Poverty remains a significant challenge in India with the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) aiming to reduce poverty rates across the country. The plan focused on improving access to education, healthcare, skills training, and employment generation programs especially in rural areas to help lift more people out of poverty. Key targets included reducing poverty rates to 25% nationally and 21.5% in rural areas by 2017 through these multi-sectoral interventions and social welfare schemes.