Question

Describe current government strategy of poverty alleviation.

Answer 1

• Although Governments have implemented many schemes for poverty alleviation, the benefits have not reached all the poor and deserving people.
• Hence monitoring the poverty alleviation programmes has been an important strategy.
• Two pronged strategy of Government has been targeted poverty alleviation programmes and promoting growth of the economy.
• Some of the important poverty alleviation programmes are Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005. In rural areas, to ensure livelihood security, 100 days of employment is assured to every household under MGNREGA.
• It aims to address the problems of soil erosion, deforestation, drought thereby focusing on sustainable development.
• Women have been given reservation for one-third of the proposed jobs.
• MGNREGA aims to provide employment to 4.78 crore households, and focuses on providing employment of 220 crores person days.
• The share of person days among women, ST and SC was 53 percent, 17 percent and 23 percent respectively.
• In 1993, a poverty alleviation scheme named Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) was launched.
• PMRY focuses on small town and rural areas, which have youth who are educated but unemployed. It focuses on creating opportunities for self-employment. They are given assistance in setting up industries and small businesses.
• In 1995, a scheme named Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) was launched. It focused on creating self-employment opportunities in small towns and rural areas.
• In 1999, the name of the poverty alleviation scheme launched was Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY). Using a mix of government subsidy and bank credit, it focused on helping the poor people move above the poverty line through self help groups.
• To provide basic services like rural electrification, rural drinking water, rural shelter, primary education and health services, additional assistance was received by the state governments from the central government. This was done under the scheme named Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) which was launched in 2000.