by India has been facing a challenging situation of unemployment and poverty for many decades. To address these issues, the Indian government has implemented various employment generation and poverty alleviation programmes. These programmes aim to create employment opportunities for the unemployed population and improve the living standards of the poor people.
The need for employment generation and poverty alleviation programmes in India arises from the fact that the country faces a high level of unemployment and poverty. Despite sustained economic growth over the past few decades, a significant portion of the population still lives below the poverty line and lacks access to basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. Additionally, a large section of the population, particularly the youth, remains unemployed or underemployed.
In order to address these issues, the government has implemented various employment generation and poverty alleviation programmes over the years. These programmes aim to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the poor and underprivileged sections of society, thereby reducing poverty and unemployment.
Moreover, such programmes also aim to address the issue of social exclusion and help in the empowerment of marginalized groups such as women, scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes. By creating employment opportunities and providing basic education and training, these programmes aim to improve the living standards of the marginalized sections of society.
National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)
The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) was launched in 2011 with the objective of reducing poverty by promoting sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. The mission aims to create an enabling environment for rural poor to access livelihoods and develop skills through the promotion of self-employment and wage employment opportunities. NRLM has adopted a participatory approach, with a focus on the formation of SHGs, building their capacity, and providing them with financial and technical support. The mission has been implemented in a phased manner, with a focus on the poorest districts of the country. NRLM aims to reach out to around 70 million rural households and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for them.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
MGNREGA was launched in 2005 with the aim of providing employment opportunities to the rural population. The scheme guarantees at least 100 days of employment in a year to every household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work. The work provided under MGNREGA includes activities like soil conservation, water harvesting, afforestation, rural connectivity, etc.
The programme has been successful in generating employment opportunities for the rural population, reducing rural-urban migration, and improving the living standards of the rural people. However, there have been some challenges in the implementation of the scheme, such as delays in payment of wages, corruption, and lack of adequate supervision.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)
PMMY was launched in 2015 with the aim of providing loans to small and micro enterprises. The scheme provides loans of up to Rs. 10 lakh to non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises. The loans are provided through commercial banks, regional rural banks, and cooperative banks.
The programme has been successful in providing access to credit to small and micro enterprises and promoting entrepreneurship. However, there have been some challenges in the implementation of the scheme, such as lack of awareness among the target population, difficulty in accessing credit for certain sectors, and delays in loan disbursal.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY)
DDU-GKY was launched in 2014 with the aim of providing skills training and employment opportunities to the rural youth. The scheme provides training to rural youth in various sectors like agriculture, construction, healthcare, hospitality, etc. After completion of the training, the candidates are provided with employment opportunities in the respective sectors.
The programme has been successful in providing skills training and employment opportunities to the rural youth and reducing the skill gap in the rural areas. However, there have been some challenges in the implementation of the scheme, such as lack of adequate infrastructure for training, lack of awareness among the target population, and difficulty in finding suitable employment opportunities for the trained candidates.
Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
PMEGP was launched in 2008 with the aim of promoting self-employment among the unemployed youth in both urban and rural areas. The scheme provides financial assistance and training to the unemployed youth to start their own enterprises.
The programme has been successful in promoting self-employment among the unemployed youth and creating employment opportunities in the micro-enterprise sector. However, there have been some challenges in the implementation of the scheme, such as lack of adequate financial resources, difficulty in identifying suitable enterprises for the target population,
