|
A new index to measure poverty levels has been developed by the United Nations Development Program and Oxford University which is said to provide a "multidimensional" picture of people living in poverty and could help target development resources more effectively.
Based, not only on simple household income analysis, the MPI focuses on a large range of "deprivations" at the household level such as education, health outcomes, safe water, cooking fuel, assets and services etc, thus revealing 'a vivid spectrum of challenges' faced by the poor.
According to the MPI there are more poor people in eight states of India than in the 26 countries of sub-Saharan Africa as it confirmed that more than 410 million people live in 'extreme' poverty in the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, which is shocking news considering India's position in global politics and its hegemonic designs in the South Asian region with a growing economy and technological advancement.
The conclusions of the study reinforces the point that has been raised by many in India that distribution of the wealth generated by India's rapid economic growth in recent years is unequal to an alarming degree, despite claims made by politicians for an all inclusive development program.
Research has shown a clear link between inequality and a lack of social cohesion, which is apparent in the irregular Indian economic configuration. In societies where inequality, as in the Indian case, is rampant, people are much more likely to distrust each other, while the uneven distribution of wealth gives rise to an increased crime rate, thus damaging the social fabric of a nation turning it into a well of discrimination, frustration and hopeless despair. In addition to this, studies have revealed tendencies for violence to be more common in societies where income differences are larger.
Thus, the enormous influence of an asymmetrical economic escalation can be viewed by the complexity of the situation in India as the Maoist movement manages to retain the support of a large section of the tribal communities and the poorest of the poor in many affected areas. Having influence among certain sections of the civil society and the intelligentsia that poses multiple problems for the government, as it indicates the inadequacy of the Indian government in bringing harmony as the rampant discrimination among classes has become more pronounced. India has failed terribly in addressing the issues of its public and in alleviating poverty and suffering in the past 4 decades as the rebellion has gained momentum spreading across 20 out of 28 states.
In this backdrop, it is an enigma that this issue has evaded the international community and humanitarian organisations for such a long time. However, this bears great consequences for propagating peace in the region since India is a significant player in South Asia and that the internal conditions of a country with the second largest population has the ability to directly influence the regional environment.
Lubna Umar, Islamabad |