(a) the objectives of the Swarnjayanti Gram SwarozgarYojana (SGSY) and the selection of
activities including beneficiaries thereunder;
(b) whether the Government has evaluated the physical and financial progress under SGSY
during the last three years;
(c) if so, the details of the findings thereof, year-wise;
(d) the reaction of the Government on these findings; and
(e) the corrective steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI JAIRAM RAMESH)
(a)to (e):- A statement is laid on the table of the House.
Statement referred in reply to parts (a) to (e) of the LokSabha Starred Question No. 228 for
answer on 06.02.2014
(a) Swarnjayanti Gram SwarozgarYojana (SGSY) was being implemented from 1999 to 2013.
It aimed at providing sustainable income to rural BPL families through income generating
assets / economic activities so as to bring them out of poverty line. It was a process oriented
scheme involving processes like organization of the rural poor (BPL) in to Self Help Groups
(SHGs) through social mobilization, capacity building & training, provision of revolving
fund, making available credit and subsidy, technology, assisting in sustainable livelihoods
with infrastructure and marketing.. SGSY has since been restructured as National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (Aajeevika) and it was launched on 3rd June, 2011. After a transition
period of two years, SGSY has ceased to exist with effect from 1.4.2013.
(b) and(c)The Centre for Management Development has carried out concurrent evaluation of all
programmes of Ministry of Rural Development, including of SGSY and in its report stated
that about 52% beneficiaries have reported increase in income after being a beneficiary of
the scheme. This in turn had resulted in increased savings of the beneficiary. Increase in
savings was reported by 37.67 per cent of the group beneficiaries. Another major impact
perceived by the beneficiaries was their access to better health and educational facilities.
Around 36 per cent of the group beneficiaries had opined that their health and educational
facilities has been increased.A significant majority of the individual swarozgaris (87.96%)
had created assets under SGSY scheme. However, most of the assets (50%) created by
swarozgarisunder SGSY were found to be livestock assets.
(d) and (e) Performance of SGSY was assessed through concurrent evaluation, studies and
reports including those conducted by the National Institute of Rural Development,
Hyderabad, Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow, Centre for Management
Develoopment, Thiruvananthapuram, reports of the Steering Committee constituted by the
Planning Commission for the 11th Plan and the Prof. Radhakrishna Committee on Credit
Related Issues related to SGSY, set up by the Ministry of Rural Development in April 2008.
National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), the successor programme to SGSY, proposes
to cover all rural poor families, in a phased manner. The programme aims at building strong
and sustainable grass roots institutions of rural poor women and enabling them to access their
own social networks, resources and knowledge for gainful self-employment and skilled wage
employment opportunities and thereby achieve appreciable improvement in their livelihoods
on a sustainable basis. Universal social mobilization through formation of Self Help Groups
(SHGs) under NRLM and federating these groups at village and higher levels will ensure at
least one member of each rural poor family, preferably a woman member, is covered under
SHG and is part of a large social network. NRLM proposes to ensure universal financial
inclusion for them by facilitating opening of savings accounts of all SHGs, simultaneously
encouraging their thrift and credit activities and facilitating access to credit and other
financial services from banks. There is a provision under the programme for training and
capacity building of interested members to take up micro enterprises for enhancing their
incomes.
In addition to self employment, NRLM also focuses on supporting rural poor youth
for accessing skilled wage employment through placement linked skill development projects.
NRLM is a demand driven programme and the States formulate their own poverty reduction
action plans