Poverty was a curse earlier also but now this crisis has deepened further. Poverty is not only a big problem of India but of the whole world. Poverty is a serious disease, poverty is a bad stain for any country.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated every year on 17 October. The celebration of this day began on 17 October 1987. On that day, more than one lakh people gathered at the Trocadero in Paris. The purpose of celebrating this day is to provide a dignified life to people suffering from extreme poverty, violence, and hunger. The theme of this day for 2024 is 'Eliminating social and institutional abuses, working together for a just, peaceful and inclusive society.' This day emphasizes the need for collective action to reduce poverty.
Chance to give dignity of Life
The purpose of this day is also to listen to the struggles and concerns of the poor, help them come out of poverty and emphasize the importance of collective action to address the challenges faced by people living in extreme poverty. Which aims to promote understanding and dialogue between people living in poverty and the wider society. Eradicating poverty is not just about helping the poor - but giving every woman and man a chance to live with dignity. Poverty is a violation of a person's human rights. It not only leads to a life of deprivation, hunger and suffering, but is also a major barrier to the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms.
According to the United Nations, 8.4 percent of the world's population, or about 670 million people, were living in extreme poverty by the end of 2022. It is estimated that about 7 percent of the global population, about 575 million people, could still be trapped in extreme poverty by 2030.
What Impacts poverty?
Societal and institutional abuses interact and amplify each other, thereby increasing this double-edged violence and deepening injustice, and this is more pronounced for people who also face other forms of prejudice, including gender, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity.
Understanding how different forms of violence and domination interact with each other and impact on people living in poverty is crucial to a meaningful understanding of poverty.
In a world characterized by unprecedented levels of economic development, technological tools, and financial resources, it is a moral outrage that millions of people live in extreme poverty. Poverty is not just an economic issue, but a multidimensional phenomenon that involves a lack of both income and the basic capabilities to live a dignified life.
Causes of poverty
Individuals living in poverty experience multiple interrelated and mutually reinforcing deprivations that prevent them from realizing their rights and perpetuate their poverty, including:
Dangerous working conditions
Unsafe housing
Lack of nutritious food
Unequal access to justice
Lack of political power
Limited access to health care
Plans to eradicate poverty
While building a strong and developed India in the Amrit Kaal of Independence, the resolution of a poor-free India will also have to be given shape. The plans and targets set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for the centenary celebrations of Independence in the year 2047 also include comprehensive plans for poverty eradication. In the last ten years and in Modi's third term, such poor welfare schemes have been implemented, which have made meaningful efforts to wash away the shame of poverty from India's forehead and have uplifted those living below the poverty line. From the year 2005 to 2020, about 41 crore people in the country have come above the poverty line, yet India is the only country in the world where poverty is the highest.
According to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, there are a total of 23 crore poor people in India. This is a clear indication that despite all the welfare schemes, the country today is in dire need of economic self-reliance and self-employment for the poor along with discussions on new ideas and welfare schemes to achieve the goal of poverty eradication. Only by rising above the selfish political mentality of distributing freebies to the poor and garnering their votes can a balanced society free of poverty be created.