Year End Review 2024: Achievement of the Department of Rural Development

Year End Review 2024: Achievement of the Department of Rural Development

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) is an Act to provide for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Objectives

The objectives of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) are:

Achievements under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA:

Sl. No.

Indicators

FY 2024-25

(from 1st April till 11.12.2024)

1

Person-days Generated (in Cr)

196.30

2

Total central release (in Rs. crore)

77,491.29

3

% FTOs generated within 8 days

97.18

4

Number of Completed Works (in lakhs)

61.29

5

% Women Person days out of Total

57.86

6

% ST/SC person days as of total person days

36.91

7

% of Category B Works

54.72

 

Major initiatives/key interventions in MGNREGA:

As we progress with our expanded vision for the Mission, the construction and rejuvenation of more Sarovars shall be undertaken with the focus on community engagement to ensure that these Sarovars, not only serve as sustainable water resources but also become vibrant community hubs in Phase II of Mission Amrit Sarovar. Further, letter to all the participating departments/ ministries and States/UTs along with revised guidelines for the furtherance of Mission is already shared.

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G)

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) is one of the flagship Programmes of the Govt of India which aims to achieve the objective “Housing for All” by providing 2.95 Crore pucca houses with basic amenities by convergence with other Schemes to all houseless households and households living in kutcha and dilapidated house in rural areas by 2024. The Union Cabinet approved the extension to the scheme on 9th August, 2024 to construct additional 2 crore rural houses during FY 2024-25 to FY 2028-29 to meet the arising need of housing due to increase in number of families.

As on 30.12.2024, the cumulative target of 3.33 crore houses have been allotted to the States/UTs, out of which 3.22 crore houses have been sanctioned and 2.68 crore houses have been completed.

Cumulative Physical progress of the Scheme is as below:

Total Number of houses sanctioned

3,22,61,497

Number of 1 instalment released

3,04,67,591

Total Houses completed

2,68,38,343

 

Physical achievement under the Scheme for the year 2024 i.e. starting from 1 April, 2024 is as below:

Total Number of houses sanctioned in 2024

28,17,022

Total no of 1 instalment released

22,97,880

Total Houses completed

54,582

 

Completion under 100 days action plan: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has released 1st Instalment to more than 10 lakhs PMAY-G beneficiaries on 17th September 2024 through single click in a National Event. Further, The Awaas + 2024 App was also launched by the Prime Minister at an event in Bhubaneshwar on this day.

Regional Rural workshops: The Ministry organized Regional Rural workshops in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Assam (wherein Officials from 19 States had participated) to inform stakeholders about new PMAY-G provisions.

Initiatives:

The Scheme is being implemented and monitored through end to end e-governance solution, AwaasSoft and AwaasApp. AwaasSoft provides functionalities for data entry and monitoring of multiple statistics related to implementation aspects of the scheme. These statistics include, physical progress (registrations, sanctions, house completion and release of instalments etc.), financial progress, status of convergence etc. Since launch of the scheme in 2016, efforts are being taken to make the scheme more beneficiary-oriented through introduction of new initiatives. Major initiative taken by the Ministry is as in current FY is as below:

i. As per the Union Cabinet approval, the provisions with regard to mechanised two wheelers, mechanised fishing boat, landline phone and refrigerator have been deleted. Further, the income criteria has also been enhanced from Rs 10000 per month to Rs 15000 and the land related criteria have been simplified.

ii. PM-JANMAN Initiatives and Achievements

The PM-JANMAN as approved by the Union Cabinet involves 11 critical interventions covering 9 Ministries of the GoI including the Ministry of Rural Development. The aim is to achieve saturation of PVTG families and habitations with basic facilities viz safe housing, road connectivity, clean drinking water & sanitation, education, health, nutrition, telecom connectivity, electricity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities. Housing intervention under the scheme is covered through PMAY-G. As on 30th December 2024, 3,47,424 houses have been sanctioned and 70,905 houses have been completed across the States and UTs.

iii. Technological Interventions

The PMAY-G has always been pioneer is introducing technology-based solutions for effective and transparent management of the scheme. With new phase being implemented the PMAY-G has introduced multiple features to maximise transparency and ensure sanctity in the process right from the identification to completion of the houses. The new features are:

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

National Level Monitoring (NLM)

A comprehensive system of National Level Monitoring   was   introduced during the year 2003-04 with a view to achieve the purpose of unbiased and objective monitoring of the schemes of the Ministry in a systematic and regular manner. The scheme was revised in 2014 and 2016 by inclusion of monitoring of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) of Department of Rural Development, Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) of Department of Land Resources. Also the work of overall assessment of Gram Panchayats in implementation of various programmes, as requested by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, was brought under the ambit of National Monitoring System from the year 2015-16.

NLM Monitoring System

At present, seventy-two (72) institutions are empaneled for monitoring of Programmes/Schemes of Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Panchayati Raj.  However, around 52 NLMs have actively taken up these assignments. The National Level Monitors (NLMs) are deputed by the Ministry for following three types of monitoring assignments:

NLMs are deputed to monitor and report on various aspects of implementation of MoRD & MoPR Schemes in the districts, intwo phases in a year.  About  half  of the  districts  are  covered in each phase so  that  all the districts  of the  country  can be  covered  in a year.  NLMs  are  required   to visit  the districts,  ascertain  the  implementation  of the programmes  viz-a- viz  the guidelines,  interact  with officials, verify the assets created  and  interview  the beneficiaries   and submit   report   within  a given time frame. The NLMs deputed to a State are also required to interact with the Secretary or Senior Officers-in-charge of RD Schemes in the State.

Regular Monitoring, Phase-I, 2024-25was conducted during Sep-Nov., 2024 in 337Districts, covering various programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Panchayati Raj as under:

 

Regular Monitoring Phase-I, 2024-25

No. of States

No. of Districts

No. of Blocks

No. of GPs

32

337

1170

3354

NLMs  are  deputed   to cover  a  particular   scheme  or  some  specific  aspects of  a particular  scheme only and  report  on the issues/processes   in detail  based   on  the requirement   suggested   by the  programme  divisions  as  approved  by  the Secretary (RD).  Limited number of special monitoring   rounds   may be undertaken every year for in depth coverage or certain specific features of a programme.

In case of complaints of serious nature from People’s representatives, NGOs etc.  Regarding mis-utilization of funds, irregularities etc., NLMs are deputed to verify the facts or for preliminary enquiry, and reports/ findings sent to concernedProgramme Divisions for taking necessary action.

10 enquiries on complaints of irregularities in PMAY-G house in 10 districts of Odisha have been conducted by the NLMs in February, 2024.

Revamping of National Level Monitoring Scheme:

The National Level Monitoring System was functioning since last 20 years. The  initial  version  of  the  system was  a  quick  review   mechanism manned   by a   pool  of  experienced  professional  institutions   in  rural development   and  Monitoring  &  Evaluation   activities.  In National Level Monitoring System, certain quality issues such as lack of objectivity, understanding and individual biases in the reports have been observed in the recent past. Many institutions of repute and large organizations are not much keen to take up NLM Monitoring assignments due to insufficient remuneration/rates.

In order to capture more detailed information and in-depth analysis of various programmes, data collection tools and methodology need to be suitably modified. It was, therefore, decided to revamp the existing NLM framework with the objective to make it more robust, responsive, qualitative and useful monitoring & evaluation tool. As per direction of Secretary (RD), the Districts to be monitored, for Regular Monitoring, have been increased from 600 to all Districts in a Financial Year.

Under the revamp of the NLM Schemes, the remuneration rates for NLMs have been appropriately increased and data base maintenance have been assigned to National Informatics Centre (NIC).Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi has been selected as new Support Agency for NLM for a period of one year, up to 31^st March, 2025. Additionally, the request for Expression of Interest (REOI) for the empanelment of new NLMs (120 Institutional and 40 Individual NLMs) through open advertisement is expected to be completed by December, 2024.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), launched in June 2011, is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). DAY-NRLM is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development {Rural Livelihoods (RL) Division} in collaboration with the State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs). The Mission’s objective is “To reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self- employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots institutions of the poor.” The Mission seeks to achieve its objective through investing in four core components viz., (a) social mobilization and promotion and strengthening of self-managed and financially sustainable community institutions of the rural poor; (b) financial inclusion of the rural poor; (c) sustainable livelihoods; and (d) social inclusion, social development and convergence.

2. Key Program Components

i. Institution Building and Capacity Building: The program focuses on developing community institutions like Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Village Organizations (VOs), and Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), providing the rural poor with a platform for mutual support, savings, and credit access. These groups offer collective resources to overcome poverty.

ii. Social Inclusion and Social Development: DAY-NRLM drives Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) to encourage rural communities to adopt healthier practices and utilize government services such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Poshan Abhiyan, and more. It focuses on Food, Nutrition, Health, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Gender, and PRI-CBO convergence.

iii. Financial Inclusion: Aiming for universal access to financial services, DAY-NRLM provides critical support in remote areas by deploying women as BC Sakhis, enabling the delivery of banking services, loans, and social security schemes like pensions and insurance.

iv. Livelihoods:

3. Innovative Features Contributing to Success

a. Capacity Building & Human Resources: DAY-NRLM emphasizes capacity building through well-trained human resources to ensure successful implementation. State and departmental support enables better execution and management of the program.

b. Community-Led Approach: The program places women at the core of development by forming SHGs and federating them into VOs and CLFs. It fosters social capital by involving women in decision-making, strengthening trust, and cooperation within rural communities. More than 6 lakh trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs) are involved in thematic areas such as livestock, agriculture, and financial services.

c. Federations: SHGs form the backbone of DAY-NRLM, with approx. 5 lakh VOs and 32,000 CLFs enabling collective empowerment. These federations provide a platform for collective action, decision-making, and access to resources.

d. Participatory Planning: DAY-NRLM incorporates a bottom-up approach, involving rural communities in the planning and execution of development activities through village-level meetings, consultations, and participatory rural appraisals.

e. Business Correspondent Agents (BCAs): Over 1.35 lakh SHG members are deployed as BCAs (also known as BC Sakhis), improving access to banking services, including deposits, credit, remittances, pensions, and insurance.

f. Women Enterprise Acceleration Fund (WEAF): This initiative supports women entrepreneurs in SHGs by providing debt financing and credit guarantees. Women can access loans up to Rs 5 lakh with a 2% interest subvention for prompt repayment, boosting women-led businesses and stimulating economic growth.

g. Lakhpati Didi Initiative: The focus of this initiative is to empower women to become financially self-sufficient. The goal is to create 3 crore “LakhpatiDidis” (women earning Rs 1 lakh or more annually) by helping women scale up businesses and contribute to sustainable development across rural India. So far, 1.15 crore SHG women are LakhpatiDidis in country.

4. Results and Impact

A 2019 study by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), supported by the World Bank, highlighted the significant impact of the DAY-NRLM program:

5. Conclusion

DAY-NRLM has been transformative in improving the socio-economic status of rural women and communities. By focusing on social mobilization, financial inclusion, livelihood promotion, and social development, it has empowered millions of rural women, reduced poverty, and contributed to inclusive growth across India. The program’s success lies in its community-driven approach, capacity building, and women-centric initiatives that aim to create a sustainable and resilient rural economy.

Table: Snapshot of the progress under DAY-NRLM:

S.No.

Indicator

Progress from FY 2011-12 to FY 2013-14

Progress from FY 2014-15 to 2024-25 up to Nov. 2024,

Cumulative Achievement

as on Nov. 2024

No. of women mobilized into SHGs (in Crore)

2.37

7.68

10.05

No. of SHGs promoted (in lakh)

21.31

69.56

90.87

Amount of Loan Disbursed* (Rs. Crore)

22,944.16

9,48,055.84

9,71,000

Amount of Capitalization Support (Revolving Fund + Community Investment Fund) provided (Rs. Crore)

1,501.58

46,788.38

48,289.96

Non-Performing Assets (NPA)

9.58 % (As on 31st March, 2014)

1.66% (As on date)

No. of Banking Correspondents Sakhi/DigipaySakhi deployed (NRLM+NRETP)

–

1,35,127

No. of MahilaKisans covered

under Agro Ecological

Practices (AEP) interventions (in Lakhs)

24.27

376.73

401

No. of MahilaKisan having

Agri-Nutri Garden (in Lakhs)

0

250

No. of Enterprises supported under SVEP (in lakhs)

–

3.13

No. of Lakhpatididis

–

1,15,00,274

 

National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

 

  Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development. National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) came into effect on 15^th August, 1995 in the direction of fulfilling this Directive Principles of the State Policy. The objective of NSAP is to provide basic level of financial assistance to old age, widow and disabled persons as well as to the bereaved households in the event of death of the bread-winner belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL), identified by the States/ UTs as per NSAP Guidelines.

 

2.         The programme has undergone many changes over the years in terms of the composition, eligibility criterion and funding pattern. Currently, it comprises of five distinct schemes. Details of the eligibility criteria and amount of financial assistance provided under each of these schemes are as follows:

 

Scheme

Amount of Assistance

Eligibility criteria

Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme

Rs.200

BPL senior citizens in age group of 60-79 years

Rs. 500

BPL Senior citizens of 80 years and above

Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme

Rs.300

BPL widows in age group of 40-79 years

Rs.500

BPL widows of 80 years and above

Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme

Rs.300

BPL persons with 80% disability in age group of 18-79 years

Rs.500

BPL disability pensioners in age group 80 years and above

National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)*

Rs. 20,000/-

To survivor head of BPL families on the death of primary breadwinner aged 18-59 years

Annapurna*

10 kg of food grains p.m.

To BPL senior citizens not receiving old age pension

*NFBS and Annapurna are demand based schemes.

 

 Key initiatives and Achievements of the Programme

Year

                2024-25  (January 2024 to December 2024)

Beneficiaries Covered  (In lakh)

306

Funds Released      (Rs in crore)

9266.87

 

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