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Tackle poverty

Kashmir Times. Dated: 10/27/2020 12:19:39 AM

Dear Editor,
It is a matter of concern that a vast majority of the Indian population still lives in poverty. India is one of the poorest countries in the world, and women and children, who form the most vulnerable sections of society, are invariably the worst affected. In a shocking incident in Jakhania village of Kutch district on Wednesday, a jobless labourer named Jakhu Sanghar allegedly stabbed his wife and three young daughters to death. Jakhu allegedly took this drastic step owing to the acute financial crisis he had been undergoing since the beginning of the lockdown. While poverty and the resultant hunger have indeed been the country's biggest challenges, the coronavirus pandemic has only deepened the crisis and worsened the economic inequality in India. This has blighted our democracy even in this post-colonial era. Policy interventions for short term such as food provisions are not going to be enough to solve the problem. The basic indices of daily life of all citizens need to be improved.
-- NR Salam, Jammu