Lok Sabha Question No. 2543 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-05
Subject: Migration of Rural Population
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2543

## ANSWERED ON 05/08/2025

## MIGRATION OF RURAL POPULATION

## 2543. Shri Sanjay HaribhauJadhav:

Shri Sanjay UttamraoDeshmukh:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the employment is a major reason for migration, if so, the steps taken by the Government to promote selfemployment;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  action  to  check  the migration  of  rural  population  to  cities  in  search  of  better livelihood, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  manner  in  which  the  Government  is  promoting  rural development  and  encouraging  people  to  solve  the  problems arising  due  to  migration  and  to  ensure  better  employment opportunities for rural people at their native places;
- (d) the measures taken by the Government so that the rural youth can stay in their own villages, contribute to the local economy and reduce congestion in the urban areas;
- (e) whether the measures taken by the Government were helpful in stopping migration; and
- (f)
- if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a) to (f): Migration from rural to urban areas is often driven by the search  for  better  employment  and  livelihood  opportunities.  To address  this,  the  Government  has  adopted  a  multi-dimensional strategy to check the migration of rural people towards urban areas. This includes provision of improved infrastructural facilities, equitable  dispersal  of  resources  to  remove  regional  disparities, employment generation, imparting of skills, encouraging

entrepreneurial activity, undertaking land reforms, enhancing literacy, and providing easy access to financial assistance & credit facilities etc.

So far as the Ministry of Rural Development(MoRD) is concerned, it is implementing various rural development schemes viz.,Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY), DeendayalAntyodayaYojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), DeenDayalUpadhyayaGrameenKaushalyaYojana (DDUGKY), Rural Self Employment Training Institutes(RSETIs), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Watershed Development Component of Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (WDC-PMKSY) for overall development  of  rural areas  of  the  country.  These schemes/programmes  aim  to  alleviate  poverty  and  to  bring  about overall improvement in the quality of life of the people in rural areas of  the  country  by  strengthening  livelihood  opportunities,  providing minimum guaranteed employment, promoting self-employment, skilling  of  youths  in  various  useful  trades  and  entrepreneurship qualities, infrastructure development and provision of social assistance. Some of the schemes/programmes that have a positive impact on reducing migration are as under: -

- i. MGNREGS  is  a  demand  driven  wage  employment  scheme which provides for the enhancement of livelihood security of the  households  in  rural  areas  of  the  country  by  providing  at least  100  days  of  guaranteed  wage  employment  in  every financial  year  to  every  household  whose  adult  members volunteer  to  do  unskilled  manual  work.It  provides  livelihood security, i.e. fall-back  options  for livelihood for the  rural households, when no better employment opportunity is available. In the current financial year 2025-26 (as on 31.07.2025),  a  total  number  of  3.95  crore  households  have availed  employment  and  a  total  of  112.55  crorepersondays have been generated under the scheme.
- ii. Pradhan  MantriAwaasYojana-  Gramin  (PMAY-G)  with  effect from 1st April 2016 aims to provide assistance to eligible rural households with an overall target to construct 4.95 crorepucca  houses  with  basic  amenities  by  2029.  Under PMAY-G, there is a provision of 90/95 person-days of unskilled wage labour under MGNREGS for construction of house over and  above  the  unit  assistance.  The  construction  of  a  house under PMAY-G generates direct employment of approximately

201  person-days,  which  includes  56  skilled,  34  Semi-skilled, and 111 unskilled person-days. Further,under the Rural Mason Training  program  of  PMAY-G,  so  far  3  lakh  (approx.)  rural PMAY-G, indirect employment is also generated through the production of  building  materials  and  their  transportation  for  the  house masons have been trained and certified.Under construction.

- iii. PMGSY is aimed at providing all-weather road connectivity to eligible unconnected habitations, thus enabling improved access to markets and employment opportunities, both locally and in nearby urban centres, enabled daily commuting, thereby reducing the need for permanent migration, facilitated growth in agriculture, education, healthcare, and overall rural prosperity and also contributing significantly to poverty reduction, self-employment generation and rural entrepreneurship.
- iv. MoRD is implementing DAY-NRLM to improve the livelihoods of rural poor households and organize these households for their social  and  financial  inclusion.   DAY-NRLM  aims  at  mobilizing rural  poor  households  into  Self  Help  Groups  (SHGs)  and continuously nurturing and supporting them to take economic activities  till  they  attain  an  appreciable  increase  in  income over a period of time to come out of poverty. As on 30 th  June, 2025, the Mission is being implemented in 7145 blocks in 745 districts  across  28  States  and  6  UTs  (except  Delhi  and Chandigarh).   Cumulatively,  10.05  crore  women  has  been mobilized into 90.90 lakh SHGs.
- v. This Ministry is also implementing two schemes viz., DDUGKY and RSETI in the field of skill development for rural poor youth for their gainful employment with a view to eradicate poverty in  the  country.   Under  RSETI,  there  are  around  70  approved courses  under  which  necessary  skilling  can  be  imparted  to rural youth.
- vi. WDC-PMKSY is meant for development of rainfed and degraded lands in the country thereby promoting agricultural activities. Under WDC-PMKSY-2, from 2022-23 to 2024-25, 1.3 lakh Water Harvesting  Structures  have  been  created/  rejuvenated,  1.90 hectares  has  been  brought  under  protective  irrigation,  13.42 lakh  farmers  benefitted  and  189.96  lakh  mandays  have  been generated.

In  addition  to  these,  the  Government  of  India  has  launched several self-employment schemes  to  empower  individuals and promote entrepreneurship, like Prime Minister Employment

Generation  Programme  (PMEGP),  Pradhan  Mantri  MUDRA  Yojana (PMMY), Startup India, PM VishwakarmaYojana etc. These initiatives provide financial support, skill training, and entrepreneurship opportunities to help people become self-reliant.

All  these  measures  encourage  people  to  stay  in  rural  areas, earn their livelihood and raise their quality of life near their places of  residence  and  hence  act  as  a  deterrent  to  migration  of  rural population to cities.

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