Poverty test - 17

• Self Help Group is a small group of 10 to 20 people formed to mutually help each other.
• SHGs help in promoting self employment, credit, awareness and savings.
• Banks supports SHGs by means of bank linkage programme.
  

• Controlling the population growth- The population growth can be reduced by providing better protective measures to avoid unwanted pregnancies. China has one child rule to control its population.
  
• Development of Industries- Industries tend to generate employment. This will greatly help in bringing people above the poverty line.
  
• By providing better educational facilities- Education leads to betterment of an individual as well as of the country. There is a demand for educated people in all the sectors. By providing equal and quality education to each and every citizen of the country will help in fighting poverty in long run.
  

According to critical alternative views, poverty is a monetary and non-monetary condition where people lack access to community regulated common resources, opportunities, and income. Whereas the orthodox view on poverty claims that it refers to a situation where people do not have the money to satisfy their basic needs, alternative views emphasize not simply money, but spiritual values, community ties, and availability of common resources.

The poverty line in India is income based. The poverty line was originally fixed in terms of income or food requirements in 1978. It was stipulated that the calorie standard for a typical individual in rural areas were 2400 calorie and was 2100 calorie in urban areas. Then the cost of the grains that fulfill this normative standard was calculated. This cost was the poverty line. The poverty line in monetary terms during 2005-06 has been estimated at Rs. 368 in rural area and Rs. 560 in urban area as compared to Rs. 328 in rural area and Rs. 454 in urban area in 2000-01.