NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics

NCERT Solutions For Class 9 Economics Chapter 3

Poverty as a Challenge
Q1. Why do different countries use different
poverty lines?
Ans. Different countries use different poverty lines
because the basic needs of different countries are
different. For example, car is basic need in America,
whereas it is not in India. A person will be considered
poor in America if he is not having car. On the other
hand, car is still considered as luxury in India.
Q. 2. What do you think would be the ‘minimum
necessary level’ in your locality?
Ans. I live in poor locality. Here minimum necessary
level is three thousand rupees per month.

Study the Table above and answer the following

questions:
1. Even if poverty ratio declined between 1973-74
and 1993-94, why did the number of poor remain
at about 320 million?
2. Are the dynamics of poverty reduction the same
in rural and urban India?
Ans. 1. The number of poor remained at about 320
million due to rapid increase in population.
2. No, the dynamics of poverty reduction are not the
same in rural and urban India.
Observe some of the poor families around you and
try to find the following:
-Which social and economic group do they belong to ?
-Who are the earning members in the family?
-What is the condition of the old people in the family ?
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics
Are all the children (boys and girls) attending schools?
Ans. (i) They belong to social groups like scheduled
tribes and scheduled castes households and economic
group like rural agricultural labour household.
(ii) A few members are the earning members in the
family.
(iii) The condition of the old people in the family is most
vulnerable.
(iv) All the children (boys and girls) are not attending
the schools. Some girls are still at home.
Poverty Ratio in Selected Indian States, 1999-
2000

Study the Graph above and do the following:

-Identify the three states where the poverty ratio is the
highest.
-Identify the three states where poverty ratio is the
lowest.
Ans. (i) The poverty ratio is the highest in states like
Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
(ii) The poverty ratio is the lowest in the states like
Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Study the Graph and do the following:
Graph: Number of poor by region ($1 per day) in
millions)
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics

1. Identify the areas of world where poverty ratios have

declined.
2. Identify the areas of globe which has the largest
concentration of the poor.
Ans. (ii) Poverty ratios have declined in China, East Asia,
and Sub-saharan Africa. (ii) The area of the globe- which
has the largest concentration of the poor is sub-Saharan
Africa.
Q. 1. Describe how the poverty line is estimated in
India.
Ans. Method of calculating poverty line in India :
Following steps are involved in determining the poverty
line in India :
1. All of first a minimum level of food requirement,
clothing, foot-wear, fuel and light, educational and
medical requirements etc. are determined for
subsistence.
2. These physical quantities are multiplied by there
respective prices in rupees to find out the total money
required.
3. The present formula for food requirement, while
estimating the poverty line is based on the desired
calorie requirement.
4. The accepted average calorie requirement in India its
2400 calories per person per day in rural area and 2100
calories per person per day in urban area.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics
Q. 2. Do you think that present methodology of
poverty estimation is appropriate?
Ans. Yes, I think that present methodology of poverty
determination is appropriate.
Q. 3. Poverty trends in India since 1973:

Describe poverty
trends in India since 1973.
Ans. From the table we come to know that 1. There is
substantial decline in poverty ratio in India from about
55% in 1973 to about 36% in 1993.
2. The proportion of people below poverty line further
came down to about 28% in 2000.
3. Although the percentage of people living below
poverty line is about 26%, the numbers of poor
remained stable around 320 million for a fairly long time.
4. In 1999-2000, the number of poor was 260 millions.
Q. 4. Discuss the major reasons for poverty in
India.
Ans. 1. Illiteracy: Illiteracy is one of the main cause of
poverty in our country. Because of their illiteracy, the
peasants in the villages and workers in the towns are
cheated by everybody and they roam about as a man in
the wildness.
2. Unemployment: Unemployment is another cause of
poverty. Those who remain unemployed for one reason
or the other, both in the rural and the urban areas, are
forced to lead the life of want and hunger.
3. Widening Inequalities of Incomes: As a result of
unequalled distribution of the means of production,
money has been concentrating in fewer hands, thus
rendering a majority of the people poor.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics
4. Slow Growth of Employment Opportunities: Our
economic growth has failed to generate new
employment opportunities especially in the industrial
sector. As a result, our growing labour force fails to find
job opportunities, a majority of them live in a state of
poverty.
Q. 5. Identify the social and economic groups
which are most vulnerable to poverty in India.
Ans. Groups vulnerable to poverty: Groups vulnerable to
poverty can be classified into groups-(a) Social groups
vulnerable to poverty and (b) economic groups
vulnerable to poverty.
(a) Social groups: Following are social groups
vulnerable to poverty:
1. Scheduled castes: 43% of scheduled castes are poor.
2. Scheduled tribe households: 51% of scheduled tribes
are notable to meet their basic needs
(b) Economic groups: Among the economic groups,
the most vulnerable groups are
1. The rural agricultural labour households 2. The urban
casual labour households
Q. 6. Give an account of inter-state disparities of
poverty in India.
Ans. Interstate disparities in India : One of the aspects
of poverty in India is inter-state disparities in India. The
proportion of poor people is not the same in every state.
Although state level poverty has witness a regular
declined from the levels of early seventies, the success
rate of reducing poverty varies from state to state,
Interstate disparities of poverty in India is clear from the
following facts :
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics
1. There has been a significant decline in poverty in
Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal.
2. Kerala has focused more on human resource
development for reducing poverty.
3. In West Bengal, land reforms have helped in reducing
poverty.
4. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, public distribution
of food grains helped in reducing poverty.
5. Green Revolution helped Punjab and Haryana in
reducing poverty.
6. Poverty is still a serious problem in Orissa and Bihar.
Q. 7. Describe global poverty trends.
Ans. Global poverty trends : 1. The proportion of poor
people is extremely high in developing countries.
2. According to international poverty line population
living on less than 1 $per day in India has fallen from
28% in 1991 to 21% in 2001.
3. Although there has been substantial reduction in
global poverty, yet it is marked with great regional
differences.
4. Poverty declined substantially in China and South East
Asian countries as a result of economic growth and
massive investments in human resources development.
5. Number of poor’s in China declined from 606 millions
in 1981 to 212 million in 2001.
6. The decline in poverty has not been so rapid in South
Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, S. Lanka, Nepal,
Bangladesh.
7. In sub-Saharan Africa, poverty castes 41% in 1981 to
46% in 2001.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics
8. Despite decline in the percentage one the numbers of
poor have declined marginally from 475 million in 1981
to 428 millions in 2001.
Q. 8. Describe current government strategy of
poverty alleviation.
Ans. Current Government strategy of poverty
alleviation: Many schemes and programmes have been
launched by the government to alleviate poverty. Some
of them have been mentioned below:
1. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(2005)[NREGA]: It was passed in Sept. 2005. It was
implemented in 200 districts on 2nd Feb, 2006. It
provides 100 days assured employment every year to
every rural household in 200 districts. Under this Act, if
an applicant is not provided employment within fifteen
days he/ she will be entitled to a daily unemployment
allowance.
2. National Food for Work Programme (NFWP).
This programme was launched in 2004 in 150 most
backward districts of the country. The programme is
open to all rural poor who are in need of wage-
employment and desire to do manual unskilled work.
Once the NREGA is in force, this programme will be
subsumed within this programme.
3. Prime-Minister Rozgar . Yozana (PMRY): This
scheme was started in 1993. It aims at creating self-
employment opportunities for educated unemployed
youth in rural areas and small towns. This scheme will
help the educated young men to set up Small business
and industries.
4. Rural Employment Generation Programme
(REGP): It was launched in 1995. It aims at creating
self-employment opportunities in rural areas and small
towns.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Economics
5. Swaranjyanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY):
It was launched in 1999. It aims at bringing the assisted
poor families above the poverty line by organizing them
into self-help groups.
6. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yozana (PMGY) : It
was launched in 2000. It aims at improving the standard
of living of rural people by developing five important
areas (i) Health (ii) Primary education, (iii) Drinking
water, (iv) Housing (v) Roads.
222
7. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): This yozana was
launched in December 2000. Under this programme, one
crore of the poorest among the below poverty line
families covered under the targeted public distribution
system were identified. Twenty-five kilograms of food
grains were made available to each eligible family at a
higher subsidized rate of Rs. 2 per kg. for wheat and Rs.
3 per kg. for rice. This quantity has been enhanced from
25 to 35 kgs. With effect from April, 2002.
Q. 9. Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What do you understand by human poverty?
(ii) Who are the poorest of the poor ? (iii) What
are the main features of the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, 2005?
Ans. (i) Human poverty: It is a situation under which
a human is inefficient to get minimum basic needs of life
such as food, cloth and shelter.
(ii) Women, children (especially the girl child) and old
people are poorest of the poor.
(iii) Main features of the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, 2005: Following are
main features of the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act, 2005:
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1. This act provides 100 days assured employment every
year to every rural household in 200 districts of the
country.
2. Later the scheme will be extended to 600 districts.
3. One-third of the proposed jobs would be reserved for
women.
4. Under the programme if an applicant is not provided
employment within fifteen days, he/ she will be entitled
to a daily unemployment allowance.
5. National employment guarantee funds and state
employment guarantee funds will be established by the
Central Government and state governments respectively
for the implementation of this scheme.
6. Once the scheme NREGA is in force, National Food for
Work Programme will be subsumed within this
programme.