26 OCTOBER 2023

Topic 1 : Agnipath scheme

Why in news: The death of a 22-year-old Agniveer who was deployed on the Siachen glacier has brought back focus on Agnipath, the contractual scheme for recruitment into the armed forces, and the benefits under it.

About the Agnipath scheme:

• The Agnipath scheme was introduced to take in recruits for the Army, Navy, and Indian Air Force (IAF) on four-year contracts, including six months of training.
• At the end of four years, up to 25% of recruits can apply to join the services on a regular basis, subject to merit and organisational requirements.
• At present, all sailors, airmen, and soldiers, except the technical cadre of the medical branch, are recruited to the services under the scheme.
• The scheme had also opened doors for recruitment of women as Agniveers to the IAF and Navy.
• The scheme aimed to ensure a youthful profile for the armed forces by bringing down the average age of serving soldiers.
• The scheme would help transform the armed forces into a tech-savvy and modern fighting force.

What benefits are Agniveers entitled to?

• The remuneration of an Agniveer is Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 per month, and they are entitled to risk and hardship allowances.
• The scheme also has a Seva Nidhi contributory package, under which the Agniveers contribute 30% of their monthly emoluments, and the government contributes the same amount.
• On completion of four years, they will receive around Rs 11.71 lakh (with interest) from the package, and this will be exempt from income tax.
• In case of death on duty, they will receive more than Rs 1 crore, including the Seva Nidhi package and full pay for the period they could not serve.
• In the instance of a disability, they can receive up to Rs 44 lakh depending on the extent of disability suffered, which is attributed to or aggravated by military service.

How do these benefits compare with those due to a regular soldier?

• Pension:
  • The biggest difference between a soldier employed on regular service and an Agniveer serving for four years is that the former will draw a pension post-retirement, while an Agniveer will not.
  • The 25% of Agniveers who would eventually be absorbed into the forces after four years will, however, be eligible for pension after retirement.
• War casualty:
  • In case of a battle casualty, the family of a regular soldier gets a liberalised family pension which is equal to the last pay drawn, for life.
    • There is no income tax on this amount.
  • The family of an Agniveer is eligible only for a non-contributory insurance sum amounting to Rs 48 lakh.
• Gratuity and education allowance:
  • A regular soldier gets gratuity for 15 days per year for every year of service, and has an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh.
  • Soldiers on regular service also get a children’s education allowance up to graduation.
  • None of these are available to Agniveers.
• Disability:
  • In case of suffering a disability during service, an Agniveer gets an ex gratia amount that depends on the percentage of disability suffered, pay for the remaining part of the four-year service tenure (if they go out of service), and monetary benefits under the Seva Nidhi scheme.
  • A regular soldier who suffers a disability gets pension, ex gratia, as well as impairment relief as per entitlement.Topic 2 : Cubism

Why in news: Recently the 142nd birth anniversary of the renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was marked who was a master of cubism art.

is Cubism?

• Although short-lived, Cubism was one of the most influential approaches to making art in the early 20th Century.
• It paved the way for the emergence of non-representational art movements, like Surrealism.
• Cubism has nothing to do with cubes.
• The name ‘cubism’ seems to be derived from a snide comment by French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954), who called one of Braque’s paintings “a picture made up of small cubes”.

• Unlike its predecessors, Cubism involved artists seeing an object not from a single viewpoint but from every conceivable angle.
• It was the rejection of the traditional approach to making art, where art was just a copy of nature or an object and the artists adopted age-old techniques of perspective, modelling, and foreshortening.
• Cubism is about acknowledging the two-dimensional nature of the canvas and categorically NOT about trying to re-create the illusion of three dimensions (a cube, for example).
• Cubism was meant to make people pay more attention to everyday objects that were usually overlooked and present a more precise representation of how people actually perceive an object.

How did Cubism evolve?

• The art movement developed in two distinct phases, including:
  • the initial analytical cubism, and
  • a later phase known as synthetic cubism.
• Artworks made during the analytical cubism phase (1907-1912) mostly displayed objects from different viewpoints (as discussed before), painted in mute tones of blacks, greys and ochres.
• The synthetic cubism phase (1912-1914) involved simpler shapes and brighter colours.
  • Most significantly, however, it also entailed the use of real-life objects.

• Topic 4 : How Olympic cities are selected

Why in news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly declared India’s intention to host the Olympic Games, preferably in 2036, during the opening ceremony of the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai.
 

Key details:

• The Prime Minister also mentioned India’s ambition to host the Youth Olympics in 2029 although the quadrennial event is currently scheduled for 2030.
• Only three Asian countries have ever hosted the Olympics:
  • China,
  • South Korea and
  • Japan.
    • Japan hosted the games twice in 1964 and 2020.
• With India throwing its hat into the ring, there are at least five confirmed countries interested in hosting the 2036 Games and nine others reportedly in various stages of preparations and discussions internally and with the IOC.
• If India does manage to outbid the competition, it will be the first big-ticket multi-discipline sporting event in the country since the controversy-marred Commonwealth Games (CWG) in 2010.

How was a host country initially selected?

• In the older system of electing an Olympic host, cities, through their respective national Olympic committees, would submit a letter of interest to the IOC to start a multi-year, multi-step evaluation process.
• The second step of the process involved scrutiny from the IOC Evaluation Commission and a series of inspections of all venues before the final bids are put to vote at an IOC session.
• It ends in a host being decided seven years in advance as per the Olympic Charter.
• It often led to excessive spending among the bidders, to secure rights, often ending in huge debts, corruptions and scandals.

The Olympic movement:

• Thomas Bach took over as the IOC president in 2013.
• He put in place the Olympic Agenda 2020, as a roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, approved by the 2014 IOC session.
• One part of the agenda dealt with a new process for host city selection, called the ‘new norm’, that was officially adopted during the 2019 IOC session in Lausanne.

The new approach

• The new process placed emphasis on three main aspects:
  • flexibility,
  • sustainability and
  • cost-effectiveness

How has the process become more flexible?

• Seven year rule relaxed:
  • The seven-year rule was done away with and there has been greater flexibility in deciding the hosts.
  • The IOC has said that the 2036 edition could be decided even as late as after 2030.
• Joint hosting:
  • Unlike the past, the Games can be planned to be held across cities or even in conjunction with another country.
• Provision for continuous dialogue after rejection:
  • However, unlike in the past when a party, once rejected, would be discouraged from bidding again, now the other interested parties can continue continuous dialogue for future events.
• Sustainability of infrastructure:
  • In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the infrastructure and to avoid any public backlash, hosts are encouraged as far as possible to use existing and temporary venues.
  • Any new venues built must be in line with existing developmental plans and have a long-term justification irrespective of the Games.
  • All editions of the summer/winter/youth Olympic Games from 2030 onwards must also adhere to the IOC’s climate positive commitment.
  • As per the IOC’s claims, the focus on using existing and temporary venues has led to an 80% decrease in the bid budgets for the 2026 Winter Games compared to the 2018 and 2022 editions.
• Other potential bidders apart from India for the 2036 Games
  • Besides India, the other confirmed nations interested are:
    • Mexico (spread across the four cities of Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tijuana),
    • Indonesia (at the new capital of Nusantara which is still under construction),
    • Turkey (Istanbul) and
    • Poland (Warsaw).
• India is yet to decide the city/cities where the Games will be organised.
• Of these, Mexico is the only one to have previously hosted the Games in 1968.Topic 5 : China to build the world’s largest ‘ghost particle’ detector

Why in news: China is building an enormous telescope in the western Pacific Ocean to detect “ghost particles”, also known as neutrinos.
 

What is a ghost particle?

• What are atoms?
  • In order to understand what a ghost particle or neutrino is, one need to understand the importance of atoms.
  • Atoms make up our universe.
  • Anything that has mass is made up of atoms.
• Neutrinos/ghost particle:
  • For a long time, scientists thought atoms were the smallest particle in existence.
  • Then they discovered that they are themselves comprised of even tinier subatomic particles:
    • protons (which have a positive charge),
    • electrons (negative charge) and
    • protons (no charge).
  • Neutrinos are a type of electron but, like neutrons, they do not have any charge.
  • They are among the most abundant particles in our universe, with trillions of neutrinos passing through you at any given second and also among the tiniest.
  • Neutrinos were long believed to be massless, until scientists found evidence that they do have a very small mass.
  • Neutrinos’ weak charge and almost nonexistent mass have made them notoriously difficult for scientists to observe.
  • They can only been seen when they interact with other particles.
  • The rarity of interactions with other particles makes them almost impossible to track.
  • That’s why they’re called ghost particles — the vast majority skirt around undetected.

How do scientists detect ghost particles?

• Ghost particles rarely interact with other particles.
• Sometimes they interact with water molecules.
  • This is why China is building its ghost molecule telescope underwater.
• Scientists have observed ghost particles in fleeting instances when the particles create byproducts after traveling through water or ice.
  • These “muons” create flashes of light that can be detected by sophisticated underwater telescopes and offer one of the fews ways to study the energy and source of neutrinos.
• Right now, the largest neutrino-detecting telescope is the University of Madison-Wisconson’s “IceCube” telescope.
  • Situated deep in the Antarctic, the telescope’s sensors span around 1 cubic kilometer.
• China says its new telescope, called “Trident”, will span 7.5 cubic kilometers in the South China Sea.
• Scientists say that its size will allow it to detect more neutrinos and make it 10,000 times more sensitive than existing underwater telescopes.

Significance of ghost particles:

• A sound understanding of neutrinos will help solve a number of scientific mysteries like:
  • the origin of the mysterious cosmic rays, which are known to contain neutrinos.
• There’s evidence that neutrinos are essential for understanding the origins of our universe.

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Topic 6 : Poverty and associated issues

Why in news: The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated annually on October 17. 
 

The concept of Poverty

• The concept of poverty is multifaceted and can be understood as the state of lacking
  essential resources and capabilities necessary for a decent standard of living and well-being.
• According to the World Bank, poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being.
• The poor are those who do not have enough income or consumption to put them above some adequate minimum threshold.
• It is not only about the absence of financial resources but also the deprivation of various dimensions of life.
• There are two critical aspects of poverty:
• Poverty ‘of what’:
  • This aspect refers to the specific deprivations and lacks that individuals or households may experience.
  • It includes insufficiency in income, but also extends to the absence of basic necessities such as food, shelter, clean water, healthcare, education, and access to social services.
  • Poverty ‘of what’ encompasses the tangible and intangible aspects of well-being that are crucial for a dignified and fulfilling life.
• Poverty ‘between whom’:
  • This dimension highlights the comparison and relative deprivation among different groups in society.
  • Poverty is not an isolated condition;
  • It’s a social phenomenon that is often measured in relative terms.
  • It involves disparities in access to resources and opportunities between various segments of the population.
  • These segments could be based on factors like income, gender, age, ethnicity, or region.
  • Poverty ‘between whom’ emphasises that poverty is not only an individual predicament but also a societal issue, rooted in social, economic, and political structures.

Causes of Poverty:

• Structural Factors:
  • These include:
    • historical inequalities,
    • social discrimination, and
    • political factors.
  • In India, a legacy of colonial rule led to an overall impoverishment of the people and also left a stark divide in access to resources and opportunities.
  • Discrimination based on caste, ethnicity, and gender has perpetuated poverty among marginalised communities.
• Economic Factors:
  • Low agricultural productivity, limited access to credit and markets, and unequal distribution of wealth and income can trap individuals and communities in poverty.
  • A lack of industrial and employment opportunities in certain regions exacerbates the issue.
• Social Factors:
  • Social factors, such as limited access to education and healthcare, can perpetuate poverty.
  • A lack of quality education and healthcare services significantly limits an individual’s potential for economic mobility.
• Population Growth and Poverty:
  • While it is true that rapid population growth can strain resources and services, leading to increased poverty in some areas, it’s overly simplistic to argue that population growth is the sole cause of poverty.
  • Poverty can lead to high fertility rates, as families in impoverished conditions may have more children as a form of social security.
  • In the context of India, while high population growth strains our national resources, it is often driven by poverty, lack of access to family planning services, and limited education.
  • Clearly, the poorer sections of the society have higher fertility rate and contribute to population growth.

How is poverty linked to inequality and hunger?

• Poverty and inequality are closely intertwined, and their connection can be understood through the lens of inequality ‘of what’ and ‘between whom’:
  • Inequality ‘of what’:
    • This aspect refers to disparities in the distribution of various resources and opportunities in society.
    • Poverty is often a consequence of inequality of access to certain resources.
    • Poverty relates to the unequal distribution of essential resources such as:
      • income,
      • education,
      • healthcare,
      • clean water, and
      • adequate housing.
    • When certain segments of the population have limited access to these resources, it leads to poverty among those individuals or groups.
    • For example, if income and employment opportunities are distributed unequally, it results in economic poverty for some, even if they have the potential to escape poverty with fair access to resources.
  • Inequality ‘between whom’:
    • This dimension focuses on the disparities among different groups within a society.
    • It encompasses various forms of inequality, including economic, social, gender, and racial disparities.
    • When poverty is examined in the context of inequality between social groups, it becomes evident that some groups, such as women, minorities, and marginalized communities like tribals and Dalits, are disproportionately affected by poverty.
    • This type of inequality underscores the idea that poverty is not evenly distributed, and some groups experience more severe poverty than others.
    • As a case in point, consider that five out of six multidimensional poor people in India are from lower tribes or castes, according to a 2021 analysis on global multidimensional poverty by the United Nations Development Programme.
• Key factors that determine Poverty and hunger:
  • Income and Resource Scarcity:
    • Poverty results in insufficient income to cover basic needs, including food.
    • People living in poverty struggle to afford an adequate and nutritious diet, which can lead to hunger.
    • Limited financial resources can force individuals to prioritise other essential expenses, such as shelter and healthcare over food.
  • Access to Food:
    • Poverty can limit access to food in multiple ways.
    • Those in poverty may live in areas with limited access to grocery stores or fresh produce, which are referred to as ‘food deserts’.
    • In addition, they may lack reliable transportation to reach food sources.
    • Inadequate infrastructure and distribution systems can further impede access to affordable and nutritious food.
    • A Lokniti-CSDS survey found that 16 per cent of the urban poor households in Delhi were denied ration due to the lack of identity proof documents.
• Underemployment and Unemployment:
  • Poverty can result from underemployment or unemployment, which directly affects an individual’s or a family’s ability to afford food.
  • When people do not have stable jobs with sufficient income, they typically face food insecurity, which is not having reliable access to enough nutritious food.
• Healthcare and Nutrition:
  • Poverty can lead to poor health outcomes due to the lack of access to quality healthcare.
  • Health issues can further exacerbate hunger, as individuals with medical conditions may require specific diets or treatments, which they cannot afford.
• Child Hunger:
  • Poverty can have severe consequences for children.
  • Malnutrition due to a lack of food can result in stunted growth, cognitive deficits, and overall poor development.
  • Child hunger perpetuates a cycle of poverty because poorly nourished children are less likely to perform well in school, limiting their future economic prospects.
• Global Perspective:
  • On a global scale, poverty in developing countries is closely tied to hunger.
  • Unequal distribution of resources, lack of access to education, and economic disparities contribute to food insecurity and hunger.
  • Many impoverished regions struggle to produce or import enough food to meet the needs of their populations.

What needs to be done to address the issue of poverty and hunger?

• To address the link between poverty and hunger, it’s essential to implement strategies that not only alleviate poverty but also focus on improving food security.
• These strategies include:
  • social safety nets,
  • employment opportunities,
  • access to education and healthcare, and
  • policies that promote sustainable agriculture and food distribution.

How do we measure poverty and inequality?

• Income-Based Approaches:
  • Income is a widely used indicator for measuring poverty.
  • The most common measure is the poverty line, which represents the income level below which individuals or households are considered to be in poverty.
  • Poverty lines can be:
    • absolute (a fixed income threshold) or
    • relative (based on a percentage of the median income).
  • In India, the official poverty line for 2011-12 was set at per capita daily consumption expenditure of Rs 32 and Rs 26 for urban and rural areas respectively, which was criticised as too low.
  • In contrast, the World Bank sets the international poverty line much higher, at USD 2.15 per person per day.
• Human Development Index (HDI):
  • Developed by the United Nations, the HDI incorporates:
    • life expectancy,
    • education, and
    • per capita income.
  • It offers a more holistic view of well-being and development.
• Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI):
  • The MPI was developed by UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative in 2010.
  • This approach considers multiple dimensions of poverty, including:
    • income,
    • health,
    • education, and
    • living standards.
  • The MPI assesses deprivations across various indicators and provides a comprehensive view of poverty.
  • National MPI was developed for India by NITI Aayog in 2021 and comprises of three equally weighted dimensions:
    • Health,
    • Education, and
    • Standard of living.
  • These three dimensions are represented by 12 indicators namely:
    • nutrition,
    • child and adolescent mortality,
    • maternal health,
    • years of schooling,
    • school attendance,
    • cooking fuel,
    • sanitation,
    • drinking water,
    • electricity,
    • housing,
    • assets,
    • bank accounts.
  • As per NITI Aayog’s 2023 report, 14.96 per cent Indians were multidimensionally poor in 2019-2021.

Measuring Inequality:

• Gini Coefficient:
  • The Gini coefficient is a commonly used measure of income inequality.
  • It ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality).
  • A higher Gini coefficient indicates greater income inequality.
• Lorenz Curve:
  • The Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of income distribution.
  • It helps visualise how income is distributed across different population groups.
• Theil Index:
  • This index considers both within-group and between-group inequality.
  • It provides a more nuanced understanding of the sources of inequality in a given population.
• Palma Ratio:
  • The Palma ratio is a measure of income inequality that focuses on the income share of the richest 10 per cent compared to the poorest 40 per cent of the population.
  • It helps highlight the disparities between the rich and the poor.The concept of urban and rural poor:

• According to NITI Aayog, the proportion of multidimensionally poor in urban areas stood at 5.2 per cent of the urban population in 2019-21, while in rural areas it was nearly four times higher at 19.2 per cent of the population.
• The poverty in rural areas declined from 32.5 per cent in 2015-16 to 19.2 per cent in 2019-2021.
• During the same period, the urban areas saw a reduction in poverty from 8.6 per cent to only 5.2 per cent.
• Urban Poor
  • The urban poor are individuals and households residing in urban areas, including metros, cities and towns who experience poverty.
  • Urban poverty is often characterised by challenges such as:
    • high living costs,
    • limited access to affordable housing, and
    • inadequate sanitation and
    • healthcare facilities.
  • Employment in the informal sector is common among the urban poor, which may involve jobs in street vending, construction, domestic work, or small-scale trading.
  • While urban areas offer better employment opportunities compared to rural regions, they also have a higher cost of living, making it challenging for the urban poor to make ends meet.
• Rural Poor
  • The rural poor comprise of the individuals and households residing in rural areas, which are typically characterised by poor living conditions and over dependence on agriculture as a source of livelihood.
  • Rural poverty is often associated with factors such as:
    • landlessness,
    • low agricultural productivity,
    • limited access to education and healthcare, and
    • a lack of infrastructure.
• Agriculture is a primary source of livelihood for many in rural areas, and fluctuations in crop yields and income can impact the rural poor’s economic stability.
• The rural poor are more constrained by traditional restraints of caste, gender and ethnicity while trying to escape poverty than the urban poor.
• The rural poor often face challenges related to limited access to formal financial services, which can hinder their ability to save, invest, and manage income effectively.

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Adverse consequences of poverty:

• Food Insecurity:
  • Hunger and malnutrition are prevalent among the poor due to their limited access to nutritious food.
  • This can lead to physical health issues, stunted growth, and cognitive impairments, especially in children.
• Inadequate Healthcare:
  • Poor individuals often lack access to quality healthcare, leading to untreated illnesses and chronic health problems.
  • The cost of medical care can be a significant burden for them.
• Limited Access to Education:
  • Poverty can hinder access to education, limiting opportunities for personal and professional growth.
  • Children from impoverished backgrounds may not receive a quality education, limiting their future prospects.
• Housing Instability:
  • Poor households may struggle to afford safe and stable housing.
  • This can result in overcrowding, homelessness, and exposure to environmental hazards.
• Economic Stress:
  • The constant financial stress and uncertainty associated with poverty can lead to anxiety, depression, and mental health issues.
  • Poor individuals may also experience a lack of control over their lives.
• Social Exclusion:
  • Poverty can lead to social isolation and exclusion.
  • Individuals may face discrimination, stigmatisation, and exclusion from participation in community activities.
• Unemployment and Underemployment:
  • Limited job opportunities, low wages, and job insecurity can trap individuals in cycles of poverty, making it difficult to escape.
• Reduced Life Expectancy:
  • Poor living conditions, limited access to healthcare, and exposure to hazardous environments can lead to a shorter life expectancy for individuals in poverty.
• Lack of Access to Clean Water and Sanitation:
  • Poor communities may lack access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation facilities, which can result in waterborne diseases and poor hygiene.
• Intergenerational Poverty:
  • Poverty often persists across generations.
  • Children born into poverty are more likely to experience the same hardships, creating a cycle of poverty that can be challenging to break.
• Limited Savings and Financial Vulnerability:
  • Poor individuals typically lack savings or a financial safety net, making them vulnerable to unexpected expenses or emergencies.
• Reduced Social Mobility:
  • Poverty can limit opportunities for upward social mobility, hindering the ability of individuals to improve their economic and social circumstances.

Covid-19 pandemic and poverty:

• Economic disruption:
  • The lockdowns and restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus led to widespread job losses and income reductions.
  • Informal and low-skilled workers, who already had precarious employment, were disproportionately affected.
  • Many of them lost their livelihoods, pushing them further into poverty.
• Inadequate social safety nets:
  • India’s social safety net programmes, while existing, often suffered from gaps in coverage and efficiency.
  • The pandemic highlighted the need for more extensive and effective social protection systems to support those in need.
• Access to healthcare:
  • The pandemic exposed the disparities in access to healthcare.
  • Poorer communities often lacked access to quality healthcare facilities and faced challenges in receiving timely medical attention.
  • The high healthcare costs associated with Covid-19 treatment placed additional financial burdens on affected families.
• Education disruption:
  • The closure of schools and the shift to online education disproportionately affected students from lower-income households who lacked access to necessary technology and a conducive learning environment.
  • This disrupted their education and could lead to long-term consequences, limiting future opportunities.
• Digital divide:
  • The pandemic emphasized the digital divide, with many poorer individuals and families lacking access to the internet and technology, making it challenging for them to work or study remotely, access critical information, or benefit from e-commerce services.
• Increased debt:
  • Many individuals and families, particularly in the lower-income strata had to take on debt to meet essential needs during the pandemic.
  • This has led to increased financial insecurity and a cycle of debt that could persist beyond the immediate crisis.
• Impact on the informal sector:
  • India has a substantial informal sector workforce.
  • The lockdowns severely affected these workers, and many have struggled to regain their previous economic standing, leading to prolonged economic hardship.
• Reverse migration:
  • The pandemic triggered reverse migration as urban areas shut down.
  • Rural areas received an influx of returning migrants, which strained local resources and created challenges for both rural and urban communities.
• Entrepreneurial impact:
  • Small and medium-sized businesses faced significant challenges during the pandemic.
  • Many had to closed or reduced operations, resulting in lost income for both business owners and employees.

Anti-poverty strategies that India has applied so far

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA):
  • This flagship programme guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households, focusing on unskilled manual labour.
  • It provides economic security to rural households and enhances their purchasing power.
• Public Distribution System (PDS):
  • The PDS is a nationwide food security program that provides subsidised food grains to eligible beneficiaries.
  • It ensures that vulnerable populations have access to essential food items at affordable prices.
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS):
  • ICDS is a government programme that addresses child malnutrition and health issues by providing supplementary nutrition, healthcare, and preschool education to children in the age group of 0-6 years and to pregnant and lactating mothers.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY):
  • This housing scheme aims to provide affordable housing to the urban and rural poor.
  • It offers subsidies and loans to help people build or buy homes.
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:
  • This campaign focuses on improving sanitation and access to clean water.
  • It aims to reduce open defecation and improve overall hygiene.
• Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NULM):
  • This programme aims to reduce urban poverty through skill development, self-employment, and livelihood promotion.
• National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM):
  • NRLM focuses on enhancing the livelihoods of rural households through skill development, self-help groups, and microfinance support.
• Jan Dhan Yojana:
  • This financial inclusion program aims to provide banking services to all households, especially those in rural and underserved areas.
  • It helps individuals access financial services, which is essential for economic empowerment.
• Mid-Day Meal Scheme:
  • This programme provides free meals to school children, encouraging attendance and improving nutrition.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT):
  • The DBT system ensures that government subsidies and financial assistance are directly transferred to the bank accounts of beneficiaries, reducing leakages and corruption.

India’s achievement in poverty reduction:

• NITI Aayog Report:
  • As per the NITI Aayog’s 2023 National Multidimensional Poverty Index report, India has registered a significant decline of almost 10 per cent in number of India’s multidimensionally poor from 24.85 per cent in 2015-16 to 14.96 per cent in 2019-2021.
  • The rural areas witnessed the fastest decline in poverty from 32.5 per cent to 19.2 per cent.
  • A record 13.5 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
  • India is on track to achieve SDG target 1.2 (which is to reduce at least by half the proportion of those living in poverty) much ahead of the 2030 deadline.
• UNDP report:
  • As per the Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023 report of UNDP – India saw a remarkable reduction in poverty, with 415 million people exiting poverty within a span of just 15 years (2005/6–19/21)”.
  • Incidence of multidimensional poverty in India thus fell from 55.1 per cent in 2005-06 to 16.4 per cent in 2019-21.
  • Deprivation in all indicators declined in India, and the poorest states and groups, including children and people in disadvantaged caste groups, had the fastest absolute progress.

A critical examination of poverty reduction in India:

• Data Sources and Measurement:
  • One critical aspect to consider is the source of data and the methods used to measure poverty.
  • Different estimates may rely on diverse data sets, survey methodologies, and poverty thresholds, which can result in variations in the reported poverty rates.
• Regional Disparities:
  • India is a diverse country with significant regional disparities.
  • Poverty rates can vary greatly from one state to another.
  • Thus, an aggregate reduction in poverty may mask ongoing severe poverty in certain areas.
• Vulnerability and Income Instability:
  • Some individuals and households may escape poverty temporarily but remain vulnerable to falling back into poverty due to economic shocks, health issues, or other factors.
  • These aspects of income instability and vulnerability are not always captured by poverty estimates.
• Conflicting picture:
  • While the recent reports by the UNDP and NITIAayog paint a healthy picture of successful poverty reduction in India, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report highlighted that 104 crore or 74 per cent Indians are unable to afford a healthy diet.
    • The latter report is prepared by combined efforts of credible agencies such as the FAO, UNICEF, WHO and World Food Programme.
• Inequality:
  • Reduction in poverty levels does not necessarily equate to a reduction in income inequality.
  • the poor may experience some improvement, if the rich benefit disproportionately, income inequality can persist or worsen.
  • A focus on absolute poverty levels might not fully address the issue of relative deprivation and inequality.

Way forward:

• Access to Quality Education:
  • We need to enhance access to quality education, with a particular focus on marginalized communities.
  • This includes improving school infrastructure, teacher training, and increasing enrollment and retention rates, especially for girls, lower castes and scheduled tribes.
• Healthcare Access:
  • Steps must be taken to strengthen healthcare systems to ensure that the poor have access to affordable and quality healthcare services.
  • This includes expanding healthcare infrastructure, increasing health awareness, and promoting preventive healthcare measures.
• Employment and Livelihood Opportunities:
  • India has to create sustainable job opportunities in both rural and urban areas. \
  • Focus on the development of skills and vocational training to enhance employability, and support entrepreneurship and small businesses through microfinance and access to credit.
• Social Safety Nets:
  • The governments need to develop and expand social safety net programs that provide a basic level of income security to the poor, including cash transfer programs, food security initiatives, and unemployment benefits.
• Agricultural Reforms:
  • While economic reforms for the industry were initiated in early 1990s, Agrimarket reforms have not been undertaken despite the immense political, social and economic importance of farmers.
  • We need to urgently implement agricultural reforms to improve the productivity and income of farmers.
  • This includes providing access to modern farming techniques, irrigation, better infrastructure and improved market linkages.
• Housing and Infrastructure Development:
  • Governments should invest in housing and infrastructure development to provide safe and affordable housing to the poor.
  • Access to clean water, sanitation, and electricity is crucial for improving living standards.
• Financial Inclusion:
  • While a lot has been done, more needs to be done to promote financial inclusion by ensuring that the poor have access to formal financial services, such as savings accounts, microcredit, and insurance.
  • This empowers them to manage their finances and invest in income-generating activities.
• Gender Equality:
  • We, as a society, must address gender disparities by empowering women through education, economic opportunities, and legal rights.
  • Gender-sensitive policies can help reduce the feminisation of poverty.
• Social Inclusion:
  • There is an urgent need to combat discrimination and social exclusion based on factors like caste, religion, or ethnicity.
  • Policies that promote social cohesion and inclusivity are vital.
• Sustainable Development:
  • Promote sustainable development by integrating environmental considerations.
  • Sustainable practices ensure that economic growth benefits the poor without harming the environment.
• Government Transparency and Accountability:
  • Ensure transparent and accountable governance to prevent corruption and ensure that resources reach their intended beneficiaries.
• Data Collection and Monitoring:
  • Strengthen data collection and monitoring systems to track the progress of poverty alleviation initiatives, identify gaps, and make data-driven policy decisions.
• Partnerships and International Cooperation:
  • Collaborate with international organisations, NGOs, and other stakeholders to leverage resources, expertise, and knowledge to combat poverty effectively.
• Community Empowerment:
  • Promote community-based approaches that involve local communities in the design, implementation, and evaluation of poverty alleviation programmes.
• Investing in Children:
  • Prioritize investments in children’s well-being, including nutrition, healthcare, and quality education, to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty.
• Research and Innovation:
  • Encourage research and innovation to develop more effective and evidence-based poverty alleviation strategies.

Conclusion:

• In conclusion, while there is a welcome positive trend in the reduction of poverty levels in India, a critical examination of these estimates should account for the complexities and nuances involved in measuring poverty.
• Anti-poverty strategies in India encompass a wide range of interventions, addressing different dimensions of poverty, such as income, education, healthcare, housing, and nutrition.
• India continues to evolve and expand its efforts to alleviate poverty and improve the well-being of its citizens through these and other programmes.
• It is essential to consider multiple dimensions of poverty, regional disparities, income inequality, and the sustainability of these reductions to ensure a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the progress made in addressing poverty in India.
• Moreover, ongoing monitoring, data collection, and comprehensive policies are crucial to
  maintain and build on these positive trends.