Targeting the Hardcore Poor is a unique program designed to uplift the poorest of the poor. Through a Participatory Rural Appraisal exercise, destitute women are selected to receive grants in the form of free assets, along with necessary training to manage these assets. The program takes a 360-degree approach by providing consistent counseling and mentoring support, a weekly consumption stipend, financial literacy education, and socially relevant issue education.

The program aims to help these women generate income from the assets, enabling them to sustain their livelihoods and graduate from extreme poverty. Over the course of 24 months, many beneficiaries have developed enterprise skills, increased their monthly income, and improved their overall quality of life. The positive impact of this intervention has been recognized by Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, as well as other esteemed evaluators.

This innovative program has garnered interest from state governments in Bihar, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand, who have collaborated with Bandhan-Konnagar to implement it in select districts. Targeting the Hardcore Poor aligns closely with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 1, which aims to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.