Agricultural Resources Information System (AgRIS): An e ...

foreseeable future (World Bank, 2002) 2 . Progress in reducing
hunger has virtually halted (FAO, 2002) 3 . Over the past 20
years, there has been a school of thought that little has been
achieved in terms of the Programme of action: known as the
Peasants' Charter4, especially agrarian reforms (ANGOC, 1999) 5 .
1.3 At the beginning of the new millennium, 260 million people in
India did not have incomes to access a consumption basket, which
defines the poverty line. Of these, 75 per cent were in the rural
areas. India is home to 22 per cent of the World’s poor.
Reduction of poverty in India is, therefore, vital for the
attainment of international goals (Planning Commission, 10th Five
Year Plan [2002-2007], Chapter 3.2, Page No 293). Both the
Central and state governments in India, have considerably
enhanced allocations for the provision of education, health,
sanitation and other facilities which promote capacity-building
and well-being of the poor. The Targeted Public Distribution
System (TPDS) protects the poor from the adverse effects of a
2
World Bank (2002) : “Reaching the Rural Poor – A Renewed Strategy for Rural Development”, ,Washington, D.C.,
2002 and also see http://www.worldbank.org/rural
3
FAO (2002): "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2002", FAO’s Annual Report, 2002.
4
The Peasants' Charter: To enable the poor to have the right of access and control of productive resources,
particularly land, towards the achievement of rural development, especially on agrarian reform, which about 145
governments agreed to pursue, at the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (WCARRD),
organized by FAO in July 1979 in Rome.
5
Asian NGO Coalition (ANGOC) Statement On The Occasion Of the WCARRD 20/20: Emerging Trends and
Perspectives of Agrarian Reform and Rural Development in Asia, Tagaytay, Philippines, 6-7 October 1999.
5