Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission

National Rural Livelihoods Mission, renamed as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was launched in 2011. It seeks to reach out to 8-9 crore rural poor households and organize one woman member from each household into affinity based women SHGs and federations at village level and at higher levels. While doing so, DAY-NRLM ensures adequate coverage of vulnerable sections of the society such that 50 per cent of the beneficiaries are members of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, 15 per cent from minority groups and 3 per cent from persons with disability, while keeping in view the overall target of 100 per cent coverage of the rural poor households identified through Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) and through participatory processes of identification of poor households and approved by Gram Sabha.

The key components of DAY-NRLM include :

 (i) Promoting Institutions of Poor: Strong quality institutions of poor such as SHGs and their federations are set up on a priority basis. In addition to generic thrift and credit based community institutions and their federations, DAY-NRLM promotes specialized institutions like livelihood collectives, producers’ cooperatives/companies for livelihoods promotions. The institutions of poor empower their members and act as medium for transfer of knowledge and technology dissemination, and hubs of production, collectivization and trade;

(ii) Training, Capacity Building and Skill Building: Systematic and multi-pronged approach has been adopted for providing capacity building to SHGs, their federations, government functionaries, bankers, NGOs and other stakeholders. The capacity building is aimed at providing poor with the knowledge and skills to manage their institutions, link up with markets, manage their existing livelihoods and enhance their credit absorption capacity and credit worthiness. Focus is on developing and engaging community professionals and community resource persons (CRPs) in order to provide timely support and bring about reduction in poverty levels;

(iii) Community Investment Support Fund: Community Investment Support Fund is routed to SHGs through federations (primary and secondary level) to support development of suitable livelihoods of members and to initiate collective activities, wherever feasible. A part of the CIF is provided as Vulnerability Reduction Fund (VRF) for supporting the inclusion of very poor communities and making credit accessible to them with or without interest;

(iv) National Special Fund Support for Convergence under DAY-NRLP was provided to help states mainstream convergence as an effective method to reduce poverty and empower rural poor;

(v) Infrastructure Creation and Marketing Support: DAYNRLM ensures that infrastructure needs for major livelihoods activities of poor are met with. It also provides support for marketing to institutions of poor. The range of activities in marketing support include market research, market intelligence, technology extension, developing backward and forward linkages, building livelihoods collectives and supporting their business plans;

(vi) Sensitive Support Structures: DAY-NRLM has set up sensitive and dedicated support structures at the national, state, district and sub-district levels. These support structures are staffed with dedicated professionals;

(vii) Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): MKSP is a sub-component of NRLM to meet the specific needs of women farmers and achieve socio-economic and technical empowerment of the rural women farmers, predominantly small and marginal farmers;

(viii) Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana: The Government of India has introduced a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) entitled “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana” (AGEY) from the financial year 2017-18. The main objectives of AGEY are: to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to members of SHGs under DAY-NRLM by facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas, as identified by the states; to provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services to connect remote villages with key services and amenities (including access to markets, education and health) for the overall economic development of the area by the supports available within the framework of DAY-NRLM

National Statistical Commission

The National Statistical Commission (NSC) was set up in 2005. The setting up of the NSC followed the decision of the Cabinet to accept the recommendation of the Rangarajan Commission, which reviewed the Indian Statistical System in 2001. The NSC was initially constituted in 2006, to serve as a nodal and empowered body for all core statistical activities of the country, to evolve, monitor and enforce statistical priorities and standards and to ensure statistical coordination. It has one part-time Chairperson and four part-time members, each having specialization and experience in specified statistical fields. Besides, Secretary, Planning Commission is an ex-officio member of the Commission. The Chief Statistician of India is the Secretary to the Commission. He is also the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Local Governance - Panchayats

Article 40 of the Constitution which enshrines the Directive Principles of State Policy lays down that the state shall take steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.

A new Part IX relating to the panchayats was inserted in the Constitution to provide for among other things, Gram Sabha in a village or group of villages; the constitution of panchayats at the village and other level or levels; direct elections to all seats in panchayats at the village and intermediate level, if any, and to the offices of Chairpersons of panchayats at such levels; reservation of seats for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in proportion to their population for membership of panchayats and office of Chairpersons in panchayats at each level; reservation of not less than one-third of the seats for women; fixing tenure of five years for panchayats and holding elections within a period of six months in the event of supersession of any panchayat.

Local Governance - Municipalities

Municipal bodies have a long history in India. The first such Municipal Corporation was set-up in the former Presidency Town of Madras in 1688, and later in Bombay and Calcutta in 1726. The Constitution of India has made detailed provisions for ensuring the protection of democracy in Parliament and in the state legislatures. However, the Constitution did not make the local self-government in urban areas a clear-cut constitutional obligation. While the Directive Principles of State Policy refer to Village Panchayats, there is no specific reference to municipalities except the simplicity in Entry 5 of the State List, which places the subject of local self-governments as a responsibility of the states.

To provide a common framework for urban local bodies and help to strengthen the functioning of the bodies as effective democratic units of self-government, Parliament enacted the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 (known as Nagarpalika Act) relating to municipalities in 1992. It came into

effect in 1993. A new Part IX-A relating to the municipalities added to provide for among other things, the constitution of three types of municipalities, i.e., Nagar Panchayats for areas in transition from a rural area to an urban area, Municipal Councils for smaller urban areas and Municipal Corporation for large urban

areas, fixed duration of municipalities, the appointment of State Election Commission, the appointment of State Finance Commission and constitution of metropolitan and district planning committees. All state/union territories administrations have set-up their State Election Commissions and Finance Commissions.

Atal New India Challenge

Atal New India Challenge (ANIC), which is an initiative by Atal Innovation Mission aimed at supporting innovators to create products/ solutions based on advanced technologies in areas of national importance and social relevance through a grant-based mechanism. AIM is working with separate ministries on this programme –Ministry of Agriculture and Family Welfare, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs – to identify areas of importance and attract innovations in them. 

Moving forward, AIM is also planning to launch another programme ARISE to promote collaborative Applied Research and Innovation between various central ministries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Apart from the various structured programmes, AIM from time to time keeps

conducting lectures, webinars and speaker sessions for the students and startup the community.

Atal Incubation Centres

Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) and Established Incubation Centres are incubation spaces intended to provide incubation facilities to innovative startups like capital equipment and operating facilities along with sectoral experts for mentoring, business planning support, access to seed capital, industry partnerships, training and other critical components. Across the country, 19 days are already operational, incubating startups across different -fields and working on new-age technology.

Atal Innovation Mission

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative of the Central Government, set up by NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country. AIM is also envisaged as an umbrella innovation organization that would play an instrumental role in the alignment of innovation policies between central, state and sectoral innovation schemes incentivizing establishment of an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship at various levels higher secondary schools, science, engineering and higher academic institutions, and SME industry / corporate levels. AIM is setting up Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) in schools across all 700+ districts across the country. These ATLs are dedicated innovation workspaces of 1000-1500 square feet where latest technologies like 3D printers, robotics, internet of things (IOT), miniaturized electronics ‘do it yourself’ kits are installed using a grant of ₹ 20 Lakhs from the government so that students from Grade VI to Grade XII can tinker with these Technologies and learn to create innovative solutions.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission was set up in March 1950 in pursuance of declared objectives of the Government to promote a rapid rise in the standard of living of the people by efficient exploitation of the resources of the country, increasing production and offering opportunities to all for employment in the service of the community. It was charged with the responsibility of making an assessment of all resources of the country augmenting deficient resources, formulating a plan for the most effective and balanced utilization of resources and determining priorities. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first chairman of the Planning Commission.

First Plan

Keeping in view the large-scale import of food grains in 1951 and inflationary pressures on the economy, the First Plan (1951-56) accorded the highest priority to agriculture including irrigation and power projects. About 44.6 per cent of the total outlay of ₹ 2,069 crores in the public sector (later raised to ₹ 2,378 crores) was allocated for this purpose. The Plan aimed at increasing the rate of investment from five to about seven per cent of the national income.

Second Plan

The Second Five-Year Plan (1956-57 to 1960-61) sought to promote a pattern of development, which would ultimately lead to the establishment of a socialistic pattern of society in India. Its main aims were (i) an increase of 25 per cent in the national income; (ii) rapid industrialization with particular emphasis on the development of basic and heavy industries; (iii) large expansion of employment opportunities; and (iv) reduction of inequalities in income and wealth and a more even distribution of economic power. The Plan aimed at increasing the rate of investment from about seven per cent of the national income to 11 per cent by 1960-61. It laid emphasis on industrialization, increased production of iron and steel, heavy chemicals including nitrogenous fertilizers and development of heavy engineering and machine-building industry.

Third Plan

The Third Plan (1961-62 to 1965-66) aimed at securing a marked advance towards self-sustaining growth. Its immediate objectives were to : (i) secure an increase in the national income of over five per cent per annum and at the same time ensure a pattern of investment which could sustain this rate of growth in the subsequent Plan periods; (ii) achieve self-sufficiency in food grains and increase agricultural production to meet the requirements of industry and exports; (iii) expand basic industries like steel, chemicals, fuel and power and establish machine-building capacity so that the requirements of further industrialization could be met within a period of about 10 years mainly from the country’s own resources; (iv) fully utilize the manpower resources of the country and ensure a substantial expansion in employment opportunities; and establish progressively greater equality of opportunity and bring about reduction in disparities of income and wealth and a more even distribution of economic power. The Plan aimed at increasing the national income by about 30 per cent from ₹ 14,500 crores in

1960-61 to about ₹ 19,000 crores by 1965-66 (at 1960-61 prices) and per capita income by about 17 per cent from 330 to 386 over the same period.

NITI Aayog

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) came into existence in 2015 replacing the Planning Commission which was established in 1950. The NITI Aayog is the successor to the Planning Commission. The new institution is envisaged to be a catalyst to the developmental process; nurturing

an overall enabling environment, through a holistic approach to development going beyond the limited sphere of the public sector and Government of India. This is to be built on the foundation of an empowered role of states as equal partners in national development underlying the principle of cooperative federalism. A knowledge hub of internal as well as external resources; serving as

a repository of good governance best practices and a think tank offering domain knowledge as well as strategic expertise to all levels of government. A collaborative platform facilitating implementation by monitoring progress, plugging gaps and bringing together the various ministries at the Centre and in

states, in the joint pursuit of developmental goals.