Summary
Poverty remains one of the challenges many people in undeveloped nations experience. Most of the affected community members will lack the relevant resources and finances to have a decent life. Such victims tend to have reduced income levels and are unable to meet their basic needs. This paper examines the poverty situation in Pakistan and provides appropriate recommendations that can guide the government to overcome this problem.
Poverty in Pakistan
In Pakistan, poverty is a predicament that affects the experiences and lives of many people. This country has been recording manmade and natural calamities that make it impossible for most citizens to engage in income-generating activities. The Balochistan Drought Needs Assessment (BDNA) report of 2019 revealed that around 24 percent of the country’s population was living below the indicated poverty line (“Poverty Data,” n.d.). Around 31 percent of the citizens in rural regions and 13 percent of urban dwellers will be unable to overcome the problem (International Labour Organization, 2016). These findings reveal that poverty is a problematic issue that the Pakistani government needs to address using appropriate strategies.
Poverty may impact a country in many different ways. For example, the findings by the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) observed that 38.8 percent of Pakistan’s population was poor with the most affected individuals being those in rural regions (“Poverty Data,” n.d.). The report also indicated that around 20.5 percent of the citizens were undernourished (Khan et al., 2015). Some factors have been associated with this national problem affecting many people in the country. For instance, the 2017-2018 Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Labor Force indicated that 45 percent of the citizens lacked basic education or were illiterate (“Poverty Data,” n.d.). Women were affected by this problem at around 63 percent (“Poverty Data,” n.d.). All of the mentioned above provide evidence that poverty is a severe issue and should be addressed properly.
Policy Recommendation
Different leaders have considered several policies and initiatives in the past to tackle the problem of poverty and empower more people to lead better lives. For instance, the Pakistan People’s Party introduced the famous Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Act to provide funds to eligible members of the society (Khan et al., 2015). This policy initiative was intended to support more people who lacked financial resources and protect the wider population against the challenges of transient poverty. This program has managed to support over 1.7 million families since its introduction (Khan et al., 2015). Despite the efforts and goals of the pioneers of this initiative, the country’s poverty level has only reduced slightly.
A new recommended policy has the potential to address the current situation and make it easier for more people to lead high-quality lives. The suggestion should combine various elements that are related to the current problem of poverty. The first one is to ensure that the proposed policy provides incentives and platforms through which more people will have access to education (Khan et al., 2015). The initiative needs to focus on both young individuals and adults. Children will acquire skills that will guide them throughout their lives and get new job opportunities (International Labour Organization, 2016). Adults will benefit from the presented competencies to start their businesses and overcome the challenge of poverty.
The case of the United States presents powerful insights for pursuing such a program. For instance, the government has invested heavily in the Child Care and Development Block Grant and the Strong Start for America’s Children Act to meet the educational needs of more children (Singh & Chudasama, 2020). This strategy has been improving the economic mobility of many people within the past three decades. Pakistan stands a chance to benefit from similar initiatives and achieve its business aims. The main assumption is that the government has adequate funds and resources to support educational attainment.
The proposed policy should consider the need to create sustainable jobs and opportunities that can allow more people to earn competitive salaries or wages. The government can invest heavily in the manufacturing and service industries, equip more citizens with computer skills, and rebuild infrastructure (“Poverty Data,” n.d.). The support presented to various sectors of the economy will ensure that more people have access to new job opportunities. The combination of these two strategies will meet the demands of the unemployed who will be able to provide food to their children and other family members.
The emerging assumption is that most people will be willing to identify and apply for new job openings. The result is that more individuals will be in a position to transform their lives. Failure to seek such jobs is that the process might be counterproductive and increase poverty levels (Singh & Chudasama, 2020). Fortunately, the British government has been relying on this approach to reduce unemployment and ensure that more people earn competitive salaries.
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified poverty as a major challenge affecting many people in Pakistan. The government can consider the proposed suggestions and examine the cases of Britain and the United States to provide adequate education to more citizens. The relevant departments can collaborate to ensure that more people can get good-paying and sustainable jobs. The described policy will make it possible for this nation to record reduced poverty levels.
References
Poverty data: Pakistan. (n.d.). Asian Development Bank. 2020, Web.
International Labour Organization. (2016). World employment social outlook 2016: Transforming jobs to end poverty [PDF document]. Web.
Khan, A., Naveed, A., Samman, E., Sarwar, M. B., & Hoy, C. (2015). Progress under scrutiny: Poverty reduction in Pakistan [PDF document]. Web.
Singh, P. K., & Chudasama, H. (2020). Evaluating poverty alleviation strategies in a developing country. PLoS ONE, 15(1), e0227176.