Hunger and poverty are the biggest challenges for good governance in India still today. Evaluate how for successive governments have progressed in dealing with there humongous problems .Suggest measures for improvement.
Government has broadly followed there approaches to tackle poverty and hunger.
(a) Growth oriented development
(b) Specific targeted poverty alleviation programmes.
(c) Meeting minimum needs of poor.
Most government policies from the Five Year Plans (FYP) to the 1991 economic reforms had a distinct anti-poverty tone.
The 1st and 2nd FYPs followed a growth oriented development approach. It was believed that rapid industrial progress and advancements in agricultural production (through Green Revolution) would bring people out of poverty. It aspired to enhance the GDP and per-capital income of the nation. However, growing population and skewed benefits from green revolution aggravated disparities between the rich and poor.
Later, specific targeted poverty alleviation programmes through employment generation were launched.
- Self employment programmes such as IRDP, TRYSEM etc have paved way for NRLM, NULM and Deendayal Antoyodhaya Yojana which aims to inculcate a culture of self-help, self-reliance and mutual-help by organizing the people into Community Based Organizations such as SHGs.
- Wage-employment programs such as Food for Work, NREP have paved way for rights based legislation Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGA), which guarantees 100 days of guaranteed wage employment.
Programmes to provide for the minimum needs such as Mid Day Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Scheme, etc have given support of the poor. They have acted as cushions to absorb the shocks.
Public Distribution System has spearheaded the efforts to eradicate hunger and malnourishment in the nation. It has provided subsidized rations to target hunger. The Passage of National Food Security Act, 2014 has brought in a Rights based Regime which guarantees subsidized food grains to citizens at a subsidized price depending upon their socio economic capacity.
Efforts for poverty alleviation by ushering in rapid growth and development to eradicate malnourishment, hunger, and illiteracy has come a long way but India still has miles to go before it can rest.
Some measures for improvement are
- Aadhar linked targeting of poor sections to weed out ghost beneficiaries and ensuring last mile delivery .
- Leveraging JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, and Mobile) trinity to bring about a financial and economic inclusion.
- Skill development through programmes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and schemes to kindle the entrepreneurial spirit can being about huge changes.
- Government should encourage civil society participation in order to widen its reach.
- Subsidized food through Canteens (Amma Canteens in TN and Indira canteen in Karnatka) have been widely welcomed by the urban poor. Such programmes can be expanded across the nation.
- Bureaucratic lethargy, apathy and corruption should be dealt with strongly.
- Adequate training should be provided to grass root level organization to empower them to be involved in the government schemes.
- Social audits (similar to MGNREGA) should be provided for schemes to increase accountability and transparency.
- Quality education by implementing RTE in its true spirit can have a multiplier effect on the all government efforts.
Over the years, India has made significant strides in bringing people out of poverty and hunger. However, successive governments have been unable/unwilling to effect change of land holdings and ownership of assets. Inequality has arisen post 1991 economic reforms. Enlargement of the national GDP pie along with redistributive schemes to decrease inequality should be the priority of the nation.