Poverty As a Challenge - Class IX Economics

Poverty as a Challenge

Question: Who are the poorest of the poor?
(a) Women
(b) Old people
(c) Children
(d) All of the above (Answer)

Question: In which state has the high agricultural growth helped to reduce poverty?
(a) Jammu & Kashmir
(b) West Bengal
(c) Punjab (Answer)
(d) Gujarat

Question: In which state have the land reform measures helped to reduce poverty?
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Punjab
(c) West Bengal (Answer)
(d) Kerala

Question: What is the main cause of poverty in India?
(a) High income inequalities
(b) Less job opportunities
(c) High growth in population
(d) All of the above (Answer)

Question: Which of the following programmes was launched in the year 2000?
(a) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(b) Prime Minister Rojgar Yojana
(c) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna
(d) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (Answer)

Question: Who advocated that India would be truly independent only when the poorest of its people become free of human suffering?
(a) Mahatma Gandhi (Answer)
(b) Indira Gandhi
(c) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(d) Subhash Chandra Bose

Question: Who do not come under the category of urban poor?
(a) The casual workers
(b) The unemployed
(c) The shopkeepers (Answer)
(d) Rickshaw pullers

Question: The calorie requirement is higher in the rural areas because:
(a) they do not enjoy as much as people in the urban areas.
(b) food items are expensive.
(c) they are engaged in mental work.
(d) people are engaged in physical labour. (Answer)

Question: Which one of the social groups are vulnerable to poverty?
(a) Scheduled caste
(b) Urban casual labour
(c) Rural agricultural households
(d) All of the above (Answer)

Paragraph based Question: 

Sivaraman lives in a small village near Karur town in Tamil Nadu. Karur is famous for its handloom and power loom fabrics. There are 100 families in the village. Sivaraman an Arunthathiyar (cobbler) by caste now works as an agricultural labourer for rupees 160 per day. But that’s only for five to six months in a year. At other times, he does odd jobs in the town.

Question: Why did Sivaraman need to do odd jobs in the town apart from agriculture?
(a) Physical weakness
(b) Lack of skills do work in agriculture
(c) Arunthathiayar caste is not allowed to work in agriculture for entire year
(d) Agriculture only provides seasonal work (Answer)

Instruction: Two statements are given in the question below as Assertion (A) and Reasoning (R). Read the statements and choose the appropriate option.

Question: Assertion (A): Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter.
Reason (R): Poverty is living with a sense of hopelessness.
Options:
a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A. (Answer)
c) A is true but R is false.
d) A is false but R is true

Question: Creating self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small town is the aim of
a) Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
b) Prime Minister RozgarYojana (Answer)
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) None of these

Question: Along with rural poverty, urban poverty is also high in
a) Odisha, Madhya Pradesh
b) Bihar
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) All of these (Answer)

Question: Social group which is the most vulnerable to poverty is/are
a) Scheduled Caste
b) Scheduled Tribe
c) Both (a) and (b) (Answer)
d) People in remote area

Question: Arranger the following in proper sequence as per their lunching year
a) Rural Employment Generation Programme
b) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana
c) Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
d) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana

Codes
(a) (ii), (i), (iii), (iv) (Answer)
(b) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
(c) (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)
(iii), (i), (iv), (ii)

Question: Assertion (A): People in urban areas do more physical work.
Reason (R): Calorie requirement per person is more in rural areas than urban areas.
Options:
a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
c) (A) is true but (R) is false.
d) (A) is false but (R) is true (Answer)

Question: Assertion (A): Social scientists look at poverty through variety of indicators.
Reason (R): Poverty has many facets.
Options:
a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). (Answer)
b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
c) (A) is true but (R) is false.
d) (A) is false but (R) is true

Question: For how many days NREGA provides an employment?
a) 120 days
b) 100 days (Answer)
c) 90 days
d) 60 days

Question: Which industry suffered the most during the colonial period?
a) Agriculture
b) Textiles (Answer)
c) Raw Materials
d) Manufacturing

Paragraph based Question: In these circumstances, there is a clear need for targeted anti-poverty programmes. Although there are so many schemes which are formulated to affect poverty directly or indirectly some of them are worth mentioning. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 aims to provide 100 days of wage employment to every household to ensure livelihood security in rural areas. It also aimed at sustainable development to address the cause of draught, deforestation and soil erosion. One-third of the proposed jobs have been reserved for women. The scheme provided employment to 220 crores person days of employment to 4.78 crore households. The share of SC, ST, Women person days in the scheme are 23 per cent. 17 per cent and 53 per cent respectively. The average wage has increased from 65 in 2006-07 to 132 in 2013-14.

(i) MGNREGA is an example of ............ running in India.
(a) rural programme
(b) social security programme
(c) educational programme
(d) targeted anti-poverty programme (Answer)

(ii) MGNREGA is operational in which of the following areas?
(a) villages near the forest areas
(b) Trible areas
(c) Rural areas (Answer)
(d) Rural and urban areas.

(iii) When was Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act formulated?
(a) 2001
(b) 1992
(c) 2005 (Answer)
(d) 2015

(iv) Which among the following is not an aim of MGNREGA act?
(a) Provide 100 days of employment.
(b) Job security in rural urban areas.
(c) Reserve one-third jobs for SC. (Answer)
(d) Both (b) and (c)

Paragraph based Question: Prime minister Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) is another scheme which was started in 1993. The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small business and industries. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) was launched in 1995. The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities in rural areas and small towns. A target for creating 25 lakh new jobs has been set for the programme under the Tenth Five Year Plan. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was launched in 1999. The programme aims at bringing the assisted poor families above the poverty line by organising them into self-help groups through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy.

(i) PMRY is a scheme aimed towards what?
(a) Food security
(b) Women safety
(c) Employment generation (Answer)
(d) Poverty reduction

(ii) When was Rural Employment Generation Programme launched?
(a) 1993
(c) 2008
(b) 1995 (Answer)
(d) 1980

(iii) SGSY aims to provide bank credits and government subsidy to
(a) Self-help groups (Answer)
(b) Rural unemployed youth
(c) Urban educated youth
(d) Rural women

(iv) Self- employment opportunities means
(a) generate employment on your own.
(b) open cottage industry
(c) start business with very little capital
(d) All of the above (Answer)

Paragraph based Question: Since poverty has many facts, social scientists look at it through a variety of indicators. Usually the indicators used relate to the levels of income and consumption. But now poverty is looked through other social indicators like illiteracy level, lack of general resistance due to malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare, lack of job opportunities, lack of access to safe drinking water sanitation etc. Analysis of poverty based on social exclusion and vulnerability is now becoming very common.

(i) Social exclusion relates to ..........
(a) People below poverty line.
(b) People above poverty line.
(c) people excluded from facilities, benefit and opportunities. (Answer)
(d) Caste differences

(ii) A person with high income, but less consumption can be termed vulnerable to poverty or not?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Cannot be determined (Answer)
(d) Can be socially excluded

(iii) What are the indicators of poverty?
(a) Low income
(b) Low consumption
(c) Illiteracy
(d) All of the above (Answer)

(iv) Malnutrition, lack of healthcare are .........of poverty.
(a) indicator (Answer)
(b) social exclusion
(c) vulnerability
(d) None of the above

Study the given bar graph carefully, and answer the following questions:

Source: Economic Survey 2001-02, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

(i) Identify the three states where the poverty ratio is the highest.
Answer: Odisha, Bihar and Chattisgarh.

(ii) Identify the three states where poverty ratio is the lowest.
Answer: Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala.

(iii) Why the states named given by you in part (i) have a high poverty ratio? Mention one reason.
Answer: Due to lack of job opportunities and high density of population.

(iv) Why the states named given by you in part (ii) have a low poverty ratio? Mention one reason.
Answer: Due to availability of work

Study the given figure carefully, and answer the following questions:

(i) Which area/country of the world had the largest concentration of poor in 1981?

Answer: China.

(ii) Name the regions/countries where poverty has decreased (any two).

Answer: China, East Asia and the Pacific.

(iii) Whether the poverty in South Asia is increasing or decreasing. Give reason.

Answer: Poverty in South Asia is decreasing. In 1981 more than 50 per cent of the population was living below the poverty line, but in 2001, it was approximately 30 percent.

Study the given bar graph carefully, and answer the following questions:

(i) Name any two social groups are highly vulnerable to poverty.

Answer: Scheduled tribes arid Scheduled castes.

(ii) What is an average Indian poverty ratio?

Answer: 30 per cent.

(iii) Name any two economic groups which are highly vulnerable to poverty.

Answer: Rural agricultural labourer households and the urban casual labour households

Question: “Poverty is a curse upon humanity.” Explain by giving two examples.
Answer: Poverty is a curse because -
i) most of the poor people live with a sense of helplessness.
ii) Poor people are debarred from the basic necessity if life, i.e. good health, drinking water etc.

Question: How can poverty be reduced in future in India? Suggest any two points.
Answer: i) Better economic growth.
ii) Increasing stress on universal free elementary education.

Question: Mention any two causes of poverty in India.
Answer: i) High growth rate of population.
ii) Lack of job opportunities in the secondary sectors.

Question: Which methods are used to estimate the poverty line in India?

Answer: The daily income and consumption methods are used to estimate the poverty line in India.

Question: Which states of India has seen a significant decline in poverty?

Answer: There has been a significant decline in poverty in Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal.

Question: What are the major objectives of the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana?

Answer: The Yojana was launched in 1993.

• The aim of the programme is to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns.
• Under this unemployed are helped in setting up small business and industries.

Question: Identify the various groups vulnerable to poverty. OR

“The proportion of people below poverty line is also not same for all social groups and economic categories in India.” Explain.

Answer: 

• Social Groups: The social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty are scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households. Although the average for people below poverty line for all groups in India is 30, 48 out of 100 people belonging to scheduled tribes in rural areas are not able to meet their basic needs.
• Economic groups: Similarly among the economic groups, the most vulnerable groups are the rural agricultural labour households and the urban casual labour households.
• Inequality with in family: Apart from these social groups, there is also inequality of incomes within a family. In poor families all suffer, but some suffer more than others. Women, elderly people and female infants are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family.
• Therefore women, children (especially the girl child) and old people are poorest of the poor.

Question: How is the regular growth of population is a major cause of poverty in India? Explain.

Answer: i) Unemployment has increased.
ii) Led to increase in the rate of depletion of resources.
iii) The people belonging to below poverty line has increased.

Question: How is poverty seen by social scientists? Explain.
Answer: i) Social scientists use different types of indicators to understand their consumption of goods.
ii) Social indicators like lack of education, healthcare, sanitation.
iii) Lack of job opportunities, literacy level and lack of access to safe drinking water.

Question: “In poor families, all suffer, but some suffer more than others.” Explain the statement.
Answer: Analysis of poverty on the basis of social exclusion and vulnerability shows that there are people in our economy who suffer more than others because
i) Socially excluded people due to caste discrimination are excluded even from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others enjoy.
ii) Vulnerability brings greater risks to the people at the time of natural disasters or terrorism etc.

iii) Vulnerable groups have lack of social and economic ability to handle risks.

Question: Explain any five major reasons for a widespread poverty in India.

Or

Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India.

Answer: 

• British Rule: Britishers ruled India more than 100 years. Prior to the British rule, traditional industries, for instance, textiles, flourished in India. During the British rule, the government adopted policies to discourage such industries. This left millions of weavers poor.
• Lack of Industrialisation: India is very backward from the industrial point of view. Hardly 3 per cent of the total working population is engaged in the large- scale industry. Over dependence on agriculture Even after more than 60 years of independence more than 60 per cent of our total population still depends on agriculture for its livelihood. Due to shortage of inputs, our agriculture is backward.
• Inflationary pressure: Upward trend in prices adversely affects the poor sections of the society.
• Unemployment: Due to lack of job opportunities, more than 90 lakhs of our total working force is unemployed.

Question: What are the major features of poverty? Explain.

Answer: 

• It also is a situation in which parents are not able to send their children to school or a situation where sick people cannot afford treatment.
• Poverty also means lack of clean water and sanitation facilities.
• It also means lack of regular job at a minimum decent level. Above all it means living with a sense of helplessness.
• Poor people are in a situation in which they are ill-treated at almost every place, in farms, factories, government offices, hospitals, railway stations etc.
• Poverty when looked through other social indicators like illiteracy level, lack of general resistance due to malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare, lack of job opportunities, lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation etc.

Question: Explain any five anti-poverty measures taken by the government of India.

Answer: Important anti-poverty programmes which are in operation in rural and urban areas are:

1. Prime Minister Rojgar Yojana (PMRY): PMRY was launched on 2ND October, 1993. The aim of this programme is to create self-employment opportunities for educated youth in rural areas and small towns. 
2. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY): It was launched on 1st April, 1999. The objectives of SGSY is to bring the existing poor families above the poverty line by providing them income generating assets through bank credit and govt. subsidy.
3. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY): It was introduced in 2000. Its objective is to focus on village level development in five critical areas, this is, primary heath, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking and rural roads. 
4. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA): It was passed in September 2005. The Act provides for 100 days assured employment to every rural household in 200 districts. Later, the scheme will be extended to 600 districts.
5. National Food for Work Programme (NFWP): This was launched 2004 in 150 most backward district of the country. The programme is open to all rural poor who are in need of wage employment and desire to do manual unskilled work.

Question: Give a brief account of inter-state disparities of poverty in India.

Answer: 

• i) Proportion of poor people is not the same in every state.
• ii) In 20 states and union territories, the poverty ratio is less than national average.
• iii) In the states of Odisha, Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh, poverty is a serious problem. Along with rural poverty, urban poverty is also high in these states.
• iv) While in the states like Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, there is a significant decline in poverty
• v) States like Punjab and Haryana have succeeded in reducing poverty with the help of high agricultural growth rates.
• vi) In West Bengal, land reform measures have helped in reducing poverty. (Any five)

Question: How the poverty line is estimated in India? Describe it.

Answer: While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirement etc. are determined for subsistence.

• i) The calorie requirement depending upon the age, sex, area and type of work is the way of estimating poverty. Average calorie requirement in India is 2400 per person per day in rural areas and 2100 per persons per day in urban areas.
• ii) Monetary expenditure per capita needed is also a way of estimating poverty. In the year 2000, the poverty for a person was fixed Rs. 328 per month for the rural areas and Rs. 454 for the urban areas.

A uniform standard for poverty line is also used, which is given by international organisation like the World Bank. This is equivalent to $1 per person per day.