The schemes for poverty alleviation are gradually proceeding ahead.
Following are the achievements of these schemes :
1. The number of people below the poverty line has decreased. For example- in 1973-74, the poverty rate was 55 per cent which decreased to 21.8 per cent in 2004-05.
2. The income level of poor have increased vividly and hence their health proportion has also increased.
Even with all the successes landing on the feet of poverty eradication schemes, these schemes have also not been able to achieve the desired outcome.
Following are some major reasons for this :
1. Harnessing the productive potential of its human and physical resources and generating a broad-based and equitable process of growth has remained an elusive dream for our policy makers ever since Independence.
2. No poor person can understand and work upon it. Since, poor people mostly lack leadership and initiation.
3. Due to the complex activities of the programmes, the one who manages it and also the employees cannot complete it according to the decided norms, also they do not have anything concrete to do in context to these programmes.
4. These programmes had government support, but lacked the support of general public.
5. The officers also helped only the educated, rich and non- deserving people in place of the people who were in actual need of these schemes.
6. The local and prosperous people joined hands with the programme officials and took undue advantage for their selfish self-interest. As a result, poor people could not get the deserving result.
7. The people living far away or in remote parts of the villages were deprived of these schemes, because it was difficult for the scheme officials to reach there.
8. Some people did not understand the word “poverty”. Hence, they did not enjoy the benefits of these schemes and instead the rich were enjoying these schemes.
9. The institutes providing cash schemes could not satisfy their customers.
Conclusion : These programmes were made for the general public and for their betterment but they could not be 100% successful. Late Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi declared once that the poor people are only receiving the 15% of the welfare provided to them, the remaining is eaten by the mediators. Therefore, these schemes need to be seriously work upon. But nothing in concrete was done in this direction.
