POVERTY

By Anamika and
Akanksha
 CONTEN
01 Meaning T
02 Definition
03 Causes of poverty
04 Types of poverty
05 Poverty and health in context
06 Eradication of poverty
07 Poverty alleviation programme
 Meaning
The word poverty originated from the French
word 'poverte' from the Latin word 'paupertas'
and from the word 'pauper'meaning poor . It
refer to lack of adequate resources necessary for
basic survival or meet a certain level of living
standards such as food; safe water ; shelter and
clothing.
 DEFINITION
• Poverty is that condition in which a person either because of inadequate
income or unwise expenditure, does not maintain a scale of living high
enough to provide for his physical and mental efficiency and to enable
him and his natural dependents to function usually according to the
standards of society of which he is a member .
• By John L Gillin
• Poverty is the insufficient supply of those things which are requisite for
an individual to maintain himself and those dependent upon him in
health and vigour.
• By Goddard,JG
Causes of poverty
1. Rapid population growth
2. Smaller land holdings
3. Unemployment and underemployment
4. Unequal distribution of Wealth
5. Inequalities of income
6. Tax system
7. Low capital formation
8. Inflation
9. Social excllusion
10.Political factors
11. Corruption
01 Rapid population growth

Pressure of population without alternative

sources of employment has led to decline in
income which is insufficient for meeting
family basic needs

02 Smaller land holdings

A steady increase in population and lack of

alternate source of employment has led to division
and fragmentation of existing land holdings ,making
it unviable as an economic activity.This has resulted
in low agricultural productivity and low levels of
income
03 Unemployment and underemployment
Unemployment and underemployment with intermittent nature of work in
both rural and urban areas have led to people being thrust in poverty

04 Unequal distribution of wealth

Attempts of the govt. to redistribute the land among the landless for improving
their living conditions has meet with limited success. The unequal distribution
of assets has led to persistence of poverty in India.

05 Inequality of income
Concentration of income and wealth in hands of a selected few has widen the
gap between the have and havenot which again is a major cause of poverty.
06 Tax system
Indirect tax system on the other hand has become more regressive becoming
disproportionately hard on low earners .

07 Low capital formation

There has been a steady decrease in public expenditure in both agriculture and
industrial sector leading to low productivity and low capital formation

08 Inflation
A steep rise in the price of food grains and other essential goods at a rate higher
than the price of luxury goods has further deprived the lower income groups.

09 corruption
It often leads to centralization of power where leader help themselves with the
monetary resources which otherwise would have beenuse for deve project
 Types of poverty
1. Absolute poverty 05. Collective poverty
2. Relative poverty 06. Case poverty
3. Situational poverty 07. Rural poverty
4. Generational poverty 08. Urban poverty
1. Absolute poverty: Also known as extreme
poverty or abject poverty, it is the total lack
of resources and means required to meet
the most basic standards of living like food,
clean water, clothing, shelter and education.
Those suffering from absolute poverty tend
to struggle and experience many child
deaths from preventable diseases. The
characteristics of this type of poverty are
the same everywhere.
2. Relative poverty: It is defined differently from place to place
depending upon the social and economic context one lives in. It
refers to poverty of people in comparison to other people living
in the surroundings and thus a measure of income inequality.

3. Situational poverty: It is widespread but limited in its

duration. It is usually linked to specific events like death,
divorce, severe inte health problems or those that disrupt a
society such as a war or natural disaster.
4. Generational poverty: It occurs in families where at least
two generations have been born into poverty. Families living
in this type of poverty are not equipped to move out of it.

5. Collective poverty: It is widespread and troubles the entire

society. Generally found in war ravaged places and heavily
exploited places it persists across generations.

6. Case poverty: It occurs when a person or family is unable to secure

resources required to meet their basic needs although they are not scarce
and people around them are living well. It is usually the result of sudden
loss of employment, inability to work due to injury or illness.
7. Rural poverty: It occurs in rural areas with population below
50,000 and characterized by limited job opportunities, less
access to services and quality education. People in such areas
tend to mostly survive on farming and unskilled work.

8. Urban poverty: It occurs in metropolitan areas with

population of at least 50,000. It is characterized by limited
access to health and education, inadequate housing and
services, unhealthy environment due to congestion and little
or no social protection mechanism.
Poverty and
health in
Poverty and Health in Context Poverty interacts with health in many ways and
undermines a whole range of human capabilities, possibilities and opportunities. It
is a major cause of ill health and a barrier to accessing health care. They are both
inter- linked resulting in a vicious cycle, especially in less developed countries with
inadequate healthcare and welfare support systems. It is caused by systemic factors
that can persist for generations in a family. Beginning before birth and continuing
throughout an individual's life, poverty can significantly impact health and health
outcomes. Uneven income distribution and social policy provisions appear to have
a strong impact on poverty cycles and health inequities. Key facts which link
poverty and health are as follows:
• Evidence from all parts of the world points to a link between poverty, hunger
and poor child health. Poor health and hunger lead to poor performance at
school and an inability to find work for supporting the family. This results in a
continuous downward spiral which is almost irreversible.

• People enduring poverty are less educated and have less or no knowledge at a
about the activities that promote health.

• Health care costs are mostly overwhelming for an individual and his family the
of which occasionally results in families selling their property, taking children o
school for making an earning.
 ition s in m os t ca se s co nt rib ute to th e spre ad
• Congested and poor living cond s such as
ch as tube rc ul osis and re sp irato ry infe ction
of airborne diseases su
pneumonia.
• Lack of sanitation exposes children to vulnerable diseases and infections.
Poor ventilation makes the people vulnerable to respiratory diseases.

• Families residing in well-constructed houses are less likely to fall prey

to diseases and are also equipped to recover from common illnesses.
Good physical health leads to sound mental health.
 Eradication of poverty
Eradication of poverty is a moving target. Past experience has shown
that with development the definition of what constitutes poverty
keeps changing. It calls for key information and smart strategies to fight
poverty. Some of the remedial measures to eradicate poverty are as
follows
1. Acceleratingeconomic growth: Economic growth results in higher rate of
capital formation leading to more employment opportunities, greater
productivity and higher wages. This will help the poor to move above the
poverty line.
2. Agricultural growth and poverty alleviation: Agricultural growth is an
important determinant in reduction of poverty. However, for this to happen
public investment in irrigation and other infrastructure needs to be hastened.

3. Rapid development of infrastructure: Public investment for development of

infrastructure such as building of roads, highways, ports, telecommunication,
power and irrigation needs to be stepped up as these are mostly labor
intensive in nature.
4. Human resource development: Invest- ment in schools, technical training
institutes and vocational colleges, promote literacy and impart skills necessary to
generate a good deal of employment opportunities and income for the poor.

5. Growth in non-farm employment: Generation of non-farm employment

through activities like dairying, forestry, food processing, repair workshops,
transportation, handicrafts, etc., can play a significant role in reduction of
rural poverty.

6. Access to land assets: Redistribution of land and reforming laws will aid in
reducing poverty among the rural folk.
7. Access to credit: Availability of farm loans on easy terms and
conditions with low rate of interest help the farmers gain access to
high crop yielding technology to raise farm productivity.
8. Public distribution system: Public distribution system is an effective way of raisin
the rural incomes by ensuring supply of essential commodities at subsidized prices
the poor households.

9. Health security for all: Emergence of a strengthened healthcare and

welfare system can narrow the inequalities in health.

10. Fighting corruption: Corruption should systematically be weeded out

to pave way for greater transparency on part of both the Government
and the society.

11. Educate women: Efforts should be made to educate women and girls as
they have a strong bearing on the wellbeing of their families, communities and
countries as well. It allows them to break the traditional cycle of exclusion at
home and in the society.
Part Three

Poverty alleviation
programme
1. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ-
ment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): It is a
scheme wherein the Government provides at
least 100 days of guaranteed wage
employment in every financial year to every
household whose adult members volunteer to
do unskilled manual work.

2. National Rural Livelihood Mission

(NRLM): A scheme evolved to provide
jobs with regular income to the rural
poor in self-help groups (SHGs).
 3. National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM): A scheme
evolved to organize the urban poor in self-help groups,
creating opportunities for skill development leading to
market-based employment and helping them to set up self-
employment ventures by ensuring easy access to credit.

4. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: A scheme

launched to ensure comprehensive financial inclusion
of all households in the country by providing universal
access to banking facilities with at least one basic
bank account to every household for financial literacy,
access to credit, insurance and pension facility. Under
this scheme a person not having a savings account can
open an account without the requirement of any
minimum balance.
5. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana: A scheme
aimed at providing life coverage to the poor and low-
income sections of the society. The scheme offers a
maximum assured amount of ₹2.00 lakhs.

6. Ayushman Bharat: A flagship scheme of the

Government of India, it is the world's largest free
healthcare scheme launched for achieving
universal health coverage (UHC).

7. Gramin Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana: It is a

scheme launched to address the housing gaps
existing in rural areas. Houses built under PMAY
scheme are low- cost and disaster resilient.
8. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and
Saubhagya Scheme: Ujjwala scheme is aimed at
providing LPG connections to women from below
poverty line households. Saubhagya scheme is aimed
at providing energy access to all by last mile
connectivity and electricity connections to all
remaining unelectrified households in rural as well as
urban areas to achieve universal household
electrification in the country.

9. Jal Jeevan Mission: A scheme aimed at improving

the lives of people by providing assured tap water
supply by 2024.
Prime Minister Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi
(PM SVanidhi): A scheme to provide microcredit
facilities to street vendors affected due to COVID-19
pandemic.

COVID aid: An economic package aimed at

providing relief to poor migrant workers,
farmers, construction workers, women,
especially abled and the old who were
economically hurt by the lockdown due to the
coronavirus outbreak.
 Role of a nurse
• As a primary healthcare professional, a nurse fully understands that poverty
is a social determinant of health. She is thus well placed to mitigate the ill
effects of C poverty by providing access to appropriate health care services.

• Being more acquainted with health inequalities in poor neighborhoods she

is better equipped to address health issues like HIV/AIDS and infant
mortality.

• A community nurse can play an advocacy function in creating policy

system and resource allocation to increase opportunity for health
within the society.
THANK YOU