Rutvi Savaliya
Professor Adam Cohen
ENGL102 Critical Writing & Research
11 May 2025
Invisible Borders: Poverty and Structural Inequality in India
Borders are not just physical demarcations between nations; they are also social,
economic, and structural divisions within societies that define access to opportunity,
mobility, and agency. In India, these internal borders manifest in the form of poverty,
caste, gender, and geographic inequality. This paper explores how the borders of poverty
and marginalization continue to divide Indian society despite the country’s economic
growth. Using the theoretical framework of Amartya Sen’s capability approach, which
defines development as freedom, this paper argues that true development must go beyond
income metrics and dismantle structural borders that inhibit human flourishing.
The present state of poverty in India requires analysis of both historical records
and empirical evidence. Aashish Gupta et al. found that India experienced between 2.6
and 3.2 million unreported deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic (Gupta et al.). The
massive death toll reveals both the weak state of India's public health system and the
insufficient data disclosure, which creates an "invisible border" between information-
accessible privileged populations and data-invisible marginalized groups. Systemic
inequality becomes evident through the health divide because impoverished rural
communities, along with underserved areas, bear the greatest burden of suffering. People
, without access to quality healthcare services also faced barriers to essential services,
including transportation and sanitation, and digital information platforms that became
vital during lockdowns and hospital crises.
The healthcare facilities in rural India operated with insufficient funding and
inadequate equipment at distances that made emergency medical assistance impossible
for residents. The government relief programs, along with vaccine distribution strategies,
preferred urban areas, which created an expanding gap between different socioeconomic
groups. The pandemic revealed how borders exist beyond geography to include
socioeconomic and institutional dimensions, which decide who obtains medical care and
who gets counted, and who will live. The continuous reproduction of structural poverty in
India occurs because of policy gaps and neglect, together with inadequate resource
distribution across different socioeconomic groups.
The World Bank’s 2023 Poverty and Equity Brief shows that India’s poverty
headcount ratio has dropped to 10% based on the $2.15 per day international poverty line,
but this national average conceals important demographic and regional inequalities
(World Bank). The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), along with other
marginalized groups, have not seen their poverty rates decrease to the same extent as the
general population. Women who live in rural and agrarian areas experience restricted
access to education and healthcare services and formal employment opportunities, which
increases their economic vulnerability. The large number of rural workers in India faces
economic risks because they perform seasonal and informal jobs that pay minimal and
unstable wages.
Professor Adam Cohen
ENGL102 Critical Writing & Research
11 May 2025
Invisible Borders: Poverty and Structural Inequality in India
Borders are not just physical demarcations between nations; they are also social,
economic, and structural divisions within societies that define access to opportunity,
mobility, and agency. In India, these internal borders manifest in the form of poverty,
caste, gender, and geographic inequality. This paper explores how the borders of poverty
and marginalization continue to divide Indian society despite the country’s economic
growth. Using the theoretical framework of Amartya Sen’s capability approach, which
defines development as freedom, this paper argues that true development must go beyond
income metrics and dismantle structural borders that inhibit human flourishing.
The present state of poverty in India requires analysis of both historical records
and empirical evidence. Aashish Gupta et al. found that India experienced between 2.6
and 3.2 million unreported deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic (Gupta et al.). The
massive death toll reveals both the weak state of India's public health system and the
insufficient data disclosure, which creates an "invisible border" between information-
accessible privileged populations and data-invisible marginalized groups. Systemic
inequality becomes evident through the health divide because impoverished rural
communities, along with underserved areas, bear the greatest burden of suffering. People
, without access to quality healthcare services also faced barriers to essential services,
including transportation and sanitation, and digital information platforms that became
vital during lockdowns and hospital crises.
The healthcare facilities in rural India operated with insufficient funding and
inadequate equipment at distances that made emergency medical assistance impossible
for residents. The government relief programs, along with vaccine distribution strategies,
preferred urban areas, which created an expanding gap between different socioeconomic
groups. The pandemic revealed how borders exist beyond geography to include
socioeconomic and institutional dimensions, which decide who obtains medical care and
who gets counted, and who will live. The continuous reproduction of structural poverty in
India occurs because of policy gaps and neglect, together with inadequate resource
distribution across different socioeconomic groups.
The World Bank’s 2023 Poverty and Equity Brief shows that India’s poverty
headcount ratio has dropped to 10% based on the $2.15 per day international poverty line,
but this national average conceals important demographic and regional inequalities
(World Bank). The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), along with other
marginalized groups, have not seen their poverty rates decrease to the same extent as the
general population. Women who live in rural and agrarian areas experience restricted
access to education and healthcare services and formal employment opportunities, which
increases their economic vulnerability. The large number of rural workers in India faces
economic risks because they perform seasonal and informal jobs that pay minimal and
unstable wages.
