Telangana SCERT Solution Class VIII (8) Social Studies Chapter-17 (Understanding Poverty)
1) Which of the following statement/ statements in the context of poverty as chronic hunger is true:-
1) having food only once a day
Answer
True
2) having food below the required calorie
Answer
True
3) person driving the harvester and person ploughing the field require same calorie of food
Answer
False
The person ploughing the field requires more calorie than the person driving the harvester.
4) Person ploughing the field requires more calorie than shop owner
Answer
True
5) Hunger also affects the person’s immune system
Answer
True
2) Identify the major reasons for poverty as described in the chapter.
Answer
The major reasons for poverty are:
- Change in agriculture process (machine took over man power).
- No jobs or opportunity in the rural areas.
- Lower wage and salary.
- Big families and low income.
- Low purchasing power
The major reason was lack of regular employment which means low income so they had low purchasing power to spend on food.
3) What have been the major features of programmes like MNREGA and PDS? Which aspects of poverty do they try to address? Why are ration shops necessary?
Answer
The major features of MNREGA are
- Provides employment to the unskilled labour of the rural.
- People are paid above the minimum wage.
- Every rural household has the right to register under MGNREGA.
- Equal payment for men and woman.
The major features of PDS are
- Making food available for everyone in the society.
- Stabilises price to make food available at affordable price for the poor households in general.
- Helps in reducing famine by supplying food.
- Improves the health and life expectancy of the people.
The tried to address that people in the India should be provide withemployment as well as everyone should have access to affordable food to remove poverty from our country.
It is necessary because employment gives little income to spend on essential food items which is required to survive. So the government supplies the basic needs at fair price shop called the Ration shop.
4) Read the first two paragraphs under the title “The Struggle towards ‘the Right to Life’” on page 201 and 202 and comment on them.
Answer
The comment is as follows:
- Today in our country 4 out of 5 people in the rural areas consume less than the minimum required calories.
- Our government especially for rural areas have introducedAntyodaya cards for BPL people.
- According to a survey many families of landless labourers did not have BPL cards whereas there were some reports of Rich families with BPL cards.
- There are so many problems with new PDS systems like even though the government provides food grains stock, but ration shops provide food grains to only card holders and not for other people.
- So the majority of landless poor people did not get one meal for a day they had to fight for “Right to life”
5) Write a letter to your District Collector on the functioning of P.D.S. programme in your village.
Answer
Date-
To
The District Collector,
YyyAddress ,
Xyz District.
Respected sir/madam,
I,Ravikumar, from (place) wish to inform you that PDS programme in my locality is not functioning properly. The poor farmers and the people who can’t afford food for even one meal a day are not being provide with such facilities allotted to them by the government. This is not the only problem even the ration shop don’t open on daily basis and when they do open they supply less amount quantity than allotted. So I request you to look into the matter and to enquire the issue and take action.
Thanking You
Yours faithfully
Ravi kumar