SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

HIMACHAL PRADESH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, SHIMLA

DISCIPLINE:- ENGLISH

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

KOMALPREET KAUR DR. RUCHI RAJ THAKUR

ENROLLMENT NO.:- 1020202118 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,

B.A.L.L.B. , ENGLISH

1st SEMESTER

1 HIMACHAL PRADESH NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, SHIMLA

 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE
NO.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3

INTRODUCTION 4

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES BEHIND POVERTY? 5

HOW POVERTY AFFECTS SOCIETY? 6

WHY IS ENDING POVERTY IMPORTANT? 8

STEPS TO REDUCE POVERTY? 8

CONCLUSION 10

BIBLIOGRAPHY 11

PLAGIARISM REPORT 12
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It feels great pleasure in submitting this research project to Dr.Ruchi Raj Thakur , Asst.
Professor (English) without whose guidance this project would not have been completed
successfully. Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude towards Prof. Nishtha Jaswal, Vice
Chancellor and Prof (Dr.) Girjesh Shukla, Dean Academics for their support and encouragement.

Next, I would like to sincerely thank my classmates, whose suggestions and guidance assisted
me throughout the entire tenure of making the project.

Last but not the least, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude towards my parents and
friends who guided me and helped me at every possible step.

KOMALPREET KAUR,

B.A.L.L.B. (1ST SEMESTER),

ENROLLMENT NO. - 1020202118

 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

INTRODUCTION

Social issues effect the lives of many people. Our society is crippled with several social and legal
issues that are of great concern. These social issues effect the quality of life of the person facing
them and also the people who surround them. They can lead a society to the verge of extinction
if not resolved within time. Resolving social issues is not a child’s play but requires a lot of
effort from society as a whole and can only be resolved if the effort made is consistent.

Even though we have become independent and consider ourselves as a part of the modern
society, there are plenty of issues that need to be addressed and we need immediate riddance
from these social issues for a much better life as individuals and also for the welfare of the whole
society. It is really important for the society to come together and take a stand against these
problems.

One such social issue is that of poverty. Now the question that arises is ‘What poverty actually
is?’.There are many definitions of poverty depending on the context of the situation it is placed
in. According to World Bank, Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well being and consists of
many dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire basic goods and services
necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also consists of low levels of health and education,
poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice and
insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life.

The purpose of taking up poverty in this research article is the huge number of people affected
by it. The world Bank has fixed the limit of extreme poverty line as $1.90 a day, i.e., people
living on less than $1.90 in a day come under the extreme poverty line. Approximately 9.2% of
the world population i,e., 689 million people live in extreme poverty, living on $1.90 a day. At
higher poverty lines, 24.1 percent people of the world population lived on less than $3.20 a day
and 43.6 percent lived on less than $5.50 a day as of 2017.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

In 2018, 4 out of 5 people in poverty lived in rural areas and half of the poor were children.
Women also constitute the major part of people living in poverty. This huge number of people
living in poverty is an issue of great concern to the society. Though the world has made huge
strides in overcoming global poverty. Since 1990, more than 1.2 billion people have risen out of
extreme poverty. The percentage of people living in extreme poverty has come down from 36%
in 1990 to 9.2% as of now. But the recent COVID- 19 pandemic threatens to reverse this process
of fighting against global poverty and economic inequalities and has put the future of a
generation in a jeopardy. This COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many more people into poverty
due to the medical and economic concerns.

This pandemic has made to us visible the amount of people who live under the burden of
extreme poverty and how difficult for them is to live under such conditions and to fulfill their
basic needs. Though the governments tried their best to minimize the effects of the pandemic but
they have not prove to be successful and have lead many more people to fall into the trap od
poverty.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES BEHIND POVERTY?

Poverty is like a vicious circle. Poverty causes more poverty. Rich people keep on getting richer
and the poor gets poorer because they live in poverty. The basic causes of poverty are lack of
education, unequal distribution of resources, unemployment, overpopulation, environmental
degradation and many other. Some of the few basic causes of poverty are discussed below:-

1. LACK OF EDUCATION:- Poverty is mainly found in sub- Saharan Africa and most of
developing countries where state cannot afford to provide good educational facilities to
people at low costs, especially to those living in rural areas. Whereas in industrialized
countries, almost all the children have access to basic education. Without education,
people are unable to find income generating jobs. Also some children drop out of schools
just to earn a minimal living. In this way, lack of education also leads to poverty.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

2. OVERPOPULATION:- Overpopulation is also one of the major cause behind poverty.

Countries where population density is very high, have to face the problem of poverty as
there is a lack of resources and jobs and people are unable to generate high incomes.
Only a certain number of people can be supported on a given area of land and that
depends on the resources available on that area of land.

3. CLIMATE CHANGES:- We have been experiencing a lot of climate changes in the last
few decades due to pollution and global warming. These climate changes cause droughts,
floods, storms, etc, and can impact the economies very badly. Agricultural economies
like India are affected the most due to such climate change and can push people into more
poverty. And also recovery is very difficult in case of these climate changes.

4. LACK OF HEALTHCARE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND FOOD:- Without access to

basic essentials like food, water and proper healthcare facilities, it is impossible to get out
of poverty. Infrastructure includes roads, bridges, public transport and more. When a
family is isolated, they have to spend money and energy in getting t places. People cannot
saave any money because it all goes to their daily needs and leads to further poverty.

These were some of the basic causes of poverty. There are many more causes which have been
mentioned earlier.

HOW POVERTY AFFECTS SOCIETY?

Poverty has a great impact on society. It brings with it many risk factors that adversely affect the
population in many ways. The aggregate of these risk factors makes everyday living very tough
for people in poverty. One problem created by poverty begets another, which in turn can leadto a
never ending cycle. Poverty has long term effects and can cause a great damage to a persom
physically and mentally.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

Childhood , which is considered to be a time of joyful, carefree exploration , but children living
in poverty spend less time exploring the world around them but are more concerned of surviving
within it . Living on a low income increases stress on parents and affects the relationship ties
children have with them. Children living in poverty are more prone to feelings of being excluded
and embarrassment. Children living in poverty are less likely to have friends. Poverty impacts on
children’s ability to enjoy their childhoods and achieve their aspirations.

 IMPACT ON EDUCATION:- Poverty has a lot of impact on education. Due to poverty

parents are not able to pay their ward’s fees and therefore, many children even fail to get
education. Some of the few students living in poverty who are able to join school have
less cognitive development as compared to children coming from good background.
Many even drop out of school just to earn some money and are deprived of education.

 IMPACT ON HEALTH:- People living in poverty do not have proper access to food and
clean water and also live in overcrowded, unsuitable housings with no proper sanitation.
Such people are more likely to suffer from diseases such as typhoid, tuberculosis, and
diarrhea, etc. these people also experience mental health problems such as anxiety and
depression.

 INCREASE IN VIOLENCE:- People living in poverty experience more frustration and a

state of misery. Such conditions force these people to joinj certain terrorist groups and
can create violence in the society. Such people are also more likely to commit street
crimes. Since, it is more likey for poor people to commit street crimes, more poor people
are arrested for crimes. Criminal behavior and criminal victimization are major
consequences of poverty.

 HOMELESSNESS:- People living in poverty are more likely to be homeless or living in

dilapidated housing and are unable to buy their own houses. They are more likely to live
in rented houses in bad neighborhoods that lack job opportunities, good schools and
advanced technology.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

Poverty not only affects the people living in it but also affects the nation’s economy and
development of whole world. The nations with more percentage of people living in poverty
are less developed and exhibit low values of human development and also creating greater
level of inequalities.

WHY IS ENDING POVERTY IMPORTANT?

Ending poverty is important because it is spreading very rapidly and the poor are getting
more poor and rich more rich, therefore, creating a wide gap in the society. It needs to be
ended because it hits children the most and they are the future of the nation. Studies also
show that poor environment leads to stunted mental and physical growth.

Ending poverty is important because it is a vicious trap that grinds people down and can
increase crimes. We now have new technologies and strategies that can effectively help in
reducing poverty.

STEPS TO REDUCE POVERTY

We need to reduce poverty as soon as possible so as to make the lives of people living in
poverty better and to also improve the world as a whole. As Nelson Mandela said “poverty is
not an accident, it is manmade and can be removed by the action of human beings.” We can
take some steps at personal level as well as government can take some steps to reduce it and
better the world economy. Some of the steps, government can take are given below:-

1. CREATE JOBS:- government should create more and more jobs that are well paying.
It should invest in strategies which help in creating new jobs such as rebuilding the
infrastructure, investing in new research fields, and developing renewable resources.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

This would also help to boost up the economy and reduce poverty levels.

2. RAISE MINIMUM WAGES:- Government should increase minimum wages so as

people would be able to earn more and the level of poverty would reduce.

3. PROVIDING GOOD HEALTH CARE FACILITIES:- Government should also

invest in good health care facilities at low costs so that poor people are able to access
them and get in better physical and mental health.

4. SUPPORT PAY EQUITY:- Actions must be taken to ensure equal pay for equal
work for both men and women.

5. INVEST IN EDUCATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE:- Government should invest

more resources in education. This will also create more jobs and education help
bringing people out of poverty. Government should also proper infrastructure such as
roads, bridges, transportation so as poor people do not have to spend a part of their
earning on travelling.

6. BY ORGANIZING SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT SCHEMES FOR THE POOR:-Some

special employment schemes should be organized by the government so as to provide
poor people with income when jobs are not available.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

CONCLUSION

Now, we know what poverty is. It affects our lives a lot, directly or indirectly. It needs to be
eliminated from the society as soon as possible. Living in poverty is such an experience that
those who can end it cannot experience it and those who can experience it cannot end it. Until
the society communicates between social strata it will never be dealt with. Being a part of the
modern society, we have more technologies than before and can eradicate it in a more better
way. Though United Nations and world bank are adopting certain policies such as sustainable
development goals to eliminate poverty by 2030, we too need to make efforts at national or
personal levels or with the help of non governmental organizations. We need to address this issue
before the gap between poor and rich becomes large and it becomes impossible to bridge it up.

Poverty robs people of choices and opportunities and people who are poor are more likely to be
denied the tools and the skills necessary to succeed in our society.
 SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTERNET SOURCES:-

 https://www.toppr.com/guides/essays/poverty-in-india-essay/
 https://www.toppr.com/guides/essays/poverty-essay/
 https://gupshups.org/poverty-essay/
 https://reliefweb.int/report/world/top-9-causes-global-poverty
 https://www.bartleby.com/essay/The-Effects-of-Poverty-in-Our-World-F3XWHRYTJ
SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

PLAGIARISM REPORt
SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT
SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT
SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

`
SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT