Enumerate the reasons of poverty among the third world countries, also mention the key ideas suggested in the Brandt report of 1980 to help them.

Third world countries refer to those countries, whose economic, social, political development is not at par with the rest of the contemporary world.

Reasons of poverty:

1. Education –
   • Education create class divide, resource divide and effective utilisation of those resources is curtailed, thus leading to poverty.
   • Education and undereducation leads to neo-slavery, where informed ruled over illiterate and deprive them of basic needs.
2. Development –
   • Development is never multidimensional in third world Nations. E.g. Health, sanitation, nutrition are not dealt together in one unified way.
   • Diversion, redistribution results in loss/ wastage of resources.
3. Technology –
   • Technical challenges lead to delay of public delivery. E.g. Non-automation of PDS.
4. Third world habits –
   • Caste, class divide, religion divide, diverts attention of popular government from developmental concerns.

Ideas suggested in Brandt report:

• Following bottom up approach.
• Ensuring mass participation.
• Social audit of government schemes.
• Decentralized policy making.
• Impact assessment.
• Effective grievance redressal mechanism.

More people to people, people to government, dialogue is needed. Developed Nations must give what’s owed to developing world in various agreements.

Topics: GS-I: Poverty and Developmental Issues • GS-II: Developed Versus Developing Countries Indias Interests