A comparison of poverty in India with neighborhood is always a topic of heated debate and of interest to many in this forum.
As per official and unofficial records India still has more people in the poor category in numbers than others.
So even though the statistics are showing healthy improvement ,
what is the successive governments over the years doing to reduce the burden on these people?
Lets check some stats and facts.
India has for decades initiated and successfully implemented subsidies in sectors like food security subsidies , social security subsidies, farm subsidies etc to ease the burden.
A quick look at the current year.
India has even completed the Aadhar card deliveries to
650 million people who will be getting LPG and subsidies after they have already connected this to their newly opened bank account.
India has one of the largest Public distribution system where the poor gets staple food grains, such as wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene, through a network of public distribution shops (also known as ration shops) established in several states across the country.
Food Corporation of India, a Government-owned corporation, procures and maintains the PDS.
Distribution of food grains to poor people throughout the country is managed by state governments. As of date there are about
5 million Fair Price Shops (FPS) across India.
India has initiated Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT is an attempt to change the mechanism of transferring subsidies launched by Government of India on 1 January 2013. This program aims to transfer subsidies directly to the people through their bank accounts. It is hoped that crediting subsidies into bank accounts will reduce leakages, delays, etc.
India has installed The Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS) which is a Government of India public financial management reforms initiative which monitors programs in the social sector and tracks funds disbursed.
So in a more simpler way,
India though has poor is getting benefits from government through various schemes that has made ease of living by getting the essential in a very networked system.
Now its the turn of my Pakistani brothers to point out the subsidies in food, farming sectors, energy, social sectors and even job sectors which has eased the life of the poor in their country. We are all ears... let's begin.