Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
INTRODUCTION: What is DAY-NRLM?
“Instead of giving fish, teach how to fish.”
DAY-NRLM is based on self-reliance, dignity, and empowerment of rural poor — especially women — by organising them into institutions (like SHGs), providing skills, financial access, and livelihood support.
Launched under the Ministry of Rural Development, it is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at “poverty reduction through social mobilization and sustainable livelihoods.”
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was launched in June 2011 by the Ministry of Rural Development as a restructured version of the Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY).
It was renamed as DAY-NRLM in November 2015, aligning with the broader Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana framework
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
🎯 Purpose:
“Reduce rural poverty by mobilising poor households into SHGs and enabling them to access self-employment and skilled jobs.”
🛠️ Core Objectives:
- Build strong institutions of the poor (Self-Help Groups, Federations).
- Enable access to:
- Financial services (credit, savings)
- Livelihood enhancement support
- Government entitlements and schemes
- Promote skill development and economic empowerment of rural poor, especially women.
MONITORING & IMPLEMENTATION STRUCTURE
| Level | Institution |
| Central | MoRD (DAY-NRLM Division) |
| State | State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) — as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) |
| Local | SHGs, Village Organizations, Cluster Level Federations |
IDENTIFICATION OF BENEFICIARIES
📌 Target Group:
- All rural poor households, especially those with at least one deprivation in SECC 2011.
🧩 Participatory Identification of the Poor (PIP):
- Conducted by trained social mobilizers at village level.
- Tools used:
- Social maps
- Wealth ranking
- Vulnerability assessments
- Final list of poorest households is approved by the Gram Panchayat.
THE FOUR CORE COMPONENTS OF DAY-NRLM
1. Social Mobilization, Community Institution & Capacity Building
- Formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), especially women’s groups.
- Development of federations and other institutions.
- Focus on participatory planning, leadership, and training.
2. Financial Inclusion
- Linking SHGs with banks and formal financial institutions.
- Promotion of:
- Digital finance
- Village-level Community Investment Funds (VO-CIFs).
- Strengthening financial literacy through SAKSHAM Centres.
3. Livelihood Promotion
- Focus on farm, non-farm, and off-farm income generation.
- Providing backward and forward linkages, value chain integration, and market access.
4. Convergence
- Collaboration with other ministries, schemes, and services (health, education, food security, etc.).
- Helps last-mile delivery through SHGs and community-led institutions.
KEY INITIATIVES UNDER DAY-NRLM
| Initiative | Purpose |
| Aajeevika Skill Development Programme (ASDP) | 25% of DAY-NRLM funds for skilling rural youth for high-wage employment |
| Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) | Empower rural women in agriculture through productivity and livelihood enhancement |
| National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) | World Bank-funded project (₹500 million, launched 2011) to build scalable models for livelihoods |
| National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) | Focus on digital finance, value chains, and innovation; also, World Bank supported |
| SAKSHAM Centres | Deliver financial literacy and access to services (savings, credit, insurance, pensions) |
| Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY) | SHG members get interest-free loans to operate transport vehicles on rural routes |
| Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) | Free skill training for rural youth aged 15–35 (up to 45 for SC/ST, PVTGs, women, PWDs); SC/ST 50%, minorities 15%, women 33% |
| Sangathan Se Samriddhi | Campaign under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mobilize 10 crore rural women into SHGs |
SIGNIFICANCE
- DAY-NRLM empowers from within, by:
- Promoting dignity of labour
- Strengthening collective voice of the poor
- Ensuring economic independence for rural women
- Acts as a hub of convergence for rural development schemes.
- Supports India’s SDG goals of poverty reduction, gender equality, and financial inclusion.
🔚 Final Thought
“Poverty is not just lack of income — it is lack of opportunity, agency, and dignity. DAY-NRLM doesn’t treat the poor as passive beneficiaries, but as active architects of their own upliftment. Through SHGs and community institutions, it redefines development as a movement, not just a scheme.