ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

MALAPPURAM CENTRE, KERALA

Tutorial-Assignment
Sociology-III
Topic- Concept Of Poverty

Submitted To Submitted By-

Dr. Faisal KP Vaibhav Teotia
Director GJ3957
AMU_MC 18BALLB03
Contents-
S.No. Particulars Pg.No

1- Introduction 3
2 Definition of Poverty 3
3 The concept of Poverty 4-5
• Absolute poverty
• Relative Poverty

4 Causes of poverty 5-8

5 Effect of poverty 8
6 Poverty in India and poverty alleviation measures 9
7 Conclusion 10
INTRODUCTION-
From ancient times, people from many different societies considered poverty to be an
inescapable fact of life. People are poor if they lack enough income and resources to live
adequately by the accepted living standard of their community. Standards may vary greatly
according to time and place. Poverty means that the income level from employment is so low
that basic human needs can’t be met.

Poverty is a multi-facet phenomenon in today’s globalized world. It is rooted in various causes

and there are also multiple ways to do away with it. There is no one cause of poverty, and the
results of it are different in every case. Poverty varies considerably depending on the situation.
Feeling poor in Canada is different from living in poverty in Russia or Zimbabwe.
Poverty has become more widely recognised as a social issue in recent years. India is also facing
poverty as major problem. After its independence, India has made several attempts to improve
the living conditions of those who are poor.

DEFINITION OF POVERTY-
Traditionally, poverty has been defined in economic terms–the amount of money owed to a
person. Poor people are said to exist when their earnings are insufficient to fulfil their basic
requirements food, shelter, and clothes, to name a few. It describes a category of people who are
unable to maintain themselves. In recent times there are many dimensions that are considered in
looking at poverty. It is no longer seen as purely an economic phenomenon. It is now realized
that there are sociological, political, psychological and Geographical reasons as well as attitudes
or value systems that need to be considered to understand poverty.
Poverty is described as a state of economic inadequacy as well as social and political exclusion.
Poverty must thus be considered not only in economic terms, but also in social and political
terms. Let us look at some definition by UN and world Bank-
United Nations: Fundamentally, poverty is the inability of having choices and opportunities, a
violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It
means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not
having the land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one's living, not having access to
credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and
communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or
fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation

World Bank: Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises

many dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and
services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and
education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice,
and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one's life.
THE CONCEPT OF POVERTY-
There are two perceptions used while understanding poverty , firstly in terms of money required
by a person to subsist in the society or to fulfill his or her basic needs- food , shelter and clothes.
This is called absolute Poverty. Secondly, the comparative study of well-being of few with the
ill-being of majority of society. This is known as relative poverty Or relative inequality.

Absolute Poverty
Absolute poverty refers to the inability of a person or a household to provide even the basic
necessities of life. It refers to conditions of acute physical wants, starvation, malnutrition, want
of clothing, want of shelter, total lack of medical care. At times “absolute poverty” is also called
“subsistence poverty”, since it is based on an assessment of minimum subsistence requirements.

Nutrition is measured by intake of calories and proteins, shelter by quality of dwelling and
degree of over-crowding, and the rate of infant mortality and the quality of medical facility. With
the broadcasting of the definition of poverty it is also suggested that one should go beyond the
physical need and also include cultural needs—education, security, leisure and recreation.
Absolute poverty compares households based on a set income level and this level varies from
country to country depending on its overall economic conditions.

In this scenario, poverty is determined by meeting the bare minimum of food needs. This is
measured based on sufficient calorie intake (generally 2250 calories) to keep a person’s working
ability up. People who, due to their low wages, are unable to meet this bare minimum in food
intake are considered poor and placed below poverty line. The poverty line is a term used to
distinguish the poor from the non-poor. It is expressed in terms of a certain level of income that
is thought to be sufficient to allow an individual to sustain a certain level of consumption of
goods and services. People who earn less than the poverty line are classified as poor. This is a
measure of ‘absolute’ poverty i.e. poverty defined with reference to some predetermined
Standard or norm.

It’s difficult to consider the point fully. A farm laborer’s nutritional requirements would vary
from those of an office clerk. Similarly, the wardrobe standards can vary. When cultural needs
are factored in, calculations become more complicated.

Relative Poverty
Relative Poverty refers to the standard of living compared to economic standards of living within
the same surroundings. When people’s way of life and income is much worse than the general
standard of living. It classifies people as poor not by comparing them with a fixed poverty line,
but by comparing them with others in the population under consideration. This relative approach
looks at poverty as a condition of being unequal rather than as a situation of .

Relative poverty does not concentrate on biological needs but rather makes a comparison
between two people in the environment. However, this type of poverty defines poverty in
connection with the economic status of other members of society. This means it changes with the
economic growth of the country.

Although people living in this type of poverty do not live in total (absolute) poverty, they still
cannot afford the same standard of life as other people in society. This can sometimes refer to
the lack of TV, the Internet, clean clothes, decent and safe housing, and education. Although it
seems to be less serious than absolute poverty, it is still a category that can be permanent. Some
families do not have access to the same standard of living as others do. They find themselves
thus confined to low income and unable to break through the barriers.

CAUSES OF POVERTY-
In the war against poverty it is crucial to understand the underlying causes of it; for only tackling
the roots of the problem one can provide a final solution to it. This is especially useful to
remember when considering that although poverty is a global issue, there is no blanket cause for
it. Therefore, there is no common solution. The causes of poverty vary from one country to the
other and are ascribed to their history, governance and the dynamics of society within it. Here
we will discuss some common and Major causes of poverty-

❖ Warfare
Conflict is continuous practice of man kind.Millions of people have been displaced due to
warfare. They have lost their jobs, their homes, and even their families; and thus now live in
poverty. In times of war, a country’s productivity drops and so does its GDP. The political and
social turmoil and overall instability discourages foreign and national business owners to invest
in the country. In addition to this, access to basic services such as health, education and even
drinking water is severed; thus robbing the locals of any semblance of quality of life.

❖ Backward Agriculture
In developed countries, the modernization of agriculture has allowed the creation of a smaller,
more efficient agricultural sector; thus giving way for the economy to transition into an
industrial and service one. This leads to both rural and urban workers getting better wages; since
the latter will need to make more money to afford the higher food prices. In developing
countries, however, the agricultural sector still makes up a big portion of the economy.
Consequently, the price of agricultural goods is remains low to appeal to the people living in
cities. This puts farmers below the poverty line and in time, can upend the stability of the
country
 ❖ Natural Disaster

Like we can see now a days world is fighting against corona virus and people are loosing jobs.
Developing countries are systematically less prepared than developed ones to face the
consequences of a natural disaster (e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts and floodings);
therefore, they take longer to recover from these events, often finding it impossible.
Furthermore, the limited resources these countries possess prevent them from developing plans
in the face of a crisis. Finally, the same lack of resources makes it impossible for them to repair
the damages. We see people in India spending lot of rupees over oxygen to save their love one’s
life but after sometime they will not have proper money to spent on their basic needs and this
will lead to absolute poverty.

❖ Centralization of Power
As a society develops and gets bigger, the need for more political representatives in all levels
arises. Centralization comes when political leaders fail to delegate power at regional and local
levels; thus having a small group of people often ruling over places they are not familiar with.
This results in neglect of vital duties and corruption, when leaders take money meant to
ameliorate the quality of life of their citizens and use it for personal matters.

❖ Discrimination and social inequality

In India, as in many other part of the world, groups of people suffer discrimination because of
their age, their race, religion or gender. According to the United Nations Social Policy and
Development Division, “Inequalities in income distribution and access to productive resources,
basic social services, opportunities, markets and information have been on the rise worldwide,
often causing and exacerbating poverty.” These inequalities stem from the belief that some
people are worth less than others, based on their religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
This prejudice leads to a two-tier society where people facing discrimination do not possess the
same opportunities the privileged have; as a consequence, the former often live below the
poverty line.

❖ Lack of Education
Not every person without an education is living in extreme poverty. But most of the extremely
poor don’t have an education. There are many barriers to education around the world, including
a lack of money for uniforms and books, a bias against girls’ education, or many of the other
causes of poverty mentioned here.

But education is often referred to as the great equalizer, because it can open the door to jobs and
other resources and skills that a family needs to not just survive, but thrive. UNESCO estimates
that 171 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty if they left school with basic
reading skills. Poverty threatens education, but education can also help end poverty.
 ❖ Unemployment and underemployment
Due to continuous rise in population, there is chronic unemployment and under employment in
India and other parts of the world. There is educated unemployment and disguised
unemployment. Poverty is just the reflection of unemployment. Even though people may have
good house and have degrees in hand can be termed as poor because they have no means to earn
or they are under employed which means they are not getting paid what they deserve as per their
capabilities. No proper industrialization is the major cause of unemployment. Government
negligence also cause unemployment which direct put the people under Poverty.

❖ Underutilized Resources
The country suffers from underemployment and disguised unemployment, especially in the
agricultural sector. This has resulted in l ow agricultural productivity and a drop in standard of
living.

❖ Political Factors
For nearly two centuries, the British occupation and rule over India has harmed the structure of
India’s economy. India, which was once a chief producer has been reduced to a big market. Most
of the country’s natural resources were used to support British coffers, and much of the money
was syphoned off to the rulers’ homeland.
❖ National Debt
Many poor countries carry significant debt due to loans from wealthier nations and international
financial institutions. Poorer nations owe an average of $2.30 in debt for every $1 received in
grant aid. In this manner poor nations fails to pay attention over their citizens problem rather
they focus on return of debt with interest. This is also a main cause of poverty in poor nations.
There can also be many other causes as per the situation and prevailing conditions of each and
every place. Like Alcoholism can be considered as the cause of poverty in India and other
African countries but not in European countries. Likewise, some countries like India may
consider overpopulation as cause of poverty but there are some countries which are under
populated and having more children’s is not a big issue there. Therefore , each place has its own
problems which causes poverty and there should be anti Poverty measures accordingly.

EFFECT OF POVERTY-
Poverty causes suffering among millions of people. People who live in poverty all less likely e
to eat the food they need to stay healthy or to receive good medical care when they are ill. Their
children may not have enough to eat. The very poor have more disease and die at younger ages
then other people do.

Many low income families live in city slums or rural areas that do not provide the basic needs of
food, shelter and clothing.The only work available may offer low uncertain income and a little
security. many poor people work in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. Poverty brings despair,
anger , or lack of interest in anything except one’s own worries. Financial , emotional and
medical problems strain family ties.

The poor have little influence in the community. Businesses are interested more in people who
buy their goods and services. The poor have limited political power. Studies shows that large
number of children born into low income families remain poor all their lives. Duty poverty under
privileged children may suffer from lack of nourishment for healthy growth during their
important early years. Taken seldom expect to attend good schools that will educate them for a
full life. Therefore we can say that poverty not only effect earning capacity but also badly shaken
the mental, social ability of person.

Lack of money leads to criminal acts done by poor people for their subsistence. Poverty becomes
a good reason for increasing crime rate. More the poor society have, more disturbed law and
order there. Poor people do not get job due to lack of education and therefore they have no
option left except theft , robbery etc. In this way Poverty increase instability in the society.

POVERTY IN INDIA AND ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES

Poverty is one of the biggest social issues in India. It affects a significant part of the Indian
population. Over population, unemployment, lack of education, social structure, worst medical
infrastructure and natural Disaster are the major causes of for this. Recently, in 2020 and 2021,
Coronavirus is hitting India badly and surely this will affect poor very badly and also turn
people poor. As per UN report , Coronavirus can turn millions of people poor in India as there is
unemployment at large scale because of Covid situation.
Poverty Alleviation Programmes aims to reduce the rate of poverty in the country by providing
proper access to food, monetary help, and basic essentials to the households and families
belonging to the below the poverty line.Poverty Alleviation is the set of steps taken in an
economic and humanitarian way for eradicating poverty from a country.

India also has significant number of poor people who all living below poverty line. There were
lot of anti Poverty measure which were taken by government of India but despite of such
measures we as a country failed to eradicate poverty completely. Let us look at some of the
measures , programmes and scheme’s which were implemented to reduce poverty and uplift the
people over poverty line.

1- Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) was introduced in the late 1970s. The
main objective of the IRD Programme was to increase yields in agriculture and allied areas
based on land. It was also to develop the resources and income of vulnerable sections of society.

2- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 – It aimed to

provide 100 days of wage employment to every household to ensure livelihood security in rural
areas. It also aimed at sustainable development to address the cause of drought, deforestation and
soil erosion. One-third of the proposed jobs have been reserved for women.

3- 1993, Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) was started. The main aim of the
programme is to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural
areas and small towns.

4- 1995, Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) was launched. The aim of the
programme is to create self-employment opportunities in rural areas and small towns.

5- 1999, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was launched. The programme
aims at bringing the assisted poor families above the poverty line by organising them into self-
help groups, through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy.

6- 2000, the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) was launched. Under this
programme, additional central assistance is given to states for basic services such as primary
health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water and rural electrification.

7- Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna: The cabinet on March 21, 2015 cleared the scheme to provide
skill training to 1.4 million youth with an overall outlay of Rs. 1120 crore. This plan is
implemented with the help of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the
National Skill Development Corporation. It will focus on fresh entrant to the labour market,
especially labour market and class X and XII dropouts.

8- Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: It aimed at direct benefit transfer of subsidy, Pension, insurance
etc. and attained the target of opening 1.5 crore bank accounts. The Scheme particularly targets
the unbanked poor.
9-Jan Ausadhi Kendra- Janaushadhi Yojana is becoming a big friend of poor and middle class
families. It is becoming the medium of both service and employment. It provides medicines at
cheaper rate. This is helping Poor’s to get all kind of medicine at very affordable price.

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index-2018 released by the UN noted that 271 million
people moved out of poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16 in India. The poverty rate in the
country has nearly halved, falling from 55% to 28% over the ten-year period. Still a big part of
the population in india is living Below the Poverty Line.

The Challenges Ahead

In India, Poverty has certainly declined in India, but it still remains India’s most compelling
challenge. Poverty reduction is expected to make better progress in the next ten to fifteen years.
This can be achieved by higher economic growth, increasing stress on universal free elementary
education, declining population growth, increasing empowerment of the women and the
economically weaker sections of society. Government must start such food schemes so that poor
people can have healthy food and keep themselves fit and fine. It is the duty of rich people and
governments to do as much as they can to eradicate the poverty. It is only then a country can be
successful when they have no one who sleeps without food.

CONCLUSION
Poverty has resulted in individuals not having choices and opportunities to get fundamental
needs for survival including food, shelter and clothing. Subsequently, they are unable to
participate effectively in society towards development of a strong community as they lack these
basic capacities. It leads to insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households
and communities. The main causes of poverty are corruption; education; political instability and
wars; natural and geographical characteristics; and ineffective local governance and government
policies. The fact that poverty is quite multi-dimensional and varies from place to place and from
society to society, it is important to identify the causes of poverty. The most appropriate solving
method perhaps is to examine the dimensions highlighted by the poor from respective location.
The root causes of poverty faced by the community need to be identified, so that the efforts to
eradicate poverty will give sustainable progress.