National Social Assistant Programme

Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 93 National Social Assistant Programme Niwrutti Narayan Nanwate Adv.B.D.Hambarde Mahavidyalaya Ashti Manuscript ID: JRD -2025(I)-170922 ISSN: 2230-9578 Volume 17 Issue 9(I)| Pp. 93-99 Sept. 2025 Submitted: 9 Aug. 2025 Revised: 20 Aug. 2025 Accepted: 20 Sept. 2025 Published: 30 Sept. 2025 Abstract India, despite achieving impressive economic growth over the past two decades, continues to face challenges of poverty, inequality, and inadequate social protection. A significant proportion of the population remains dependent on government welfare schemes, particularly social assistance programmes like pensions, subsidies, and cash transfers. This study focuses on the performance of cash transfer schemes under the National Social Assistance Programme in Nanded district, Maharashtra. Using both primary and secondary data, with surveys conducted in Bhokar and Hadgaon talukas, the research analyses beneficiaries’ socio-economic profiles, enrolment patterns, accessibility issues, and leakages in schemes such as the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. Findings reveal that while schemes provide crucial financial security to disadvantaged groups (elderly, widows, and disabled), irregular payments, documentary requirements, lack of awareness, and caste-based disparities limit their effectiveness. Many beneficiaries depend on pensions for basic needs like food and healthcare, but irregular disbursement forces them into borrowing and financial distress. The study concludes that effective implementation, reduction in leakages, timely disbursement, and greater awareness can enhance the role of cash transfer schemes in poverty alleviation and social inclusion. Keywords National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP),Cash Transfer Schemes,Old Age Pension,Social Security,Poverty Alleviation,Beneficiaries’ Socio-Economic Profile,Caste Disparities Introduction: Despite a sustained period of high economic growth and significant expenditure on the social sector, nearly 19 per cent of central government expenditure in India faces a multiple development conundrum because India's jobless and non-inclusive growth has little impact on incidence growth. The gross domestic product of the Indian economy has approximately grown at an average of 7% in the last two decades. Despite having such a high average growth rate, almost 23.6% of people live at 1.25 per day (in purchasing power parity terms) and 59.2% at 2 per day as per an estimate for 2011 by the World Bank; however, poverty has declined in India in the last two decades. The failure of the market to take care of the poor and weaker sections of society remains high, which makes it imperative for the government to intervene and initiate various welfare measures and social protection policies. It raises the need for support for people experiencing poverty and the vulnerable through government schemes, which are generally termed social protection schemes.1 Social protection has many definitions given by different agencies. In general, social protection is a "set of policies and programmes designed to reduce poverty and vulnerability by promoting efficiency, labour markets, diminishing people's exposure to risks, enhancing their capacity to protect themselves against hazards and interrupting loss of income. Therefore, social protection focuses on reducing risks and vulnerability in society through exogenous interventions in the market economy, apart from those of government agencies. Such interventions may also come from informal networks, public assistance, and voluntary organisations to prevent, manage and assist people experiencing poverty in overcoming risks and vulnerabilities.2 Quick Response Code: Website: https://jrdrvb.org/ DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.16885235 Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work noncommercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations ae licensed under the idential terms. Address for correspondence: Niwrutti Narayan Nanwate ,Adv.B.D.Hambarde Mahavidyalaya Ashti How to cite this article: Niwrutti Narayan Nanwate,(2025). National Social Assistant Programme,Journal of Research & Development, 17(9(I)),93-99 Original Article Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 94 Our constitution ensures equality, freedom, justice, and dignity for all citizens of the country, including persons with disabilities, without any discrimination, which implies an inclusive society for all. Article 41 of the constitution of India, relating to the right to work, education and public assistance in certain cases, states that 'the state shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education to the assistance of unemployment, old age sickness and disablement, and in other cases of underserved want. Disability is mainly a state subject, "Relief of the disabled and unemployable" is in the seventh schedule of the constitution. "Disability" also appears in the 11th & 12th schedules (about panchayats & Municipalities) of the constitution. In this manner 11th schedule: Entry No. 26:- social welfare, including the welfare of handicapped and mentally retarded", and 12th schedule: entry No.9:- "safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society, including the disabled and mentally retarded. In this sector, there are four legislations, namely, the Rehabilitation Council of India Act 1992, persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995: National Trust for the welfare of persons with Autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities Act, 1999 and mental Health Act, 1997, (out of these, the first three legislations are dealt in the ministry of social justice and empowerment and the fourth in the ministry of health and family welfare)4 Importance of Subject: In fact, old pension schemes are a small but relatively important part of India's safety net. Money is credited to bank or post office accounts. If the sponsor has no credit to their account, the poor old people cannot fulfil their needs because pension schemes are the main source of poor old people. Sunjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojna, Subsides on Fertiliser, Subsides for Gas Cylinder, of course, to the last consumer of the systems. Direct cash transfers aim to provide poor people with money and give them the freedom to choose what to do with it. Cash Transfers are easy to deliver and monitor and are large enough to affect household income. Most leakages would be reduced with cash transfer schemes. In this way, the rural ecosystem is making strong and poor people come; in the bank system and government, it is easy to calculate the position of the economy. Therefore, the government moved to a cash transfer scheme. Cash transfers help people escape or avoid poverty. They help improve the recipient's health and nutrition status, particularly children. Cash transfers increase people's freedom to make decisions about their lives and provide greater control over the way they plan their activities. Cash transfer is a reduction in income inequality. In this background, the present research is an attempt to study the performance of cash transfer schemes in the Nanded district of Maharashtra.India is home to one-fifth of the world's population, which includes a third of the world's poor and oneeighth of the world's elderly. Thus, its strategy for providing social security to older people is of global interest.24 Population ageing is one of the most discussed global phenomena in the present century. It is generally expressed as older individuals forming a large share of the total population. This process is a consideration of demographic achievement with a decline in birth and older ages. These increases in the elderly population are the result of changing fertility and mortality regimes over the last 40 to 50 years. Poverty is an important factor causing economic hardships in many families, and more so among the elderly. The elderly in poor families suffer from financial and economic hardship if they lose their family support. It is important that the growing social and health requirements of elders have to be addressed optimally and comprehensively. The responsibility of taking care of older people's health and wellbeing rests with society, as they are no longer able to fend for themselves. This has thrown a spotlight on the importance of old-age income security schemes.26 Marginalisation isolation ordination in old age is among the most common issues that are affecting older women constantly. Older women, who are still living with their sons / daughters and grandchildren, are also suffering from emotional alienation. Due to fast changing socio-economic scenario of the country, fast raced modern life style & rapid urbanisation across the elderly family members, popularity of nuclear family system has virtually crushed strong traditional bond between grand-children. Older women who live in cities are prone to social alienation in comparison to older women of vintage. Joint family system is still alive in rural areas. Due to lack of social protection, old women are forced to lead a life full of distress. 28 A widow is considered destitute if she is without any regular income or source of income and if she has no relations of 20 years of age, particularly a son, grandson or spouse. Widows without any relative and who do not have any form of regular employment or who do not have helpful relations are also related as destitute.29Social security pensions are meant to help some disadvantaged sections of society (such as the elderly, widows and disabled persons) to live with dignity by giving them some basic financial security. The pension certainly has great importance in the lives of older people, as most of them are either unable to earn a living for themselves or cannot do so due to social factors In recent years, cash transfer programs have become increasingly popular in many developing countries worldwide. A growing number of governments have introduced transfer schemes for sections of their population, and several have expanded them to the national level. In addition, various multilateral and bilateral donor agencies have actively supported experimental cash transfer schemes in various parts of the world. Objectives: The study seeks to achieve the following objectives. 1. To study the cash transfer schemes in Maharashtra. Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 95 2. To study the social category - wise socio-economic profile of the beneficiaries of cash transfer schemes in Nanded district of Maharashtra. 3. To study the social category - wise difficulties in the access to cash transfer schemes in Nanded district of Maharashtra. 4. To study the leakages in cash transfer schemes in Nanded district of Maharashtra. Research Methodology: The first important question pertains to the method of selection of samples regarding villages and rural households. The survey is the method to collect information to understand the rural economy, households’ income, socio-economic conditions and occupations. The primary data is collected through the combination of quantitative (sample survey) and Qualitative (interview) methods. The cash and kind transfer schemes like old age Pension Scheme, self-employment scheme, LPG Scheme, Janani Surksha Yojana, Indra Awas yojana are analyzed for present study. The purposive random sampling method technique is used for field investigation. The Nanded district has ben selected for the study because it was the district selected for the pilot project for the implementation of cash transfer scheme in Maharashtra in 2012. 02 Tahsils (Bhokar and Hadgaon) have been chosen from Nanded district on the basis of highest number of beneficiaries of the cash and kind transfer schemes in the district. Bhosi village from Bhokar and Ashti from Hadgaon tauqas were randomnly selected. The distance of villages from the taluqa and convenience to access the villages were the criteria for their selection. Total 877 househods from these two villages were surveyed to find out the beneficiaries of cash and kind transfer schemes. Total 350 beneficiaries of these schemes were found in these 02 villages of Bhokar and Hadgaon taluqa. Secondary data required for this study were collected from a variety source such as reputed journals, research reports, survey reports, books, internet etc. The collected data is represented in the form of tables and graphs. The data is analyzed with the help of required statistical tools such as graphs, diagrams, percentage, average etc Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Vayovrudha Yojana (IGRVY) In the current study, we have dealt with various schemes and their beneficiaries. The purpose of this is to shed light on whether the residents of remote areas benefit from the schemes, their criteria of selection, the required documents for the scheme, etc. For the purpose of the study, we selected six schemes in total. The first one is the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Vayovrudha Yojana. 1.1 Enrolment under IGRVY Scheme of Respondents: Table 1.1 shows the enrolment under IGRVY of eligible persons from selected study areas. Table No. 1.1 Enrolment under IGRVY Scheme Enrolment status of the scheme SC ST OBC General Total Yes 27 (87.10) 3.0 (100) 17 (94.44) 10 (100) 57 (91.94) No 4.0 (12.90) 0 (0) 1.0 (5.56) 0.0 (0) 5.0 (8.06) Total 31 [50.00] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets show % out of 62. Table no. 1.1 shows the enrollment under the IGRVY scheme of the study area. Out of a total of 62 eligible respondents, 57 (91.94%) were enrolled in the scheme. However, the remaining 5 (8.06%) were not enrolled initially because they were unaware of the same. But later, they were enrolled. The study found that, out of 62 respondents, (87.10%) SCs categories of beneficiaries were initially enrolled under this scheme. A higher number of beneficiaries of general categories (100%) beneficiaries were initially enrolled under this scheme, followed by OBC categories (94.44%). 1.2 Source of Information about the IGRVY Scheme of Respondents: Table no.1.2 shows information about the IGRVY scheme of beneficiaries from selected study areas. Table No. 1.2 Source of Information about the IGRVY Scheme To whom get the information SC ST OBC General Total Gramsevak 22 (70.97) 3 (100) 9 (50) 10 (100) 44 (70.97) Talathi 1.0 (3.23) 0.0 4 (22.22) 0.0 5 (8.06) Sarpanch 3.0 (9.68) 0.0 2 (11.11) 0.0 5 (8.06) Family Member 1.0 (3.23) 0.0 0.0. 00 1 (1.61) Relatives 3.0 (9.68) 0.0 3 (16.67) 0.0 6 (9.68) Other 1.0 (3.23) 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 (1.61) Total 31 [50.00] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets shows % out of 62 Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 96 Table no.1.2 shows the source of information on the IGRVY scheme to beneficiaries. Out of a total of 62 respondents, 44 (70.97%) have received the information from Gramsevak, and the remaining from Talathi, Sarpanch, relatives, etc. The study found that 70.97% of SC category beneficiaries were informed about the scheme. (100.0%) of ST and general category beneficiaries were informed about the scheme from Gramsevak. Thus, there is caste discrimination in the source of information. 1.3 Difficulties of Enrolment under IGRVY Scheme of Respondents : Table no.1.3 shows the difficulties of nomination under the IGRVY scheme for beneficiaries from the selected study areas. Table No. 1.3 Difficulties of Enrolment under IGRVY scheme Difficulties of nomination under IGRVY scheme SC ST OBC General Total Documents 25 (80.65) 1 (33.33) 12 (66.67) 10 (100) 48 (77.42) Where & How to Register 5.0 (16.13) 2 (66.67) 6 (33.33) 0.0 13 (20.97) Commission 1.0 (3.23) 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 (1.61) Total 31 [50] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets shows % out of 62 Table no. 1.3 gives information about difficulties in enrollment under the scheme. Out of a total of 62 respondents, the majority of respondents, 48 (77%), have faced difficulty regarding their documents. 13 (21%) have faced difficulties regarding the process and location of registration. The study found that the majority of SCs (25, 80.65%) beneficiaries have faced documents regarding difficulties, followed by STs (66%) and OBCs (33.3%). As compared to SCs, STs, and OBCs, general category beneficiaries have not faced problems regarding documents. 1.4 Criteria of Selection in the IGRVY Scheme of Respondents: The following table no.1.4 shows the criteria for the selection of IGRVY scheme beneficiaries from the selected study areas. Table No. 1.4 Criteria of Selection in the IGRVY scheme Criteria of Selection in the IGRVY Scheme SC ST OBC General Total Age 8 (25.81) 0.0 3 (16.67) 8 (80.0) 19 (30.64) BPL 23 (74.19) 2.0 14 (77.76) 0.0 39 (62.90) Widow 0.0 1 (33.33) 0.0 2 (20.00) 3 (4.83) Other 0.0 0.0 1 (5.56) 0.0 1 (1.61) Total 31 [50] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets show % out of 62. Table No. 1.4 shows the selection criteria of respondents of the study area. Out of a total of 62 selected respondents under IGRVY, the majority of respondents, 39 (62.90 %) were selected on the basis of BPL criteria, and 19 (30.64%) were selected on the basis of age. The study found that a higher number of general (80.0%) category respondents benefited under this scheme from age criteria, followed by OBCs categories (77.76%) beneficiaries. (74.91%) of SCs benefitted under this scheme on the basis of BPL criteria. 1.5 Monthly Availability of Pension under IGRVY scheme: Table no.1.5 shows the selected study areas and the criteria for selection in the IGRVY scheme of beneficiaries. Table No. 1.5 Monthly Availability of Pension Pension Getting monthly SC ST OBC General Total Yes 19 (61.29) 0 (0) 4 (22.22) 7 (70.00) 30 (48.39) No 12 (38.71) 3 (100) 14 (77.78) 3 (30.00) 32 (51.61) Total 31 [50] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 97 Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets shows % out of 62 Table no. 1.5 shows the monthly availability of pensions to beneficiaries. Out of a total of 62 selected respondents, only 30 (48.39%) were getting a monthly pension. It can be observed from the study that the majority of general (70%) category beneficiaries got a monthly pension. Compared to the general category, a lower proportion of SCs (61.0%) got a monthly pension, followed by OBCs (22.0%). Thus, the majority of beneficiaries of the IGRVY were not getting monthly. 1.6 Information about Complaint Authority under the IGRVY Scheme: The following table no.1.6 shows the information about the complaint authority of the scheme from selected area Table No. 1.6 Information about Complaint Authorities under Scheme Complaint Authorities SC ST OBC General Total Talathi 18 (58.06) 0.0(0) 3.0 (16.67) 6 .0(60) 27 (43.55) Tahasildar 0.0(0) 0.0(0) 2 (11.11) 1.0 (10) 3.0 (4.89) Gramsevak 1 .0(3.23) 0.0(0) 0.0(0) 0.0(0) 1.0 (1.61) Grievance Committee 12 (38.71) 3 (100) 13 (72.22) 3.0 (30) 31 (50) Total 31 [50] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets shows % out of 62 Table no. 1.6 shows the information about the complaint authority regarding the delay in the pension. Out of the total selected respondents, (50.0 %) have given their complaint to the grievance committee, followed by Talathi (43.55%). The study observed that a higher number of general (60.00%) category beneficiaries registered their pension regarding the complaints to Talathi, followed by SCs (58.06 %) and OBCs (16.6%). The study found that (70.0 %) of OBC beneficiaries have registered their pension regarding the complaint to the grievance committee. 1.7 Facilities and Their Utilization: The following table, no.1.7 shows the selected study area for information about various facilities and their utilization by beneficiaries. Table No. 1.7 Facilities and Their Utilization Sr. No. Particulars SC ST OBC General Total 1 Bank Facility in the village 30 (96.77) 2 (66.67) 14 (77.78) 9 (90.00) 55 (88.71) 2 Bank Coordinator service 30 (96.77) 3.0 (100) 18 (100) 10 (100) 61 (98.39) 3 Bank Coordinator commission 19 (61.29) 2.0 (66.67) 1.0 (5.56) 2.0 (20.00) 24 (38.71) 4 Waiting time in Getting Amount 31 (100) 3.0 (100) 18 (100) 9.0 (90.00) 61 (98.39) 5 Pension used for self 29 (93.55) 3.0 (100) 18 (100) 10 (100) 60 (96.77) 6 Filling of withdrawal slips by others 19 (61.29) 2.0 (66.67) 12 (66.67) 5.0 (50.00) 38 (61.29) 7 Bank account to the Aadhar link 21 (67.74) 3.0 (100) 15 (83.33) 9.0 (90.00) 48 (77.42) 8 Using an Aadhar card to withdraw money 21 (67.74) 3.0 (100) 15 (83.33) 9.0 (90.00) 48 (77.42) 9 Use of ATM 15 (48.39) 2.0 (66.67) 5.0 (27.78) 2.0 (20.00) 24 (38.71) Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in parentheses of last column shows % out of 62. The above table, no. 1.7 gives information on various IGRVY facilities. (55.0%) beneficiaries have banking facilities in their own villages. The bank correspondence (BC) facility was available to (61.0%) beneficiaries. The study found that (61.0%) of beneficiaries have faced the problem of waiting for banking services. (60.0 %) Pension holders use their pensions for themselves. In the case of (48 % ) of beneficiaries, bank accounts were linked to the AADHAR card. It is also observed that only (24.0 %) of beneficiaries used ATM cards to withdraw money. Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 98 1.8 Use of Pension: The following table no. 1.8 shows the use of pensions by beneficiaries from selected study areas. Table No. 1.8 Use of Pension Use of Pension SC ST OBC General Total Purchase Foodgrains 26 (83.87) 3 (100) 13 (72.22) 6 (60) 48 (77.42) Medical 1 (3.23) 0 5 (27.78) 4 (40) 10 (16.12) Other 4 (12.91) 0 0 0 3 (6.45) Total 31 [50.00] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Table no. 1.8 shows the various uses of pensions by beneficiaries. Out of 62 respondents, the majority of respondents, 48 (77.42%), have used their pension for purchasing food grains and vegetables, and 10 (16%) used it for medicines. ST (100.0%) beneficiaries used their pension to purchase food grains, followed by SCs (83.0%). A higher number of general category (40.0%) beneficiaries used their pension on health-related issues, followed by OBCs. 1.9 Use of Pension for Family Needs: The following table no. 1.9 shows the use of pension for family needs by beneficiaries from selected study area. Table No. 1.9 Use of Pension for Family Needs Use of pension other than personal needs SC ST OBC General Total Family 20 (64.52) 3.0 (100) 10 (55.56) 7 (70) 40 (64.52) Relatives 0.0(0) 0.0(0) 1 (5.56) 0.0(0) 1.0 (1.61) Addictions 11 (35.48) 0.0(0) 7.0 (38.89) 3.0 (30) 21 (33.87) Total 31 [50] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets shows % out of 62 Table no. 1.9 shows the status of use of pension for family needs. Out of the total selected respondents, 40 (64%) are using their pension for family needs. It is also found that 21 (35%) beneficiaries used their pension on addictions. (100.0 % )STs and (64.0%) SCs beneficiaries have used their pension on family needs. (38.8%) OBC beneficiaries used pensions on addictions, followed by SCs (35.5 % and the general category (30.0 %).). 1.10 Borrowing of the Beneficiaries of Pension Scheme: The following Table 1.10 shows the borrowing of the beneficiaries to meet their requirements due to the irregular availability of pensions from the selected study areas. Table No. 1.10 Borrowing of the Beneficiaries Fulfilling Personal Needs in Irregular Pension SC ST OBC General Total Relatives 20 (64.52) 2 (66.67) 8.0 (44.44) 7.0 (70) 37 (59.68) Friends 9.0(29.03) 1.0 33.33) 9.0 (50.00) 3 (30) 22 (35.48) Loan 1.0 (3.23) 0.0 1 (5.56) 0.0 2.0 (3.23) Other 1.0 (3.23) 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 (1.61) Total 31 [50] 3 [4.84] 18 [29.03] 10 [16.13] 62 [100] Note : Values in parentheses shows % out of each category respectively. Values in square brackets shows % out of 62 Table no. 1.10 shows the borrowings of the beneficiaries to meet their daily needs due to irregular pension. Out of a total of 62 selected respondents, 37 (59.68%) have taken advances from relatives, followed by friends (35.5%). The study found that a higher number of general categories (70.0 %) beneficiaries fulfilled their needs from relatives, followed by STs (67.7%) and SCs (64.0%). Reference: Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-9(I) | Sept - 2025 99 1) Salaga, Atul sarma (2016), Macroeconomics Impact of Social Protection Programmes in India Economic and Political Weekly, June 11, Vol I, No. 24. 2) Misra and Puri (2011), Indian Economy, Himalaya Publishing House, 29th edition. P. 211. 3) Shahare Virendra B.(2013), “Extending Social Security for Incluaive of Dalits”, Jouranal of Social Action, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, Vol.63. 4) Government of India (1950),” Constitution of India”, Article 38(1), New Delhi 5) Garraoway Chistopher, (2013) ,“How Much do Small old Age Pensions and Widows Pensions Help the Poor in India?”, United Nations ESCAP, development paper 1306. 6) Ghosh , Jayati (2011), “Cash Transfers as the Silver Bullet for Poverty Reduction. A Skeptical Note”. Economic and Political Weekly May 21 VOL. 46 Issue No. 21