| Livelihood
Livelihood is defined as ability to earn means to provide for
one’s needs.
Market forces are unable to provide solutions for everybody to
earn adequate livelihood. Market for instance almost entirely
excludes 100 million tribal.
Hence there is need for exogenous intervention.
As Amartya Sen, has pointed out there are two kind of capability.
One is capability of doing. The other kind is capability of being.
Often it is a mental block or lack of education and skill that
is a block to be able to be earn enough livelihood. It is perhaps
part of one’s make up that prevents one to be able to achieve
one’s full potential due to social-psychological condition.
Tribal people, Dalits and Women have certain conditioning. Hence
there is need for intervention to improve livelihood due to conditioning
blocks.
Besides there are areas such as rain fed areas where individual
may not be able to make investments for agriculture. And market
will not make it because there are no returns. Hence there is
need for intervention by government or NGOs.
Of course people below poverty line are clearly in need of livelihood
assistance.
Experts in livelihood opine that 60% of people in rural area
would need assistance in livelihood area.
If government invests Rs. 40,000 crore per year in rain fed area
including forests (non irrigated) area for 10 years, one can remove
poverty. This much investment is sufficient to change agriculture,
horticulture and water availability.
India needs investment of Rs. 35000 per hectare of rain fed area.
India has around 115 million hectares of land including agricultural
and forest lands. That is how one comes to the investment of Rs.
4 lakh crores.
NREGA has that possibility.
Government is planning National Rural Livelihood mission which
will launch Self help Groups in all villages by districts.
The best way to remove poverty and achieve adequate livelihood
is to increase productivity of agriculture.
Challenge
There are several challenges in combating lack of adequate livelihood.
1. Almost 2/3 of India is without irrigation in India.
2. There is corruption in government programs like NREGA
3. There are gaps in skills and knowledge.
4. Lack of panchayati raj.
5. Productivity of land resources is low in rain fed area.
6. Implementation of programs like NREGA is improper.
Central Government : Livelihood
Government actions taken
Government has taken several steps to fight poverty and provide
livelihood.
1. Government launched IRDP – Integrated Rural Development Program.
2. Maharashtra Government had EGS scheme – Employment Guarantee
scheme.
3. Government had launched Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana in
2001.
4. Recently government has launched NREGA – National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme.
5. Government is coming up with National Rural Livelihood Mission.
Advocacy to Government, Media and Political Parties
Government should do the following:
1. Government should improve rainwater management to improve
productivity of natural resources.
2. Government should increase irrigation.
3. Improving water resources is best way to improve productivity
4. Government should implement NREGA well for developing water
infrastructure.
5. Government should invest in developing Panchati Raj and Gram
Swaraj.
6. Government should improve forest management and get community
to manage forests. Livelihood : Statistics
Poverty statistics available at planning commission indicate
that poverty has declined as mentioned below:
Poverty Percent Existing Methodology(Lakdawala) Tendulkar Methodology
Rural Urban Combined Rural Urban Combined
1993-94 37.3 32.4 36.0 50.1 31.8 45.3
2004-05 28.3 25.7 27.5 41.8 25.7 37.2
Source : Planning Commission
It is interesting to note that poverty has declined by almost
similar percentage both by earlier methodology and new methodology.
However calorie intake has reduced as proved by Prof Suryanarayana
of Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental Research.
For the country as a whole rural poverty declined from 45.61
per cent in 1983 to 28.30 percent and urban poverty declined from
42.15 per cent to 25.70 per cent between 1983 and 2004-05. Between
the same two years, average calorie intake per capita declined
from 2221 to 2047 and from 2089 to 2020 kcal in the rural and
urban sectors respectively. As regards calorie deprivation, its
extent increased from 69 to 85 per cent in rural India and from
60 to 65 per cent in urban India in the time frame discussed.
Sector Rural Urban
Year 1983-84 2004-05 1983-84 2004-05
Incidence of Poverty 45.61 28.30 42.15 25.70
Average Per Capita Intake 2221 2047 2089 2020
Incidence of Calorie Deficiency 69% 85% 61% 65%
Source: Calorie deficiency is defined as calorie intake less than
2400 calories in rural India and less than 2100 calorie in urban
India.
Legal Position : Livelihood
Government has enacted NREGA – National Rural Employment Government
Act in 2005. This gives a legal right to work for 100 days to
every family.
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