Socioeconomic impacts and assistance in economically and socially disadvantaged households in Maharashtra, India, during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract COVID‐19 has disproportionately affected the world's most economically and socially disadvantaged groups. Responses to COVID‐19's economic and social impacts differ between and within countries. Using data collected from 4814 households residing in India's Maharashtra state, we sought to characterize the magnitude of COVID‐19 impacts and the scale of social support or assistance provided to households affected during the onset of the first wave of COVID‐19 in the state of Maharashtra. In the state of Maharashtra, households in urban areas and from socially and economically disadvantaged groups had higher incident rates of experiencing COVID‐19 socioeconomic impacts. The most affected groups also reported receiving more COVID‐19 assistance than less affected groups. Household characteristics such as location, caste, and employment type may influence the rate at which impacts are experienced. Findings from this study suggest that social assistance reached the most affected groups, particularly socioeconomically vulnerable households.