SEATTLE — The world has made leaps and bounds in eradicating global poverty over the past 30 years. In 1990, 37.1 percent of the world’s population lived at or below the poverty line of $1.90 per day. Today, less than 12.7 percent of the global population lives below that line. However, according to the World Bank, poverty in India is at 21.3 percent–a much higher percentage than the global average.
Additionally, Indian Express reports that India is home to 26 percent of the world’s extreme poor. With a population of almost 1.3 billion, India’s size makes it a key player in the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.
India Compared to the World
On paper, India has done a relatively good job of tackling poverty reduction. Yet, numerical reports fail to show the full picture. In comparison to its middle-income economic peers–such as China, Brazil, Turkey and Vietnam—India falls behind in the non-numerical poverty eradication indicators. These indicators include improved sanitation, infrastructure and improved nationwide child nutrition. Above that, the purely economically-based poverty assessment fails to account for the families (of which there are many) in India that live just above the poverty line. These families generally don’t have access to basic health and educational services.
Steps to Poverty Reduction
As such, the World Bank issued a report last month outlining the steps India should take to reduce poverty within its borders. Suggestions included job creation, a focus on the issues of “scheduled tribes” and women, targeted slum elimination, and improved services for the extreme poor, beyond the basic economic assistance currently provided by the Indian government. However, the World Bank noted that for India to break its cycle of poverty, its economic programs need a renewed push of educational and healthcare improvements.
India can also look to its neighbors. The report also stated how nearby Asian countries combined “pro-growth development policies with investments in the health and education of their people.” Such actions led to substantial economic growth and poverty reduction within their nations.
Unfortunately, India is not taking the same approach. The nation has “not accorded high enough priority to the education of the poor, and 33 million of its 105 million 6-to-10-years-olds are not in school.” Without sufficiently educating the next generation and “offering [youngsters]the opportunity to develop skills needed for upward mobility,” India’s cycle of poverty will continue to exist.
Hopefully, as the world approaches the 2030 poverty eradication goal deadline, India will reevaluate its poverty-eliminating policies. By placing greater emphasis on economic programs, and health and educational improvements, poverty in India can be substantially reduced.
– Sage Smiley
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