Poverty in India is at such levels where even the basic needs of life remain largely unmet for the poor. This calls for an integrated and comprehensive strategy, with a network of institutions and individuals, offering multiple doses of support, to the poor in meeting their needs. The government of India, being the single largest and key player in this regard, continues to launch variety of programs to cater to the various needs of the poor. The results seem to be significant in some areas, but in others, gaps continue to prevail on a noticeable scale. In this context ‘livelihoods’ attempts to enumerate the various means adopted by government and other strategic players in meeting the needs of the poor and in helping the poor help themselves, the various localized strategies and possible alternatives.