Lok Sabha Question No. 1445 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Impact of Climate Change
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1445 ANSWERED ON 29/07/2025

## IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

## 1445. Smt. Rachna Banerjee:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of Government's comprehensive strategy to accelerate sustainable rural development with the increasing impact of climate change on agricultural livelihoods;
- (b) the  manner  in  which  the  Government  address  the  persistent hurdles  of  inadequate  non  farm  employment  opportunities, limited access to modern technology and credit for small and marginal farmers, the widening digital divide and the equitable delivery of essential services like quality education, healthcare and clean water; and
- (c) the  details  of  mechanisms  put  in  place  to  strengthen  local governance  bodies  such  as  Panchayati  Raj  Institutions  to ensure effective implementation and genuine community participation in these development initiatives?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI)

(a): DeendayalAntyodayaYojanaNational Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)  promotes sustainable practices in Agriculture and allied sectors by imparting training to the MahilaKisan (women farmers) across the country. To provide round-the-year handholding support  and  extension  support  services,  a  network  of  community resource persons named as KrishiSakhi and PashuSakhi, is created at  the  village  level.  Organic  farming  practices  are  being  promoted with  the  MahilaKisan  under  the  Participatory  Guarantee  System (PGS). To promote natural farming practices, KrishiSakhi are trained as part of the convergence between the Ministry of Rural Development  (MoRD)  and  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW). As of June 2025, the mission has trained 4.62

croreMahilaKisans  in  the  adoption  of  sustainable  practices  and created more than 3.50 lakh CRPs to provide handholding support to the MahilaKisans.

Further, the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) is a one-time special intervention of the Government of India to provide rural  connectivity,  by  way  of  a  single  all-weather  road,  to  the eligible  unconnected  habitations  within  the  core  network.  It  was launched  in  the  year  2000  as  a  measure  towards  alleviation  of poverty in rural areas by providing access to basic services to the rural population, by providing them with good quality roads.

- (b): Under the DAY-NRLM, the MoRD is implementing several subcomponents  to  promote  non-farm  livelihoods  among  rural  poor, particularly Self Help Group (SHG) women and their family members. The key sub-components are as follows:

## 1.

## Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP):

SVEP  aims  to  promote  and  strengthen  rural  start-ups  by enhancing  entrepreneurial capabilities, facilitating access  to finance, and providing managerial and ecosystem support. Implemented  at  the  block  level  over  a  period  of  4  years,  the programme  is  allocated  ₹6.5  crore  per  block.  It  targets  up  to 2,400  individual  and  group  enterprises  per  block  across  the manufacturing,  trading,  and  services  sectors.  SVEP  has  been rolled  out  in  29  States  and  UTs,  supporting  approximately  3.74 lakh enterprises.

## 2.

## Micro Enterprise Development (MED):

MED  focuses  on  supporting  Nano  enterprises  by  enabling access to  finance,  skill  development,  and  market  linkages.  It  is implemented  at  the  block  level  with  a  project  duration  of  18 months and a cost of ₹20 lakh per block. The programme targets up  to  200  enterprises  per  block  across  manufacturing,  trading, and services sectors. To date, approximately 63,000 enterprises have been supported under MED.

## 3. One Stop Facility (OSF):

OSF  provides  comprehensive  support  to  growth-stage  Nano enterprises,  including  assistance  in  compliance,  market  access, bank credit, product development, and standardisation. Implemented at the sub-district level for a duration of 3 years, the cost per OSF ranges from ₹2 crore to ₹6 crore. Each block under OSF targets support to up to 150 enterprises. The

programmecurrently  operates  in  16  States  and  has  supported around 88,000 enterprises.

## 4. Incubator:

This  initiative  aims  to  scale  up  100-150  women-owned  or women-led growth-oriented enterprises per State through mentorship and ecosystem support. Implemented at the State level over a 3-year duration, the project cost is ₹10.6 crore per State.  The  incubator  initiative  is  currently  active  in  5  States and has supported 600 enterprises to date.

## 5.

## Cluster Development Programme:

The programme supports artisan and sector-specific clusters to enhance competitiveness and reduce market risk through shared resources,  technical  support,  financing  and  skill  upgradation. Implemented in specific geographical areas at the block, district or state level, the duration is 4 years with a project cost ranging between  ₹3  crore  and  ₹5  crore  per  cluster.  The  target  is  a minimum of 100 artisans (in artisan clusters) or 50 enterprises (in sectoral  clusters).  The  programme  is  being  implemented  in  10 States and supports 21 clusters comprising approximately 11,000 entrepreneurs and artisans.

## 6.

## AajeevikaGrameen Express Yojana (AGEY):

AGEY aims to enhance rural transport services by enabling SHG members or Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to own and operate vehicles in remote villages. The cost support provided is ₹6.5 lakh for individual ownership and ₹8.5 lakh for  CBO ownership. AGEY is being implemented in 33 States and UTs, with 2,297 vehicles procured under the scheme.

To  ensure  rural  connectivity,  new  interventions/verticals, namely PMGSY-II, Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism  Areas  (RCPLWEA),  and  PMGSY-III,  were  added  under the  ambit  of  PMGSY  for  the  upgradation  of  rural  roads  and construction of strategically essential roads in LWE Areas. Under PMGSY  III,  upgradation  of  roads  was  undertaken  inter  alia  to provide better connectivity to Gramin Agricultural Markets.

Recently, a new vertical named PMGSY-IV was launched on 11th  September 2024 with  a  target  to  provide  connectivity  to 25,000  unconnected  habitations. The  timeline  for  implementation of  PMGSY-IV  is  till  FY  2028-29.  Since  inception  till  24.07.2025,  a total  of  8,38,611  km  of  road  length  has  been  sanctioned, out  of

which  7,83,341  Km  of  road  length  has  been  completed  under various interventions/verticals of PMGSY.

Rural  road  connectivity  promotes  access  to  economic  and social  services  and  also  leads  to  the  generation  of  increased agricultural production, changes in cropping patterns, better prices and off-farm of for agricultural produce, reduction in transport costs, generation of employment opportunities in farm and sectors. As such, PMGSY has helped in the generation employment opportunities in rural areas.

An evaluation of Centrally Sponsored  Schemes  in  Rural Development  Sector,  including  PMGSY  was  carried  out  by  the Development  Monitoring  and  Evaluation  Office  (DMEO)  of  NITI Aayog in 2020.  The following are the findings:

- (i)  It  was  found  that  the  scheme  is  well  aligned  with  India's international goals and is seen to contribute to SDGs (Sustainable Development  Goals) 2&9  as  it   address  the  issues  of  poverty, hunger and infrastructure for growth.
- (ii) Roads constructed under PMGSY have been observed to create positive impacts  at both at level of the  household  and  the community.
- (iii)  The  roads  have  been  observed  to  increase  access  to  market and livelihood opportunities, health and education facilities.
- (iv) PMGSY is noted to build the foundations for long-lasting poverty reduction   in  rural  India.  Improved  rural  connectivity  provides  a long-term  and  sustained  boost  in  the  living  standards  of  rural populations  as  it  allows  households  to  accumulate  wealth  and human capital.

The  Ministry  has  taken  many  initiatives  to  construct  climate- resilient  rural  roads.  Use  of  new/green  technologies  is  one  of  the such  initiative  which  has  resulted  not  only  in  savings  of  carbon footprint  but  also  in  savings  of  fuel.  In  order  to  save  the  fastdepleting natural resources, the use of green technologies like Cold Mix Technology, Surface Dressing, Waste Plastics, nano-technology, and Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) Technology has been introduced in the construction of roads. These technologies not only reduce the depletion of good quality conventional materials but also minimise

the damage to the environment due to the emission of greenhouse gases and heavy suspended particles in the air.

In order to promote cost-effective and fast construction technologies in the construction of rural roads, using New materials/Waste materials/Locally available materials,  Ministry has issued  'Guidelines  on  Technology  Initiatives',  in  May  2013.  The States  were  requested  to  propose  at  least  15%  of  the  length  of annual proposals using  new  /green  technologies.  The  Ministry  has also  issued  the  Vision  document  on  New  Technology  Initiatives2022, which prescribes the enhanced use of new /green technologies/ materials in the construction of PMGSY roads. Under New technology 1,55,614 Km of road length has been sanctioned, out of which 1,24,427 Km of road length has been completed as on 25th July, 2025

- (c): The  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  (MoRD)  has  undertaken several  initiatives  to  strengthen  local  governance  by  fostering convergence between Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs). These efforts aim to ensure participatory planning, better service delivery, and effective implementation of rural development programmes. Key mechanisms include:
-  Village Poverty and Resilience Plan (VPRP): Prepared by SHG networks in 28 States/UTs, VPRP  supports participatory planning and strengthens Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
- Joint  Advisory  by  MoRD  and  MoPR:  Promotes  collaboration
-  between PRIs and CBOs at the Panchayat level.
-  Block-Level Orientation: Conducted for elected representatives to guide them on integrating VPRP with GPDP and utilizing CBO support.
-  Capacity Building for Elected Women Representatives: Aims to enhance  leadership  and  decision-making  skills  at  the  Block level.
-  Gram  Panchayat-Level  Orientation:  Focuses  on  sensitizing elected representatives to work jointly with CBOs for development activities.
-  Gram Panchayat Coordination Committees (GPCC): Formed to include  PRI  members,  CBOs,  and  frontline  workers  for  local planning and coordination.

Additionally, under PMGSY, PRI women, SHG representatives, and local officials are involved in transect walks for preparing Detailed

Project Reports (DPRs), ensuring inclusive planning.

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