Many cannot maintain minimal livelihoods. Let us recall that nearly half the region's poor are rural, that nearly half of its rural poor are destitute, and that over half of the region's destitute are rural. The urban poor encounter similar difficulties. They often live in shanty-towns, lacking minimal infrastructure, on plots of land from which they can be easily evicted. Employment is uncertain and poorly paid.
Transport is insufferably difficult and expensive, but needed to reach often distant workplaces.
Physical insecurity is rampant, as is exploitation by mafias, employers, local political bosses, merchants, moneylenders, and State-level politicians. In such circumstances, to imply that people are poor because they lack motivation is an insult. Food, however, is often more accessible for the urban destitute than it is for their rural counterparts. The last thing which those with power want to risk is food riots. Practically all major cities in the region operate some kinds of food subsidy for the poor.