Question : ACHIEVEMENTS MADE UNDER RURAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

(a) whether the achievements made under the Rural Development Scheme- JGSY, IAY, EAS and SGSY during 1999-2000 have been far less in comparison to those during 1998-1999; and

(b) if so, the reasons for the decline in achievements ?

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI SUNDAR LAL PATWA)

(a) & (b) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 543 DUE FOR REPLY ON 04-05-2000

1. The Rural Employment Generation Schemes were restructured with effect from 1st April, 1999. The Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana(JGSY) was launched by restructuring the erstwhile Jawahar Rozgar Yojana(JRY) and the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana(SGSY) replaced the erstwhile schemes of Integrated Rural Development Programme(IRDP), Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment(TRYSEM), Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Ganga Kalyan Yojana (GKY), Supply of Improved Tool-kits to Rural Artisans (SITRA) and the Million Wells Scheme(MWS).

2. The physical achievements under the JGSY, SGSY, Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) and Indira Awaas Yojana(IAY) schemes during the year 1999-2000 (upto January-February, 2000 only) show some decline, compared to the performance under JRY, IRDP, EAS and IAY during 1998-1999 .

3. It is noteworthy that for the Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana(JGSY), the Village Panchayats (VPs) are the implementing agencies and the scheme is relatively new for the States/Village Panchayats. Some time is required by these agencies to fully acquaint themselves with the restructured programme. The Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) was a demand driven scheme till 31.3.1999 and no target was fixed for the same. The Scheme has been restructured with effect from 1.4.1999 to make it allocation-based. The figures of physical performance (in 1999-2000) are based on the monthly progress reports of the State Governments received upto the month of January/February, 2000. During the first six months of 1999-2000, the pace of employment generation was relatively slow owing to factors such as the time involved in finalisation and circulation of the Revised Guidelines and inability to take up new works, till the end of October, 1999, following the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana(SGSY) is also a new scheme whose implementation necessitated finalisation of Guidelines and sensitizing the various agencies concerned.

4. The performance in 1999-2000 (upto February, 2000) under the Indira Awaas Yojana(IAY) showed an improvement, over the performance in 1998-99, for the corresponding period.