Poverty is a geographical and social dimension. Poverty means lack of development, insufficient development and backwardness. According to the director of United Nations Organisation, Lord Boyd Orr. “Every one who gets less then 2100 calories in urban areas and 2400 calories in rural area is poor.”

A brief description of the programs related to poverty alleviation is given further:

1. Training of Rural Youth for Self – Employment (TRYSEM): This training program was started on 15 August 1979. It was merged in Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana on 1st April 1999. 

2. Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP): This program was started in 1978 – 79. The plan was started to provide employment in rural areas. It was also merged in Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana on 1st April 1999. It is a plan to provide subsidy to poor families to purchase dairy cattle and for other minor works. 

3 Jawahar Rojgar Yojana: This plan was started in 1989 – 90. It was a plan to provide employment in rural regions. On 1st April 1999, it was renamed as Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana. 

4. Development of women and children in Rural areas: This plan was also merged into Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana on 1st April 1999.

5 District Poverty Initiative Project (DPIP): This plan was implemented to attach the rural poor people with non – government – organisations (NGOs) and to empower them in a significant manner. 

6. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: It was a plan for providing better houses to poor families, widows and martyr’s families. 

7. Natioanl Rural Health Mission (NRHM): This mission was started with an objective to provide health and medical – related facilities to the rural population.

8. Ganga Kalyan Yojana: Under this plan, loan on minimum interest rate is provided for installing tube wells and pumping sets to small and marginal farmers. 

9 National Social Help Program: Under this program, there is a provision of providing grant under old – age pension, national family benefit plan, National labor – room benefit plan. 

10. Annapurna Yojana: Under this plan, senior citizens are provided food grains every month. 

11 Antyodaya Yojana: Under this plan, through public distribution system, BPL families are provided 25 kg of wheat at Rs.2 per kg and rice at Rs.3 per kg.

12. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana: It is a developmental intiative program, which provides sustainable income to the poorest of the poor people living in rural and urban areas. 

13. Sampurna Gramin Rojgar yojana: It was a scheme launched by the government of India to attain major objectives of providing gainful employment for the rural poor. 

14. Kam Ke Badle Anaaj Yojana (Food for work program): This scheme was started in 150 most backward regions with the objective to provide 100 days work to every poor family with some cash amount, 5kg of food grains per day given as wages.

Besides above schemes, several other programs are also operating in the country for removing poverty: 

1. Prime – Minister Sadak Yojana. 

2. Watershed Development Program. 

3. 20 point programme.

4. National Rural Livelihood Mission. 

5. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

Besides, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) was introduced by the Indian Government to reduce rural poverty, through 100 days of guaranteed employment per capita per year.