Policy makers wanted to raise income and employment for the poor by work generation. In the 1970s, the Government of India started a poverty alleviation programme known as _____________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Food for Work programme
One of the well-known programmes of the 1970s that raised the income of the poor through work generation was Food for Work. The poor were given work on projects and were paid in food grains.
This way of helping the poor, by creating work and assets, began with the Third Five Year Plan (1961-66). It was widened step by step after that.
Note: This question is taken from the chapter ‘Poverty’ which was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT and has been deleted from subsequent editions of NCERT, including the NCERT book (2026-27). The chapter was also not in the CUET (UG) 2026 syllabus.
NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “…While looking for alternatives to specifically address the poor, policy makers started thinking that incomes and employment for the poor could be raised through the creation of additional assets and by means of work generation. This could be achieved through specific poverty alleviation programmes. This second approach has been initiated from the Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and progressively enlarged since then. One of the noted programmes initiated in the 1970s was Food for Work.…” |