Answer the following in 5-6 sentences each.

List out the measures taken by the government to eradicate poverty.

Poverty is the economic situation in which a person is not able to completely fulfil the minimum requirements needed to lead their life. It is the condition in which people are deprived of their basic and fundamental necessities of life including food, shelter, clothing, health, education and clean surrounding. The government has taken many measures to eradicate poverty. Some of the important measures are:

• Economic development measures: The government has taken many measures to eradicate poverty by increasing economic development. The government has initiated many measures to eradicate poverty to fasten the economic development of the country. The government has implemented five-year plans for strengthening the economic development of the country. It aims to achieve not only higher economic growth and achieve equitable distribution of income.

• Self-employment programmes: From the 1960s the government has started implementing many self-employment programmes to eradicate poverty. The government is providing subsidies and loans at low rate of interest. Some of the important self-employment programmes of the government are:

i. The Integrated Rural Development Programme was implemented in 1980.

ii. The Swarnajayanti Grama Swarozgar Yojana was implemented in 1999.

iii. The Swarnajayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana was implemented in 1997.

iv. The National Rural Livelihood Mission (Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana) was implemented in 2011.

• Wage employment programmes: From the 1970s the government has started implementing many wage employment programmes to eradicate poverty. The programme aims to provide jobs on a daily wage basis to the poor, unskilled and the people without any assets. The jobs provided to them will focus on creating community assets like roads, tanks and farm bunds. The most important wage employment initiative of the government was the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme initiated in 2005. The programme aims to provide wage employment to the unemployed for at least 100 days in a year for anyone adult member of the poor households. Minimum wages will be provided to the works through bank accounts or post office deposits. The programme was a huge success in improving the economic status of the people.