Recent Initiatives Started By Government of India

The Government of India has introduced several initiatives to eradicate poverty across the country. Currently, the poverty line introduced by the Tendulkar committee is the official base for poverty reduction initiatives in India. Within a decade that is between 2005-2006 to 2016-2017, around  271 Million people were uplifted above the poverty line. However, reducing poverty in India is one of the most challenging tasks for the Indian Government. Various factors have significant effects on reducing and increasing poverty in different states of India. For that, different initiatives are introduced to tackle and uplift the poor sections of the country. 

The government has focused on various factors to fulfill the financial and other necessary needs. Hence, these are some poverty reduction initiatives in India that are introduced by the Indian Government. 

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihoods Mission or DAY-NULM

The Government of India introduced the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihoods Mission in 2013. It is one of the efficient programmes targeted to reduce vulnerability and poverty. 

Hence, this initiative enables a poor section of the country to access opportunities. The government provides various opportunities for skilled wages and self-employment for the poor in the urban area. The main aim of this aim is to provide essential services and shelter to the homeless. 

It also focuses on facilitating equal access to social security, institutional spaces, etc., to the poor people. Thus, it specifically focuses on the rights of street vendors of the urban locations to access new opportunities.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna or PMJDY

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna or PMJDY was launched in the year 2014. It was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to empower and secure people with simplified financial services. Thus, it is considered as one of the crucial poverty reduction initiatives in India. 

In this initiative, the financial services were made affordable for the rural and urban poor. These services include the deposit and savings account, pension, remittance, etc. Along with that, it also covered insurance, remittance, etc., for the uplifting poor society. 

After that, it was announced that around 11.50 crore bank accounts were opened by 2015 Jan. The average deposit per account has become more than trippled from Rs. 1,064 in March 2015 to Rs. 3397 in August 2021.

Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana or SAGY

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also started the Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana during 2014. This particular programme focuses on holistic village development. Thus, it was created to improve the social as well as cultural development of Indian villages. 

The Indian government aimed to cover around 7 crore poor households in the rural regions. Thus, these households covered up to 6 lakh villages, 6000 blocks, and 600 districts. To complete this crucial task, federated institutions and Self-Help Groups provide significant support to reach more people. 

In this initiative, every Member of the Parliament has to develop at least three villages. Hence, these villages serve various livelihood opportunities and amenities. The mission’s main aim is to improve the living standard and quality of every resident. 

So, it is only possible by increasing literacy rates, and educational opportunities, for the youth. This initiative also introduced smart schools to provide advanced education to children. 

After the implementation of this programme in 2014, around 2,648 projects were successfully completed. Also, 539 projects are still in progress. Apart from that, there are several projects for economic, health, and infrastructure development under SAGY. 

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act  was introduced in 2005. This mission was designed to provide up to 100 days of wage employment for inexperienced workers. 

It was aimed to decrease the migration of labourers and improve economic security for the poor. Along with that, there is a significant portion of women under this scheme. It has been recorded that job opportunities increased by up to 240% with the help of MGNREGA. 

The quality of labour was improved and wage fluctuation was reduced with the help of the MGNREGA scheme. Since 2006, the job cards of MGNREGA scheme have made basic amenities accessible and improved their purchasing power. 

Conclusion

The Indian government introduces new schemes every five years. It specifically ensures that everyone under the poverty line lives a standard life. The above are some crucial poverty reduction initiatives in India undertaken by the Indian Government. These programmes have helped the government to reduce poverty at a drastic rate in the past several years. It has allowed every individual to take access and take advantage of every opportunity to flourish. Thus, it has helped improve their lifestyle with supportive initiatives for the poor.