Poverty Eradication Programmes
India has been fighting poverty as a nation since its independence and has come a long way in achieving its mission of becoming a prosperous nation with zero poverty.
To reach a state of sustained prosperity various Indian governments have taken many initiatives. These initiatives can be divided into two categories.
- Urban poverty alleviation programmes
- Rural poverty alleviation programmes
Major Initiatives taken are –
- National Old Age Pension Scheme – This schemes provides financial support to old people over the age of 60. This pension is given out by the central government and carried out by panchayats and municipalities. The amount given out as pension has been adjusted many times.
- National Family Benefit Scheme – The scheme provides financial support to pregnant women for first two live births and is given out by states and UT’s via panchayats and municipalities.
- Annapurna – This was started in 1999-2000 for old people who are not covered by the National Old Age Pension Scheme. 10 kg free food per month is provided to eligible senior citizens.
- Integrated Rural Development program – The target group under IRDP consists of small and marginal farmers, agricultural laborers and rural artisans having annual income below Rs. 11,000 defined as poverty line in the Eighth Plan. IRDP provides subsidy m government and term credit advance from financial institutions to enable the target group to create sustainable opportunities of self-employment
