Poverty and Discrimination


Struggles For Equality - Concepts
Class - 7th Foundation NTSE Subjects
 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Poverty and Discrimination

History is full of examples of persons who have come together to flight against inequality and for issues of justice. The Indian constitution recognizes all Indians as equal before the law and states that no person can be discriminated against because of their religion. Gender caste or whether they are rich or poor. All adults in India have the equal right to vote during elections and this ‘power over the ballot box’ has been used by people to elect or replace their representatives. But this feeling of equality that the ballot box provides, because the vote of the person is as good as that of another, does not extend to most people’s lives.

The increasing privatization of health services and the neglect of government hospitals have made it difficult for most poor people to get good quality health care. These people do not have the resources to afford expensive private health services.

Similarly, the man who sells juice does not have the resources to compete with all of the major companies who sell branded drinks through expensive advertising. Swapna does not have sufficient resources to grow cotton and, so, has to take a loan from the trader to grow her crop. This forces her to sell her cotton at a lower price. Poverty and the lack of resources continue to be a key reason why so many people’s lives in India are highly unequal.

Discrimination on the basis of a person’s religion, caste and gender is another significant factor for why people are treated unequally in India.

Often, poverty and lack of dignity and respect for certain communities and groups come together in such powerful ways that it is difficult to identify where one aspect of inequality ends and the other begins. As you have read, Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim girls drop out of school in large numbers. This is a combined outcome of poverty, social discrimination and lack of good quality school facilities for these communities

 
 
 


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