Read this essay to learn about poverty in India. After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Introduction to Poverty 2. Solutions for Poverty Eradication 3. Fight against Ignorance.
Introduction to Poverty:
The fear expressed by the developing and least developing nations against globalization is that it will globalize poverty rather than eradicating it and they give reference to World Bank data which actually shows that globalization has driven the poor nations further backward and pushed rich nations for more prosperity.
Poverty is a comparative statement, when you compare net incomes to support life in different regions or nations, you get very disturbing data. This is a matter of selective perception.
Let me ask you some basic questions;
1. Why there are poor people in the world?
2. Who is responsible for them to be poor?
3. What are the opportunities for them to get out of their state of affairs?
4. All laws that we know so far are meant to protect those who have against those who do not have.
5. Has anybody ever thought of making laws for the poor specifying their rights?
It is not easy to answer these questions because the answer lies buried in the files of history.
Instead of finding that elusive answer let us find out who are the poor people:
The workers? Domestic help? Beggars? Drivers? Conductors?
Teachers in villages? Carpenters? Weavers? Craftsman? Lift operators?
Room service boy? Cook? Waterman? Clerk? Farmers?
Miners? Sex workers? Robbers? Thieves? Cheats?
Milk boy? Delivery boy?
Well the list can go forever but the list is quite elaborate to identify who are the poor people.
Now let us find out who is not poor:
The Landlord? Manager? Owners? Doctor Engineer?
Businessmen/women Chartered Accountant? Advocate? Hotelier? Factory owner?
What you notice from the above two lists? The first list contains the people who give service, and second list contains people who receive service. The law of nature is that in absolute terms the receiver cannot be bigger than the giver that is why the differences remain between the two types of people in this world.
The purpose of globalization is to narrow down the differences between the rich and poor. The person, who is making Rs. 50 a day now, is helping another person to make Rs. 5000 a day through his labour.
In 50 rupees a day he manages his family whereas the other person not only manages his family but also contributes to the exchequer by way of taxes and creates conditions for further employment.
Globalization of trade is expected to increase employment, improve economic condition of the nation, and bring wealth to the business men/women but the ratio of 50 to 5000 would still remain between the two types of people.
This sense of inequality is perpetual and there is no known theory which can resolve this problem. At the most it can relatively make life and living more comfortable for the poor or it can diminish the people living below the poverty line.
Solutions for Poverty Eradication:
I know a story about a Chinese man and a little boy. The boy was hungry, the Chinese man was rich but he did not give fish to the boy but he taught him fishing so that the boy will never be hungry again.
Indian population has reached one billion this month, what happens then to the 50 year old and still running family planning programmes? How much money was spent on these programmes? What happened to that money? Similar situation is that of the poor.
Many governments start big programme with million of dollars, has anybody bothered to count the numbers of poor transformed under those programmes? The best way is to create means of meaningful and remunerative labour for them is to let them earn their living. The funds spent on finding ways, better be spent on creating ways.
What they need is opportunity, what they need is education, what they need is guidance, what they need is inspiration, what they need is ways to convert their labour or services for better return, what they need is recognition, and they do not need sympathy.
There is lots of discussions on this topic and in our country many governments choose it as their election campaign, their slogan used to be in our language “Garibi hatao” meaning eradicate the poverty. But after 50 years of independence and many general elections the poverty has not yet been eradicated but to some extent it has strengthened in our social system.
The poor are not only in India but also in all the civilized societies of the world, no country can say they do not have poor. Poverty is a relative term, its level depends on the relative/comparative circumstances.
But still it does not answer our question as to why there is poverty in the world? The answer could be – Because there are rich people. It is like light and darkness. Relative Poverty an essential part of our culture, and civilization. Since the known history poor people have been found in one or the other form. They co-exist with rich people and because of them the rich are called rich.
If poverty is so much of an essential part of our society then what is the contribution of poverty in our society? The part of the society that is inhibited by poor is the storehouse of aspirations, conflicts, fight for survival, breeding ground of future, dreams and the raw stock for the writers and law makers, nursery of future middle class society, the playground for the politicians, yardstick for the country’s economic progress, endless pool of extremely low wage manpower resource, they are the bricks of the rich man’s castle, they are the cause of social changes, and they are the means and subjects for national integration.
The biggest problem of poverty in any nation is ignorance and corruption, these two factors eat up the available resources of the society and leaves the poor where they were for centuries. If we can address these two chronic problems there is no doubt that relative poverty will diminish and a large population with immense potential for creative and constructive work can come to the national cause.
The reason why so far efforts of the nations have failed to bring change in the mix of the poor, is because all efforts have been focused on the poor and not on what makes the poor. All the money, time, and effort spent on discussions on poor and poverty are basically directed for sustaining the poverty and not eradicating it.
Donations, food, clothing, sympathy cannot eradicate poverty, and promises, all these gestures encourage the poor to continue in his state of affairs. But if efforts are made which give new direction to the poor so that they can bring about a change in their habits, in their thoughts, in their actions and reactions to the impulses that they get from the society that they live in.
The cause of poverty lies not in the poor but in his ways of life that needs to be addressed systematically, concretely, gradually, persistently, and directionally. This directional change will be the motivation force that will compel the poor to change their lifestyle.
The change can be sustained only if it is voluntary. Everything and anything that binds the poor to his traditional ways, has to be replaced by new objectives. The cause of poverty lies not in the poor but in his ways of life which needs to be addressed systematically, concretely, gradually, persistently, and directionally.
This directional change will be the motivation force that will compel the poor to change their lifestyle. The change can be sustained only if it is voluntary. Everything and anything that binds the poor to his traditional ways, has to be replaced by new objectives.
Fight against Ignorance:
What are the new directions and objectives? There are so many things that can be done to bring about a total and permanent change, these changes are the basic and most important.
Some of such changes are:
i. General awareness of their potential that remains dormant must be encouraged to come to the surface.
ii. Illiteracy is the poison of their situation that should be the first target and national agenda for rapid action.
iii. Personal hygiene and sanitation must be addressed at the grassroot level by the State and the NGOs.
iv. Encouragement for self-employment through the cottage industries. Poor also use things of daily use—soaps, ready-mades, oils, vegetables, fruits, detergents, writing material, lanterns, service shops, electrical fittings, plumbing, carpentry, aluminum utensils, plastic mouldings, glassware, weaving and knitting, shoe repair, tyre repair etc.
These are basic materials and easy to make under cottage industry. Rehabilitation centres to be set up to educate people on the benefits of such ventures.
v. Unemployment and under employment in the developing countries is ever increasing. This segment of educated youth be diverted towards the service sector of the main industry. The net profit is not in the manufacturing but in selling, so if this pool of manpower is directed towards the service sector by the medium and large industries, there is hope that a significant part of poverty can be transformed.
vi. Whatever national and international governmental and private agencies’ funds are available for the benefit of the poor be utilized for creating means of production and distribution by the poor under proper guidance from the rehabilitation centres.
vii. The exploitation of the poor as the “vote banks” by the politicians must be made unlawful act against the society.