Women empowerment remained in focus for rural development ministry in 2024

Women empowerment through self-help groups remained in focus for the rural development ministry in 2024, with 10.05 crore rural households being mobilised into 90.87 lakh self help groups in the country.

While stopping of funds for West Bengal under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), and measures like the Aadhar Payment Bridge System (APBS) and National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) came under criticism, the ministry maintained that the new technology- based solutions are not a hindrance to the scheme, and insisted that the payments for West Bengal were stopped due to 'non-compliance'.

Women remained in focus of rural development schemes. According to ministry data, till early December in the current financial year, more than 6.7 crore workers from about 5 crore families across the country were provided employment under MGNREGS and more than half of the beneficiaries are women.

Till the beginning of December, 198.02 crore person-days of employment were generated in the current financial year, while in 2023-24, the figure was 312.24. Even as concerns were raised over deletion of job cards, ministry officials said around 35.57 lakh MGNREGS job cards were deleted in the current financial year, and 38.52 lakh new job cards were issued.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, the flagship rural housing scheme, all new houses built over last two years have been sanctioned in the name of women beneficiaries, or in joint ownership of a male and female member of the household, and the focus is now on linking women beneficiaries with National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) to economically empower them.

According to senior officials of the ministry, 27 per cent of all beneficiaries are women, while 46 per cent houses are under joint ownership.

"Around 74 per cent of the sanctioned houses are owned by women solely or jointly," one of the officials said.

The official said they are now trying to bring the women beneficiaries within the folds of NRLM, so that they can be economically empowered.

The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is a poverty alleviation project implemented by the ministry which helps rural poor to organise into self help groups (SHGs), to improve their income. The 'Lakhpati Didi' initiative of the government aims at enabling women members of SHGs to earn Rs 1 lakh per annum.

The PMAY-G, under which Rs 1.20 lakh is given for construction of a house in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in northeastern region and hill states, has also become a source of convergence of several other schemes.

For construction of a house under PMAY, 90-days skilled labour wages are provided under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), while Rs 12,000 is given under the Swachh Bharat Mission for construction of toilets.

The scheme is also linked with other schemes like Ujjawala Yojana for giving cooking gas to beneficiaries, Jal Jeevan Mission for water connection, electricity connection is provided, and now it is also being linked with the PM Surya Ghar scheme for solar power, and giving masonry training to locals in the villages.

Around 2.80 lakh rural masons have also been trained under PMAY-G, for which they have been given certificates.

The PMAYG, the flagship rural housing scheme launched in 2016, had a target of construction of 2.95 crore pucca houses in five years. According to the ministry, 2,67 crore houses have been constructed under PMAY-G since the launch of the scheme, while around 77 lakh houses pending under the Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana have also been completed.

According to government officials remaining 35 lakh houses not completed till March 31 would also be completed to achieve the cumulative target of 2.95 crore houses of the previous phase.

The second phase of the scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this year, targets construction of additional two crore houses.

Over 1.15 crore women SHG members have meanwhile become 'Lakhpati Didis' with annual household income of over Rs. 1 lakh. According to ministry officials, it has improved labour force participation, with the proportion of females reporting secondary occupation being around 4 percent higher in treatment areas.

It has also improved access to other schemes, and the number of social schemes availed by treatment households is 6.5 per cent higher.

An impact evaluation study of DAY-NRLM conducted during 2019-20 by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation with the support of the World Bank, it showed there was an increase in income of the women enrolled with SHGs by 19 per cent over the base amount, there was a decline in share of informal loans by 20 per cent and savings increased by 28 per cent.