Answer: 

Introduction:

Poverty may be defined as a sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities and choices necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living. Poverty is not just about low income.

Body:

Although India has been able to reduce absolute poverty among its people, a large section of India is still trapped in the vicious cycle of deprivation. While it may be possible to provide people with basic necessities in the short term, it is not a sustainable measure as the State does not have infinite resources. So, the essential condition is to build capabilities so that people can provide for themselves. For this to happen, we must rescue people from the process of deprivation.

This can be elaborated through the example of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act:

• If people remain unemployed due to lack of job opportunities, they’d be depending on the State for their basic needs. The government tried providing food and other basic necessities but given the limited resources with the government and the huge population reeling under poverty, it was understood that it is not sustainable. So instead of providing them basic necessities, the government rolled out MGNREGA which guarantees hundred days of wage-employment in a year to adult members of a rural household.
• Now the people work as productive labor and the income earned helps them fulfill their basic needs.
• Similarly, Lack of education covered under Right to Education Act and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan; Lack of skills covered through Skill India Mission, PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana; Assistance for building houses under PM Awas Yojana (PMAY),

Conclusion:

With such a large population and the limited resources at hand, the demographic dividend can only be reaped if we invest in building capabilities to liberate the poor from the process of deprivation rather than giving away the basic needs as government aid. India is a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals and by such measures can achieve its objective under SDG 1 i.e., end poverty in all forms.

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