Q5(a). Discuss various anti-poverty employment programmes launched in the last few decades by the Government to alleviate rural poverty.

“Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.” – ILO

India has implemented several employment-intensive, wage-based and asset-creating programmes to reduce rural poverty. These programmes evolved from relief-based initiatives in the 1970s to rights-based guarantees post-2005.

National Rural Employment Programme (NREP), 1980: Aimed at wage employment for the rural poor and creation of community assets like roads, tanks, and irrigation channels.

Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP), 1983: Provided guaranteed 100 days of work to landless labourers. Focused on community assets and social forestry.

Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY), 1989: Merged NREP and RLEGP. One of the largest wage-employment schemes of its time.

Focus:

• Consumption smoothing for the rural poor,
• Panchayat-led implementation.

Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS), 1993

• Aimed to provide 100 days of work in drought-prone, desert and tribal areas.
• Helped create rural infrastructure like check dams, village roads and community ponds.

Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY), 1999

Reoriented JRY to focus more on village-level durable assets and infrastructure.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY), 2001

• Merged JGSY and EAS.
• Provided wage employment through food grains and cash components.
• Special focus on SC/ST households and women.

Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), 1999

Shift from wage employment to self-employment via SHGs.

Led to women’s empowerment and financial inclusion in many states.

National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM / Aajeevika), 2011

Replaced SGSY.

Objectives:

• Forming SHGs,
• Financial inclusion,
• Livelihood diversification,
• Linking rural poor with markets.

NRLM created over 8 million SHGs across India.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005

A paradigm shift legal guarantee of 100 days of wage employment per household.

Impact:

• Over 6 crore rural households gain employment annually,
• Reduced distress migration,
• 60% of works related to water conservation and irrigation,
• Women’s participation ~54%.

Hailed as the world’s largest rights-based employment programme.

India’s anti-poverty employment programmes have progressively moved from relief to rights and empowerment, combining wage employment with durable assets, credit access, and livelihood security.