There is no
denying that poverty is one of the major problems in the country. Almost 68.8%
of the population lives below the poverty line and are not able to fulfill their
basic necessities of life. The question is, what is the government’s take on this?
What are their initiatives to cure this problem?
The
government has always given a major heed to the poverty alleviation programs
initiated by them. They started these programs with an aim to create more and
more self-employment and wage-employment in the country so the there is a clear
reduction in the poverty percentage. Therefore, these types of programs were
categorized into two different types.
SELF-EMPLOYMENT
PROGRAMS
1.RURAL
EMPLOYEMENT GENERATION PROGRAM
Initiated –
1993
Objective –
to create more self-employment opportunities in the rural sectors. It was
implemented by the khadi and the village committee.
2.PRIME
MINISTER ROZGAR YOJNA
Initiated –
October 1993
Objective –
to create more self-employment as well as wage-employment opportunities for the
educated unemployed from the local families.
3.PRIME
MINISTER EMPLOYMENT GENERATION PROGRAM
Initiated –
14 August 2008
Objective –
to create more self-employment opportunities
4.SWARNAJAYANTI
SHAHRI ROZGAR YOJNA
Initiated –
1 December 1997
Objective –
it was a centrally sponsored scheme in the ratio of 75:25 between the state and
the central government with an aim to create more self and wage employment
opportunities.
5.SWARNAJAYANTI
GRAM SWAROZGAR YOJNA
Initiated –
1 April 1999
Objective – to
create the availability of subsidies and micro-enterprises in the rural area
that will increase the self-employment opportunities.
Programs
merged under this – Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP), Training of
Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM), Development of Women and Children in
Rural Areas (DWCA), Ganga Kalyan Yojna (GKY) and Million Wells Scheme (MWS).
WAGE
EMPLOYEMENT PROGRAMS
1.SAMPURNA
GRAMEEN ROZGAR YOJNA
Initiated –
25 September 2001
Objective –
to use more of labor-intensive technology where the mode of payment was either
cash or food grains.
2.NATIONAL
FOOD FOR WORK PROGRAM
Initiated –
14 November 2004
Objective –
to create supplementary wage-employment opportunities which was implemented in
150 backward districts for people living below the poverty line.
3.MAHATMA
GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GENERATION ACT (MNREGA)
Initiated –
2005
Objective –
to create more wage employment in the country by providing guaranteed 100 days
of wage employment.
OTHER
PROGRAMS
1.NATIONAL
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Initiated –
15 August 1995
Objective –
to support the widowed, aged and disabled people who do not have any source of
income with them.
2.PRADHAN
MANTRI JANDHAN YOJNA
Initiated –
2014
Objective –
it opened a bank account for all the households and offered various banking
services with an aim to promote the habit of savings in them.
