| Livelihood
Livelihood is defined as ability to earn means to provide for one’s
needs.
Market forces are unable to provide solutions for everybody to
earn adequate livelihood. Market for instance almost entirely excludes
100 million tribal.
Hence there is need for exogenous intervention.
As Amartya Sen, has pointed out there are two kind of capability.
One is capability of doing. The other kind is capability of being.
Often it is a mental block or lack of education and skill that
is a block to be able to be earn enough livelihood. It is perhaps
part of one’s make up that prevents one to be able to achieve one’s
full potential due to social-psychological condition.
Tribal people, Dalits and Women have certain conditioning. Hence
there is need for intervention to improve livelihood due to conditioning
blocks.
Besides there are areas such as rain fed areas where individual
may not be able to make investments for agriculture. And market
will not make it because there are no returns. Hence there is need
for intervention by government or NGOs.
Of course people below poverty line are clearly in need of livelihood
assistance.
Experts in livelihood opine that 60% of people in rural area would
need assistance in livelihood area.
If government invests Rs. 40,000 crore per year in rain fed area
including forests (non irrigated) area for 10 years, one can remove
poverty. This much investment is sufficient to change agriculture,
horticulture and water availability.
India needs investment of Rs. 35000 per hectare of rain fed area.
India has around 115 million hectares of land including agricultural
and forest lands. That is how one comes to the investment of Rs.
4 lakh crores.
NREGA has that possibility.
Government is planning National Rural Livelihood mission which
will launch Self help Groups in all villages by districts.
The best way to remove poverty and achieve adequate livelihood
is to increase productivity of agriculture.
Challenge
There are several challenges in combating lack of adequate livelihood.
1. Almost 2/3 of India is without irrigation in India.
2. There is corruption in government programs like NREGA
3. There are gaps in skills and knowledge.
4. Lack of panchayati raj.
5. Productivity of land resources is low in rain fed area.
6. Implementation of programs like NREGA is improper.
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