The national-level minimum wage in India is presently around Rs 176/day. The citizens who are not able to earn as per this limit fall under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. The State of Working India 2021 report by Azim Premji University states that 23 crore additional citizens were pushed into the Below Poverty Line benchmark, largely because of the ongoing pandemic Thus, falling into the category of the “new poor”.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the 17th of October, 1987 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. According to a UN definition of Poverty, poverty is equated with a violation of human dignity as it leads to denial of choices and opportunities (1998).
Poverty in India has been increasing persistently. The Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the situation. The Government of India (GoI), over the years, has come up with various poverty alleviation programmes concerning Food, Health, and Education at the national as well as the state level. This is also done to resonate with the goals of “No Poverty”, “Zero Hunger” and “Quality Education”, which are amongst the top goals of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
India has a federal structure of administration, which means decentralization of power is one of the key objectives to make the implementation of governmental policies at the grassroots more efficient. Let us first understand how this system works. In regard to the poverty alleviation programmes, a top-down approach is followed all over the world. For almost all the policies made at the national level, consequently, it is the individual state(s) that has to shoulder all the responsibilities of implementation and monitoring process. This procedure is strictly followed in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central government. Further, the State governments delegate this responsibility to other local agencies. These local agencies play a crucial role in implementing these public welfare schemes at the grass-root level.
As we all know, no individual agency can do such an arduous task by itself. Thus, various agencies need to work in tandem to make these policies more successful at the ground level. This is where the role of Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs) comes into the picture.
Located in New Delhi, Wishes and Blessings is one such NGO that aims to link beneficiaries with donors. It envisions a world where there is no poverty but also understands that no government can attain this objective alone.
The first step towards eradicating poverty is by eradicating hunger. Once, a person’s hunger is taken care of, the next step is to improve their quality of life, this can be done by making education accessible. Education is one of the most important tools to pull someone out of poverty. Typically, a child coming from a disadvantaged group might feel out of place, if they are directly placed in a classroom without any prior preparation. Thus, preparing a child for their Journey to a new class might help a child build confidence for surviving in the real world.
1. Zero Hunger and No Poverty:
The Government of India in this aspect follows Targeted Public Distribution System under the Food Security Act 2013 so that each state could reach the targeted beneficiaries. The Food Security Act was promulgated in 2013 by the GoI, it ensures access to an adequate quantity of food at a subsidised price, without compromising on the quality of it, giving priority to food safety and security. The government also launched the National Health Mission in 2013, which looks at giving quality health care services, making the agencies responsible and accountable to the citizen’s needs, which in turn, assures the citizens to live a life of dignity and self-worth.
Wishes and Blessings work on this aspect through one of its major flagship programmes, the Daily Meals Programme, under which, the NGO is providing hot and nutritious meals to its beneficiaries on a daily basis. The organization is also providing bi-weekly ration kits in areas where kitchen facilities are unavailable.
2. Quality Education and No Poverty:
In terms of education, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which was amended in 2017 by the GoI, has an aim to provide free and compulsory education to all children falling under the age bracket of six to fourteen years.
Wishes and Blessings has come up with Sponsor A Childhood Project which aims to support education for underprivileged children (including differently-abled children) of diverse backgrounds. Since these children normally don’t get into schools in accordance with their age because of innumerable social and financial constraints, more than often they are in need of specialized help or a coaching system approach to help them get ready for their journey from the streets to school.
Poverty can break people in different ways, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 by the GoI is an initiative for the protection of the senior citizens of our country, although, it cannot be expected by the individuals who are already struggling, to take care of their seniors. Thus, Wishes and Blessings also run old-age homes, which goes by the name of Mann Ka Tilak so that the elders of the society are not left devoid of the respect that they deserve.
India does have a proper structure in place in terms of poverty alleviation policies. Although the task to reach out to such a large population can be really daunting, Wishes and Blessings as an organisation makes an individual’s basic rights of living a life of dignity and respect its utmost priority so that no person is denied their freedom of choice and opportunities. It’s not the lack of resources but the lack in the redistribution of resources that is one of the main reasons for the ever-increasing glaring gaps when it comes to divisions in society.
Organizations like Wishes and Blessings aim to help the government fast-track the redistribution process. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Indian economy contracted by nearly 24% in the last quarter. Although there are signs of economic recovery, it will still take the country a lot of time to fully recover. Thus, we cannot put the whole pressure on the government to make things better. We as individuals need to come forward and provide help in our own individual capacities. Thus, till the time we all don’t come together to fight this issue of poverty reduction, if not eradication, attaining it will be a pipe dream.
About the Author
Arushi Painuly is Programme Officer for Squad For Change (SFC) at Wishes and Blessings. She has done her Masters in Political Science from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. Arushi is passionate about reading books, writing and dancing. She firmly believes in being part of the solution, rather than the problem.
***