A Study of Poverty and Consumption Inequality in India from years 2004-05 through the Pandemic Year

The poor's improved standard of living must be the ultimate goal of economic expansion. The opposite of rapid and consistent poverty reduction is not just ineffective; it might make the situation worse. In a similar vein, if rapid development is accomplished by unequally distributing its benefits, it will not last. Indeed, it is conceivable to conceive a scenario where economic expansion exacerbates inequality to the point where poverty levels increase. Our research is the first to examine the long-term effects of in-kind food subsidies on poverty and inequality in India from 2004-2005 to the epidemic year. The low incidence of severe poverty in 2019 before the epidemic was maintained in large part due to food assistance.