Inclusive growth, employment and poverty in rural India

This paper examines the trickle-down process and inclusiveness of growth in rural India. The benefits of growth in agriculture seem to have trickled down to the rural poor, but the strength of the trickle-down process and the inclusiveness of growth have been limited and are weakening with time. Expansion of productive employment through various employment generating schemes in the farm and non-farm sectors in rural areas, with appropriate measures for improving the governance and service delivery to the targeted groups of people, could play a significant role in alleviating rural poverty. The strategy of inclusive growth should incorporate appropriate policies so that the agricultural labourers and the marginal and small farmers could participate productively in the growth process.