Vicious Circle of Proverty in India

Stuck in traffic on our way to work or school, we seldom glance at the people around us. Young mothers going from car to car, carrying a young child, hoping to find a generous soul during a red light. Young men and women, boys and girls, rushing from one car to another, selling books, toys and whatnot. Gazing out from the 20th floor of a corporate office, house or hotel, spots of slums can be easily seen scattered across every city. The people that we see, and more often than not ignore, are a large part of India’s growing population.

What Poverty Really Means

For many, the term poverty simply means a lack of income and adequate sustainable resources. But the reality is that it is so much more than that. What sets you apart from a young boy working at a tea stall, is access. Access to a wide variety of resources and facilities such as healthcare, infrastructure, housing, education, proper sanitation and hygiene and much more.

Nowadays conversing in English comes naturally to even the five-year-olds living in metros. But the same is not true for a young woman spending her days working as domestic help. She cannot afford even the basic education that we have access to. For her, fluent English is a distant dream.

Today, according to the World Poverty Clock, 3% of Indians live in extreme poverty. India has the second-largest population of extremely poor in the world. Concepts like extreme poverty and the poverty line are often lost on us. But they’re important to understand if we are to grasp the gravity of the situation. 

If you’re living in a city with an income of INR 33 per day or less, or if you’re living in rural areas with an income of INR 27 per day or less you’re considered to be ‘poor’. It is difficult to imagine eating a healthy meal costing INR 33 let alone eating three meals a day – that too for perhaps a family of four. One can only imagine the plight of those with hungry mouths to feed. Extreme poverty is a more despairing situation – and a big one at that. 

Families living in extreme poverty live on less than two meals a day. They spend 80 percent of their income on food. Families of seven to eight live on an annual household income of less than INR 12,000. This roughly amounts to INR 1,000 per month, an amount casually spent at a restaurant for a meal. 

Those above the poverty line are exposed to similar harsh conditions. They may be marginally better off than those in extreme poverty, but the lines blur more often than one would like to admit.

Why the Situation isn’t Improving

Poverty alleviation has been a central agenda for every state and central government. But while schemes look great on paper, the reality is very different. Over 14.5 lakh crores are spent by the government to tackle rural poverty. But the poor are kept from the measures put in place to protect and help them. The money meant to give loans to poor farmers often lines the pockets of the middle man trusted to do the job.

The harsh and merciless reality is that families living in extreme poverty have no productive assets or any income-generating activity. Various social responsibility initiatives by respectable corporates are also unable to successfully tackle the ailment that is poverty. NGOs meant to help the poor are often exposed as organizations that exploit them. While some may have good intentions, the plans they devise and the initiatives they take are not scalable enough to make a significant dent in the massive problem called poverty.

India lies on an operation table, bleeding copiously. It requires swift and immediate action that creates a wide-scale impact. We need programs, schemes and initiatives that are as robust, scalable and impactful in reality as they are immaculate and impressive on paper. 

Making an Impact

The common man remains exposed yet somewhat unaware of the dire and harsh conditions faced by 30 per cent of the population. We’re too busy in our own lives to look beyond. But it is never too late to do what we should have done a long time ago – unite against the common foe that is poverty. Every man counts; because helping one person might not change the world but it can change that person’s world. So take a stand and be the change you want to see in this world.

Now that you’ve taken a stand, how do you intend to bring about a change? Over the years, NGOs have been shrouded in an air of mistrust. While many wish to contribute to make the world a better place and to help those in need, there are limited avenues and not enough awareness to enable people to help bring about the change we need. 

This is where initiatives like we/can take center stage. we/can emphasizes on impact and transparency. As a donor, you should be aware of how and where your money is spent. You should be able to see the change your contributions make and you should be proud of it. As a part of we/can, from photos to GPS coordinates, you’ll always be kept up-to-date with the latest developments and the impact you have enabled.

As a part of this initiative, you can choose to join forces with spirited young women from rural areas, help them get the education and skill-training they need or help families with a variable income source get the stability they need to sustain themselves. With we/can, there is a lot of good that you can do – whether it is making direct donations, participating in fundraising or even sending a letter of positivity and encouragement, the smallest of actions can have big impact. If we are to grow as a nation, if we are to emerge as a global superpower, we must move together as one nation. We must unite and stand against the evils of poverty.