INTODUCTION:

“When a poor person dies of hunger, it is not because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.” — Mother Teresa

Despite being the fourth largest economy in the world, a large percentage of India’s population lives in absolute poverty, earning a meager $1 a day. People around the country are involved in multiple occupations, ranging from textiles and agriculture to handicrafts and information technology. While there is certainly no lack of skilled labor in India, there is a lack of literacy amongst the nation’s poor resulting from the financial inability to acquire a proper education. This creates a vicious cycle, where generation upon generation of underpriviledged individuals is unable to obtain the education they require to become successful in the rapidly expanding India of today.

LET’S BE PATRIOTIC!

India’s economic boom is fuelled by a generation of bright, English- speaking workers and professionals. This combination of skill and English language proficiency allows them to work remotely for foreign companies in call centers and customer service departments, and pursue careers ranging from IT domain to business environments in India as well as abroad. There is a chance for dissolving poverty in India, but unless the younger generation like us understand the need to work for our motherland, it will prove difficult to accomplish this task even in three decades

YES, WE CAN!

People will change themselves if they believe that they can. If they believe that someone in their position has already achieved great feats. So students we should teach the poor and make them believe in themselves and realize their strength to make a difference and raise their standard of living.

"Rich people have large libraries, poor people have large TV's" said Dan Kennedy.

Give the poor people heroes they can look up to. And they will model after these heroes and change their lives! As students we should tell them rags-to riches stories. And they will surprise you by rising out of poverty in record time!

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

We, the youth of this country, have enQrmous power to change this situation. Initiatives like forming groups and spreading awareness in rural areas, educating the illiterate in one's own localities, creating charitable programmes for poverty etc, can be the measures which we can take against poverty. So, what are we waiting for?

Poverty, like a deadly disease, is constantly spreading its wings in Indian society. Today, more than 25 per cent ofthe Indian population lives below the poveliy line and are not able to meet their basic needs - food, clothing and shelter.

EVERYTHING THAT IS REWARD GROWS:

Eradicating poverty from the world is a good goal to have. But Cutting cheques and providing special favors’ to the poorest people of the society doesn't work in eradicating poverty at all! In fact, all it'll do is make people find ways in making sure they don't get too rich - so that they can take advantage of the free welfare cheques and free education!

Because everything that is rewarded grows ... if you reward poverty, how can you expect it to wither away?

Hunger and malnutrition were the worst manifestations of poverty.

The chronically hungry cannot grow out of poverty.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
  -Chinese  Proverb

Our job is to teach a man how to fish only when he is willing to learn. And
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Our job is to teach a man how to fish only when he is willing to learn.

POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT:

Reducing poverty and achieving sustained development must be done in
conjunction with a healthy planet. It is recognized that environmental

sustainabilityis part of global economic and social well- being. Unfortunately exploitation of natural resources such as forests, land, water, and fisheries-often by the powerful few-have caused alarming changes in our natural world in recent decades, often harming the most vulnerable people in the world who depend on natural resources for their livelihood

Poveliy eradication and environment protection should be mutually supportive. Students should indulge in campaigns that focus the necessity of keeping the environment clean in the localities where they reside.

Good health: In particular, comprehensive programmes of preventive medicine, including immunization and control of communicable diseases should be implemented. There should also be strong support and faster implementation of campaigns to,tackle the social causes of diseases -- like the 'roll back malaria' initiative, and the program to fight HIV/AIDS. Students, as a potential force of the society to make this information reach the mass should voluntarily involve themselves in such social activities.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO DEVELOPMENT

Quality basic education, as well as secondary and higher education, vocational training, and skill acquisition throughout life are indispensable tools to eradicate poverty. Education and awareness of citizen's rights are two major gateways for eradication of poverty. In order to combat the poverty, We, the youth, by spreading awareness among the weaker

sections about their rights should work for creating more means of livelihood, opt for handmade things and use less machine-aided services and ensure that elementary and vocational education is available to all.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER:

Social serviGes must be developed with more social investments by governments and less military expenditures, if poverty is to be defeated. As students we should take active participation in NCC and NSS camps and activities. A global alliance must be forged by the entire international community, with governments, United Nations, International financial institutions, regional organisations, civil society and private sector joining hands to make poverty eradication a central goal of humanity.

CONCLUSION:

The Indian society is longing for change. Every day we get up to see the same things around us - the news of increasing crime rate, caste wars over trivial matters and ignorant politicians. Our reaction to all this is merely contempt, which more or less says that nothing will change in our country. Instead of waiting for someone else to bring about a change, we, as younger generations of India, should wake LIp and unite to change the way everything works. And all this can happen only when Indians change their mindsets. With this change, India will not only develop economically but also socially, politically and culturally. So let us come together and awaken ourselves to a new world, a world where all can walk with their heads held high and say with pride that

We are Indians!