Sonia to launch rural self-employment programme from Rajasthan

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will launch the Centre's flagship rural self-employment programme in Rajasthan's Banswara district on Friday as a national mission allowing states to formulate their own poverty alleviation action plans dovetailing local issues.

Taking the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) to the next level, the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) will be introduced in a restructured format, focussing on the poorest household who are currently dependent on MGNREGA, an official in Jaipur said.

Aimed at reaching out to BPL households through self-help groups, the mission will support its targeted beneficiaries to broaden their livelihood through asset and skill acquisition.

Strengthening the SHG (self-help group) movement, the NRLM proposes universal social mobilisation through such institutions and forming SHG federations at the level of villages, cluster of villages, blocks and districts.

The other feature will be greater involvement of states in taking forward the NRLM.

While the role of the Centre will be to provide technical support, the states will have the flexibility to develop their own action plans based on their local requirement and availability of resources, the official said.

Gandhi will also lay the foundation stone of the long awaited ambitious Dungarpur-Banswara-Ratlam rail line project in Dungarpur district.(DDNews)