Is ‘poverty line’ a satisfactory method - an overview ?

The ‘poverty line’ is quite unsatisfactory when it comes to grasping the extent of poverty in India. It is not only because of its extremely narrow definition of ‘who is poor’ and the debatable methodology used to count the poor but also because of a more fundamental assumption underlying it.

It exclusively relies on the notion of poverty as insufficient income or purchasing power. One can better categorize it by calling it income poverty. If poverty is ultimately about deprivations affecting human well-being, then income poverty is only one aspect of it. Income is no doubt a vital means to the attainment of individual well-being, but it is not adequate to ensure against many other kinds of deprivation. For example, illness due to communicable diseases can seriously affect the well-being of a person in various ways ranging from depriving her of a healthy life to curtailing her of income-earning abilities. It is a well-known fact that outbreak of many of the communicable diseases can be effectively prevented by the provision of safe drinking water, public sanitation and health services. Ensuring against communicable diseases and the resultant deprivations to well-being then depends on many factors like access to safe drinking water, public sanitation and health services, and social-insurance systems apart from private income. A strictly income-based approach to poverty often fails to reflect pervasive deprivations relating to many of the basic needs when the satisfaction of the need is also dependent on social provision of goods and services and not just private income and the market.

It is also limiting to think of poverty essentially in terms of material deprivations relating to basic needs. One must also take into consideration other deprivations rooted in underlying structural inequalities and inherent disadvantages. Even when resources are available, people may not be able to take full advantage of them because of pre-existing disadvantages ranging from social constraints like caste, and gender to personal
impediments like old age and physical disabilities. Income-based approach to poverty is again found severely
wanting in taking into account these other kinds of deprivation.

By: ABHISHEK KUMAR GARG