Q.Write a short note on: Poverty line
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Fighting Unemployment on Purpose: Government Job Schemes
In an economy with a vast population and persistent poverty, the labour market on its own rarely creates enough jobs for everyone. So the government steps in deliberately, designing programmes whose direct aim is to put people to work and lift them out of poverty. These are the employment generation and poverty removal programmes.
Employment Generation Programmes = government schemes that create jobs — directly or indirectly — with the twin objectives of reducing unemployment and alleviating poverty, especially in rural and low-income areas.
Direct and Indirect Employment
Government poverty-removal efforts raise employment through two channels:
- Direct employment — the government itself hires people for public works: building roads, canals, water conservation structures, schools and rural infrastructure. Wages flow straight into workers' hands.
- Indirect employment — the assets created (irrigation, roads, markets) raise productivity and demand, which in turn generates further jobs in farming, trade and small industry. The benefit ripples outward beyond those first hired.
This is exactly why the assertion “government can reduce unemployment through poverty-removal programmes” is supported by the reason “such programmes directly or indirectly generate employment” — the two channels are the mechanism.
Why the Government Must Intervene
- Market failure in job creation — private firms hire only when profitable; they will not employ the rural poor purely to reduce poverty.
- Seasonal and disguised unemployment in agriculture leaves many underemployed for large parts of the year.
- Social security — guaranteed work provides a safety net and a floor under rural wages.
Features of a Good Programme
- Provides work close to home, especially in the lean agricultural season. …
The poverty line is the benchmark used to identify the poor in India and to target anti-poverty programmes. It is based on a minimum level of consumption. …
The poverty line is a cut-off level of per capita consumption expenditure, based on a minimum calorie and basic-needs requirement. People spending below it are classified as below the poverty line (BPL).
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Analyze the term “On-the-job-training”.
›Reveal solutionSolution
On-the-job training is one of the key sources of human capital formation, in which workers build up their productive skills and expertise through direct, hands-on experience of doing the job itself, typically on the employer's premises and often at the employer's expense.
Unlike formal classroom-based vocational training, on-the-job training takes place in the actual working environment -- a new or existing employee works alongside experienced staff, uses the real equipment/processes of the firm, and gradually masters the specific skills, procedures and conduct required for the job. It can take various forms, such as direct supervision/mentoring, job rotation, or apprenticeship-style learning. Because it raises workers' productivity, employers often bear part or all of the cost of such training, viewing it as an investment analogous to physical capital investment -- it improves the stock of human capital of the labour f …
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Suggest the type of employment as a major source of livelihood for both men and women in India.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Agriculture (and allied activities) — the single largest employer of men and women in India.
Despite its declining share in GDP, agriculture and allied activities (crop farming, animal husbandry, fisheries) continues to be the single largest source of employment/livelihood for both men and women in India, especially in rural areas, where a large majority of the workforce — including a very high proportion of working women — is engaged in it, mostly as self …
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was enacted in the year—(a) 1995(b) 2000(c) 2005(d) 2006.
›Reveal solutionSolution
NREGA was enacted (passed into law) in 2005, guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households; it began to be implemented in districts from February 2006 and was renamed MGNREGA in 2009.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is one of India's major employment-generation programmes aimed at reducing rural unemployment and underemployment (including the disguised unemployment common in Indian agriculture). It legally guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work, with the dual aims of providing an income safety net and creating durable rural assets (roads, water conservation works, etc.).
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- CBSE 2023Set 58/3/11 markMCQQ.Read the following statements : Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Choose the correct alternative from those given below. Assertion (A) : Government can try to reduce unemployment through special poverty removal programmes. Reason (R) : Such poverty removal programmes directly or indirectly lead to employment generation. Alternatives :(a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).(b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).(c) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.(d) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The government’s special poverty removal programmes are designed to reduce unemployment, and they do so by generating employment directly or indirectly — so both statements are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.
Let’s place this in the context of what you study in Indian Economic Development. The government’s role in tackling poverty and unemployment is not just about handing out money — it’s about creating sustainable livelihoods. Programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana, or the earlier Jawahar Rozgar Yojana are all examples of poverty removal programmes that have employment generation built into their design.
The Assertion says the government can reduce unemployment through such programmes. That is true. These programmes are specifically targeted at the poor and unemployed, especially in rural areas. They provide wage employment, skill training, or self-employment opportunities. For instance, MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of work per year to rural households — that directly reduces unemployment.
The Reason says these programmes lead to employment generation, directly or indirectly. That is also true. Directly, they create jobs (like building roads, digging wells, or planting trees). Indirectly, they boost local demand — when people earn wages, they spend money on food, clothes, and other goods, which creates more jobs in the local economy. So the Reason is not just a vague statement; it captures the actual mechanism through which poverty removal programmes work.
Now, the key question: is the Reason the correct explanation of the Assertion? Yes. The Assertion states that the government can reduce unemployment through these programmes. The Reason tells us how — by generating employment. The two are causally linked. Without the employment generation effect, the programmes would not reduce unemployment; they would just be transfers of money. So the Reason explains the Assertion. …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) was launched in—(a) 1980(b) 1983(c) 1985(d) 1990.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The NREP was launched in October 1980 to provide supplementary wage employment to the rural unemployed/underemployed while creating durable rural assets.
The National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) was started by the Government of India on 2 October 1980, financed on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between the Centre and the states. Its twin objectives were generating additional gainful employment for the unemployed and underemployed in rural areas, and creating durable community assets (roads, ir …
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