Poverty is one of the most critical challenges facing India. Despite remarkable economic progress, a large section of the population continues to struggle for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care. Since independence, the Government of India (GOI) has made continuous efforts to eradicate poverty through several targeted programmes, particularly for rural development and employment generation. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review and analysis of various poverty alleviation programmes launched by the Indian government, assess their performance, and identify key challenges and suggestions for future policy improvement. The study relies on secondary data from government reports, economic surveys, and official websites. The findings indicate that while several schemes, such as MGNREGA, IRDP, PMJDY, and PMMY have contributed significantly to reducing poverty, issues like fund leakages, poor implementation, and lack of awareness continue to hinder desired outcomes.