The integrated and sustainable development in rural India is at the heart of the Government’s strategy. The focus is on holistic economic betterment through decentralized planning, better access to credit, empowerment of women, basic housing, and education, among others. This was stated by the Economic Survey 2024 tabled by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament today.

Enhancing the Quality of life in rural India

The Economic Survey stated that quality of life in rural areas has progressed in terms of basic amenities, education, health and financial inclusion. In terms of basic amenities, 11.57 crore toilets were constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission- Grameen and 11.7 crore households were provided with tap water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission as of 10^th July 2024. The Survey reports that in the PM-AWAS-Gramin, 2.63 crore houses were constructed for the poor in last nine years (as of 10^th July 2024) .

In addition, 35.7 crore RuPay debit cards have been issued under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) as of 26^th June 2024  leading to enhanced financial inclusion in rural areas. In the health sector, 1.58 lakh sub centres and 24,935 primary health centres have resulted in enhancement of quality of life in the  rural areas.

Strengthening and modernising the safety net of MGNREGS

The Economic Survey 2023-24 observed that to ensure elimination of leakages in MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), geotagging before, during and after the work is being done and 99.9 per cent payments are through National Electronic Management System.

The Survey stated that MGNREGS has made significant progress in terms of person-days generated and women participation rate with person-days generated increasing from 265.4 crore in 2019-20 to 309.2 crore in 2023-24 (as per MIS) and women participation rate increasing from 54.8 per cent in 2019-20 to 58.9 per cent in 2023-24.

The Economic Survey also points out that MGNREGS has evolved into an asset creation programme for sustainable livelihood diversification, as seen in the rise in the share of individual beneficiary ‘works on individual land’ from 9.6 per cent of total completed works in FY14 to 73.3 per cent in FY24.

Nurturing rural entrepreneurship at the grassroots

The Government continues to provide a fillip to rural entrepreneurship by implementing a bouquet of vibrant schematic interventions with a distinct focus on seamless access to affordable finance and generating lucrative market opportunities. Schemes and programmes like Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), Lakhpati Didis initiative, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) have enhanced livelihood generation and easy access to finance in rural areas.

Digitisation initiatives for rural governance

Digitisation initiatives like e-Gram SWARAJ, SVAMITVA Scheme, Bhu-Aadhaar have improved rural governance. Under SVAMITVA Scheme, drone survey of  2.90 lakh villages has been completed and 1.66 crore property cards have been prepared. The Economic Survey points out that 200 per cent increase in rural internet subscriptions between 2015 and 2021 can reduce the distance between the village and the administrative headquarters leading to regional developments.

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NB/MV/SK