MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING (SHRI M.V. RAJASEKHARAN)
(a) & (b): Review of Poverty Alleviation Programmes is a continuous process. Programmes are
reviewed to strengthen and revamp them to increase their efficacy in poverty alleviation.
Provision of Supplementary Wage Employment has been the major instrument for poverty
reduction. In November 2004 the Government introduced a National Food For Work
Programme in the 150 backward districts to provide additional wage employment to rural poor.
The proposed National Employment Guarantee Programme to be introduced through an Act of
Parliament will be a comprehensive Poverty Alleviation Programme.
With the enactment of the Bill, the existing Sampoorn Grameen Rozgar Yojana and
National Food for Work Programme would be merged in the districts where Employment
Guarantee Act would be implemented to provide guaranteed employment of at least 100 days to
every poor family seeking manual work. The Mid Term Appraisal of the Tenth Five Year Plan
has highlighted the consequential changes that may have to be made after the enactment of
Employment Guarantee to rationalize programmes that seek to provide wage employment as
well as protect nutritional security of the rural poor. In addition a programme for self-
employment through Self Help Groups will continue.
(c) & (d) : Private sector makes an important contribution both to output and to employment in
the country. The private sector has played a leading role in provision of both education and
vocational training. Rural industries are largely set up by private entrepreneurs. The
Government is committed to create an enabling environment which promotes and fosters private
entrepreneurship leading to establishment of industries that generate output and provide
employment opportunities. The Government has also approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme
to upgrade 100 Industrial Training Institutes to Centers of Excellence. These ITIs would be
upgraded in the public / private partnership mode.
(e) & (f): The Tenth Plan gave a place of prominence to the role of civil society and voluntary
sector in governance and development. Voluntary sector is recognized as a partner in
development and is associated in the task of planning and implementation of development
programmes. Council for Advancement of People`s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART),
an autonomous society under the Ministry of Rural Development, has issued guidelines in
March, 2005 to involve NGOs in a number of schemes. These are:
? Natural Resource Development and Management (NRDM)
? Rural Industrialization, Income Generation and Market Access (RIMA)
? Technologies for Rural Development and Promotion of Information Technology (TGRD&PIT)
? Rural Infrastructure Development Scheme (RIDS)
? Scheme for empowerment of Rural women, SC, ST & disadvantaged groups and for Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in rural areas (EWSCTD Scheme)
? Human Resource Development Scheme (HRDS).
In addition, Government assists NGOs to take up programmes for the welfare of the poor
and disadvantaged groups and of women.
Planning Commission has issued guidelines to Central Ministries and State Governments
to facilitate the work of voluntary organizations. These guidelines suggest setting up of
grievance redressal mechanism, notification of State Planning Departments as the nodal agency
for voluntary sector, to constitute State Joint Machinery for Government and voluntary sector
collaboration and to take appropriate steps for capacity building of NGOs.
