Strategies for Building Livelihoods for the Poorest of the Poor

Building livelihoods and assets for the poorest of poor (PoP) has been an area of serious concern for development practitioners the world over. This is an even bigger challenge for India as the poorest of the poor are what they are due to not just lack of economic opportunities but multiple deprivations. There have been attempts both by government and non-governmental organisations to address this challenge. This paper documents a few of such attempts. Though mostly focused on efforts situated in India, the paper also documents some international experiences. This paper demonstrates that collectivization of poor combined with specific interventions to address the barriers to inclusion of the PoP is the only way forward. It further argues that the task cannot be achieved by one agency, programme or department but requires close co-ordination and convergence across several stakeholders - Government, Nongovernment and the poor themselves.