Aajeevika Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana NRLM : National Rural Livelihoods Mission

Organisation : National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)
Facility : Aajeevika Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana

Website : http://aajeevika.gov.in/

Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana :

Aajeevika – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011.

Related / Similar Service : cbotrans.nrlm.gov.in

Aided in part through investment support by the World Bank, the Mission aims at creating efficient and effective institutional platforms of the rural poor enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.

NRLM has set out with an agenda to cover 7 Crore rural poor households, across 600 districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats and 6 lakh villages in the country through self-managed Self Help Groups (SHGs) and federated institutions and support them for livelihoods collectives in a period of 8-10 years.

In addition, the poor would be facilitated to achieve increased access to their rights, entitlements and public services, diversified risk and better social indicators of empowerment. NRLM believes in harnessing the innate capabilities of the poor and complements them with capacities (information, knowledge, skills, tools, finance and collectivization) to participate in the growing economy of the country.

FAQ :
How is it different from Swarna Jyanti Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)?
NRLM has adopted ‘demand driven’ strategy, in place of SGSY’s ‘allocation based’ strategy. This implies that under NRLM, states have greater autonomy to plan for implementing the programme. NRLM encourages states to prepare State Perspective for Implementation Plans (SPIP) for seven years and Annual Action Plans (AAPs). The allocation for the state is released against the approved AAP.

NRLM has adopted a Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP) instead of the BPL to identify its beneficiaries.

What are the key features of NRLM?
NRLM rests on three major pillars – universal social mobilization, financial inclusion and livelihoods enhancement. It works towards bringing at least one member (preferably a woman) from all poor families into the SHG network.

The SHGs and their federations offer their members services such as savings, credit and livelihoods support. As the Institutions of the Poor (IoP) mature, they are facilitated to take up livelihoods/income-generating activities.

How is NRLM being implemented?
NRLM has put in place a dedicated, sensitive support structure to facilitate the creation and functioning of IoP. The SRLMs are given the responsibility of implementing the programme in the states based on their States Perspective Implementation Plans (SPIPs) and Annual Action Plans (AAPs). District Mission Management Units (DMMU) and Block Mission Management Units (BMMU) are established to implement the programme.

At the national level, the National Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (NRLPS) has been set up to serve as the technical support agency to NRLM. NRLPS supports the SRLMs in strategizing, planning and implementing NRLM.

Who are eligible for benefits under NRLM?
The NRLM Target Households (NTH) are identified through the Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP) instead of the BPL. The PIP is a community-driven process where the CBOs themselves dentify the poor in the village using participatory tools. The list of poor identified by the CBO is vetted by the Gram Sabha.

What are Institutions of the Poor (IOPs)?
SHGs, their federations at the village, cluster levels and beyond, and other collectives of the poor constitute Institutions of Poor (IoP).

SHGs are affinity-based homogenous groups of 10-20 members (usually women). They follow five cardinal principles or Panchsutra (regular meetings, regular savings, internal lending, regular repayment and bookkeeping). The SHGs are federated at the village (Village Organisation), sub-block and higher levels. They are supported to become self-sufficient and community-managed institutions over time.

Institutions of the poor such as SHGs and their village level and higher level federations are necessary to provide space, voice and resources for the poor, and for reducing their dependence on external agencies.

They empower them. They also act as instruments of knowledge and technology dissemination, and hubs of production, collectivization and commerce. NRLM, therefore, would focus on setting up these institutions at various levels.

In case of special SHGs i.e. groups in remote tribal areas and in difficult areas, groups with vulnerable persons like disabled persons, the group may be as small as 5 members. Only for groups to be formed with Persons with disabilities, and other special categories like elders, transgender, NRLM will have both men and women in the SHGs.

What are the functions of the group?
SHGs are affinity-based savings and credit groups to begin with. They offer solidarity. They provide microfinance services – savings, credit, bank linkages, insurance, remittances, equity etc. They also offer collectivization and group activities.

The SHGs offer social security and social action in various fronts including health, nutrition, food, gender, convergence etc., directly or through their federations.