Poverty is defined in the dictionary as the state of being poor. For the people in these conditions, poverty means not having enough money for basic needs such as food, water, and shelter. Every country has a percentage of people in these conditions, some countries have a higher poverty rate while others are lower.
India has the second biggest population, with a 6.7% rate of poverty. That is around 88 million people living under the poverty line, which is a measurement to define if you are poor or not. From between 2011-2017, the Indian government has been helping raise millions out of poverty through programs such as LPG subsidy and MGNREGA. The government is trying to eliminate the root problems that cause poverty, such as living conditions, and lack of infrastructure.
However, these people still in poverty face more problems than just being poor. As a result of not having enough food and sanitation, child mortality rates and malnutrition in India is one of the highest in the world. Work is necessary for these households to survive, and the more that work the more money they receive. As a result, even though there are many laws banning child labor, kids still work in the fields with their parents and as a result have a lack of education. These people are unable to move up the social ladder and have more money. Child marriage, although rarer nowadays, is a hope parents have for their children to have better futures elsewhere.
Although the government has been able to raise many people out of poverty, it will be generations until only a very few percent of the population is poor. Places like villages and slums cannot be eliminated overnight. Instead these places have poor sanitation and allow for more diseases such as HIV and cholera. All of this combined with low education keeps the poor people poor. As India’s technology has developed quickly over the years with the introduction of IT companies over the last 20 years, the rich people are only becoming richer. Social mobility is harder and harder, as there is a defining line between the poor who live in slums and villages and the people with more money living in houses. India’s face should not just be companies and the rich people, it should recognize the high rate of poverty that is passed on from generation to generation and try to propose a solution.
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