The document discusses the concepts of poverty and unemployment in India, their relationship, and efforts to reduce them. It provides historical data showing that poverty in India peaked in the 1960s and has declined since economic reforms in the 1990s, but still impacts hundreds of millions who lack basic necessities. Unemployment rates average around 9% and are caused by factors like population growth, low agricultural productivity, and lack of skills training. Several government programs have aimed to reduce poverty through rural development, employment guarantees, and self-employment initiatives, but more remains to be done to educate citizens and implement effective policies.
Poverty and unemployment in india by Abhishek Lahiry
1. CURSE OF POPULATION EXPLOSION: POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT
with Special Reference to India
ABHISHEK LAHIRY
ROLL: 33
SEMESTER: 1ST
2. INTRODUCTION
CONCEPT OF POVERTY : The definition of poverty matters because how it is defined
determines how much poverty there is believe to be. The definition can also influence the
explanations of poverty and the possible solution that are put forward.
Poverty is a situation that gives rise to a feeling of a
discrepancy between what one has and what one should have.
What one should have is an internal construct; hence,
each person’s feeling and experience of poverty is individual and unique. But, the feeling of
‘powerlessness’ and ‘resourcelessness’ is possessed by all poor people.
CONCEPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT: Unemployment occurs when people are without
work and actively seeking work. An unemployed person is “one who having potentialities and
willingness to earn, is unable to find remunerative work”.
During periods of recession, an economy
usually experiences a relatively high unemployment rate. According to International Labour
Organization report, more than 200 million people globally or 6% of the world's workforce
were without a job in 2012.
3. According to UNIDO’s ‘Yearbook of Statistics 2010’ India has emerged as one of the worlds top ten
countries in Industrial production, ranks tenth in GNP, yet it has a large population that is extremely
poor. Here is the historical scenario-
Poverty in India is a historical reality. From late 19th
century through early 20th century, under British
colonial rule, poverty in India intensified, peaking in
1920s.
According to Ansari and Akhtar (2012) at the
beginning of new millennium, 260 million people in
India did not have income to access a consumption
basket which defines the poverty line.
According to National Sample Survey Organization
results people living below poverty line(BPL) have
dramatically come down during the post-economic
reform era; from 30% in 1993-94 to 26% in 1999-2000.
After 1947 poverty increased rapidly, peaking
post-independence in 1960s. Rapid economic growth since 1991, has led to sharp reductions in
extreme poverty in India. Lack of basic essentials of life such as safe drinking water, sanitation,
housing, health infrastructure as well as malnutrition impact the lives of hundreds of millions.
Fig- 1
Source: Census of India,2011
4. From 1983 till 2011, Unemployment rates in India averaged 9 percent reaching an all-time high
of 9.4 percent in December 2010 and a record low of 3.8 Percent in December 2011.
The number of unemployed persons in
India decreased to 39963 thousand in 2009 from
39974 thousand in 2007.
Unemployed persons in India and Kenya averaged
36933 thousand from 1985 until 2009, reaching an
all-time high of 41750 thousand in 2001 and a
record low of 24861 thousand in 1985.
The report for 2012-13 states that Sikkim has the
maximum number of unemployed people where as
Chhattisgarh has the minimum number of
unemployed people in the country.
According to a National Sample Survey Office
(NSSO) last year also there was a dip in India’s employment
rate that had gone down to 38.6% in 2011-12 (July-June)
from 39.2% in 2009-10.
Fig-2:Source: Development Report,2011
5. RELATION BETWEEN POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT
There exists a direct and positive relationship between Unemployment and Poverty.
Unemployment leads to Poverty in turns leads to Unemployment. An unemployed person has no
means to earn money and cannot fulfill his own and his family basic needs. He and his family
cannot avail quality education, and has no means to create income earning assets. Such
circumstances often compel indebtedness. This confirms the positive relationship between
unemployment and poverty
Fig-3
If government wants to alleviate poverty, then it should aim at creating new employment
opportunities. As a result, more people will get employed and perhaps their income will rise.
6. POVERTY
ABSOLUTE
POVERTY
Absolute poverty refers to a set standard
which is consistent over time and
between countries. First introduced in
1990, the dollar a day poverty
line measured absolute poverty by the
standards of the world’s poorest
countries.
RELATIVE
POVERTY
Relative poverty views poverty as
socially defined and dependent
on social context, hence relative
poverty is a measure of income
inequality. Usually, relative poverty is
measured as the percentage of
population with income less than some
fixed proportion of median income
8. Why India is Poverty Struck?
Individuals: The ideology of individualism which finds the cause of poverty within the
individuals is that success and failure of an individual are his personal matters. If one ends up in
poverty, it is his own fault .The ideology maintains that poverty is good for society because the
fittest will survive.
Rapidly rising population: On average 17 million people are
added every year to its population which raises the demand for
consumption goods considerably
Low productivity in agriculture: The level of productivity
in agriculture is low due to sub divided and fragmented
holdings, lack of capitals, use of tradition method of
civilization, illiteracy etc.
Unemployment: The continuously expanding army of
unemployment is another cause of poverty.
Low rate of economic development: The rate of economic development in India has been
below the required level. The net result is poverty.
The other causes of poverty are like Price Rise, Under utilize resource, Shortage of
capital, Social factors, Political factors etc.
Fig:4
Fig:5
9. Degrading social or work status causes unemployment in the sense that
some people consider it below their dignity to take up certain jobs and prefer
to remain unemployed.
The upsurge in the birth rate or the rapid growth of population is a factor
which immensely affects the availability of work.
Unemployment is triggered off by geographical immobility too.
Unemployment is also a result of the defective educational system.
10. How far the curse poverty has spread over India?
Fig:6
Source: Census Of India 1991
Fig:7
Source: Planning Commission Press Note on
Poverty Estimate, 2009
Fig:8
Source: Census Of India,2001
11. Unemployment- killing youth in India
Fig:9
Source: Indian
Labor Bureau ,2010
Fig:10
Fig:11
Source: Census Of India,2001 Source: Census Of India,2011
12. PROBLEMS RELATED TO POVERTY
Malnutrition: This is especially seen in children of poor families. People living in poverty
rarely have access to highly nutritious foods. A family on a very small budget is much more
likely to purchase food that is less nutritious, simply because that is all they can afford.
Health: This includes things from diseases to life expectancy to medicine. Diseases are very
common in people living in poverty because they lack the resources to maintain a healthy living
environment.
Education: Many people living in poverty are unable to attend school from a very early age.
Families may not be able to afford the necessary clothing or school supplies. Others may not
have a way for their children to get to school.
Economy: Mainly, the number of people living in poverty influences employment rates
heavily. Without an education, people are unlikely to find a paying job. Unemployment
hinders a country from developing into a strong economic system.
Society: Many people living in poverty are homeless, which puts them on the streets. There
also seems to be a connection between poverty and crime. When people are unemployed and
homeless, social unrest may take over and lead to increases in crime.
13. PROBLEMS RELATED TO UNEMPLOYMENT
Insecurity amongst employees
Decrease the level of Standard of leaving
Employment gaps
Loss of skills’ usage
Increase of Crime and violence
Political issues
Health diseases
14. HOW FAR INDIA HAS GONE REDUCING POVERTY?
Several poverty alleviation programmes have been launched by the government
for the rural poor, comprising the small and marginal farmers, landless labors &
rural artisans, as well as urban poor. This programmes are as follows :
Intrigated Rural Development Programme
Indira Awaas Yojna
Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojna- Gramin Awaas
Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna
Antodaya Anna Yojna
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
15. UNEMPLOYMENT: IS IT SOLVED?
What are the job avenues open today to the new entrants in the employment market?
The XXXI Indian Labor Conference held in 1994 in Delhi suggested the following
measures for the galloping jobless conundrum in the country:
a) Encouraging Self-employment
b) Drastic recognition of vocational course
c) Identifications of skills needed in the present day context
It may thus be pointed out that the remedial measures for reducing unemployment
must lay greater emphasis on : 1) Augmentation of productivity and income
levels of the working poor; 2) Shift in emphasis from creation of relief type of
employment to the building up of durable productive assets in the rural areas &
3) Instead of attempting to revert somewhat to protectionist policy and
emphasizing on Common minimum programme.
16. INDIA…WAY TO GO:
Poverty is considerd to be the greatest curse of a developing economy. It is the
mother of unemployment, tension, criminal urgency and disgrace in human
life. It is true, that India not being an exceptional nation, is also being
considerably engulfed with these problems, and thus special attention needs to
be paid, in selection of appropriate measures to combat these problems.
So long as we have a double mind
about what path of developmental style to adopt, we will fail economically in
our goals. It is not lack of resources or technical skills which are hindrances in
our development, it is lack of political policies.
In the concluding remark, the
greatest economist Prof. Dr. Amartya Sen do belive that most Indians are
unaware of poverty and unemployment eradication measures, which itself a
curse to them.