Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) revised

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Human Resource Development for the revision of norms related to Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). This will facilitate the States / UTs to execute the civil works for construction of new schools as well as expanding capacity in existing schools.

About RMSA:

This scheme was launched in March, 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality. It is envisaged to achieve an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 at secondary stage within 5 years of implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation. The other objectives include improving quality of education imparted at secondary level through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017, i.e., by the end of 12th Five Year Plan and achieving universal retention by 2020.

The revised norms are as follows: 

a) State/UT governments will be permitted to use State Schedule of Rates (SSoR) or Central Public Works Department (CPWD) Rate, (whichever is lower) for construction,
b) enhancing the funds of Management, Monitoring Evaluation and Research (MMER) from 2.2 percent to 4 percent of the total outlay, 
c) subsuming other centrally sponsored schemes of secondary education- Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at school, girls hostel, Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) and Vocational Education (VE) in their existing form under the umbrella of RMSA. The pattern of assistance as well as coverage of schools as per their existing norms of all subsumed schemes will continue for the 12th Five Year Plan, 
d) extending all the benefits of RMSA to aided secondary schools excluding infrastructure support / core areas, this will help in providing support to interventions that will improve the quality of education in these schools. 
e) continuation of existing fund sharing pattern of 75:25 for the last four years of the 12th Plan to non – North Eastern Region (NER) states and 90:10 for NER States (including Sikkim), and 
f) authorizing the RMSA Project Approval Board (PAD) of Ministry of Human Resource Development to consider for approval of the integrated plan of the umbrella scheme of RMSA, including the subsumed four centrally sponsored schemes of secondary education and release of funds to the RMSA state implementation society directly. 
g) Out of enhanced MMER of 4 percent, fund up to 3.5 percent of the annual budget allocated for RMSA will be earmarked to the states/UTs for activities undertaken under MMER. In those states and UTs where the proposed percentages of MMER do not meet the requirement, MMER can be enhanced upto 5 percent of the budget allocation of the concerned states/UTs.

SABLA scheme

With the objective to improve the nutritional and health status of adolescent girls in the age group of 11-18 years and empower them by providing education in life-skills, health and nutrition, the Government of India introduced the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls - SABLA in November, 2010.
SABLA scheme will replace  the erstwhile Kishori Shakti Yojana (the objective of this scheme was to improve the nutrition and health status of girls in the age‐group of 11 to 18 years, to equip them to improve and upgrade their home‐based and vocational skills, and to promote their overall development, including awareness about their health, personal hygiene, nutrition and family welfare and management)and Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (under this programme, 6 kg of free food grain per beneficiary per month was given to undernourished Adolescent Girls).
SABLA will be implemented initially in 200 districts selected across the country, using the platform of ICDS. In these districts, SABLA will replace KSY and NPAG. In rest of the districts, KSY would continue as before.
The objectives of the scheme are to:
a) enable self‐development and empowerment of AGs;b) improve their nutrition and health status;c) spread awareness among them about health, hygiene, nutrition, Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH), and family and child care;d) upgrade their home‐based skills, life skills and vocational skills;e) mainstream out‐of‐school AGs into formal/non formal‐education; andf) Inform and guide them about existing public services, such as PHC, CHC, Post Office, Bank, Police Station, etc.
Brief description of the services to be provided under the scheme:a) Nutrition: Each AG will be given Supplementary nutrition (SN) containing 600 calories, 18-20 grams of protein and micronutrients1, per day for 300 days in a year. The out of school AGs in the age group of 11-15 years attending Anganwadi Centres AWCs and all girls in the age group of 15-18 years will be provided Supplementary nutrition in the form of Take Home Ration (THR). However, if hot cooked meal2 is provided to them, strict quality standards have to be put in place. The Take Home Ration as provided to Pregnant & Lactating (P & L) mothers may be provided for AGs also, since the financial and calorific norms of Supplementary nutrition for both is same.
b) IFA Supplementation: Under Reproductive & Child Health (RCH-2) of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), school children (6-10 years) and adolescents (11-18 years) have been included in the National Nutrition Anaemia Control Programme (NNAPP). States will establish convergence with the programme being implemented by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to provide 100 adult tablets of IFA to each beneficiary through supervised consumption. IFA tablets will be distributed to AGs on Kishori Diwas.
c) Health check-up and Referral Services: There will be general health check up of all AGs, at least once in three months on a special day called the Kishori Diwas. The Medical Officer/Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) will provide the deworming tablets to the girls requiring this (as per State specific guidelines). Height, weight measurement of the AGs will be done on this day. Kishori cards for every girl will be prepared and maintained by marking major milestones. The weighing scales provided under ICDS will be used for weighing AG.
d) Nutrition and Health Education (NHE): NHE will be given to all AGs in the AWC jointly by the ICDS and health functionaries and resource persons/ field trainers from NGOs/Community Based Organisations(CBOs). This will include encouraging healthy traditional practices and dispelling harmful myths, healthy cooking and eating habits, use of safe drinking water and sanitation, personal hygiene, including management of menarche, etc. The adolescent girls will be informed about balanced diet and recommended dietary intake, nutrient deficiency disorders and their prevention, identification of locally available nutritious food, nutrition during pregnancy and for infants. This would also include imparting information about common ailments, personal hygiene, exercise/ yoga and holistic health practices.
e) Life Skills Education and Accessing Public Services: Its ultimate aim is to enable AGs in self development. Broad topics to be covered in the training for development of life skills may include confidence building, self awareness and self esteem, decision making, critical thinking, communication skills, rights & entitlement, coping with stress and responding to peer pressure, functional literacy, etc.

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya karyakram launched

Under the National Rural Health Mission, several new initiatives have been taken, particularly to improve maternal and child health. Over Rs. 90,000 crores has been released to the states for strengthening health systems. Despite tremendous improvements in health indicators, about 15 lakh children die before their fifth birthday every year. Many more suffer from debilitating diseases affecting their growth and quality of life.

Thus GOI has launched a new health initiative "Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram" at Palghar, a Tribal Block in Thane district, Maharashtra. The initiative is to provide comprehensive healthcare and improve the quality of life of children through early detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays including disability.

With the launch of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, regular health screening of children in public health facilities, Aanganwadis and Government and Government aided schools for defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies and development disorders will be done now.

A set of thirty common conditions have been identified for screening and further management. These services are built on the existing school health services and these services will be provided through dedicated mobile health teams placed in every block. The block level dedicated mobile medical health teams would comprise of four health personnel viz. two AYUSH doctors (One Male, One Female), ANM/ SN and a Pharmacist. The teams will carry out screening of all the children in the age group 0 – 6 years enrolled at Anganwadi centres at least twice a year besides screening of all children enrolled in Government and Government aided schools. The newborns will also be screened for birth defects in health facilities where deliveries take place and during the home visit by ASHA. An estimated 27 crore children in the age group of zero to eighteen years are expected to be covered in a phased manner.

The District Early Intervention Centre is envisaged to be made operational in all districts of the country for providing management of these referred cases from the blocks and will also link these cases with tertiary level health services in case of surgical management. The existing services from Ministry of Women and Child, Social Justice and empowerment and Education will also be optimally utilized. Necessary treatment costs would be provided under National Rural Health Mission to tertiary level institutions whether in Government or Private sector. The implementation of these services will also generate country wide epidemiological data on selected health conditions for improved future planning of health services. 

Early identification of select health conditions and their linkage to care, support and treatment, under Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services will help to achieve equitable child health care. In the long run, the programme would prove economical for the poor and marginalized through reducing out of pocket expenditure, burden of diseases, improving health awareness among community, improving the professionalism in service delivery and finally strengthening the public sector hospitals. This would lead to promotion of health among children which is of fundamental value to the entire nation.

Welfare Schemes for Older Persons

An Act called "The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007" was enacted by Parliament in December, 2007 to ensure need based maintenance for parents and senior citizens and their welfare. The Act, inter-alia, makes maintenance of parents/ senior citizens by children/ relatives obligatory and justiciable through tribunals; provides for revocation of transfer of property by senior citizens in case of negligence by relatives; penal provision for abandonment of senior citizens; protection of life and property etc.

The National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) was announced in January 1999. Para 95 of the Policy envisages setting up of a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) to promote and coordinate the concerns of older persons.

In pursuance of the above provision of the Policy, a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) was constituted. In order to have a definite structure as well as to provide for representation from various regions, the NCOP has been re-constituted and renamed as the National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC).

A Resolution dated 17th February, 2012 re-constituting and renaming the NCOP as the NCSrC was published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary on 22nd February, 2012.

The NCSrC will advise the Central and the State Governments on the entire gamut of issues related to the welfare of senior citizens and enhancement of their quality of life, with special reference to policies, programmes and legislative measures; promotion of physical and financial security, health, and independent and productive living; and awareness generation and community mobilization.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing the National Programme for the Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE) from the year 2010-11. The basic aim of the NPHCE programme is to provide separate and specialized comprehensive health care to the senior citizens at various level of state health care delivery system including outreach services. Preventive & promotive care, management of illness, health manpower development for geriatric services, medical rehabilitation & therapeutic intervention and IEC are some of the strategies envisaged in the NPHCE.

The major components of the NPHCE during 11th Five Year Plan were establishment of 30 bedded Department of Geriatric in 8 identified Regional Medical Institutions (Regional Geriatric Centres) in different regions of the country and to provide dedicated health care facilities in District Hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and Sub Centres level in 100 identified districts of 21 States.

It is proposed to cover the remaining districts under the programme during the 12th Five Year Plan in a phased manner (@ 100 districts per year and develop 12 additional Regional Geriatric Centres in selected Medical Colleges of the country. 

Schemes & Facilities for the Senior Citizens

A demographic revolution is taking place throughout the world indicating a phenomenal rise in the population of the elderly. According to a UN estimate, the population of the people aged 60 years and above is expected to grow to 1.2 billion by 2025 and to 2 billion by 2050. Today, about two thirds of all the older people are living in the developing world. As per the Census 2001, in India, there were 77 million persons above 60 years constituting 7.5% of the total population of the country. This number is projected to go up to 12.4% of the population in 2026. Such an increase obviously will throw up numerous challenges in designing old age specific programmes and schemes and addressing their issues in a comprehensive manner.  

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment announced a National Policy for Older Persons in January, 1999. This policy reaffirmed the commitment of the Government to ensure the well-being of the older persons in a holistic manner. The National Policy for Older Persons essentially envisages support from the State to the older persons to ensure their financial and food security, health care, the need for shelter as well as other needs of the older persons, providing them an equitable share in development, giving them protection against abuse and exploitation, and ensuring the availability of services to improve the quality of lives of the older persons.

Thirteen years have elapsed since this policy was announced. Keeping in view the changing demographic pattern, the socio-economic conditions and the technological development in the country, the Government is in the process of bringing out a new National Policy. The draft of the new policy is ready. The new Policy is expected to cover a wider spectrum of the issues and challenges facing the elderly.

An institutional mechanism has been put in place to monitor the implementation of the existing national Policy for older persons and to advise the Government regarding the formulation and implementation of the policy and programmes for the aged through a National Council for Older Persons, under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment. The Council was first constituted in the year 1999 for a period of five years. It was reconstituted for another period of five years in the year 2005. However, the composition of this Council was not comprehensive enough as it did not contain sufficient non-official members to maintain regional balance. Besides, it also did not include the representatives of some of the Ministries/Departments dealing with issues related to the senior citizens.  With a view to address these issues, the Council has been re-constituted and has now been renamed as the National Council of Senior Citizens. A Resolution to this effect has been issued in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary) on 22^nd February 2011.

The Parliament enacted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act in December 2007, a landmark development. This Act has made the maintenance of parents and senior citizens by children, and where there are no children, then by the relatives, obligatory and justiciable through Tribunals. The Act has to be brought into force by the individual State Governments. It is not applicable to the State of Jammu & Kashmir, while Himachal Pradesh has its own Act, with the concerted efforts made by the Ministry, all the States and UTs have been persuaded to bring the Act into force in the respective States.

For the effective implementation of the various provision of the Act, the States and UTs are required to take further steps, such as framing Rules, appointing Maintenance Officers, and constituting the Maintenance and Appellate Tribunals. As per information available in the Ministry, 14 States and 5 UTs have taken all these necessary steps.

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is also implementing the “Integrated Programme of Older Persons" since 1992 with a view to improve the quality of life of older persons by providing basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care, entertainment opportunities, etc. Under this Scheme, financial assistance up to 90% is provided to Governments/Non-Governmental Organizations/ Panchayati Raj Institutions/ local bodies etc. for running and maintaining old age homes, day care centres, mobile medicare units, day care centres for Alzheimer's disease/Dementia patients, physiotherapy clinics for older persons, sensitization programmes for children, particularly in schools and colleges, Regional Resource and Training Centres, etc. About 350 NGOs are being supported every year for running and maintaining around 550 projects.

In order to address the increasing demand for care givers, the National Institute of Social Defense (NISD), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has been conducting One-Year, Six-Month and One-Month Courses on Geriatric Care. Besides, the Institute also collaborates with reputed institutions for organising short term training programmes for the caregivers.

To ensure effective implementation of the policies and programmes of the Ministry and also to augment the activities of the NISD, the Ministry presently supports 3 Regional Resource Centres (RRTCs) namely, (i) Anugraha, New Delhi, which caters to the requirements of the northern States, (ii) Nightingale Medical Trust, Bangalore, which caters to the requirements of the southern States, and (iii) Integrated Rural Development and Educational Organization (IRDEO) which caters to the requirement of the north eastern States. These RRTCs undertake (i) Training of functionaries of grantee organizations under IPOP and monitor their work; (ii) Advocacy and awareness generation; (iii) Liasion with the concerned State Governments in the field of old age care, with specific reference to the implementation of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007, and the National Policy for Older Persons, 1999 and the other programmes and interventions for the senior citizens; (iv) Maintain a data-base of the institutions working in the field of old age care; and (v) Research and such other functions as the Ministry may assign from time to time.

The need of the hour is to create a caring society, especially for the ageing population with the help of representatives from the Central Ministries and Departments, the State Governments, experts, academicians and many other stakeholders. 

INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME

India is home to almost 19% of the world’s children. More than one third of the country’s population, around 440 million, is below 18 years. The future and strength of the nation lies in a healthy, protected, educated and well-developed child population that will grow up to be productive citizens of the country. It is alarming that, in 2011, the Crimes against children reported a 24% increase from the previous year with a total of 33,098 cases of crimes against Children reported in the country during 2011 as compared to 26,694 cases during 2010. The State of Uttar Pradesh accounted for 16.6% of total crimes against children at national level in 2011, followed by Madhya Pradesh (13.2%), Delhi (12.8%), Maharashtra (10.2%), Bihar (6.7%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.7%). Thus there is an urgent case for increasing expenditure on child protection. so that the rights of the children of India are protected. The neglect of child protection issues not only violates the rights of the children but also increases their vulnerability to abuse, neglect and exploitation. GOI has launched the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) aimed at building a protective environment for children in difficult circumstances, as well as other vulnerable children, through Government-Civil Society Partnership. Objectives of the scheme are: a) To create a safety net for children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law by building a protective environment for them, keeping their best interests in mind; b)  To promote preventive measures to protect children from falling in the situations of vulnerability, risk and abuse; c) To promote preventive measure to address the vulnerabilities of families and build their ability and capacity protect their children; d) To supplement and strengthen the infrastructure established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000; e) To build capacities of families, communities, and NGOs to strengthen care, protection and response to children; f) To create State and District Child Protection Units as well as State Adoption Cells; g) To promote in-country adoption and regulate inter-country adoption as well as ensure minimum standards; h) To provide services to the more vulnerable categories of children through specialized programmes; i) To establish linkages for restoration of children to their biological families and placement with adoptive families or foster families, where necessary; j) To provide specialized institutional care to infants and children up to 6 years of age who are either abandoned or orphaned/destitute; k) To check and end female foeticide and infanticide in the country; l) To provide services to street and destitute children, including child beggars; m) To provide for care and support services for children affected by HIV/AIDS; n) To establish CHILDLINE in every district, for creating access in emergencies by providing counseling, restoration and rehabilitative services to children along with linkages to other available services under various schemes of the Government of India/State Governments; o) To train and sensitize local bodies, police, judiciary and other concerned departments of State Governments to undertake related responsibilities; p) To strengthen the knowledge base by undertaking research and documentation, resource mapping of services, the creation of a Management Information System (MIS) for tracking vulnerable children, and database management; q) To carry out advocacy and spread awareness about child and family-related issues for supporting the family; r) To network with the Allied Systems i.e. Government departments and Non-Government agencies; s) To initiate any other need-based specialized innovative services through families, community and panchayats/local bodies, including child guidance and counseling especially to combat drug abuse, sexual abuse, child marriage, and discrimination against the girl child.

Schemes to Save the Girl Child

The Government recognizes that the problem of declining child sex ratio in India is not an isolated phenomenon but must be seen in the context of the low status of women and the girl child as a whole, within the home and outside. While its immediate reasons can be traced to increasing son-preference as well as advances in technology that has encouraged sex selective abortions, concern of safety and security of the girl child along with the practice of dowry are no less responsible for it.

Accordingly, the Government has undertaken a number of measures to improve survival and status of girl children in the country. While programmes for improvement of nutrition benefit all children including girl children, like the Integrated Child Development Scheme, National Rural Health Mission, Mid-day meal scheme etc., specific interventions for girl children include implementing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, pilot cash transfer scheme of ‘Dhanlakshmi’, setting up a Sectoral  Innovation Council for improving child sex ratio and acting upon its recommendations, and the pilot scheme ‘Sabla’ for a comprehensive Intervention for adolescent girls in the age group of 11-18, with a focus on out of school girls in select 200 districts of the country.

Of these, ‘Dhanlakshmi’ provides conditional cash incentive, and the scheme does not discriminate on the basis of caste and economic status of parents. It is a pilot scheme being implemented in 11 blocks in seven States of the country.

Welfare of Disabled Persons

To provide comprehensive services to the Persons with Disabilities at the grass root level, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment facilitates creation of the infrastructure and capacity building at district level for awareness generation, rehabilitation, training/guiding of grassroots level functionaries, through setting up District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRCs). The amount sanctioned to these centres during the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 is Rs. 201.08 lakh, Rs. 590.77 lakh and Rs. 410.09 lakh respectively.

A Central Sector Scheme namely “Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drugs) Abuse” for Social Defence Services is being implemented for identification, counseling, treatment and rehabiliation of addicts through voluntary organizations, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local bodies and organizations/institutions fully funded or managed by State/Central Government are also eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.

Innovation Programme

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has taken initiative in consultation with National Innovation Council (NIC) to set up a dedicated fund with an initial contribution of Rs.100 crores in the name of “India Inclusive Innovation Fund” for promoting grass root innovations. It is expected that promoting innovation would also improve the competitiveness and efficiency of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). The scheme is at the stage of approval.

The amount allocated for “India Inclusive Innovation Fund” for the current year (2012-13) is Rs.100 Cr.

The National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) is the nodal programme of the Government to develop global competitiveness among Indian MSMEs. An amount of Rs.500 crores approx as GOI Contribution had been allocated for NMCP during XIth Plan. NMCP targets at enhancing the entire value chain of the MSME sector through the following schemes:

• Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme for MSMEs;

• Promotion of Information & Communication Tools (ICT) in MSME sector;

• Technology and Quality Up gradation Support to MSMEs;

• Design Clinics scheme for MSMEs;

• Enabling Manufacturing Sector to be Competitive through Quality Management Standards (QMS) and Quality Technology Tools (QTT);

• Marketing Assistance and Technology Up gradation Scheme for MSMEs;

• Setting up of Mini Tool Room under PPP Mode;

• National campaign for building awareness on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR);

• Support for Entrepreneurial and Managerial Development of SMEs through Incubators.

In addition, Government operates a number of schemes for the MSME sector which inter alia improve competitiveness. These schemes include Credit Guarantee Scheme, Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme, Performance and Credit Rating Scheme, Cluster Development Programme, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme.

New Scheme for Life Saving Drugs

The Pharmaceutical Policy as amended from time to time also envisages making available quality medicines at affordable price to the masses. For fulfilment of this goal, a Campaign in the name of ‘Jan Aushadhi’ has been launched in 2008. The aim of this campaign is to make available quality medicines at affordable prices for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged. Under this campaign, less priced quality unbranded generic medicines will be made available through Jan Aushadhi stores which inherently are less priced but are of same and equivalent quality, efficacy and safety as compared to branded generic medicines. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has informed that they have taken the initiative for Free Supply of Essential Medicines in Public Health Facilities in the country. Some of the salient features of this scheme is as under:

• Government proposes to start an Initiative for Free Supply of Essential Medicines in Public Health Facilities in the country aiming to provide affordable health care to the people by reducing out of pocket expenses of medicines.

• The initiative aims to increase share of public health in health care from a current level of 25-30% to around 50%.

• This initiative will promote rational use of medicines and reduce the consumption of inessential, unscientific and hazardous medicines.

• The initiative is based on the Tamil Nadu model where free medicines procured in bulk by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC), in generic name, directly from the manufacturers is supplied through an IT enabled supply chain management system to the public.

• An MoU would be signed with the States which will involve the following:-

o State would be encouraged to set up TNMSC like institutions or use any existing institution with sufficient autonomy for bulk procurement of essential drugs in generic names directly from the manufacturers in generic names. Strict instructions shall be issued to Medical Officers in Public Health facilities to prescribe generic medicines.

o The drugs would be supplied by the district ware houses through an IT enabled supply chain management system.

o States will involve Rogi Kalyan Samitis to ensure that free supply of medicines in public health facilities is properly and effectively implemented.

Implementation of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana

The Minister of Panchayati Raj Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo has said that the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY), implemented in districts not covered by the Scheme of Backward Regions Grants Fund (BRGF), focuses primarily on providing financial assistance to the States / UTs for Training & Capacity Building of elected representatives (ERs) and functionaries of Panchayats so that they can perform the functions devolved upon them and the schemes entrusted to them effectively.  Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha today, he said that assistance is also provided for Satellite based training infrastructure for Distance Learning for the ERs and Functionaries of the Panchayats and, in respect of the Hill States and States in the North Eastern Region, for capital expenditure on establishment of Panchayat Resource Centers / Training Institutes at Divisional / District level. There is a small component of Infrastructure Development under which assistance is provided to States / UTs for construction of Panchayat Ghars at Gram Panchayat level. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has already proposed higher allocations for capacity building during Twelfth Five Year Plan.

Schemes for Capacity Building and Employment in Rural Areas

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY)

The Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj with the objective of assisting efforts of the State Governments for training and capacity building of elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions.  Funding of the scheme is applicable only for the non-BRGF districts.  The scheme focuses primarily on providing financial assistance to the States/UTs for Training & Capacity Building of elected representatives (ERs) and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Assistance is provided for Distance Learning infrastructure for the ERs and Functionaries of the PRIs including Satellite based training infrastructure. In respect of Hill States and States in the North Eastern Region, assistance is also given for capital expenditure on establishment of Panchayat Resource Centres/ Panchayat Bhawans at Block/Gram Panchayat levels. The scheme has a small component of Infrastructure Development under which the construction and renovation of Panchayat Ghars in all the States is funded. The scheme is demand driven in nature and provides for funding on 75:25 sharing basis between the Central and State Governments concerned. Assistance under the Training component is also given to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), where the central assistance may be 100% and such proposals are required to be forwarded with the recommendations of the State Government concerned.

Rural Business Hub (RBH)

Rural Business Hub is aimed to eradicate rural poverty and create employment opportunity in rural India. This initiative would give a fillip to village enterprises that add value to economic activities in rural areas.

There is a steady influx of rural people to urban areas in search of employment and economic opportunity.  Also, there is a wide gap between rural and urban areas in terms of public services like health and education, in the quality of life and levels of income.  This gap is perceived to be widening.  The 73^rd Constitutional Amendment, 1992, has mandated Panchayats as Institutions of Self Government, to plan and implement programmes of economic development and social justice.  Government of India has recognized that Panchayati Raj is the medium to transform rural India 700 million opportunities.  There is also a felt need to ensure that the benefits of rapid economic growth, unleashed through the reforms of the last two decades, need to flow to all sections of society, particularly to rural India.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has adopted the goal of "Haat to Hypermarket" as the overarching objective of the Rural Business Hubs (RBH), initiative aimed at moving from more livelihood support to promoting rural prosperity, increasing rural non-farm incomes and augmenting rural employment.  RBHs set up in association with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) could thus constitute the fulcrum of "inclusive growth" - the theme of the 11^th Plan.

Panchayat Mahila Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan (PMEYSA)

In order to address the empowerment of EWRs and EYRs in a systematic, programmatic manner, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Govt. of India, has launched a new scheme with the approval of the competent authority in the 11th Five Year Plan.  The objective of PMEYSA is to knit the EWRs in a network and through group action, empower themselves, so that both their participation and representation on local governance issues, improves.  PMEYSA aims at a sustained campaign to build the confidence and capacity of EWRs, so that they get over the institutional, societal and political constraints that prevent them from active participation in rural local self governments.

It is a Central Sector Scheme.  The entire amount is funded by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for organizing the various activities under this scheme.  Fund is released to the State Panchayati Raj Department in two equal installments in the ratio of 50:50.  The balance amount (second installment of 50%) is released only on furnishing of (1) Utilization certificate in respect of funds released and (2) Audited Statement of account on the expenditure (item-wise) incurred by the State Government/SSC.

Agricultural Development Programmes

S.No.	Agricultural Development Programme	Year of Beginning	Objective/Description
1	Intensive Agriculture Development Program (IADP)	1960	To provide loan , seeds , fertilizer tools to the farmers.
2	Intensive Agriculture Area Program (IAAP)	1964	To develop the special harvest.
3	High Yielding Variety Program (HYVP)	1966	To increase productivity of foodgrains by adopting latest varieties of inputs for crops.
4	Green Revolution	1966	To increase the foodrains , specially food production.
5	Nationalization of 4 banks	1969	To provide loans for agriculture , rural development and other priority sector.
6	Marginal Farmer and Agriculture Labor Agency (MFALA)	1973	For technical and financial assistance to marginal and small farmer and agricultural labor.
7	Small Farmer Development Agency (SFDA)	1974	For technical and financial assistance to small farmers.
8	Farmer Agriculture Service Centres (FASC)	1983	To popularize the use of improved agricultural instruments and tool kits.
9	Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme	1985	For insurance of agricultural crops.
10	Agricultural and Rural Debt Relief Scheme (ARDRS)	1990	To exempt bank loans upto Rs. 10,000 of rural artisans and weaver.
11	Intensive Cotton Development Programme (ICDP)	2000	To enhance the production, per unit area through (a) technology transfer, (b) supply of quality seeds, (c) elevating IPM activities/ and (d) providing adequate and timely supply of inputs to the farmers .
12	Minikit Programme for Rice, Wheat & Coarse Cereals	1974	To increase the productivity by popularising the use of newly released hybrid/high yielding varieties and spread the area coverage under location specific high yielding varieties/hybrids.
13	Accelerated Maize Development Programme (AMDP)	1995	To increase maize production and productivity in the country from 10 million tonnes to 11.44 million tonnes and from 1.5 tonnes/hectare to 1.80 tonnes/hectare respectively upto the terminal year of 9th Plan i.e. 2001-2002 (revised).
14	National Pulses Development Project (NPDP)	1986	To increase the production of pulses in the country to achieve self sufficiency.
15	Oil Palm Development Programme (OPDP)	1992	To promote oil palm cultivation in the country.
16	National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils development Board (NOVOD)	1984	The main functions of the NOVOD Board are very comprehensive and cover the entire gamut of activities associated with the oil seeds and vegetable oil industry including – production, marketing, trade, storage, processing, research and development, financing and advisory role to the formulation of integrated policy and programme of development of oil seeds and vegetable oil.
17	Coconut Development Board	1981	To increase production and productivity of coconut To bring additional area under coconut in potential  non-traditional areas To develop new technologies for product  diversification and by-product utilisation To strengthen mechanism for transfer of technologies To elevate the income level of small and marginal farmers engaged in coconut cultivation. To build up sound information basis for coconut industry and market information To generate ample employment opportunities in the rural sector.
18	Watershed Development Council (WDC)	1983	Central Sector Scheme(HQ Scheme)

Various Development Programmes

S.No.	Development Programmes	Year of Beginning	Objective/Description
1	Housing and Urban Development Corporation	1970	Loans for the development of housing and provision of resources for technical assistance.
2	Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)	1993	To sanction Rs. 1 Crore per year to every member of Parliament for various development works in their respective areas through DM districts.
3	Scheme for Infrastructural Development in Mega Cities (SIDMC)	1993	To provide capital through special institutions for water supply, sewage, , drainage, urban
4	Scheme of Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns	Sixth five year plan	To provide resources and create employment in small and medium towns for for prohibiting the migration of population from rural areas to big cities.
5	District Rural Development Agency (DRDA)	1993	To provide financial assistance for rural development.
6	National Slum Development Programme	1996	Development of Urban Slums.
7	Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)	1980	All-round development of the rural poor through a program of asset endowment for self employment.
8	Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)	1982	To provide suitable opportunities of self employment to the women belonging to the rural families who are living below the poverty line.

National Health Programmes In India

S.No.	National Health Programmes	Year of Beginning	Objective/Description
1	National Cancer Control Programme	1975	Primary prevention of cancers by health education regarding hazards of tobacco consumption and necessity of genital hygiene for prevention of cervical cancer, etc.
2	National Program of Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE)	2010	To provide preventive, curative and rehabilitative services to the elderly persons at various level of health care delivery system of the country, etc.
3	National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD)	----	To prevent the avoidable hearing loss on account of disease or injury, etc.
4	District Mental Health Program (NMHP)	1982	To ensure availability and accessibility of minimum mental health care for all in the foreseeable future, particularly to the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of population.
5	National Cancer Registry Programme	1982	To provide true information on cancer prevalence and incidence.
6	National Tobacco Control Program	2007	Preventing the initiation of smoking among young people, educating, motivating and assisting smokers to quit smoking, etc.
7	National Leprosy Eradication Program	started in 1955, launched in 1983	To arrest the disease activity in all the known cases of leprosy.
8	Universal Immunization Program (UIP)	1985	To achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production and the manufacture of cold-chain equipment for storage purpose, etc.
9	National Vector Borne Disease Control Program	----	For the prevention and control of vector borne diseases

Eradication Of Child Labor Programmes

S.No.	Child Labor Programme	Year of Beginning	Objective/Description
1	Child Labor Eradication Programme	1994	To shift child labor from hazardous industried to schools.
2	National Authority for the Elimination of Child Labour (NAECL)	1994	Laying down the policies and programs for the elimination of child labour, especially in the hazardous industries, etc.
3	National Child Labour Project Scheme (NCLP)	1998	Establishment of special schools for child labour who are withdrawn from work.
4	Education Department and District Primary Education Program (DPEP)	1994	To revitalise the primary education system and to achieve the objective of universalisation of primary education for young children.
5	International Programme for Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC)	1991	To contribute to the effective abolition of child labor in India
6	National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)	2007	To protect, promote and defend child rights in the country.
7	National Policy on Child Labour	1987	General development programmes benefiting children wherever possible. Project-based approach in the areas of high concentration of child labourers.

Women Empowerment Programmes

S.No.	Women Empowerment Programmes	Location	Year Of Estb.
1	Support to Training and employment Programme for Women (STEP)	2003-04	To increase the self-reliance and autonomy of women by enhancing their productivity and enabling them to take up income generaion activities.
2	Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)	1993	To promote or undertake activities for the promotion of or to provide credit as an instrument of socio- economic change and development through the provision of a package of financial and social development services for the development of women.
3	Rashtriya Mahila Kosh	1993	To facilitate credit support or micro-finance to poor women to start income generating activities such as dairy, agriculture, shop-keeping, vending, handicrafts etc.
4	Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) – ‘Sabla’	2010	It aims at empowering Adolescent girls of 11 to 18 years by improving their nutritional and health status, up gradation of home skills, life skills and vocational skills.
5	Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB)	1953	To promote social welfare activities and implementing welfare programmes for women and children through voluntary organizations.
6	Rashtriya Mahila Kosh - (National Credit Fund for Women)	1993	It extends micro-finance services through a client friendly and hassle-free loaning mechanism for livelihood activities, housing, micro-enterprises, family needs, etc to bring about the socio-economic upliftment of poor women.
7	Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)	----	To improve the health and nutrition status of pregnant, lactating women and infants
8	SwayamSiddha	2001	At organizing women into Self-Help Groups to form a strong institutional base.
9	Short Stay Home for Women and Girls (SSH)	1969	To provide temporary shelter to women and girls who are in social and moral danger due to family problems, mental strain, violence at home, social ostracism, exploitation and other causes.
10	Swadhar	1995	To support women to become independent in spirit, in thought, in action and have full control over their lives rather than be the victim of others actions.
11	Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)	1986	To mobilise women in small viable groups and make facililies available through training and access to credit, to plovide training for skill upgradation, etc.
12	Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)	1982	To improve the socio-economic status of the poor women in the rural areas through creation of groups of women for income-generating activities on a self-sustaining basis. The
13	Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women	1983	Aims at the socio-economic empowerment of women

Employment Generation Programmes

S.No.	Employment Generation Programme	Year of Beginning	Objective/Description
1	Employment Guarantee Scheme of Maharashtra	1972	To assist the economically weaker sections of the rural society.
2	Crash Scheme for Rural Employmement (CSRE)	1972	For rural employment
3	Training Rural Youth for Self-Employment (TRYSEM)	1979	Program for Trainingrural youth for self employment.
4	Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)	1980	All-round development of the rural poor through a program of asset endowment for self employment.
5	National Rural Employment Program (NREP)	1980	To provide profitable employment opportunities to the rural poor.
6	Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Program (RLEGP)	1983	For providing employment to landless farmers and laborers.
7	Self-employment to the Educated Unemployed Youth (SEEUY)	1983	To provide financial and technical assistance for self-employment.
8	Self-Employment programme for Urban Poor (SEPUP)	1986	To provide self employment to urban poor through provision of subsidy and bank credit.
9	Jawahar Rozgar Yojana	1989	For providing employment to rural unemployed.
10	Nehru Rozgar Yojana	1989	For providing employment to urban unemployed.
11	Scheme of Urban Wage Employment (SUWE)	1990	To provide wages employment after arranging the basic facilities for poor people in the urban areas where population is less than one lakh.
12	Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)	1993	To provide employment of at least 100 days in a year in village.
13	Swarnajayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)	1997	To provide gainful employment to urban unemployed and under employed poor through self employment or wage employment.
14	Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SYGSY)	1999	For eliminating rural poverty and unemployment and promoting self employment.
15	Jai Prakash Narayan Rojgar Guarantee Yojana (JPNRGY)	Proposed in 2002-03 budget	Employment guarantee in most poor distt.
16	National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme	2006	To provide atleast 100 days wage employment in rural areas.
17	Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana	2001	To provide wage employment and food security in rural areas and also to create durable economic ans social assets.
18	Food for Work Programme	2001	To give food thrugh wage employment in the drought affected areas in eight states. Wages are paid by the state governments partly in cash and partly in foodgrains.
19	Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)	2005	To create a right based framework for wage employment programmes and makes the government legally bound to provide employment to those who seek it.
20	Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)	2008	To generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas through setting up of new self-employment ventures/projects/micro enterprises.

Child Welfare Programmes

S.No.	Child Welfare Programmes	Year of Beginning	Objectives/Description
1	Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)	1975	It is aimed at enhancing the health, nutrition and learning opportunities of infants, young children (O-6 years) and their mothers.
2	Creche Scheme for the children of working mothers	2006	Overall development of children, childhood protection, complete immunisation, awareness generation among parents on malnutrition, health and education.
3	Reproductive and Child Health Programme	1951	To provide quality Integrated and sustainable Primary Health Care services to the women in the reproductive age group and young children and special focus on family planning and Immunisation.
4	Pulse Polio Immunization Programme	1995	To eradicate poliomyelitis (polio) in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against polio virus.
5	Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan	2001	All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, ' Back-to-School' camp by 2003; all children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007 ; all children complete eight years of elementary schooling by 2010 ; focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life ; bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010 ; universal retention by 2010
6	Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya	2004	To ensure access and quality education to the girls of disadvantaged groups of society by setting up residential schools with boarding facilities at elementary level.
7	Mid-day meal Scheme	1995	Improving the nutritional status of children in classes I – VIII in Government, Local Body and Government aided schools, and EGS and AIE centres.Encouraging poor children, belonging to disadvantaged sections, to attend school more regularly and help them concentrate on classroom activities. Providing nutritional support to children of primary stage in drought-affected areas during summer vacation.
8	Integrated programme for Street Children	1993	Provisions for shelter, nutrition, health care, sanitation and hygiene, safe drinking water, education and recreational facilities and protection against abuse and exploitation to destitute and neglected street children.
9	The National Rural Health Mission	2005	Reduction in child and maternal mortality, universal access to public services for food and nutrition , sanitation and hygiene and universal access to public health care services with emphasis on services addressing women's and children's health universal immunization, etc.

Poverty Alleviation Programmes

The fruits of economic growth have not benefited everyone uniformly. Some are left behind and some others are not touched by the benefits of economic growth. It is proved globally that the so-called trickle-down effect does not work in all the societies and India is no exception to this. There are various reasons for this uneven development in the society. Modern economy is technology driven and not labour-intensive.

High volume of high quality goods and services are produced with fewer labour hands. In short, the modern economy is not generating much employment and sometimes it displaces and replaces labour with machines and tools. The period of 1999-2000 to 2004- 2005 saw rapid economic growth in the country but it has not impacted on the unemployment problem of the country. During this period, the unemployment rate remained almost same for rural males and decreased by just one percentage for urban male. On the other hand, unemployment among females increased by one percentage for urban and rural females.

One-third of the country’s population is still illiterate and a majority are not educated up to the age of 15 years. Even among the educated, all do not have employable skills of the modern economy. The education system is not tuned to the changing economic scenario. The large agriculture workforce in rural areas is not sustainable with dwindling cultivable land and use of modern methods of cultivation. As a result, the rural labour is pushed into cities in search of work but they do not have any employable skills in the urban formal sector often end up doing odd jobs in urban areas.

Urbanization in this country is mainly due to acute poverty in rural areas, rather than due to the economic opportunities in urban areas. Further, poverty is not uniformly spread in the country. States like Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have high level of poverty and the levels have not come down significantly in the post-economic reform era.

It is also pertinent to understand that some of the people are unable to be part of the economic reform and do not have the capacity to participate in the economic development process. Such groups need government intervention to ensure that they are not left behind in the development process and deprived of the benefits because they do not have the capacity to be part of the global economy. The government needs to develop safety nets for such groups and try to mainstream them in the development process. They need welfare measures in the form of poverty alleviation programmes to ensure that they survive, if not prosper, in this era of economic reform. Further, the poor are not a homogeneous population and their capacity to survive the economic reform varied from one group of poor to another. Especially, those who are below the poverty line or the poorest among the poor need more government help.

The government of India's poverty alleviation programmes can be broadly classified under five categories: (a) Self-employment programmes like the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana; (b) Wage-employment programmes like the Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana and the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme; (c) Area development programmes like Drought Prone Area Programmes and the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana; (d) Social security programmes like the National Old Age Pension Scheme; (e) Other programmes like the Indira Awaas Yojana.

Self-employment programmes
Self-employment programmes were introduced at the national level in the late 1970s. Initially, the programmes were designed to provide skills, subsidized credit and infrastructure support to small farmers and agricultural labourers so that they could find new sources of income.

In the 1980s, the focus of the self-employment programmes was extended to cover target groups such as scheduled castes and tribes, women and rural artisans. The coverage also extended to specific areas such as animal husbandry, forestry and fishery.

The largest of these programmes was the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP). According to a mid-term appraisal of the Ninth Plan done by the Planning Commission, the IRDP suffered from several defects including: sub-critical investment, unviable projects, illiterate and unskilled beneficiaries with no experience in managing an enterprise, indifferent delivery of credit by banks, overcrowding of lending in certain projects such as dairy, under-emphasis on activities like trading, service and even simple processing, poor targeting and selection of non-poor, rising indebtedness, and scale of IRDP outstripping capacity of government and banks.

Other self-employment programmes suffered from similar deficiencies.

In 1999, several self-employment programmes were integrated into the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY). The key feature of the SGSY is that it does not seek to promote individual economic activities. It seeks to promote self-help groups that are trained in specific skills so they can formulate microenterprise proposals. Such projects are based on activities that are identified for each block on the basis of local resources, skills and markets. The projects are supported by bank credit and government subsidies.

While the SGSY is implemented by district rural development agencies through panchayat samitis, NGOs are expected to play a major role in the success of the programme.

Wage-employment programmes
The first major wage-employment programme was introduced in the 1960s to provide employment to the rural unemployed particularly during the lean agricultural season.

Subsequently, several wage-employment programmes were launched by the Central and State governments. The largest of these was the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY), which was redesigned in 1999 as the Jawahar Gram Samridhhi Yojana (JGSY).

Other notable schemes were: the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS), and the Employment Guarantee Scheme of the Maharashtra government.

According to a mid-term appraisal of the Ninth Plan done by the Planning Commission, the JRY suffered from the following defects: Provided inadequate employment (only 11 days as per concurrent evaluation); Resources were spread too thin; Violation of material-labour norms and corruption (fudging of muster rolls); Projects were executed by contractors who sometimes hired outside labourers at lower wages.

There were similar deficiencies in the EAS.

In 2001, the JGSY and EAS were merged to form the Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana (SGRY). The objective of the scheme is to provide additional wage employment with food security in rural areas. Beneficiaries are temporarily employed to build community assets and infrastructure. The cost of the scheme, which includes the distribution of foodgrain, is shared by the Central and State governments in a ratio of 87.5:12.5.

In August 2005, the Indian Parliament passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), one of independent India’s most ambitious interventions to address rural poverty and empower poor people.

The NREGA follows a set of legally enforceable employment norms. Its aim is to end food insecurity, empower village communities, and create useful assets in rural areas. It is based on the assumption that every adult has a right to basic employment opportunities at the statutory minimum wage.

Under the scheme, one member of every poor rural family is guaranteed 100 days of work at the minimum wage of Rs 60 a day. All rural poor are eligible, not just those designated below the poverty line (BPL). One-third of the beneficiaries must be women. If five or more children accompany their mothers to any site, the implementing authority must appoint a woman to look after them on the site.

Panchayats at district, intermediate and village levels will identify and monitor the project, together with a programme officer. Social audits of the work will be available at gram sabhas. Work will, as far as possible, be provided within a radius of 5 km.

The work to be undertaken will be public works such as water harvesting, drought-proofing, micro and macro irrigation works, renovation of traditional water bodies, flood control barriers and rural connectivity.

Medical costs necessitated by injuries at work will be borne by the implementing authority.

Area development programmes
Drought Prone Area Programmes (DPAP), Desert Development Programmes (DDP), Hilly Area Development Programmes and Tribal Area Development Programmes were introduced in the 1970s to prevent environmental degradation and provide employment to the poor in these regions.

In the mid-‘90s, the environment management aspect of these programmes was strengthened by the introduction of watershed development programmes.

Currently, several Central government, State government and non-government watershed development programmes are being implemented.

The government has mooted a “single national initiative” under the National Watershed Development Projects for Rain-fed Areas (NWDPRA) programme. A new Department of Land Resources has been created by merging all area development programmes with the Department of Wasteland Development.
The Tenth Plan has a new scheme called the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana(RSVY) to tackle the problem of extreme deprivation in backward pockets of the country.

Started with an outlay of Rs 2,500 crore for 2002-03, the RSVY aims to promote focused developmental programmes for backward areas that would help reduce imbalances, speed up development and help backward areas overcome poverty. The programme also aims to encourage states to take up productivity-enhancing reforms.

Social security programmes
Social security programmes were launched, at the national level, in the 1980s with an old age pension scheme. Currently, there are four major national social security schemes:
—National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), which provides a pension to people above the age of 65 with no source of income or financial support.
—National Family Benefit Scheme, which provides Rs 10,000 to families living below the poverty line when their main earning member dies.
—National Maternity Benefit Scheme, which provides Rs 500 to pregnant women of families living below the poverty line.
—Rural Group Insurance Scheme, which provides a maximum life insurance of Rs 5,000 covering the main earning members of families living below the poverty line on a group insurance basis; the government pays half the premium of Rs 50-Rs 70.

Other programmes
The largest of the 'other' programmes is the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), which provides houses free of cost to below the poverty line scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families living in rural areas. Recently, several other poverty alleviation programmes have been launched, including Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana, which provides additional funds to States so that they can provide basic minimum services such as primary health, primary education and drinking water.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana there are two schemes, Gramin Awas for rural shelter and the Rural Drinking Water Project for water conservation in DPAP and DDP programme areas.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, launched in December 2000, to provide road connectivity to 1.6 lakh remote habitations with a population of over 500 by the end of the Tenth Plan period

Antyodaya Anna Yojana, launched in December 2001, to provide 25 kg of foodgrain at highly subsidized rates to 100 million of India's poorest families living below the poverty line. In 2002, around 24 lakh tonnes of foodgrain were provided by the central government under this scheme.

The Annapurna Scheme to provide 10 kg of foodgrain per month free of cost to persons who are eligible for pension under the NOAPS but haven’t received any.

Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna:
 This programme was launched in April, 1999. This is a holistic programme covering all aspects of self employment such as organisation of the poor into self help groups, training, credit, technology, infrastructure and marketing.

The objective of SGSY is to provide sustainable income to the rural poor. The programme aims at establishing a large number of micro-enterprises in the rural areas, based upon the potential of the rural poor. It is envisaged that every family assisted under SGSY will be brought above the poverty-line with in a period of three years.

This programme covers families below poverty line in rural areas of the country. Within this target group, special safeguards have been provided by reserving 50% of benefits for SCs/STs, 40% for women and 3% for physically handicapped persons. Subject to the availability of the funds, it is proposed to cover 30% of the rural poor in each block in the next 5 years.

SGSY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and funding is shared by the Central and State Governments in the ratio of 75:25 respectively.

SGSY is a Credit-cum-Subsidy programme. It covers all aspects of self-employment, such as organisation of the poor into self-help groups, training, credit technology, infrastructure and marketing. Efforts would be made to involve women members in each self-help group. SGSY lays emphasis on activity clusters. Four-five activities will be identified for each block with the approval of Panchayat Samities. The Gram sabha will authenticate the list of families below the poverty line identified in BPL census. Identification of individual families suitable for each key activity will be made through a participatory process. Closer attention will be paid on skill development of the beneficiaries, known as swarozgaris, and their technology and marketing needs.

Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojna:
 The critical importance of rural infrastructure in the development of village economy is well known. A number of steps have been initiated by the Central as well as the State Governments for building the rural infrastructure. The public works programme have also contributed significantly in this direction.

Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna (JGSY) is the restructured, streamlined and comprehensive version of the erstwhile Jawahar Rozagar Yojana. Designed to improve the quality of life of the poor, JGSY has been launched on 1st April, 1999. The primary objective of the JGSY is the creation of demand driven community village infrastructure including durable assets at the village level and assets to enable the rural poor to increase the opportunities for sustained employment. The secondary objective is the generation of supplementary employment for the unemployed poor in the rural areas. The wage employment under the programme shall be given to Below Poverty Line(BPL) families.

JGSY is implemented entirely at the village Panchayat level. Village Panchayat is the sole authority for preparation of the Annual Plan and its implementation.

The programme is implemented as Centrally Sponsored Scheme on cost sharing basis between the Centre and the State in the ratio of 75:25 respectively.

The programme is to be implemented by the Village Panchayats with the approval of Gram sabha. No other administrative or technical approval is required.

Indira Aawas Yojna:
 IAY is the flagship rural housing scheme which is being implemented by the Government of India with an aim of providing shelter to the poor below poverty line. The Government of India has decided that allocation of funds under IAY will be on the basis of poverty ratio and housing shortage.

The objective of IAY is primarily to help construction of new dwelling units as well as conversion of unserviceable kutcha houses into pucca/semi-pucca by members of SC/STs, freed bonded labourers and also non-SC/ST rural poor below the poverty line by extending them grant-in-aid.

IAY is a beneficiary-oriented programme aimed at providing houses for SC/ST households who are victims of atrocities, households headed by widows/unmarried women and SC/ST households who are below the poverty line. This scheme has been in effect from 1st April, 1999.

IAY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme funded on cost sharing basis between the government of India and the States in the ratio of 75:25 respectively.

Grant of Rs. 20,000 per unit is provided in the plain areas and Rs. 22,000 in hilly/difficult areas for the construction of a house. For conversion of a kutcha house into in pucca house, Rs. 10,000 is provided. Sanitary laterines and chulahs are integral part of the house. In construction/upgradation of the house, cost effective and environment friendly technologies, materials and designs are encouraged. The household is allotted in the name of a female member of beneficiary household.

DRDA Administration: 
District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has traditionally been the principal organ at the District level to oversee the implementation of the anti-poverty programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development. Created originally for implementation of Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), the DRDAs were subsequently entrusted with a number of programmes, both of the Central and State governments. Since inception, the administrative costs of the DRDA (District Rural Development Agency) were met by setting aside a part of the allocations for each programme. Of late, the number of programmes had increased and several programmes have been restructured with a view to making them more effective. While an indicative staffing structure was provided to the DRDAs, experience showed that there was no uniformity in the staffing structure. It is in this context that a new centrally sponsored scheme—DRDA Administration—was introduced from April 1, 1999, based on the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee known as Shankar Committee. The new scheme replaced the earlier practice of allocating percentage of programme funds to the administrative costs.

The objective of the scheme of DRDA (District Rural Development Agency) Administration is to strengthen the DRDAs and to make them more professional and effective. Under the scheme, DRDA is visualised as specialised agency capable of managing anti-poverty programmes of the Ministry on the one hand and effectively relate these to the overall efforts of poverty eradication in the district on the other.

The funding pattern of the programme is in the ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and the States.

The DRDA will continue to watch over and ensure effective utilisation of the funds intended for anti-poverty programmes. It will need to develop distinctive capabilities for poverty eradication. It will perform tasks which are different from Panchayati Raj Institutions and line departments. The DRDAs would deal only with the anti-poverty programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development. If DRDAs are to be entrusted with programmes of other Ministries or those of the State Governments, it must be ensured that these have a definite anti-poverty focus. In respect of such States where DRDA does not have a separate identity and separate accounts.

Basic Minimum Services:
 The Government of India launched this scheme in 1997 incorporating seven vital services of importance to common people. The State Government has opted to provide shelter to shelter-less below poverty line under this scheme.

The objective of providing this scheme is to supplement the constitution of dwelling units for members of SC/ST, freed bonded labour and also non-SC/ST rural poor below the poverty line by providing them with grant.

The Central government provides additional funds for Basic Minimum Services subject to the condition that the State government will provide 15% of the required funds.

Additional Indira Awas are being constructed with the guidelines analogous to that for the Awas Yojana. The salient features are:
—Rs. 20,000 is provided to the beneficiaries for construction of the houses in phases. Sanitary latrines and smokeless chulah are integral part of the houses.
—Houses are allotted in the name of female members of the family or in joint names of both spouses.
—Selection of construction technology, materials and design is left entirely to the choice of beneficiaries. Contractors, Middlemen or the Departmental Agencies have no role in the construction of houses.
—Cost effective and environment friendly housing technologies/design and materials are provided.
  
Drought-Prone Areas Programme:
 The Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) aims at mitigating the adverse effects of drought on the production of crops and livestock and productivity of land, water and human resources. It strives to encourage restoration of ecological balance and seeks to improve the economic and social conditions of the poor and the disadvantaged sections of the rural community.

DPAP is a people's programme with government assistance. There is a special arrangement for maintenance of assets and social audit by Panchayati Raj Institutions. Development of all categories of land belonging to Gram Panchayats, Government and individuals fall within the limits of the selected watersheds for development.

Allocation is to be shared equally by the Centre and State government on 75:25 basis. Watershed community is to contribute for maintenance of assets created. Utilisation of 50% of allocation under the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) is for the watershed development. Funds are directly released to Zila Parishads/District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) to sanction projects and release funds to Watershed Committees and Project Implementation Agencies.

Village community, including self-help/user groups, undertake area development by planning and implementation of projects on watershed basis through Watershed Associations and Watershed Committees constituted from among themselves. The Government supplements their work by creating social awareness, imparting training and providing technical support through project implementation agencies.
 
Credit-cum-Subsidy Scheme for Rural Housing:
 There were a large number of households in the rural areas which could not be covered under the IAY, as either they do not fall into the range of eligibility or due to the limits imposed by the available budget. On the other hand due to limited repayment capacity, these rural households cannot take benefit of fully loan based schemes offered by some of the housing finance institutions. The need of this majority can be met through a scheme which is part credit and part subsidy based.

The objective of this scheme for rural housing is to facilitate construction of houses for rural families who have some repayment capacity. The scheme aims at eradicating shelter-lessness from the rural area of the country.

The scheme provides shelter to rural families who have not been coveted under IAY and who are desirous of possessing a house. All rural households having annual income up to Rs. 32,000 are covered under this scheme.

The funds are shared by the Centre and the State in the ratio of 75:25, respectively.

Poor just above the poverty line are entitled to get the benefits of the scheme. A maximum subsidy of Rs. 10,000 per unit is provided for the construction of a house. Sanitary latrine and smokeless chulha are integral part of the house. Cost effective and environment friendly technologies, materials, designs, etc. are encouraged. Sixty per cent (60%) of the houses are allocated to SC/ST rural poor.

Appraisal of Anti-poverty programmes
On review of all the poverty alleviation programmes, one gets the impression that these programmes are not benefiting the poor in terms of increasing their income. For example, the PDS is plagued with seepage, corruption, high administrative cost and targeting errors. Self-employment are better utilized by the non-poor or those who are above BPL. Wage employment programme is caught in red-tapism and administrative delays leading to poor utilization of the allocated funds. All these factors have been used by some economists to argue against these programmes and to suggest the winding up the programmes.

Looking at purely narrow economic point of view is not the right approach to poverty alleviation. Poverty does not mean not having enough income alone. Poverty means not having access to a whole lot of services like education, health services, water supply, sanitation and so on. It also means loss of status in the community, exclusion from certain social functions, and a sense of inferiority in the group or community. In short, poverty means marginalization of an individual or household in the community.

There is no denial that poverty alleviation programmes should lead to high income to the poor, but to come out of the culture of poverty, one needs to be empowered and also requires access to basic services. While some of the poverty alleviation programmes may not be performing well in terms of utilizing the allocated funds and increasing the income of the poor, these programmes have contributed to the social arena of poverty. For example, wage employment programme was not very successful in terms of utilizing the allocated resources and generating additional employment for the BPL. But this programme has created village level assets and infrastructure in terms of schools, health centers, roads and ponds.

Similarly, Self-help Groups (SHGs) formed by the women has given them tremendous confidence and empowered them to become entrepreneurs. Today, SHGs are not only active in creating micro-enterprises but also they are involved in implementing community programmes like immunization programmes, literacy programmes and so on. Some of them have empowered to the level of contesting panchayat elections and become members of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI). Again, there is no denial that all these cannot be achieved without an increase in income. Therefore, the economic and social aspects of poverty alleviation are interlinked to one another. Economic upliftment alone cannot alleviate poverty but it must lead to social upliftment in terms of access to services, empowerment and independence. Therefore, the current poverty alleviation programmes in the country should broaden their focus and goal in addition to increasing income to achieve the target of removing poverty from the country.

Also, involvement of the local communities is key to the success of poverty alleviation programmes. In the absence of community involvement, the programmes are plagued with bureaucratic muddle and corruption at every level. Unfortunately, States still lag behind handing over these programmes to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). While PRIs are created in most of the States and elections are held, these institutions are not given the financial resources, administrative powers and the capacity to run programmes. State governments still hold the financial powers and the PRI is not in a position to plan and decide based on their needs. The administrative machinery of the PRI is very week to carry out these national level programmes. Also, the PRI does not have the capacity to handle resources and technical capacity to implement programmes. These issues have to be addressed immediately to strengthen PRI to implement poverty alleviation programmes.

Apart from decentralization and community involvement, participation of the poor in the programme that affects their welfare, is important. Some of the self-employment schemes failed to take off because no effort was made to involve the poor in identifying the skills which they can learn easily. Some of the skills imbibed may not have job potential in the community. On the positive side, micro-enterprise under the self-employment programme was successful because of the role of SHGs. The SHG members actively participated in the whole process and decided for themselves for the kind of skills they wanted to learn and also the kind of credit they needed from the bank to start the microenterprise. Many well-intentioned programmes fail to take off because of lack of understanding of the ground realities due to lack of participation of the beneficiaries.

At the macro-level, there is a need to co-ordinate a myriad of poverty alleviation programmes of the central government and the State governments. The transfer of central funds to the States for different programmes should be efficient. Currently, such funds and goods like foodgrains are not fully utilized by the States. There is a need to strengthen the financial management capacity of certain States to use the funds efficiently. These are the States where the percentage of the BPL is more than the national average.

Poverty is more of social marginalization of an individual, household or group in the community/society rather than inadequacy of income to fulfill the basic needs. Indeed, inadequate income is one of the factors of marginalization, but not the sole factor. The poverty alleviation programmes should not aim merely to increase the income level of individual, household or group, but mainstreaming marginalized in the development process of the country.