Occupational Transition and Incidence of Poverty: A Study of Char Dwellers in Majuli, Assam: 24369
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https://doi.org/10.35716/IJED-24369
Author: Bondita Saikia
Author Address: Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Jorhat College (Amalgamated), Jorhat-785001 (Assam)
Abstract
The study aimed
to analyse the nature and magnitude of occupational transformation and its
implications for poverty among char dwellers in Majuli Island, Assam. A field
study was conducted from 399 households across five panchayats to achieve the
objective. The study employed indices such as the Occupational Change Index
(OCI), Livelihood Sustainability Index (LSI), Vulnerability as Uninsured
Exposure to Risks (VER), and Vulnerability as Expected Poverty (VEP). There was
a shift from farming and fishing to unstable jobs. However, vulnerability
remained high. Still, 68 per cent of households remain vulnerable due to insecure
livelihoods and weak safety nets. The occupational changes driven by
environmental degradation will perpetuate poverty rather than alleviate it in
the absence of targeted livelihood diversification, flood insurance, and
adaptive capacity-building policies.
Keywords
Income vulnerability, livelihood diversification, rural resilience,
socio-economic mobility.
JEL Codes
I32, J62,O15, Q18.