Poverty is a major problem that our country confronts today. It is standing as a stumbling block on the path of our country’s progress even after 64 years of Independence. The largest democratic country in the world is a dwelling place of ill-fed, ill-clad and ill-health people. It is the biggest curse as it robs the basic human values and finer sensibilities of its people. For the survival of man, proper food, clothing, shelter, health care and education are the basic needs. Poverty refers to persons falling victims to acquire the basic needs of life and suffering from starvation, malnutrition diseases and low mortality rate.
The measuring rod of poverty is the poverty line. Now the poor of India are classified into four categories – the destitute, extremely poor, very poor and poor. It is difficult for the poor the break away the vicious circle, once caught in the clutches of poverty. As a result, the children of poverty-stricken family are compelled to take any odd job to support them and their family at the very early age. Education becomes a dream for them. They work at tea-stalls, garages or factories at low salary or no salary and curse their life. The dream of “Rama Rajya” or slogan of “Removal of Poverty” melts away in slow voice in the wind. The rural and tribal people are seriously affected by it.
There are several factors for the cause of poverty. Population explosion, unemployment, illiteracy and slow economic growth, uneven distribution of wealth and natural calamities like flood, cyclone and drought are some of the major causes of poverty. Educated youth are the assets of society, resourceful persons of nation and due to unemployment they are unable to feed their family and increase the economic development of country. Similarly illiteracy breeds to ignorance, superstition and corruption in the society. Frequent visit of flood and famine destroy the backbone of farmers and their economic conditions. Poverty knows no laws. Hence, they resort to different unfair means which is harmful for the nation.
At the time of Independence, India was an under-developed country, now it is a developing country and it is presumed that it would be a developed nation by 2020. The Government of India is setting up different Committee through economic experts from time to time since independence for the eradication of poverty. N.C Saxsena Committee, Arjuna Sengupta Committee and Suresh Tendulkar Committee are the glaring example of it. The last committee on December, 10, 2009 submitted a report to the Planning Commission that Odisha is the poorest state in India and next to Odisha, Bihar is the second poorest state. In this report, it has been revealed that 57.2% of the total populations in Odisha are remaining below the poverty line. A question arises, why do Odisha and Bihar are lagging behind in spite of abundant natural resources and various raw materials? Sometimes, we come across the billionaires of the world in the newspapers. It is an amazing fact that out of 100 billionaires of the world, approximately 10 billionaires are the product of India. Have they no compassion or a little sympathy for the destitute and down-trodden? The Government is providing different schemes from time to time to the poverty-stricken people for alleviation of poverty.
To fight against this grave problem, the uncontrolled growth of population must be checked, the doors of Education must be opened for all & job opportunity must be created among young men and women for employment. Besides this, the planning of India should be decentralized, corruption should be uprooted, preventive measures should taken to check flood, drought, famine in the best possible way and to increase empowerment of economically weaker sections of society in the mainstream. The young men and women should find out ways and means for self-employment in stead of Government job which is scarce.
No doubt, India has made rapid stride in the field of agriculture and industry, science and technology, space research and oceanography. The economic growth rate has also been increased to 8 percent. Let us be optimistic. It will take some years to make India a developed nation. Forgetting all differences, everybody, from pillar to post must strive hard to check the cancerous growth of poverty and make India a developed country for a better future and brighter tomorrow to the younger generation.