Lok Sabha Question No. 2459 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-09
Subject: Implementation of SAGY
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Jagdambika Pal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2459

ANSWERED ON 09.03.2021

## IMPLEMENTATION OF SAGY

## 2459.   SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the objectives of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) have been achieved till date and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has conducted or commissioned any review of the scheme, if so, the details and findings of all such reviews thereof;
- (c) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  efficiency  and effectiveness of the Scheme;
- (d) whether any improvement has been recorded in the villages adopted under the scheme, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the Government has any plans or received any requests for special provision for Aspirational Districts under the scheme and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the  amount  of  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  funds  by  companies  that  have  been received towards the scheme, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) The  objective  of  SAGY  is  holistic  development  of  the  identified  Gram  Panchayats  by leveraging the leadership, capacity and commitment of the MPs .Under the SAGY framework, the development of Gram  Panchayats is envisaged through effective convergence and implementation  of  existing  development  schemes  of  Government  under  the  administrative control of respective Ministries without allocation of any additional fund. The Gram Panchayats adopted under SAGY prepare Village Development Plans (VDP) through a participatory process under  the  guidance  of  Hon'ble  Members  of  Parliament.  The  VDP  includes  prioritised  timebound activities to achieve holistic and integrated development of the villages. Out  of  the  2,043  Gram  Panchayats  identified  under  SAGY,  1,571  Gram  Panchayats  have uploaded  their  VDPs  containing  77,248  projects  on  SAGY  website  (http://saanjhi.gov.in)  and implementation of 48,774  projects has been completed as on 3 March 2021.
- (b) The  post-project  evaluation  of  the  Gram  Panchayats  identified  under  SAGY  has  been done by nine Universities across the country.  The major observations from the reports shared by the Universities are reproduced in Annexure-I.
- (c) The Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is reviewed periodically by the Ministry of Rural Development. The Ministry has evolved a comprehensive multilevel and multi-tool system of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of its programmes which includes review by the  Minister  of  Rural  Development,  Performance  Review  Committee  meetings,  Common Review  Mission  and  Concurrent  Monitoring.  Concurrent  monitoring  mechanisms  include  the progress updated by States/Districts through SAGY website (MIS) regarding the identification of the  Gram  Panchayats,  progress  tracking  of  Village  Development  Plans  (VDPs),  and  the  field visits by Ministry of Rural Development officials.

The State Governments have been requested to appoint Charge Officers for every constituency to facilitate the adoption of Gram Panchayats by the Honorable Members of Parliament.

Ministry  has  organised  training  programmes  on  the  preparation  of  Village  Development  Plan through  participatory  planning  in  related  areas  of  SAGY  across  India  in  collaboration  with NIRD&PR, Hyderabad. The programme was attended by more than 350 State Team of Trainers, State Nodal Officers and Charge Officers from across the country in 2020-21.

- (d) The Ministry has documented many success stories from SAGY Gram Panchayats based on inputs shared by the respective State Governments and made them available for public access on the programme website. The third-party evaluation of the Gram Panchayats identified under SAGY has indicated that the components covered under the scheme and the activities proposed were very much relevant in overall development of villages and it succeeded in improving the accessibility to basic amenities/institutions at Gram Panchayat and village levels.
- (e) No sir, the department has not received any requests for special provision for Aspirational Districts under the scheme so far.
- (f) The  broad  framework  for  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  (CSR)  is  provided  under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 and in  Schedule VII of the Act and Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014. Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 enlists areas or activities that may be undertaken by a company as CSR (as referred in Annexure-II). Item no. (x) of Schedule VII of the Act includes 'Rural development projects'. Under the CSR provisions of the Act and the rules made  thereunder, the Board of the company  is competent to take decision on supplementing any Government Schemes provided such schemes permit the corporate participation  subject  to  compliance  of  the  Act  and  rules  made  thereunder.  So  there  are  no earmarked funds of Corporate Social Responsibility towards the scheme.

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Annexure I referred in point (b) of reply to Lok Sabha  UnStarred Q.No. 2459 regarding 'Implementation of SAGY' scheduled for answer on 9 March 2021

## Observations from the reports of 9 Central Universities on the Post-project evaluation of SAGY Gram Panchayats

## 1. General observations

- a. It  was  considered to be  of immense privilege and pride for people for their GP being chosen under SAGY for adoption by the Hon'ble Member of Parliament. This has given them (the villagers) recognition in their vicinity. (Source: Report on  post-project  evaluation  study  of  SAGY  in  Gujarat  and  Rajasthan  by Sardar Patel University)
- b. The  community  perception  was  influenced  by  the  value  added  to  the  existing services that had been initiated after SAGY. For eg., the posting of a Doctor or a Staff  Nurse  to  the  Primary  Health  Centre  in  the  village  was  in  many  places attributed  to  the  selection  of  Gram  Panchayat  under  SAGY.  Similarly,  the installation of a Transformer in the village that had improved the regular supply of power to the villages was attributed to the initiative. (Source: Report on postproject evaluation study of SAGY in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by Mysore University)
- c. The impact of SAGY is visible in those GPs where the stakeholders have taken interest and made frequent visits to the adopted GPs. (Source: Report on postproject evaluation study of SAGY in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala by Osmania University)
2. Overall progress made by the SAGY GPs after their adoption
- a. The  progress  made  in  each  SAGY  GP  is  unique  while  the  degree  of  progress, drawbacks  and  achievements  are  also  different.  The  chosen  GPs  show  various degrees of progress in terms of various aspects. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation  study  of  SAGY  in  Gujarat  and  Rajasthan  by  Sardar  Patel University)
- b. The components covered under the scheme and the activities proposed were very much  relevant  in  overall  development  of  villages.  Further,  the  scheme  has succeeded in improving the accessibility to basic amenities/institutions at Gram Panchayat and village levels. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala by Osmania University)
- c. Significant improvement in the health and hygienic practices among the villagers a reduction in anaemia and other health hazards. 100% immunisation of children below 6 years ages in all gram panchayats. Distribution of school uniforms among all the children in all GPs. The cases of school drop-outs have been zero in all the gram panchayats.  The  numbers  of  SHGs  have  increased  significantly  in  all  the gram panchayats. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in Jharkhand by RKMVERI)
3. Modalities of planning and impact
- a. SAGY project  has  been  a  useful  exercise  in  preparation  of  VDPs  which  have immense  potential  to  enhance  the  quality  of  life  of  the  people  in  the  selected villages. Many GPs were found to have professionally prepared meticulous VDPs. Villagers were aware of the  SAGY  programme  and  various  departments coordinated  to  bring  about  the  activities  listed  under  the  Village  Development Plan of SAGY. In Punjab, the VDPs in general were found to be comprehensive in  terms  of  all  heads  including  subheads  related  to  all  aspects  of  functional development  of  the  GP.  It  was  observed  that  a  wide  variety  of  works  were undertaken under the VDPs. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of  SAGY in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Uttarakhand by Guru Nanak University)
- b. The  guidelines  for  SAGY  has  categorically  and  very  minutely  described  the modalities for preparation of VDP. The VDPs were very meticulously prepared by the Panchayat itself or by young professionals in some of the GPs. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in North-Eastern States by Tezpur University)
4. Inclusivity of progress and community participation
- a. In most of the GPs it was found that efforts were made to improve participative decision  making  and  involve  people  in  the  process  of  development.  This improved social esteem and therefore would contribute to improvement in social values among  the population as well. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation  study  of  SAGY  in  Gujarat  and  Rajasthan  by  Sardar  Patel University)
- b. It is observed that in most of the GPs, VDP was prepared through discussions in Gram sabha and a democratic process was followed. (Source: Report on postproject evaluation study of SAGY in Gujarat and Rajasthan by Sardar Patel University)
- c. The main reasons for an improved economic development and livelihood in best performing  GPs  are  mainly  due  to  the  diversified  occupations  along  with agriculture and the initiatives made to improve animal husbandry, horticulture and skill  development  training  and  starting  up  of  microenterprises  through  SHGs. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by Mysore University)
5. Effect on upgrading social values
- a. It  could  definitely  be  said  by  visiting  the  adopted  villages  that  the  scheme  has created  pride  in  the  minds  of  the  villages  as  the  Hon'ble  MP  has  selected  their village as SAGY. Through focus group discussion with the prominent citizens of the village, it could be seen that there is an upgradation in social values by way of reduction of alcoholism, practice of playing cards/gambling etc. Villagers became very much cautious about the SAGY status of the village and in most of the cases; they have stopped behaving in any improper way that would lead to a bad name for the village. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in North-Eastern States by Tezpur University)
- b. The GPs have also taken measures for improving the quality of education in the schools and increasing enrolment and attendance. The participation and
18. commitment of teachers and GP officials in this regard is highly commendable. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by Mysore University)
- c. Broadly, social security indicators show a satisfied level amongst the respondents. (Source:  Report  on  post-project  evaluation  study  of  SAGY  in  Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Uttarakhand States by Guru Nanak University)
6. Sustainability
- a. The SAGY GPs have shown mixed results in terms of the extent of its success, but is nevertheless a scheme worth continuing with and focus should be on efforts to transform GPs to self sustaining institutions. The spirit of SAGY goes beyond physical projects being completed. (Source: Report on post-project evaluation study of SAGY in Gujarat and Rajasthan by Sardar Patel University)
- b. SAGY  is  a very well-conceived programme  with robust guidelines. The development  of  the  village  is  very  scientifically  designed  with  a  bottom-up approach. The continuance of the programme is strongly recommended. However, it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  leadership  skill  and  dedication  of  the  Hon'ble  MP  are keys  to  the  success  of  the  programme. (Source:  Report  on  post-project evaluation study of SAGY in North-Eastern States by Tezpur University)

## Annexure II referred in point (f) of reply to Lok Sabha  UnStarred Q.No. 2459 regarding 'Implementation of SAGY' scheduled for answer on 9 March 2021

## Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013

Activities which may be included by companies in their Corporate Social Responsibility Policies Activities relating to:-

- (i)  Eradicating  hunger,  poverty  and  malnutrition,  promoting  health  care  including  preventive health care and sanitation and making available safe drinking water.
- (ii)  promoting  education,  including  special  education  and  employment  enhancing  vocational skills  especially  among  children,  women,  elderly  and  the  differently  abled  and  livelihood enhancement projects.
- (iii)  promoting gender equality, empowering women, setting up homes and hostels for women and  orphans;  setting  up  old  age  homes,  day  care  centres  and  such  other  facilities  for  senior citizens  and  measures  for  reducing  inequalities  faced  by  socially  and  economically  backward groups.
- (iv)  ensuring  environmental  sustainability,  ecological  balance,  protection  of  flora  and  fauna, animal welfare, agroforestry, conservation of natural resources and maintaining quality of soil, air and water
- (v) protection of national heritage, art and culture including restoration of buildings and sites of historical importance and works of art; setting up public libraries; promotion and development of traditional art and handicrafts;
- (vi) measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their dependents;
- (vii)  training  to  promote  rural  sports,  nationally  recognised  sports,  paralympic  sports  and olympic sports
- (viii)  contribution  to  the  prime  minister's  national  relief  fund  or  any  other  fund  set  up  by  the central govt. for socio economic development and relief and welfare of the schedule caste, tribes, other backward classes, minorities and women;
- (ix) (a) Contribution to incubators or research and development projects in the field of science, technology, engineering and medicine, funded by the Central Government or State Government or  Public  Sector  Undertaking or any  agency of  the Central Government or State Government; and
- (b)  Contributions  to  public  funded  Universities;  Indian  Institute  of  Technology  (IITs); National Laboratories and autonomous bodies established under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE); Department of  Biotechnology (DBT);  Department of Science  and Technology (DST); Department of Pharmaceuticals; Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and  Homoeopathy  (AYUSH);  Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology  and  other bodies,  namely  Defense  Research  and  Development  Organisation  (DRDO);  Indian  Council  of Agricultural  Research  (ICAR);  Indian  Council  of  Medical  Research  (ICMR)  and  Council  of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), engaged in conducting research in science, technology,  engineering  and  medicine  aimed  at  promoting  Sustainable  Development  Goals (SDGs).]
- (x) rural development projects
- (xi) slum area development.
- (xii) disaster management, including relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities.

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