Q.Suppose you are a resident of a village. Suggest a few measures to tackle the problem of poverty.

Tackling village poverty means combining immediate employment and food support with longer-term investment in assets, skills and infrastructure.

Useful measures include wage employment (MGNREGA, Food for Work), self-employment and SHGs, access to land, assets and cheap credit, education, health and skill devel …

As a resident of a village, I would suggest the following measures to tackle poverty:

1. Generate wage employment through MGNREGA and Food-for-Work-type programmes, which provide guaranteed work at the minimum wage and build rural infrastructure.
2. Promote self-employment and self-help groups (SGSY/NRLM, PMRY) so villagers can create income-earning assets and small enterprises.
3. Improve access to land, assets and affordable credit, so the poor are not trapped by moneylenders charging exploitative interest.
4. Invest in education, health and skill development, so the poor can acquire skills that fetch better incomes.
5. Encourage small, cottage and agro-based industries to provide non-farm employment and reduce dependence on agriculture alone. …