Question : Goals of Rural Development during 12th Five Year Plan

(a) the major goals set out for the Ministry in the 12th Five Year Plan to bring about much needed improvement in the rural life;

(b) whether the Union Government has taken appropriate steps to achieve those goals during the plan period and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Union Government has set up a monitoring cell to oversee whether Ministry is moving in tandem with rural development goals set for the 12th Five Year Plan;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a) & (b): The 12th Five Year Plan aims at faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth. Various initiatives have been proposed in the 12th Five Year Plan on rural development programmes so as to improve the quality of life of rural people. These include expansion of list of permissible works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA); strengthening the demand-driven character of MGNREGA; reducing delay in wage payments; better social audits, Vigilance and Grievance Redressal; modification in the guidelines of National Rural Livelihood Mission(NRLM ) now restructured as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) to make it more effective and sustainable; supporting rural youth for skill development and placement; enhancement of unit cost assistance under Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) now restructured as Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana –Gramin (PMAY-G) and smoother transfer of fund to States and connecting villages with all weather road.

The steps taken by the Ministry in this direction are:

(i) New works have been added to the existing list of permissible works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA with a focus on strengthening synergy between MGNREGA and rural livelihoods, particularly in agriculture.

(ii) Participatory bottom–up planning for the preparation of Labour Budget is done under
MGNREGA.

(iii) To reduce delay in the payment of wages the Ministry has initiated Electronic Fund Management System (e-FMS).

(iv) Provision for upto 50 days of additional employment has been made over and above 100 days per households in notified drought affected areas.

(v) The guidelines of the DAY-NRLM was amended for improved targeting of beneficiaries by identifying the target group with at least one deprivation as per the Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data. The DAY-NRLM is being implemented in a phased manner to cover all the blocks in the country over a period of 7 – 8 years.

(vi) The issue of skilling and placement are being addressed through Deen Dayal Upadhayay Grameen Kaushal Yojana and Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs).

(vii) The unit assistance under PMAY-G has been enhanced to Rs. 1,20,000 for new construction in plain areas and Rs. 1,30,000 in hilly/difficult areas including IAP districts.

(viii) The PMAY-G envisages construction of 1 crore houses in rural areas over a period of three years from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

(ix) The PMGSY permits upgradation (to prescribed standards) of existing rural roads in districts where all the eligible habitations of the designated population size have been provided all weather road connectivity.

(x) PMGSY-II has been launched to consolidate the existing rural road network.

(xi) Based on the recommendations of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Rationalization of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, the fund sharing pattern under PMGSY will be in 60:40 ratio between the Centre and States (except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States for which it will be 90:10) for all the ongoing as well as outstanding works.

(xii) To improve the impact of rural development programmes, steps have been taken for the convergence of rural development programmes within the Ministry and with the programmes of other Ministries/ Departments.

(c) to (e) : In order to ensure that the programme benefits reach the rural poor, in full measure and the objectives of schemes are achieved, the Department has evolved a comprehensive multi-level and multi-tool system of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of its programmes which include Review by the Union Ministers, Performance Review Committee Meetings, State Vigilance & Monitoring Committees, District Development Co-ordination and Monitoring Committee named as “DISHA”, submission of reports by third party monitoring through National Level Monitors, Area Officers Schemes, Concurrent Evaluation and Impact Assessment Studies, monitoring the submission of Utilization Certificates. Corrective measures are taken by the Government, when required, for effective implementation of rural development schemes.

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