Some movie scenes fade with time. Others stay etched in memory, tugging at our hearts each time we revisit them.
One such scene is from Swades, the 2004 gem directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and starring Shah Rukh Khan. Mohan Bhargava, a NASA scientist, is on a train journey when it halts at a small, nondescript station called Ajite. There, a young boy offers passengers a cup of water for 25 paise, poured into a clay kullhad. Most ignore him. Mohan accepts, takes a sip, and in that moment, something shifts inside him. His eyes well up, not just because of the taste of the water, but because of the silent story it tells. A child who should be in school is instead working to help his family survive.
Nearly two decades later, versions of that boy still exist in our daily lives, selling flowers at traffic signals, peanuts in train compartments, or toys at bus stops. And every time we see them, we ask ourselves the same question: Why aren’t they in school?
India’s Progress- And Its Persistent Gaps
According to the World Bank’s India Development Update 2024, India remains the world’s fastest-growing major economy, expanding 8.2% in FY23/24. Growth has been driven by public infrastructure investment, a 9.9% surge in manufacturing, and steady real estate activity, with services offsetting weaker agricultural output.
Yet beneath the headline numbers, challenges persist. Inequality remains stubborn (Gini coefficient ~35), child stunting affects 35.5% of children, job quality is poor, wages are stagnant, and female workforce participation lags despite improvements since 2020. Urban unemployment has fallen from 14.3% in FY21/22 to 9% in FY24/25, but youth joblessness in cities is still a troubling 16.8%.
Poverty has sharply declined since the 1990s, thanks to rapid growth and targeted welfare programmes such as MGNREGA, PDS, PM Awas Yojana, and Jan Dhan Yojana. Rural development schemes like PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana for irrigation and PM Fasal Bima Yojana for crop insurance have also bolstered resilience.
Still, around 364 million Indians remain poor. The gap lies not in vision but in execution, ensuring benefits reach those who need them most.
Lessons from Global Experiences
China’s experience, reducing extreme poverty from 88.3% in 1981 to 0.7% by 2015, shows the value of pairing sustained growth with efficient delivery systems. The World Bank identifies lessons India can adapt, maintain a long-term vision, standardise processes to cut costs, empower local governments for accountability, strengthen project management, build resilient domestic supply chains, and embed inclusivity into every initiative.
A Business Standard report on World Bank data highlights that India’s extreme poverty rate dropped from 27.1% in 2011-12 to 5.3% in 2022-23, 269 million people moving above the international poverty threshold in just over a decade. Five states, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh, accounted for two-thirds of this progress.
Flagship schemes such as PM Awas Yojana, PM Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana, and Ayushman Bharat, alongside systemic enablers like Direct Benefit Transfers and rural infrastructure expansion, have underpinned these gains.
Shifts in Poverty Dynamics Post-1991
In a report by Anupam Manur and Devika Kher, Policy Analysts at the Takshashila Institution, India’s poverty profile shifted dramatically after 1991. Urban growth replaced rural growth as the main driver of poverty reduction, cutting rates in both areas. The secondary sector went from a negative to a positive contributor, while the tertiary sector remained dominant, accounting for 60% of poverty reduction. Rising rural wages, a narrowing urban-rural wage gap, more schooling, and a construction boom reshaped labour markets. Urbanisation, economic and demographic, became a major force in reducing poverty.
The View from the Ground
According to an article penned by Dr. Aruna Sharma, retired IAS officer of the 1982 batch, published by Policy Circle, India’s poverty story remains deeply unsettled. While NITI Aayog claims a 15% drop in poverty, 248 million people remain below the poverty line, and 60% survive on under $3.10/day. Over 250 million live on less than $2/day, underscoring persistent deprivation.
Dr. Sharma stresses that debates must move beyond headline numbers to include employment, nutrition, and human development. Post-independence poverty alleviation has fallen short due to missed opportunities, bureaucratic inertia, and weak policy alignment. Iconic programmes, from Indira Gandhi’s Garibi Hatao to today’s PDS (feeding 80 crore people) and MGNREGA, have had impact but suffer from delivery gaps.
India’s cautious investments have cost global opportunities, unlike China’s aggressive reforms. Radical labour, land, and financial policy changes are vital. DBTs aid targeting but can’t replace governance. Without decentralisation and timely funds, local bodies remain limited.
The Way Forward
Addressing poverty and child labour requires more than schemes, it needs coordination between government, private sector, and civil society:
- Strengthen delivery systems so entitlements like MGNREGA and PDS reach every eligible household.
- Invest in rural infrastructure, roads, schools, healthcare, to break intergenerational deprivation.
- Boost skill development to transition workers into stable, higher-income jobs.
- Ensure universal access to healthcare, insurance, and pensions to protect the most vulnerable.
The boy at Ajite station may have been fictional, but his reality remains true for millions. India has the policies, resources, and economic momentum to change that reality.
The challenge, and the opportunity, is to turn intent into impact. Until then, Mohan Bhargava’s tearful gaze in Swades will be more than cinema. It will be a reminder of the work still left to do.
About the Author:
Vishwas Dass is a communications expert and an alumnus of The Takshashila Institution, an independent think tank and public policy school
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishwas-dass-b71aa029/