Sambhav-2025

Approach Briefly introduce Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach to poverty. Discuss the deprivation of capabilities in the Indian Context. Explain how India’s social protection programs address both income poverty and capability deprivation. Substantiate points with some data and facts. Conclude suitably.

Introduction

Poverty in India is a multifaceted issue that extends beyond mere income deprivation. As Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach suggests, poverty is not just about lack of financial resources, but the deprivation of capabilities, such as access to healthcare, education, and opportunities for participation in social, economic, and political activities.

Body

Deprivation of Capabilities in the Indian Context:

• Multidimensional Poverty: India has the largest number of people living in poverty globally, with as many as 23.4 crore (234 million) individuals classified as poor, according to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2024 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Education – About 25% of students aged between 14-18 group still cannot read a Std II level text fluently in their regional language(ASER 2023)
• Healthcare – Out-of-pocket health expenditure (OOPE) is 39.4% (National Health Accounts, 2022), pushing millions into medical poverty.
• Employment – 92% of India’s workforce is in the informal sector (Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2022), lacking job security and benefits.
• Nutrition & Gender Inequality – 35.5% of children under 5 are stunted (NFHS-5), and women’s labor force participation remains low at 37%.
  • Around 74% of India’s population could not afford a healthy diet.(FAO)
• Political Inequality: Poverty can lead to political inequality, where wealthier individuals or groups have more influence over policy-making.
  • About 504 or 93 % of the 543 MPs elected to the 18th Lok Sabha are crorepatis

Social Protection Programs in India

• Health & Nutrition
  • Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY): Covers ₹5 lakh per family annually, but only 60% of eligible families have been enrolled (2023).
  • POSHAN Abhiyaan: Aims to reduce malnutrition by 3% annually, yet 67% of adolescent girls remain anemic (NFHS-5).
• Education & Skill Development
  • Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan: Helped increase school enrollment to 96.7%, but dropout rates remain high among marginalized groups.
  • Skill India Mission: Trained over 12 million youth, yet only 47% secured jobs due to a skills-industry mismatch.
• Employment & Social Security
  • MGNREGA: Provided 3.5 billion workdays in 2023, yet wages remain below minimum wage levels in many states.
  • PM SVANidhi: Disbursed ₹7,300 crore in loans to street vendors, improving financial stability.
• Food & Financial Inclusion
  • Public Distribution System (PDS): Supplies 5 kg of subsidized food grains per person, reducing extreme hunger levels. (20% of eligible beneficiaries are left out due to bureaucratic inefficiencies).
  • Jan Dhan Yojana: Led to 51 crore new bank accounts, enhancing financial inclusion but limited access to credit.

Conclusion

Poverty alleviation must go beyond income-based approaches and focus on empowering individuals with skills, education, and healthcare. Enhancing the implementation of social protection schemes and ensuring universal access to basic services can help India overcome the cycle of capability deprivation.