Higher Budgetary Allocations have been Made for Rural Road and Water Sectors

The Central Government has reaffirmed its commitment to a better and more energetic Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana as it had a massive impact in improvement of access for Rural population. Initiated during the NDA-I under the stewardship of then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the scheme has been provided a sum of ₹ 14, 389 crore in the General Budget 2014-15.

While renewing its commitment to providing wage and self-employment opportunity in rural areas, the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that the wage employment would be provided under MGNREGA through works that are more productive, asset creating and substantially linked to agriculture and allied activities.

Ajeevika, the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), aims to eliminate rural poverty through sustainable livelihood options. Under this Mission, Women SHGs are provided bank loans at 4% on prompt repayment in 150 districts and at 7 % in all other districts. The Finance Minister said that Government has decided to extend the provision of bank loan for women SHGs at 4% in another 100 districts. Shri Jaitley also proposed to set-up a “Start Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme” for encouraging rural youth to take up local entrepreneurship programs with an initial sum of ₹ 100 crore.

Shri Jaitley said to give an added impetus to watershed development in the country, a new programme called “Neeranchal” will be launched with an initial outlay of ₹ 2,142 crore in the current financial year. For providing safe drinking water, ₹ 3600 crore has been earmarked under National Rural Drinking Water Programme in approximately 20,000 habitations affected with arsenic, fluoride, heavy/toxic elements, pesticides/fertilizers through community water purification plants in next 3 years, the Finance Minister added.