Emerging Trends in DAY — NRLM

Aajeevika — National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, in June 2011. In November 2015, the program was renamed Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NRLM). It is the world’s most extensive rural livelihood program, benefiting approx. 40 crores population in India (as on 30th Nov. 2021 it has covered 8 crores rural households (families) through 73.70 Lakh women SHGs and mobilized fund of 5 Lakh crores rupees for rural women through their savings, Revolving fund and Community Investment Fund from the Project and Bank credit linkage).

The core belief of DAY — NRLM is that the poor have a strong desire and innate capabilities to come out of poverty. They are entrepreneurial. The challenge is to unleash their inherent abilities to generate meaningful livelihoods, which enable them to come out of poverty. The first step in this process is motivating them to form their institutions. Their true potential is realized when they are provided sufficient capacities to manage the external environment and easy access to finance and can expand their skills and assets and convert them into meaningful livelihoods. This requires continuous handholding support by their institutions. An external dedicated, sensitive support structure is needed to induce social mobilization, institution building, financial inclusion, and livelihoods promotion from the national level to the sub-district level.

Institutional solid platforms empower the poor households and enable them to build up their human, social, financial and other resources. They, in turn, will allow them to access their rights, entitlements and livelihoods opportunities, including services (both from the public and private sector). The social mobilization process enhances solidarity, voice and bargaining power of the poor. These processes enable them to pursue viable livelihoods by leveraging their resources, skills and preferences. Thus, they come out of abject poverty and do not fall into poverty.

Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) under DAY — NRLM, i.e. Self — Help Group (SHGs) and their federations — Village Organization (VO) and Cluster Level Federations (CLF), Block Level Federations (BLF) and livelihood institutions i.e. Producer Groups (PGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) are playing a significant role in DAY — NRLM.

Jharkhand had initiated DAY — NRLM in FY 2011–12 through Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS), Department of Rural Development, Govt. of Jharkhand. In 10 years, Jharkhand has become a front runner in implementing DAY — NRLM in India by reaching to more than 33 Lakh rural households through 2.70 Lakh women SHGs. More than 20 Lakh rural households are undertaking livelihood activities, i.e. agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, NTFP, micro-enterprises etc. JSLPS has helped women SHGs mobilize more than 3,000 crores rupees in Revolving Fund (RF), Community Investment Fund (CIF), and Bank Credit Linkage.

Apart from social mobilization and livelihood promotion in rural areas, women SHG members supply THR (Take Home Ration) to Anganwadi Centres, Dress to school students, and nursery plants to MGNREGA beneficiaries selling rural products branding as PALASH. In addition, they played a crucial role in awareness generation against Covid — 19 pandemic, operated Community Kitchens, supplied food to quarantine centres, and helped the health department vaccinate people in rural areas.

Some of the opportunities, trends and challenges in DAY — NRLM

· Sustaining and performance of Community Institutions (SHG, VO, CLF, BLF, PG, FPO) for continuous services to its members.

· Developing Cluster Level Federations (CLF) as an independent organization like NGO / CBO for continuous development of members even after the withdrawal of Project.

· Grooming and managing a large pool of Community cadres who provide training and various support services to Community Institutions (SHG, VO, CLF, BLF, PG, FPO)

· Direct financing of individual SHG members through the bank for micro-enterprise promotion

· Digitalization and real-time transactions in SHGs, VOs and CLFs.

· Strengthening and system setting in Producer Groups (PGs) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) as these are new institutions in DAY — NRLM

· Value — addition and marketing of rural produces in large volumes both on physical and online platforms

· Providing jobs and/or self-employment to the son and daughters of SHG members

· Working on the issues of Social Development, i.e. campaign against witch hunting, human trafficking, child labour, domestic violence, Elders, PwDs, PVTGs and Ultra Poor etc.

· Convergence with various schemes of other government departments i.e. Social Welfare, Health, Panchayati Raj, Education, Tribal Welfare etc. for the benefits of SHG members.

· Collaborating with NGOs, CSOs, Academic and Research institutes to further scale up, deepen, and sustain development interventions.

· Talent management in SRLMs, i.e. retaining and attracting capable and concerned professionals to work on DAY — NRLM and its allied projects

· Undertaking Livelihood intensification works with assets and infrastructure funding from state govt, central govt, bilateral and multilateral agencies like Lift irrigation, JOHAR and J-HIMDI projects of JSLPS in Jharkhand.