Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Economics Important Questions and Answers - FREE PDF Download
Chapter 3 of CBSE Economics Poverty as a Challenge Class 9 Important Questions and Answers, Poverty is a major issue that India has faced since independence. Chapter 3 of Economics looks at this problem through various examples and explains how social scientists study poverty. This chapter discusses how poverty is measured, its causes, and efforts to reduce it. Important questions from this chapter help students understand these key topics better. They cover the causes of poverty, its effects, and strategies to tackle it, offering a clear review of the subject.
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Students can download the FREE PDF of these chapter-wise important questions CBSE Class 9 Economics Important Questions. Class 9 Economics Chapter 3 Important Questions and Answers resource will help improve Social Science scores. This will help with quick revision and better exam preparation. The CBSE Class 9 Social Science Syllabus covers key subjects such as history, geography, and political science.
FAQs on CBSE Class 9 Economics Important Questions - Chapter 3 Poverty as a Challenge
1. What is the poverty line and how is it determined in India according to the 2025-26 CBSE syllabus?
The poverty line is a minimum income or consumption level below which a person is considered poor. In India, it is primarily determined based on a minimum nutritional requirement. This is measured in calories and then converted into monetary value.
- For rural areas, the accepted average calorie requirement is 2400 calories per person per day.
- For urban areas, it is 2100 calories per person per day.
2. What are the five most important causes of widespread poverty in India?
The five major causes of poverty in India, frequently asked in exams, are:
- Historical Reasons: The colonial administration's policies destroyed traditional industries and discouraged economic development, leading to widespread poverty.
- Rapid Population Growth: A high growth rate of population increases the dependency load and makes it difficult for per capita income to rise significantly.
- Unequal Distribution of Land and Resources: A major portion of land and other assets is owned by a small percentage of the population, leaving the majority with very few resources to generate income.
- Lack of Employment Opportunities: The growth in job creation has not kept pace with the growth in the labour force, leading to high unemployment and underemployment.
- Social Factors: Social obligations and religious ceremonies often force poor households into debt, creating a vicious cycle of poverty.
3. Explain the concepts of 'social exclusion' and 'vulnerability' as important dimensions of poverty.
Social scientists view poverty through concepts like social exclusion and vulnerability.
- Social Exclusion is a process where certain individuals or groups are prevented from accessing facilities, benefits, and opportunities that others enjoy. For example, the caste system in India has historically excluded certain groups from equal opportunities.
- Vulnerability to poverty describes the greater probability of certain communities (e.g., scheduled castes, scheduled tribes) or individuals (e.g., widows, disabled persons) of becoming or remaining poor in the future. It is assessed based on their options for coping with risks like natural disasters or job loss.
4. Describe the Indian government's current two-pronged strategy for poverty alleviation.
The government's strategy for poverty reduction consists of two main approaches:
- Promotion of Economic Growth: This involves policies that encourage rapid economic development. The idea is that growth creates more resources and opportunities, such as jobs and higher incomes, which help reduce poverty.
- Targeted Anti-Poverty Programmes: This involves specific schemes designed to directly assist the poor. A key example is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005, which guarantees 100 days of wage employment to every rural household. Another example is the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), which provides affordable housing.
5. Analyse the trends in poverty ratios in India since 1993-94. What do these trends indicate?
There has been a substantial decline in poverty ratios in India, though the progress has been uneven.
- In 1993-94, the poverty ratio was approximately 45 percent.
- It declined to about 37.2 percent in 2004–05.
- By 2011–12, it had further fallen to 22 percent.
6. Why do poverty levels vary so significantly between different states in India? Give examples.
Poverty levels vary across Indian states due to differences in historical development, resource distribution, and success of poverty reduction measures. For example:
- High-Poverty States: States like Bihar and Odisha have historically been among the poorest, with poverty ratios well above the national average. This is often linked to lower agricultural productivity, lack of industrial development, and high population density.
- Low-Poverty States: States like Kerala have focused on human resource development (education and health), while West Bengal implemented effective land reform measures. Punjab and Haryana succeeded due to high agricultural growth from the Green Revolution.
7. For a 5-mark question, how would you compare the causes and nature of poverty in rural and urban areas?
To compare rural and urban poverty, you should highlight the following differences:
- Causes: Rural poverty is primarily linked to landlessness, dependence on agriculture, and lack of non-farm employment. Urban poverty is often the result of the spillover of rural poverty, where villagers migrate to cities but fail to find stable, well-paying jobs, leading to work in the informal sector.
- Livelihood: The rural poor are often landless labourers or marginal farmers. The urban poor typically work as casual labourers, street vendors, or domestic helpers, living in slums with poor sanitation and housing.
- Poverty Line: The calorie requirement and, consequently, the monetary poverty line, are generally higher in rural areas due to the greater need for physical labour in agriculture.
8. While many anti-poverty programs exist, why do they often face challenges in implementation?
Despite good intentions, anti-poverty programmes face implementation challenges due to several reasons:
- Improper Targeting: Benefits often do not reach the truly deserving poor due to issues in identification and inclusion.
- Leakage and Corruption: A significant portion of the funds allocated for these programs is often siphoned off by middlemen and officials, preventing it from reaching the beneficiaries.
- Lack of Awareness: Many potential beneficiaries are not aware of the schemes they are entitled to or the procedures to access them.
- Overlapping Schemes: The presence of multiple schemes with similar objectives can lead to confusion and inefficient use of resources.
9. Why is the calorie-based norm for determining the poverty line considered an inadequate measure by some economists?
The calorie-based norm is criticised for being an inadequate measure of poverty for several reasons:
- It reduces poverty to a mere subsistence level, focusing only on the minimum food intake needed to stay alive, while ignoring other essential aspects of a decent life.
- It does not account for other crucial dimensions of well-being, such as health, education, sanitation, clean drinking water, and social equality.
- The method does not differentiate between the needs of different age groups or individuals with specific health conditions.
- It fails to capture the vulnerability of people who may be just above the poverty line but can easily fall below it due to a single event like an illness.
10. How can promoting human capital formation be a more sustainable solution to poverty than providing temporary relief?
Promoting human capital formation is a more sustainable solution to poverty because it empowers individuals for the long term.
- Skill Development: Investing in education and health improves a person's knowledge and ability to work, leading to higher productivity and better-paying jobs.
- Increased Earning Potential: Unlike temporary relief (like food subsidies), which addresses immediate needs, education and skills provide a permanent pathway out of poverty by enabling individuals to earn a stable income.
- Breaking the Vicious Cycle: An educated and healthy population is more likely to invest in the well-being of the next generation, thereby breaking the inter-generational cycle of poverty. This creates a virtuous cycle of development and prosperity.
