The Ministry of Rural Development has formulated and implemented several   schemes   for bringing about rapid and sustainable development and socio economic transformation in rural India. The focus   is on creation of social and economic infrastructure in rural areas, bridge the urban-rural divide, provide food security and to fulfill other basic needs of the rural poor.  The strategy for eradication of poverty involves generation of wage employment and self-employment, provision of basic amenities and creation of durable community assets.

More funds in X-Five Year Plan

            For the X-Five Year Plan, allocation of funds for rural development has been enhanced to Rs. 76,774 crore as against Rs 42,874 crore during the IX-Plan.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

A path-breaking initiative, this programme   provides for legal guarantee to work and to transform ‘the geography of poverty’. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)-2005, envisages securing   livelihood   to people   by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household. The programme was launched   on February 2, 2006, in 200 districts   in the first phase of its implementation.   An amount of Rs.16, 419 crore has been allocated for the implementation of NREGA   in   2006-07.  

NREGA marks a paradigm shift from all earlier and existing wage employment programmes, because it is an Act and not just a scheme. It provides for a legal guarantee to work.  The ongoing programme of Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and National Food For Work Programme (NFFWP) would be subsumed with NREGA in the 200 identified districts.  

Rural Housing

The Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), one of the components of Bharat Nirman, addresses housing shortage in rural India. Under this programme, 60 lakh houses will be constructed over the next four years across the country, starting from 2005-06.

The Ministry of Rural Development, through IAY, undertakes housing to rural poor as a centrally sponsored scheme, where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 75:25 basis. Grant   is provided in two installments to the extent of Rs. 25,000 per house for normal areas, and Rs. 27,500 for hilly areas. 

An outlay of Rs.2,750 crore has been provided during the current year 2005-06, as compared to last year’s allocation of Rs.2500 crore.  During 2005-06, with the present outlay, 14.41 lakh houses are targeted under IAY.  Against this target, 11.88  lakh houses have been constructed, with an expenditure of Rs.2,839.54 crore, as on  April 21, 2006. 

Rural Roads

Under Bharat Nirman, major thrust has been given for construction of rural roads to ensure farm to market connectivity. Since inception, 91,900 kms. of roads have been built to provide all-weather connectivity to 25,697 habitations. Of this,  15,543 kms. has been built in 2004-05, and 22,752 kms in 2005-06. In   2005-06, 3,915 habitations have been provided with connectivity.

            The budgetary allocation under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), has been substantially enhanced.  The average budgetary allocation for 2005-06, has been enhanced to Rs. 4,200 crore, against Rs.  2,400 crore during the period 2002-04.

  

Accelerated Rural Water Supply

             The Government of India supplements the efforts of States for making available safe drinking water to the masses by providing financial and technical assistance under two centrally sponsored programmes, namely the Accelerated Rural Water Supply (ARWSP), and the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP).

The Budget allocation for provision of safe drinking water was increased from Rs. 2,900 crore in 2004-05, to Rs. 4,050 crore for 2005-06.  For rural sanitation programme, the budget allocation was increased to Rs. 700 crore in 2005-06, from Rs. 400 crore in 2004-05.

Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) is a holistic programme covering all aspects of self-employment, such as organisation of the poor into Self Help Groups (SHG), training, credit, technolgy infrastructure and marketing.

National Food for Work Programme (NFFWP)

The Ministry of Rural Development envisages to provide additional resources available under Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana to most backward districts of the country for generation of supplementary wage employment and provision of food security through creation of need based economic, social and community assets in these districts. 

The emphasis of the programme is on water conservation, drought proofing and land development, flood control measures, rural connectivity, and other productive works for ensuring economic sustainability depending upon local needs.

National Social Assistance Programme and Annapurna

The Ministry had been administering the National Social Assistance Programme consisting of National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) and the National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), until the programme was transferred to the State Plan, along with the Annapurna Scheme, with effect from 2002-03.  After the transfer of the Schemes, the State-wise allocation of Additional Central Assistance (ACA) is made by the Ministry of Rural Development and Planning Commission.

The scale of Central assistance under NOAPS is Rs.75 per month for providing pension to destitutes aged 65 years and above, under National Family Benefit Scheme Rs.10,000 in the event of death of the bread winner in a family, and under Annapurna Scheme, 10 Kg. of food-grains per month per person is provided free of cost to the beneficiaries.  The number of persons to be benefited from the Scheme would be, in the first instance, 20 per cent of the persons eligible to receive pension under NOAPS.

              Pension under National Old Age Pension Scheme  (NOAPS), has been raised from Rs.75 per month per beneficiary to Rs.200 per month per beneficiary.  During the year 2005-06, the complied allocation for the above scheme amounted to Rs. 11,900 lakh  out of which Rs. 8,481.35 lakh has been utilised.

Integrated Wastelands Development Programmes (IWDP)

The Ministry   has taken various initiatives to make the best utilisation of land and improve its quality through the implementation of      ‘Drought Prone Areas Programme’ (DPAP), ‘Desert Development Programme’ (DDP), and ‘Integrated Wastelands Development Programme’ (IWDP) for the development of Wasteland/degraded lands.   

Under IWDP, 221 new projects were sanctioned for   treatment of 11.17 lakh hectares of wastelands during the year 2004-05, and 497 projects for the treatment of 22.6 lakh hectares in 2005-06.  Under Desert Development Programme, 1,600 projects have been sanctioned for treatment of   eight lakh hectares of land in desert areas.

Wastelands Atlas 2005

            The Ministry has taken out a Wastelands Atlas 2005,which shows that there has been a reduction of 87 lakh hectares of wastelands as a result of implementation of various area development programmes.  

Computerisation  of Land Records

Computerisation of Land Records have been given new impetus.  The Ministry is contemplating to a new scheme of comprehensive modernisation of land records for integration of various components of administration.  Effective measures have been taken for disposal of ceiling cases and distribution of ceiling surplus land, giving wastelands to the eligible backward people.

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