Parliament Question: Impact of Climate Change

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1445 ANSWERED ON 29/07/2025 IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE 1445. Smt. Rachna Banerjee: Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) the details of Government's comprehensive strategy to accelerate sustainable rural development with the increasing impact of climate change on agricultural livelihoods; (b) the manner in which the Government address the persistent hurdles of inadequate non farm employment opportunities, limited access to modern technology and credit for small and marginal farmers, the widening digital divide and the equitable delivery of essential services like quality education, healthcare and clean water; and (c) the details of mechanisms put in place to strengthen local governance bodies such as Panchayati Raj Institutions to ensure effective implementation and genuine community participation in these development initiatives? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI) (a): DeendayalAntyodayaYojana– National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) promotes sustainable practices in Agriculture and allied sectors by imparting training to the MahilaKisan (women farmers) across the country. To provide round-the-year handholding support and extension support services, a network of community resource persons named as KrishiSakhi and PashuSakhi, is created at the village level. Organic farming practices are being promoted with the MahilaKisan under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS). To promote natural farming practices, KrishiSakhi are trained as part of the convergence between the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW). As of June 2025, the mission has trained 4.62 Page 1 of 6croreMahilaKisans in the adoption of sustainable practices and created more than 3.50 lakh CRPs to provide handholding support to the MahilaKisans. Further, the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) is a one-time special intervention of the Government of India to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations within the core network. It was launched in the year 2000 as a measure towards alleviation of poverty in rural areas by providing access to basic services to the rural population, by providing them with good quality roads. (b): Under the DAY-NRLM, the MoRD is implementing several sub- components to promote non-farm livelihoods among rural poor, particularly Self Help Group (SHG) women and their family members. The key sub-components are as follows: 1. Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP): SVEP aims to promote and strengthen rural start-ups by enhancing entrepreneurial capabilities, facilitating access to finance, and providing managerial and ecosystem support. Implemented at the block level over a period of 4 years, the programme is allocated ₹6.5 crore per block. It targets up to 2,400 individual and group enterprises per block across the manufacturing, trading, and services sectors. SVEP has been rolled out in 29 States and UTs, supporting approximately 3.74 lakh enterprises. 2. Micro Enterprise Development (MED): MED focuses on supporting Nano enterprises by enabling access to finance, skill development, and market linkages. It is implemented at the block level with a project duration of 18 months and a cost of ₹20 lakh per block. The programme targets up to 200 enterprises per block across manufacturing, trading, and services sectors. To date, approximately 63,000 enterprises have been supported under MED. 3. One Stop Facility (OSF): OSF provides comprehensive support to growth-stage Nano enterprises, including assistance in compliance, market access, bank credit, product development, and standardisation. Implemented at the sub-district level for a duration of 3 years, the cost per OSF ranges from ₹2 crore to ₹6 crore. Each block under OSF targets support to up to 150 enterprises. The Page 2 of 6programmecurrently operates in 16 States and has supported around 88,000 enterprises. 4. Incubator: This initiative aims to scale up 100–150 women-owned or women-led growth-oriented enterprises per State through mentorship and ecosystem support. Implemented at the State level over a 3-year duration, the project cost is ₹10.6 crore per State. The incubator initiative is currently active in 5 States and has supported 600 enterprises to date. 5. Cluster Development Programme: The programme supports artisan and sector-specific clusters to enhance competitiveness and reduce market risk through shared resources, technical support, financing and skill upgradation. Implemented in specific geographical areas at the block, district or state level, the duration is 4 years with a project cost ranging between ₹3 crore and ₹5 crore per cluster. The target is a minimum of 100 artisans (in artisan clusters) or 50 enterprises (in sectoral clusters). The programme is being implemented in 10 States and supports 21 clusters comprising approximately 11,000 entrepreneurs and artisans. 6. AajeevikaGrameen Express Yojana (AGEY): AGEY aims to enhance rural transport services by enabling SHG members or Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to own and operate vehicles in remote villages. The cost support provided is ₹6.5 lakh for individual ownership and ₹8.5 lakh for CBO ownership. AGEY is being implemented in 33 States and UTs, with 2,297 vehicles procured under the scheme. To ensure rural connectivity, new interventions/verticals, namely PMGSY-II, Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Areas (RCPLWEA), and PMGSY-III, were added under the ambit of PMGSY for the upgradation of rural roads and construction of strategically essential roads in LWE Areas. Under PMGSY III, upgradation of roads was undertaken inter alia to provide better connectivity to Gramin Agricultural Markets. Recently, a new vertical named PMGSY-IV was launched on 11th September 2024 with a target to provide connectivity to 25,000 unconnected habitations. The timeline for implementation of PMGSY-IV is till FY 2028-29. Since inception till 24.07.2025, a total of 8,38,611 km of road length has been sanctioned, out of Page 3 of 6which 7,83,341 Km of road length has been completed under various interventions/verticals of PMGSY. Rural road connectivity promotes access to economic and social services and also leads to the generation of increased agricultural production, changes in cropping patterns, better prices for agricultural produce, reduction in transport costs, and generation of employment opportunities in farm and off-farm sectors. As such, PMGSY has helped in the generation of employment opportunities in rural areas. An evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Rural Development Sector, including PMGSY was carried out by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog in 2020. The following are the findings: (i) It was found that the scheme is well aligned with India’s international goals and is seen to contribute to SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) 2&9 as it address the issues of poverty, hunger and infrastructure for growth. (ii) Roads constructed under PMGSY have been observed to create positive impacts at both at level of the household and the community. (iii) The roads have been observed to increase access to market and livelihood opportunities, health and education facilities. (iv) PMGSY is noted to build the foundations for long-lasting poverty reduction in rural India. Improved rural connectivity provides a long-term and sustained boost in the living standards of rural populations as it allows households to accumulate wealth and human capital. The Ministry has taken many initiatives to construct climate- resilient rural roads. Use of new/green technologies is one of the such initiative which has resulted not only in savings of carbon footprint but also in savings of fuel. In order to save the fast- depleting natural resources, the use of green technologies like Cold Mix Technology, Surface Dressing, Waste Plastics, nano-technology, and Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) Technology has been introduced in the construction of roads. These technologies not only reduce the depletion of good quality conventional materials but also minimise Page 4 of 6the damage to the environment due to the emission of greenhouse gases and heavy suspended particles in the air. In order to promote cost-effective and fast construction technologies in the construction of rural roads, using New materials/Waste materials/Locally available materials, Ministry has issued ‘Guidelines on Technology Initiatives’, in May 2013. The States were requested to propose at least 15% of the length of annual proposals using new /green technologies. The Ministry has also issued the Vision document on New Technology Initiatives- 2022, which prescribes the enhanced use of new /green technologies/ materials in the construction of PMGSY roads. Under New technology 1,55,614 Km of road length has been sanctioned, out of which 1,24,427 Km of road length has been completed as on 25th July, 2025 (c): The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen local governance by fostering convergence between Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs). These efforts aim to ensure participatory planning, better service delivery, and effective implementation of rural development programmes. Key mechanisms include:  Village Poverty and Resilience Plan (VPRP): Prepared by SHG networks in 28 States/UTs, VPRP supports participatory planning and strengthens Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).  Joint Advisory by MoRD and MoPR: Promotes collaboration between PRIs and CBOs at the Panchayat level.  Block-Level Orientation: Conducted for elected representatives to guide them on integrating VPRP with GPDP and utilizing CBO support.  Capacity Building for Elected Women Representatives: Aims to enhance leadership and decision-making skills at the Block level.  Gram Panchayat-Level Orientation: Focuses on sensitizing elected representatives to work jointly with CBOs for development activities.  Gram Panchayat Coordination Committees (GPCC): Formed to include PRI members, CBOs, and frontline workers for local planning and coordination. Additionally, under PMGSY, PRI women, SHG representatives, and local officials are involved in transect walks for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), ensuring inclusive planning. Page 5 of 6***** Page 6 of 6