Rural Development Schemes

Why in News

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the country has witnessed speed and progress in various schemes under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Key Points

  • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005:
    • About :
      • The scheme was introduced as a social measure that guarantees “the right to work”. The Ministry of Rural Development monitors the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.
    • Major Objective:
      • Providing not less than one hundred days of unskilled manual work as a guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand, resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability.
        • MGNREGA assets include farm, ponds, percolation tanks, check dams, road layer, irrigation channels etc.
    • Other Features:
      • It is the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat which approves the shelf of works under MGNREGA and fixes their priority.
      • Social Audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which leads to accountability and transparency.
    • Achievements:
      • For the financial year 2021-22, 2.95 crore persons have been offered work, thus, completing 5.98 lakh assets and generating 34.56 crore person-days.
  • Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM):
    • About:
    • Objective:
      • To eliminate rural poverty through the promotion of multiple livelihoods and improved access to financial services for the rural poor households across the country.
    • Functioning:
      • It involves working with community institutions through community professionals in the spirit of self-help which is a unique proposition of DAY-NRLM.
      • It impacts the livelihoods through universal social mobilization by inter alia organising one-woman member from each rural poor household into Self Help Groups (SHGs), their training and capacity building, facilitating their micro-livelihoods plans, and enabling them to implement their livelihoods plans through accessing financial resources from their own institutions and the banks.
    • Achievements:
      • Revolving Fund and Community Investment Fund amounting to approximately Rs. 56 Crore released to women SHGs in FY 2021 as compared to approximately Rs. 32 Crore in the same corresponding period in FY 2020.
      • Training on farm and non-Farm based livelihoods, on covid management and promotion of Agri-Nutri gardens.
  • Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY):
    • Launch: 25th December, 2000.
    • Objective:
      • To provide connectivity, by way of an all-weather road to unconnected habitations.
    • Beneficiaries:
      • Unconnected habitations of designated population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States, Deserts and Tribal Areas as per 2001 census) in the core network for uplifting the socio-economic condition of the rural population.
    • Achievements:
      • Highest length of road has been completed under PMGSY in the comparable period over the last 3 years.
  • Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin:
    • Launch:
      • To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was restructured to Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) w.e.f 1st April, 2016.
    • Objective:
      • To help rural people below the poverty line (BPL) in construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing assistance in the form of a full grant.
    • Beneficiaries:
      • People belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and non-SC/ST categories, widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action, ex servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces, Disabled persons and Minorities.
      • Beneficiaries are chosen according to data taken from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011.
    • Achievements:
      • Highest expenditure amounting to Rs. 5854 Cr in FY 2021-22; double than the FY 2020-21 in the comparable period.

Source: PIB