India sets deadline for ending poverty

[Saddle Bronc 124]

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India aims to end poverty by 2040

India's finance minister has said poverty is fast declining in the country and could be wiped out by 2040.

In a BBC interview, Palaniappan Chidambaram attributed this to the fast pace of India's economic growth.

"People will have homes, work, food, clothing, access to education and medical care," Mr Chidambaram said.

But he also said that some 25% of all Indians - or more than 250 million people - were still living in "abject poverty", earning less than $1 a day.

Mr Palaniappan told the BBC World Service Newshour programme that poverty "will continue to decline" in India.

"The faster we grow and the more inclusive that growth is, the decline in poverty will be rapid.

"I'm confident we can wipe out poverty by 2040."

Mr Palaniappan admitted that the rapid economic growth in India in recent years could have widened the gap between the richest and the poorest in the country.

But he said that "at the same time those at the bottom of the pyramid have seen improvement in their lives".

The minister also said more should be done to combat relatively low life expectancy rates and high mortality rates.

India has become a world economic power, with growth over the past three years averaging 8% - a rate approaching that of its booming neighbour, China.

Based on purchasing power parity, it is now the world's fourth largest economy.

However, income per head in India today is just $720 (£365) a year.

India's low costs and huge, English-speaking, workforce have made it popular with multinationals for work including manufacturing and call centres.

Note: Not sure whether Chidambaram has ever heard of LB Johnson's "War On Poverty" started in 1965--but that "war" was lost by even already-prosperous US.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

You owe me a new keyboard, Srini.

I recall watching Doordarshan (state-run TV) when I was younger. In between the paens to Rajiv Gandhi (O great leader *bow*) they did a piece of how Rajiv and the Congress will change India's villages forever. The image that sticks in my mind is a majestic highrise where a village hut stood - with the statement that that would be in the near future of all Indian villagers. Meanwhile, 15 or so years later....

Edited February 3, 2007 by Gupt

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Have they tried one of Stalin's many 5 year plans? Good if they work and if they don't there won't be as many people around to complain.

[peejay 327]

LBJ (Prez Lyndon Baynes Johnson) launched the War on Poverty in the 1960's. Such proclamations sound wonderful, but often have limited success. Many of his programs lingered well after they proved to be ineffective. Throwing lots of money at a problem doesn't always equate with success. Sad to say, but many aspects of poverty are self induced.

Good luck to the Indians. They have their work cut out for them. At least they try to help their own people.

Mexico's answer to poverty is to dump it across the border to let America deal with it. With friends like that...who needs enemies.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Good luck to the Indians. They have their work cut out for them. At least they try to help their own people.

You're confusing populist political rhetoric with actual policy. India does nothing for the rural poor. Indian policymakers cater to the urban elite and let the unleashed entrepreneurial wave lift the poor.. even if just a little bit. It works but not fast enough. My guess is, in a few decades, India will still have poor people who will be better off than their parents were but who will be much worse off than their urban elite neighbors than their parents were. The bottom may rise but the gap will grow and in a country like India, that's a very bad thing. Resentment runs deep there and there is no popular cultural commitment to free enterprise as there is here.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Have they tried one of Stalin's many 5 year plans? Good if they work and if they don't there won't be as many people around to complain.

Already been tried more than five times (25 out of 60 years of independence)--and unfortunately, you are quite wrong on the second part.

[Scott & Lai 12]

Have they tried one of Stalin's many 5 year plans? Good if they work and if they don't there won't be as many people around to complain.

Already been tried more than five times (25 out of 60 years of independence)--and unfortunately, you are quite wrong on the second part.

I believe his point in the second part is that Stalin's mass murder reduced the number of complainers...

[ELW 5]

End Poverty in India by 2040? Nearly 25% of the US city I live in, is below the poverty line! There will always be poverty. At least countries like India can raise the standard of living for most people – and I think they have been making progress with that. (Even people who can only afford grass huts, have TVs and send their kids to school.)

How has the government helped? Hmm well I have knows some villagers who benefited from free land, and the bribes given to the villagers by the political parties (to vote for them) don’t hurt either…

I was mostly living in villages from 1984-2005. Very often we didn’t have electricity or running water (only in wells & bore wells). However, most people did have “work, food, clothing, access to education and medical care” (as long as there were village loan sharks to take care of the education & medical bills). The life is simpler there but generally people somehow get by. Besides, I wonder what the difference is between having tens of thousands of rupees borrowed from the village loan shark, and having tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt? Perhaps only that the sharks will accept, “Sorry I don’t have the money now, come back in 3 months;” whereas in US if we don’t pay every month, interest rates shoot up.

Edited February 3, 2007 by ELW

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Have they tried one of Stalin's many 5 year plans? Good if they work and if they don't there won't be as many people around to complain.

Already been tried more than five times (25 out of 60 years of independence)--and unfortunately, you are quite wrong on the second part.

I believe his point in the second part is that Stalin's mass murder reduced the number of complainers...

But the Russian Empire (and later Soviet Union) never had the base population of even just-post-partition India. Plus another serious factor is the insurrectional mindset of many groups in India, which would make it very difficult to carry out any program of mass-murder like Stalin.

[Henia 11]

How can you a deadline on ending poverty? I mean setting goals is one thing, but a deadline?!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

How can you a deadline on ending poverty? I mean setting goals is one thing, but a deadline?!

There'll be a 1000 Rupee penalty imposed on those not meeting the deadline.

[Ban Hammer 14,426]

How can you a deadline on ending poverty? I mean setting goals is one thing, but a deadline?!

by then all usa toll free tech support will be there, hence no poverty

[ELW 5]

How can you a deadline on ending poverty? I mean setting goals is one thing, but a deadline?!

There'll be a 1000 Rupee penalty imposed on those not meeting the deadline.

[peejay 327]

Good luck to the Indians. They have their work cut out for them. At least they try to help their own people.

You're confusing populist political rhetoric with actual policy. India does nothing for the rural poor. Indian policymakers cater to the urban elite and let the unleashed entrepreneurial wave lift the poor.. even if just a little bit. It works but not fast enough. My guess is, in a few decades, India will still have poor people who will be better off than their parents were but who will be much worse off than their urban elite neighbors than their parents were. The bottom may rise but the gap will grow and in a country like India, that's a very bad thing. Resentment runs deep there and there is no popular cultural commitment to free enterprise as there is here.

So I guess the USA should thank its lucky stars that we don't share a border with India. We have our hands full enough trying to keep the Mexicans from fleeing to our side of the river.

As to what you said about India...some of the same can be said for Belarus / Russia. Some of my relatives that live in the villages still throw buckets down a well to have water in the house (no running water), ####### in a hole outside the house (no indoor toilet), and live the rural life planting substinance crops / raising livestock to survive. In contrast, some of my relatives in Minsk and St. Petersburg live as well as I do in the USA. Many of my older relatives pine nostolgicly for the days of Brezhnev and communism. Go figure?

My relatives in Belarus (Russians can't participate) are quite aware of the US Diversity Visa Program. I remind them every year. None of them are interested. Neither are my wife's friends in Belarus. Her relatives live in Russia and can't participate.

Of course India and Russia are quite different. Both are quite different than the USA. In many instances all 3 could give a sh!t less for the poor while pretending they do. It all boils down to moneys that can be put to use elsewhere.