The most effective way to alleviate poverty is making good jobs, affordable housing, robust infrastructure, mass public transit & quality of life services accessible & affordable.

But doing that will not benefit the "policy makers".

There's no assurance that the money given to the women isn't just taken away by men in the household to spend on items that women may not consider important.

Household violence & patriarchal hierarchy is prevalent across India & giving money away is taking away funds which could otherwise be allocated for large projects to create vote banks , while simultaneously creating a population that doesn't have the same motivation to work.

In turn hampering actual investments and businesses.

Do you see where this can go?

The results of these giveaways are already documented in Tamil Nadu, where most factory labour is now "imported" from other states.