Lok Sabha Question No. 561 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Economic Upliftment of People
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Kalaben Mohanbhai Delkar, Hema Malini

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 561 ANSWERED ON 06/02/2024

## ECONOMIC UPLIFTMENT OF PEOPLE

561.  SHRIMATI DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI: SHRIMATI HEMA MALINI:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of strategy prepared by the Government with special emphasis on poverty alleviation and increasing employment opportunities as well as for economic upliftment of people in the rural areas;
- (b) whether the United Nations General Assembly resolution on 25 September 2015 formulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in which 'SDG target 1.2' specifically aims to reduce by at least half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty across all dimensions and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has achieved the target to reduce the multi dimensional poverty in the country as per the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations;
- (d) if so, the details thereof, State/UT and district-wise, particularly of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu;
- (e)
- if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (f) the number of people belonging to rural and urban areas came out from the multi-dimensional poverty during the last five years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a):   The Ministry of Rural  Development  (MoRD),  Department of Rural Development  (DoRD)  has  adopted  multi-pronged  strategies  to  improve  the economic  well-being  of  people  in  rural  areas  with  the  main  focus  on increasing  livelihood  opportunities,  empowering  rural  women,  providing

social  safety  net  skilling  of  rural  youth,  infrastructure  development  etc through  its  Programmes. In  this  regard,  the  Government  is  implementing  a number  of  targeted  programmes  such  as  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awas YojanaGramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Deendayal Antyodaya  Yojana  -  National  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY  NRLM),  Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment  Training  Institutes  (RSETIs)  and  National  Social  Assistance Programme (NSAP). The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) is implementing  Watershed  Development  Component  (WDC)  of  the  Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) with the primary objective to develop rainfed/ degraded lands.

(b)  to  (f):   The  Resolution  of  the  United  Nations  General  Assembly  on  25th September, 2015 established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG target 1.2 specifically aims at reducing at least half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all dimensions. NITI Aayog has released the National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023. As per this report, 13.5 crore people escaped 'Multidimensional  Poverty'  between  2015-16  and  2019-20.  A  steep  decline has been reported in the number of multi dimensionally poor from 24.85% to 14.96%  between  2015-16  and  2019-22.  This  indicates  that  India  is  well  on course to achieve the SDG target 1.2 much ahead of 2030. The proportion of multidimensional poor in  2019-21  being  19.28%  in  rural  areas  compared  to 5.27% in urban areas. The estimates indicate that rural areas saw a faster reduction in their Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) value, compared to urban  areas.  The  incidence  of  poverty  fell  from  32.59%  to  19.28%  in  rural areas compared to a decline from 8.65% to 5.27% in urban areas between 2015-16 and 2019-21. The report (including information on Dadra and Nagar Haveli  and  Daman  and  Diu)  is  available  in  the  public  domain  and  can  be accessed at the following website:

https://niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-08/India-National-MultidimentionalPoverty-Index-2023.pdf

Apart  from  this,  an  evaluation  of  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  in  Rural Development  Sector,  including  Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  Sadak  Yojana  was carried out by NITI Aayog in 2020 which found, inter-alia, that the scheme is well  aligned  with  India's  international  goals  and  is  seen  to  contribute  to SDGs 2 & 9 as it addressed the issues of poverty, hunger and infrastructure for  growth.  Further,  the  goal  of  WDC-PMKSY  is  to  ensure  sustainable improvement  in  productivity  and  livelihood  /  income  potential  of  land,  in particular rainfed cultivated areas and culturable wastelands.

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