Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)

NRLM has set a target of reaching out to 7 crore rural poor households across 600 districts, 6,000 blocks, 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, and 6 lakh villages in the country. This target is being achieved through self-managed Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations. They are provided support over an 8-10 year period to collectively build their capacity for sustainable livelihoods.

Additionally, the poor are helped to access their rights, entitlements, and public services, reduce risks, and achieve better levels of social empowerment. NRLM believes in harnessing the inherent capabilities of the poor. They are provided with information, knowledge, skills, tools, finance, and collectivization to participate in the country’s growing economy.

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The Mission

“To reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots institutions of the poor.”

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Core Values

• Inclusion: Meaningful inclusion and participation of the ultra-poor in all processes.
• Transparency: Transparency and accountability of all processes and institutions.
• Ownership: Ownership and key role of the poor and their institutions at all stages — planning, implementation, and monitoring.
• Self-Reliance: Community self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

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Implementation Strategy

NRLM is implemented in ‘Mission Mode’, which enables:

1. A shift from the earlier ‘allocation-based’ strategy to a ‘demand-driven’ strategy, allowing states to develop their own livelihood-based poverty reduction action plans.
2. Focus on targets, outcomes, and timely delivery.
3. Continuous capacity building of the poor, providing necessary skills, and linking them with emerging livelihood opportunities including the organized sector.
4. Evaluation and monitoring of outcomes against poverty reduction targets.

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Key Benefits

• SHG Network: One member from each rural poor household (preferably a woman) is brought under the SHG network. Women SHGs are provided bank-linkage facilities.
• Federation: Village-level and higher-level federations of SHGs are established to reduce dependence on external organizations.
• Four Main Components: The mission covers (i) Social Mobilization and Capacity Building; (ii) Financial Inclusion; (iii) Livelihood Promotion; and (iv) Convergence.
• Focus on Vulnerability: Families are identified and ranked by vulnerability. Special focus on the ultra-poor, single women, disabled, landless, and migrant laborers.
• Capacity Building: Training for the poor on organization management, livelihoods, and credit management.
• Skill Development: Skill development through Rural Self-Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), job placement, and self-employment support for rural youth.
• Revolving Fund: Financial assistance to strengthen the institutional and financial capacity of SHGs and build good credit history.
• Community Investment Fund (CIF): Fund provided through federations for SHGs to lend to their members or undertake collective socio-economic activities.
• Financial Inclusion: Facilitating bank credit, coordination with financial institutions, and providing life and health insurance coverage.
• Interest Subvention: The government provides a subsidy equal to the difference between bank interest rate and 7% on SHG loans.
• Convergence and Planning: Coordination with various ministries and organizations for rural poverty reduction.

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Eligibility Criteria

• Active Period: SHG must be active for at least 6 months as per its account books (not just bank account opening date).
• Panchasutra Compliance: The SHG must strictly follow the ‘Panchasutra’:
  1. Regular meetings
  2. Regular savings
  3. Regular inter-loaning
  4. Timely repayment
  5. Up-to-date books of accounts
• Grading Criteria: The group must be eligible as per NABARD’s grading criteria.
• Revived SHGs: Old but currently defunct groups that are revived and active for at least 3 months are also eligible for loans.

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Application Process (Online)

1. Visit the official portal: https://aajeevika.gov.in/en/member/register
2. Fill in mandatory information (Name, Email ID, Contact Number).
3. Create a Username.
4. Create and confirm a new Password.
5. Click “Create New Account”.

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Documents Required

• Aadhaar Card
• Proof of Identity
• Proof of Residence
• Voter ID Card
• Passport Size Photo

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What is NRLM - Aajeevika? A: National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), also known as ‘Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana’ (DAY-NRLM) and ‘Aajeevika’, is a flagship program of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Its main objective is to organize the rural poor and provide them with self-employment and skill-based employment opportunities to eliminate poverty.

Q2: How is it different from SGSY? A: NRLM adopted a ‘demand-driven’ strategy instead of SGSY’s ‘allocation-based’ strategy. States have more autonomy in implementation and planning. Additionally, ‘Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP)’ method is used instead of BPL list for identifying beneficiaries.

Q3: What are the key features of NRLM? A: Accurate identification of the ultra-poor, inclusion of one woman from each poor household in an SHG, building strong Institutions of the Poor (IOPs), financial inclusion (bank linkage and subsidies), and promoting agricultural and non-agricultural livelihoods.

Q4: Is NRLM only for women? A: Primarily yes. The focus is on including one woman from each household in an SHG. However, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and skill development programs (e.g., DDU-GKY) also include youth and men.

Q5: What support is provided to SHGs under NRLM? A: Groups receive training (capacity building), Revolving Fund (RF) for initial capital, Community Investment Fund (CIF) for business ventures, and bank linkage loans at subsidized interest rates.