Poverty in India - Fundamental Issues

One of the important issues, which is , being extensively debated and deliberated upon throughout the world today, is the concepts, definitions, level, and intensity of poverty prevalent among the masses. It is note worthy that poverty studies are always viewed and analysed from economic perspectives. However, Dr.B.B. Malik's effort to analyse these issues in a comprehensive and holistic manner from a sociological perspective is unique in itself. A meta narrative of poverty in India has been done by dissecting the aspects of income, education, health, entertainment, gender, human development index, globalisation and the situation of India in a globalised era. The focus here is to collage the different and fundamental issues related to poverty and give it a comprehensive perspective. With a critical sociological exploration various government initiatives to alleviate poverty in India are discussed with an interpolation of various issues. Further, many anti-poverty programmes and policies have been reviewed and the fallacies and loopholes of such programmes are also highlighted. The macro perspective of poverty as it exists in the world or at an all-India level has been viewed in the context of Orissa. To explore the situation of poverty in Orissa, the socio-economic situation has been discussed from a sociological perspective by further penetrating into the issues related to Kalahandi with a comparative and critical viewpoint. The reality related to poverty in Orissa has been sketched by giving the case study of district Kalahandi. In the chapter, the nature and causes of poverty as it exists in the district have been highlighted by focusing the aspects of income, education, health, industry and the bearings of natural calamities on the district as well as in state.