 130 million people. This has lowered from previous decades, but quite many communities remain without at least one of the basic essentials: clean water, education, health, and housing.

New normal thrust millions of people back into poverty as people lost jobs, livelihoods became disrupted, and social services strained under the weight of COVID-19. Despite the fact that India’s economy now re-emerges, it is apparent that vulnerable populations, namely women, children, and rural communities, would bear long-term scarring from the effects of the pandemic. This is why such a day, like the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, is established-that to remind the people of reconstructing these communities and bringing everyone to bring benefits from economic re-emergence.

Indian Government’s Initiative Against Poverty:

The country has always approached this reduction in poverty at a large scale through social welfare programs. Programs such as MGNREGA, PDS, and PMAY helped low-income families in great ways to overcome the multiple dimensions of poverty-that include unemployment, food security, and housing.

It has MGNREGA, for example, under which a rural household is assured of wage employment for 100 days per year. What is more important, however, is that this is not merely income support but has also enhanced the rural infrastructure over the years-indeed, by building roads, irrigation facilities, and other community assets. This was when MGNREGA played a critical role during the pandemic of COVID19 in all India by promoting work opportunities for millions of displaced workers who returned from urban centers to their villages.

The other important measure was the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), which was started in 2020, amid the pandemic. Free supply of food grains, cash transfer, and increased support for farmers, women, and pensioners also comprised this package. During the worst of the pandemic, this package proved to be a lifeline for millions by providing them with food security as well as financial succour during their darkest hours.

Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication:

The poverty alleviation activities of India have a direct link with its sustainable development objectives. In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the prime aim is put on eradicating all forms of poverty as the first goal. India, being a signatory to the SDGs, has aligned national policies to strengthen sustainable economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change here puts the general requirement to eradicate poverty in terms of the climate action agenda. Poor communities in India and their lives, which remain most exposed to the ravages of climatic change, including droughts and waterborne floods and increasing temperatures. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan, in short PM-KUSUM, is one of the flagship programmes in the space of renewable energy, under which solar-powered irrigation systems would be provided to farmers, doing away with uncertain rain and fossil fuels.

Similarly, the impetus from the government through SBM on sanitation brought about a cleaner environment, where remarkable effects on public health and poverty directly flow from direct access to clean water and sanitation.

Another area where India has progressed leaps and bounds is education. Initiatives such as the RTE Act and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan have made a difference in bringing in access of quality education to every child, especially in the rural and remote areas. Education has been one of the most effective tools that break the cycle of poverty because it equips people with skills that get them better job opportunities, which in turn contribute to the economy.

Technologies to Address Poverty:

India has gradually applied technology for the betterment of social welfare schemes and ensured that they reach the intended audiences. The country has exploited the biometric identification Aadhaar system so that it could bring relief right to those for whom the subsidy was mandated:. Through DBT, direct subsidies to commodities like food and fuel, fertilizers and other essential services are credited into the bank account of potential beneficiaries, thus reducing corruption and inefficiency.

Digital technology has changed the access to financial services for millions of Indians. It has had unprecedented success with the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana PMJDY, which has enrolled over 480 million of hitherto unbanked to the formal financial system. This availed a conduit to deliver social benefits without logging huge costs to the exchequer and enabled millions of families to seek and enjoy credit, savings, and insurance.

Moreover, the increasing focus on digital literacy in India, through initiatives such as the Digital India programme, is progressively bridging the digital divide, which is basically the primary factor aggravating inequalities. The government is empowering these marginalized communities to participate actively in the digital economy by enhancing digital infrastructure and digital skills, thereby opening up new opportunities for generating income and entrepreneurial ventures.

Challenges ahead:

India has made significant strides but still lags behind many challenges in its pursuit to eradicate poverty once and for all. The gap between rural and urban poverty is wide. The further one moves towards the rural areas, the more one falls behind in basic services such as education, health, and sanitation, while major income inequalities prevail in both terms of income and access to resources, exclusive growth remaining a challenge.

Climate change will also lead to the perpetuation of poverty since many of India’s poorest communities will start feeling the shock of extreme weather events and that impact is predicted to worsen further as climate change accelerates. Solutions will depend on coordination reflecting the needs of the most vulnerable.

In addition, the informal sector, which provides employment for a huge portion of India’s labor force, faces decent wages and social protection. Most of them are deprived of the benefits of formal employment; they are deprived of health insurance and pension schemes. As a consequence, they are susceptible to shock from economic development.

Conclusion:

Observing the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2024, India still finds itself in a precarious situation with regards to poverty and inequality issues across the nation. Despite much being achieved through successive governments and their programs and initiatives, a lot more is needed to ensure that citizens across the country are able to share in the economic growth of the nation. This can be done because India is prioritizing sustainable development accompanied by appropriate technology and social programs, thereby letting it advance steps to meet the target of poverty elimination by 2030.

 

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