Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, held a key review meeting with the Rural Development Ministers of various states in New Delhi on January 03, 2025. The meeting focused on the progress of schemes under the Ministry of Rural Development. Chouhan expressed his vision for a prosperous rural India, highlighting that without the development of rural areas, a truly developed India cannot be achieved. He highlighted the government's objective to make India a developed nation by 2047, a goal shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chouhan stressed that rural development schemes were not mere programs but movements to transform the lives of villagers. He expressed a commitment to making 2025 a poverty-free year for rural India, with a focus on employment generation and fulfilling villagers' daily needs. Key steps outlined for achieving this included setting time-bound targets, identifying and addressing regional disparities, and leveraging technology to streamline processes.
Aiming to achieve a robust and self-sufficient rural India, Chouhan spoke about several initiatives making an impact, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has generated 136 crore man-days since June 2024, resulting in the completion of nearly 55 lakh rural works.
The Centre has released over Rs 50,000 crore to state governments in this period. Furthermore, the Mission Amrit Sarovar, launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2022, has seen the completion of over 68,000 Amrit Sarovars, with plans for a second phase to increase the number of these water bodies.
Chouhan also discussed the success of the housing scheme, with 3.45 crore houses built in rural areas over the last decade. As of March 2024, nearly 2.7 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin have been completed, with a commitment to building an additional 2 crore homes in the next five years.
Another significant initiative, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), has successfully organized 10 crore rural families into 90.89 lakh self-help groups. The mission has empowered over 1.15 crore women farmers and facilitated access to bank loans amounting to Rs 9.84 lakh crore. Chouhan also pointed out that the deadline for PMGSY projects has been extended to March 2025, with road construction surveys currently underway.
Further, training programs like the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) have trained nearly 17 lakh candidates, with over 11 lakh finding employment. Additionally, 602 Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) have trained 54 lakh rural youth since 2009.
Chouhan concluded by calling for continued state cooperation to ensure the success of these schemes, urging state ministers to provide feedback on their implementation and share suggestions for the upcoming budget.
