Question : Livelihood Dependency

(a) whether the Government has recently released data on the standard of living of rural households in India, if so, the details and the findings thereof including the parameters/indicators laid down for the purpose;

(b) whether the data shows that landlessness and dependence on manual casual labour for a livelihood are key deprivations facing rural families and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the percentage of rural households facing multiple deprivation parameters, State/UT-wise;

(d) the number of landless households in the country, State/UT-wise; and

(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to improve the standard of living in the rural households in the country?

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI BIRENDER SINGH)

(a) Yes, Madam. On July 3, 2015 Government released on line the provisional data from the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 for Rural India. The data addresses the multi dimensionality of poverty. The Report of the SECC 2011 is available on http://secc.gov.in. It provides households data on various aspects of their socio-economic status – housing, land-holding/landlessness, educational status, status of women, the differently able, occupation, possession of assets, SC/ST households, incomes, etc. SECC data captures respondent based disclosures on socio economic status of 17.91 crore rural households. The data allows exclusion of 7.05 crore (39.39 %) of households as not poor on the basis of 14 automatic exclusion parameters, automatic inclusion of 16.50 lakh (0.92 %) households as poorest of the poor on the basis of 5 parameters. 8.69 crorehouseholds( 48.49%) admitted incidence of 1-7 deprivation parameters that captures dimensionality of poverty.

(b): Yes, Madam. 5.37 crore households have reported as landless and have reported deriving their major source of income from manual work.

(c): State/UT – wise percentage of rural households facing multiple deprivation parameters is given in Annex-I.

(d):State/UT-wise number of landless households in the rural area is given in Annex-II.

(e):The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing, through State/UT Governments, the major programmesnamely Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for wage employment, National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) for self-employment through livelihoods promotion, Indira AwaasYojana (IAY) for rural housing, PradhanMantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) for rural connectivity and National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for social assistance to rural poor. These programmes are aimed at betterment of rural livelihoods and overall development of rural areas through creation of employment opportunities, infrastructures and providing social assistance to the rural poor.

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