KASHIRAM RANA INAUGURATES THE CONFERENCE ON POVERTY AND HUMAN
RIGHTS
Xth
PLAN ENVISAGES REDCING POVERTY RATIO BY 5 % POINTS BY THE END
OF 2007
Shri Kashiram Rana,
Union Minister for Rural Development said a strategic pro poor
policy in terms of which the rural poor are treated as a net resource
replete with their own ideas and experience well in tune with
the local conditions forms an integral part of our development
strategy. Inaugurating National Conference on Poverty And Human
Rights here today, Shri Rana informed that India accounts for
22% of the total poor people in the world and nearly 75% of these
poor people live in rural areas. Tenth Plan allocation for rural
development has been increased by 80 percent over 9th
Plan allocation. The Plan approach believes that not only an adequate
level of consumption of food and other types of consumer goods
is required, but access to basic social services, especially education
and drinking water and basic sanitation facilities for all is
also necessary.
Shri Rana further
added that with this approach and commitment to the removal of
poverty, the Xth Plan envisages reducing the poverty ratio by
5 percent points by the end of 2007 and it projects that by 2012
the poverty reduction would be achieved by 15 percent points from
the current poverty ratio of 26.10 percent (estimated during 1999-2000).
At the national level, the incidence of poverty on Head Count
Ratio declined from 44.48% in 1983 to 26.1% in 1999-2000. In absolute
terms, the number of poor declined from 323 million in 1983, to
260 million in 1999-2000. The proportion of the poor in rural
areas declined from 45.65% to 27.1% during the same period.
Shri Rana said the
important millennium development goals enunciated in the UN Millennium
Summit include the goals to enhance the quality of life and reduction
of poverty by half by 2015. The essential conditions for meeting
these goals are environmental sustainability, equity especially
the gender equity and the enabling global economic environment.
Listing out various
initiatives taken by Ministry of Rural Development Shri Rana said
under the self-employment programme, for example, 1.50 million
Self Help Groups have been mobilised and about 4 million self-employment
seekers have been assisted with an investment of Rs.75 Billion.
This process oriented strategy of Self Help Groups under Swaranjayanti
Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) helps the members tap their latent
talents and skills through which they are able to realise their
actual potential. On the wage employment, namely, Sampoorna Grameen
Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) approximately Rs.100 billion per annum are
spent on the programme which generates approximately 750 million
man-days of employment per year.
This assistance is
further fortified by provision of housing facilities to the poor.
The projected need for the poor currently is of 12 million houses
of the previous backlog, in addition to the need of 1 million
houses generated annually. The strategy at present is to provide
budgetary support and facilitate institutional finance for the
needy.
Government has also
launched the total sanitation campaign and all the Districts of
the country are proposed to be covered by the year 2007, Shri
Rana informed.
The Conference is
being organised by UNESCO as a part of a new UNESCO project on
poverty launched in June 2002. Members of the Government, International
Scholars, Representatives from UN Agencies and NGOs are participating
in the Conference.
