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Banswara (Rajasthan): It was another flagship scheme for rural India, only this time the
setting changed from a poverty-stricken region of Andhra Pradesh
to a tribal heartland in Rajasthan. The United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government is back to showcasing its "pro-poor"
agenda by launching a livelihood mission even as it battles
widespread public perception that it has lost the plot.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi last week travelled to the tribal
heartland of Banswara district to inaugurate the National Rural
Livelihood Mission (NRLM) which officials say is a "revolutionary"
measure. It aims to enhance the incomes of 70 million
below-poverty-line (BPL) rural households through self-managed
self-help groups (SHGs).
It provides for training in income-enhancing skills and financial
subsidies so that the rural family comes out of poverty.
Banswara has over 72 percent tribal population and low levels of
literacy. Located on the southernmost part of Rajasthan, it has
several tribal districts in its vicinity, including Jhabua, Dhar
and Barwani in Madhya Pradesh and Dahod in Gujarat besides
Rajasthan's Dungarpur and Udaipur.
"The scheme had to be launched from an area which has problems of
poverty and illiteracy. Banswara, along with neighbouring
districts, is part of the state's tribal subplan," Raghuvir Singh
Meena, the Congress MP from Udaipur, told IANS.
He said Rajasthan was chosen as a state for the launch of the
scheme as it has sincerely implemented other central government
schemes.
The livelihood mission seeks to build on the wide acceptability of
the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA),
which was launched in 2006 by the UPA in its first term in
Anantpur, one of the most backward regions of the country in
Andhra Pradesh.
NREGA, which guarantees 100 days of employment a year to rural
households, is believed to have contributed to the Congress'
electoral success in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
Asked if NRLM would benefit the Congress, Meena said, "People
appreciate those who work."
With the Congress out of power in tribal dominated states,
including Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, Rajasthan emerged as a
preferred choice.
According to the 2001 census, the female literacy in Banswara is
just 28.43 percent while the average literacy figure stands at
44.63 percent compared to the national rate of 64 percent. The
national figure has now risen to 74 percent.
Former rural development minister C.P. Joshi also pushed for the
scheme to be launched from his native state of Rajasthan.
"There are a large number of vacancies in schools here and medical
facilities are not enough. The launch of NRLM from this district
signifies the commitment of the Congress to reach out to the
tribals and poor," Rajasthan Tribal Area Development Minister
Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya told IANS.
NRLM aims to reach all blocks of the country by the end of the
Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) and aims to involve at least one
member of the 70 million rural BPL families, preferably women, in
SHGs.
Local people in Banswara did seem to be aware of NRLM and said any
programme that helps them organise SHGs and enhances their skills
was welcome.
"If we can borrow money to buy a buffalo, we can have surplus milk
for the family. If all surplus milk is pooled together, it can be
sent to a dairy and can earn us money," Geeta, a resident of
Banswara, told the visiting IANS correspondent.
NRLM will also involve the private sector in training and job
placement of rural youth. "If industry wants people with a
particular skill, it can train local youth," the official added.
Ministry officials said NRLM was "a revolutionary step" and its
core belief was that the poor have a strong desire and innate
capability to come out of poverty.
(Prashant Sood
can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in)
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