It took almost 12 years for poverty to rise from 18 percent in 1988-89 to 33 percent in 2000-01. It will take at least another decade to halve it to 16 percent, if appropriate strategy is pursued. Therefore, it becomes essential to examine the elements of this strategy and come to a conclusion whether this objective is attainable or not.
The medium term strategy for poverty reduction enunciated in the Poverty Reduction Strategy paper consists of four elements (a)  Accelerated Economic Growth  (b)  Increased Public Expenditures  (c)  Poverty Targeted Interventions  (d)  Social Safety Nets.