MINISTER OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES & AGRO AND RURAL INDUSTRIES (SHRI MAHABIR PRASAD)
(a) to (e): A statement is placed on the table of the Sabha.
THE STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION
NO. 212 FOR ANSWER ON 13.03.2007.
(a) and (b): Yes, Sir. Studies have been undertaken from time
to time by the Government in the Ministry of Agro and Rural
Industries, to evaluate the status of implementation of various
programmes for promotion of agro and rural industries. The
details of the evaluation are as under.
The Programme Evaluation Organization (PEO) of the
Planning Commission had conducted an evaluation study in respect
of Khadi and Village Industries Programmes and submitted its
report in 2001. The main findings of the above studies are at
Annex I
In the case of PMRY, the Government has already got three rounds
of evaluation done by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research
(IAMR) New Delhi, the details of which are as under.
(i) The first round of the evaluation was conducted in1996-97
pertaining to the programme years 1993-94 and 1994-95. 3544 bank
branches, 15,331 beneficiaries in 48 districts of 21 States were
covered in the first round of evaluation.
(ii) The second round of evaluation was conducted in the year
2000-01 pertaining to the programme years 1995-96, 1996-97 and
1997-98. It covered 1303 bank branches, 16397 beneficiaries in 13
districts of 6 States.
(iii) The third round of evaluation was conducted in the year
2004-05 for the programme years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01. It
covered 873 bank branches, 11,114 beneficiaries in 14 districts of
6 States.
The list of States/districts covered in the three rounds of
evaluation is at Annex II. The important findings of the
evaluation studies are at Annex III.
(c): The study conducted by the Programme Evaluation
Organization of the Planning Commission was an evaluation of the
role and contribution of khadi and village industries in the area
of production, employment, earnings, alleviation of poverty, etc.,
and provided the basis for strengthening the sector by enlarging
budgetary allocations and also by formulating new schemes such as
Product Development, Design Intervention and Packaging (PRODIP),
Rural Industries Service Centres (RISC) and Scheme of Fund for
Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI).
Some of the parameters of the PMRY, viz., increase in maximum age
limit to 45 years for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe, ex-
servicemen, physically challenged and women applicants, reducing
the minimum educational qualification to Class VIII pass, raising
the eligible family income ceiling to Rs. 40,000 per annum, etc.,
were modified in the year 1999-2000. Government has approved
introduction of improved design parameters of the PMRY, in terms
of enhancing the family income limits for eligibility, project
cost ceilings, corresponding ceilings of subsidy, rates of
assistance to States towards training of beneficiaries before and
after selection, etc. during 2007-08.
(d) and (e) : It is not correct to state that the performance of
various schemes of agro and rural industries including PMRY Scheme
has deteriorated. The details of growth in the value of
production of the khadi and village industry sector as well as
employment and number of self employment ventures and employment
generated under PMRY, during each of the last three years are
given below:
Year Khadi and Village Industries PMRY Production Employment Number of self Estimated (Rs. crore) (lakh persons) employment Employment ventures (lakh persons)
2003-04 9681.78 71.19 2,19,444 3,29,166
2004-05 10920.44 76.78 2,48,264 3,72,396
2005-06 12383.84 82.77 2,62,281 3,93,422
