The challenge of creating jobs for the rural poor

Overview

Reducing rural poverty by providing work for the hundreds of millions of rural poor is not only necessary for sustaining India’s economic growth, but also a social and political priority for the government. In both national and state elections most incumbent administrations are voted out of power by the majority rural electorate dissatisfied by government failure to deliver on promises to improve socio-economic conditions.

The Congress-led coalition government launched the National...