Impact of social security measures in reduction of poverty in India

Abstract

Social security refers to protection provided by the society to its members against providential mishaps over which a person has no control. The important philosophy behind social security is that state shall make itself responsible for ensuring a minimum state of living to its citizens. Evidence shows that social security or safety net are making a substantial contribution in the fight against poverty, safety net help people escape extreme poverty, close the poverty gap and reduce inequality. Realizing the positive impacts of social security measures Government of India has started many such programmes. These programmes can be broadly classified into self-employment programmes, wage employment programmes, food safety programme and social security programmes. With this background the paper aims at analyzing various social security measures undertaken by government of India and to analyze the impact of MGNREGA on employment, income and poverty in India. The present paper is descriptive in nature and based on secondary data. The paper is presented in two parts, part I discusses various social security programmes undertaken by government in India and second part deals with impact of MGNREGA. The paper concludes positive impact of MGNREGA on employment, income generation and asset creation.