Eradicating poverty- a wild goose chase?

While there may by different text book definitions of poverty, what is clear and unquestionable is that truly poor are those who are deprived of the very basic wants of life: a safe and durable living quarter, a minimal consumption of nutrients (balanced food) and utilities (drinking water, gas), a threshold level of health and hygiene facilities (sanitation, medical care), basic educational facilities, and measures of protection against epidemics, natural calamities and man-made accidents and disasters: the rich do not suffer any of these wants. Thus poverty can be equated with pervasive deprivation (want of materials, resources and security measures). It will therefore be naïve to measure poverty in terms of per capita income because income only relates to material and services purchasing power, but does not take account of the deprivation for want of resources and security measures that the state or society must provide.

Therefore, those who claim to bring reduction in poverty (which virtually equates with deprivation) must take full cognizance of challenges ahead, lest political dynamics may change radically at the cost of the privileged class and the incumbent social and economic order.