Poverty Alleviation Programmes/Measures

Helping the poor in general class-wise or caste-wise way failed to remove poverty so it was decided to help the poor individually or family-wise. For this purpose, some measures and programs were chalked out which are known as Poverty Alleviation Programmes.

Some of these Poverty Alleviation Programmes are the following:

1. Swarnajayanty Gram Swarojgar Yozna (S.G.S.Y.).

The objective of this program is to help the poor families in the rural areas to come above the poverty line. Under this program, the family living below the poverty line in the rural areas (including small and marginal farmers, agricultural laborers, and rural artisans) are provided assets and appropriate skills for self-employment so that these families may generate additional income and raise themselves above the poverty line. More than five crore families have been given assistance under this scheme.

2. Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna (J.G.S.Y.).

The objective of this program was the generation of gainful employment for the unemployed and underemployed men and women in rural areas. For creating more opportunities for employment in the rural areas, community and social assets should be created such as soil conservation works, minor irrigation works, renovation of village wells, rural roads, dispensary, school, market, yard, bus stand, Panchayat Ghar, etc. The rural people below the poverty line are provided employment in their own or nearby areas.

3. Social Security Programmes.

The Centre has sponsored three schemes for the immediate help of the extreme needy in the rural areas.

(i) The First scheme deals with helping the old-age persons who are without any support.
(i) The second is meant for those families whose only earning member has expired.
(iii) The third is to support poor women in pregnancy.

These schemes, especially those that deal with pensions to old persons, have gone a long way in helping the old people in rural areas.

4. Food Security Schemes.

Different food security schemes have also been launched to help the poor. Through Public Distribution System (PDS) different food items are given at muck subsidized rates to those persons who live beta* the poverty line. This scheme has gone a long way in helping a lot of people who remain ht under-nourished or mal-nourished due to low purchasing power.

There are about 4 lakh Price Shops throughout the country which different sections of the people, especially the poor. Under the integrated Child Develop Scheme, mothers and children (below 6) are given some help in the shape of food materials. Under Mid-day Meals at Schools (MDMS) children are provided free meals during the hours.

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