Best Article in Mightier Pen Contest 14.

-- by saikiranyadav

How to lift 260 million people out of poverty in one generation. Poverty reduction and its eventual elimination has been one of the major goals of development policy in India since independence. Several poverty alleviation programs have been in place for a long time now. There are numerous centrally-sponsored schemes , designed by the Center, administered by the Ministry of Rural Development, but implemented by the States, with the States generally contributing 25 per cent to the cost. Clearly, there is a need for fresh thinking and innovation to make the self-employment programs more meaningful in empowering the rural poor with better skills and training. There is also a need to avoid overlapping of various schemes aimed at achieving the same or similar objectives through merger or better co-ordination. In this context, it is essential to evolve a plan for maximizing use of land and increase its productivity by adopting multi-disciplinary approach in the areas of agriculture, horticulture, soil conservation, etc. Training in the reclamation of land and land use patterns becomes important for teams of functionaries and farmers.Internationally, if the industrialized countries abolish the high subsidies they are currently giving to their farmers, our products raised on Gandhiji's principle of "production by masses" will become highly cost-competitive. Decentralized production supported by a few key centralized services, preferably operated by educated youth belonging to landless labor families, can help to improve the efficiency of productive and post harvest technologies, in addition to providing employment to persons who will otherwise migrate to towns and cities.

New policies, new institutions, new modes of commercial organization will be needed in order to implement the program in the desired time-frame. But more than all these essential ingredients, awakening the nation to the reality of its potentials and galvanizing the political will of the leadership for urgent and decisive implementation will be absolutely critical for success.A new atmosphere of confidence and crisis has emerged, which is reflected in the speed and authority with which the present government has just introduced institutional reforms to liberalize industrial policy, improve fiscal management and stimulate investment. But even when pressing short term problems are brought under control, compelling problems of poverty and unemployment will remain to be addressed. The government has already announced that it wants to consolidate flagship programs for employment, education, rural infrastructure, with emphasis on skill development. It has also promised that the restructuring of various schemes would be accompanied by governance reforms for effective delivery of services. The task is truly formidable but not impossible.