Livelihood Scheme For Women Deserves Better, Pg16

Key Highlights:

• The Centre's flagship urban livelihoods scheme, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), officially concluded on September 30, 2024.
• This has created a significant funding vacuum and uncertainty for over one crore urban poor women organized into Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
• A pilot scheme, Deendayal Jan Aajeevika Yojana-Shehari (DJAY-S), launched on October 1, 2024, to inform a new mission, is reportedly no longer under consideration.
• Five states—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tripura—have urged the Centre for urgent release of pending funds and clarity on continued support for urban livelihoods.

Detailed Insights:

• DAY-NULM was launched in September 2013 (renamed in 2016) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (now Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs).
• The scheme aimed to reduce urban poverty by enabling access to gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, primarily through strong grassroots institutions like SHGs.
• By its conclusion, DAY-NULM had facilitated the formation of over 10 lakh SHGs, benefiting more than one crore urban poor women across cities.
• States are currently facing a financial crunch, with exhausted funds and accumulating liabilities for staff remuneration, interest subvention, and revolving funds for SHGs.
• The lack of a successor scheme risks disrupting SHG operations, their bank linkages, and access to crucial institutional credit for urban poor households.
• Successful state-level initiatives like Bihar's JEEVIKA scheme and Kerala's Kudumbashree demonstrate the transformative potential of such programs in women's empowerment and entrepreneurship.
• The article emphasizes the need for sustained investment in human resources, infrastructure, credit linkages, and market networks to ensure the long-term viability and growth of SHGs.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM): A central government scheme launched in 2013 to alleviate urban poverty by promoting self-employment and skilled wage employment, largely through the formation of Self-Help Groups.
• Self-Help Groups (SHGs): Informal associations, predominantly of women, who pool savings, provide mutual financial support, and engage in collective action for socio-economic empowerment.
• Institutional Credit: Formal financial services, such as loans from banks, provided to individuals or groups, often with subsidies, to support economic activities and entrepreneurship.
• Women-led Development: An approach that prioritizes the active participation and leadership of women in economic, social, and political spheres to achieve broader developmental goals.