Anti-Poverty Transfers: Policy Successions with Little Success

Indian social welfare policy has traditionally considered poverty to be synonymous with hunger and famines in rural areas. Ongoing changes in the demographic and economic structure of the country, however, require a reorientation of anti-poverty policies toward the various emerging sources of poverty and vulnerability to foster a resilient development process. In this chapter, we identify the following key aspects of livelihood risks in the wake of India’s stunted structural transformation—smaller landholding size, low skill levels among workers, the dominance of informal employment, the slow pace of urbanization, and an aging population. We further suggest ways to adapt to these changing economic realities.