Taking a cue from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme?s success, the UPA is set to unveil an equally ambitious programme for self-employment through skill development. The ministry of rural development has proposed the introduction of a National Rural Livelihood Mission by restructuring an existing programme called Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY).
The restructured scheme, which tops the ministry?s 100-day agenda for the UPA government, will guarantee self-employment to below poverty line (BPL) families by organising them into self help groups. They will then be given training for skill upgradation, infrastructure development and marketing of products. The proposal for the scheme will soon be taken to the Union Cabinet for approval.
The proposed mission was alluded to in President Pratibha Patil?s address to the Parliament when she said the UPA government was committed to launching new flagship programmes for food security and skill development. ?While the NREGA provides employment to unskilled workers only, the National Rural Livelihood Mission will go a step further by providing self employment through skill development in agriculture and allied activities in a time bound and universalised manner,? Rita Sharma, secretary, ministry of rural development said.
At present, the SGSY provides assistance to BPL families by providing them self employment through skill development in an activity which can provide them a monthly income of Rs 2,000.
By bringing the SGSY into a mission mode, the ministry aims to universalise it by 2014-15, when one person from every BPL family will be enrolled in a self-help group. The proposed mission will however continue with the SGSY?s budget of Rs 2,086.54 crore for 2009-10, which may be scaled up later in the year.