Rao, V.M. creator text xu| 2007 continuing ng p.3397-403. Safety nets to support the hardcore poor form the foundation of the strategy for poverty elimination. This paper brings out the alarming state of the existing safety nets and describes a decentralised approach to make them more effective. The approach is in the nature of extension of the decentralised mode being used by National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme to provide employment guarantee to unskilled labourers. - Reproduced. Poverty Economic and Political Weekly 180718