The South Asian region has some of the world's most populous countries, and also harbors a large proportion of the world's poorest people. Poverty means not only low income, but also weak purchasing power, poor life expectancy, high child mortality, and low literacy level. Besides, poverty is associated with limited control over resources and economic opportunities, which leads to landlessness, unemployment, and population pressure. It is also a frequent cause of migration in search of waged or salaried employment and of prostitution and d…