Introduction
Despite NITI Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2023 showing significant progress—with Uttar Pradesh recording the highest reduction in multidimensional poverty—India's ranking of 111 out of 125 countries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023 highlights enduring vulnerabilities. Persistent poverty and hunger contravene the constitutional guarantees of the Right to Life with dignity under Article 21 and the directive under Article 47 obligating the State to raise nutrition levels and improve public health.
Fundamental Causes of Poverty and Hunger
Poverty and hunger are interlinked and multidimensional, stemming from structural, socio-economic, and systemic vulnerabilities:
- Economic Factors: Persistent agrarian distress, disguised unemployment in rural sectors, low real wages, and inflationary pressures erode the purchasing power of marginalized households, restricting access to balanced nutrition.
- Socio-Structural Inequities: Historical disparities based on caste, class, and gender perpetuate intergenerational poverty. Low literacy levels and high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses regularly push vulnerable families into chronic debt traps.
- Ecological and Climate Vulnerabilities: Climate-induced shocks, such as erratic monsoons, unseasonal rains, and recurring droughts, trigger localized crop failures and disrupt regular food supply chains.
- Governance and Delivery Deficits: Inclusion and exclusion errors in welfare targeting, leakages in the public distribution machinery, and inadequate last-mile administrative reach impede effective delivery of safety nets.
Government Schemes to Eliminate Poverty and Hunger
Both central and state governments have instituted targeted policy interventions to address structural poverty and dietary deprivation:
National Interventions
- Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY): Operates under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, ensuring subsidized or free foodgrains to targeted beneficiaries to protect them from food insecurity.
- PM POSHAN (formerly Mid-Day Meal Scheme): Provides hot cooked meals to school children, targeting childhood undernutrition while simultaneously boosting primary school enrollment and retention.
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): A maternity benefit programme providing conditional cash transfers to pregnant and lactating mothers to offset wage loss and enhance nutritional intake.
- PM SVANidhi: Provides affordable microcredit working capital to urban street vendors, assisting in livelihood restoration and poverty alleviation.
Uttar Pradesh State-Specific Interventions
- Zero Poverty UP Campaign (2024): A targeted initiative identifying the bottom 10 to 25 ultra-poor families per Gram Panchayat to elevate their annual household income above ₹1.25 lakh through coordinated Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs) and welfare integration.
- One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme: Encourages traditional indigenous crafts and specialized agro-industrial products to stimulate rural employment, artisan income, and district-level economic resilience.
Conclusion
To realize the targets of SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), policy execution must transition from relief-oriented welfare to structural capability-building. Leveraging digital public infrastructure (such as the JAM Trinity) alongside aggressive rural skilling and decentralized agricultural reforms will ensure sustainable eradication of poverty and malnutrition.