Parliament Question: Rural poverty and household welfare outcomes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3345 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20/03/2026 RURAL POVERTY AND HOUSEHOLD WELFARE OUTCOMES 3345 Shri Raghav Chadha: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has released recent State-wise estimates of rural poverty and multidimensional poverty, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether these estimates show improvement compared to the last five years; (c) whether any independent evaluation has assessed the combined impact of MGNREGS, PMAY-G, NRLM and food security schemes on reduction of rural poverty, if so, the findings thereof; (d) the proportion of rural households not covered under at least one major rural development scheme; and (e) the steps being taken by Government to improve convergence of schemes at the household level to address multidimensional rural deprivation? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN) (a) & (b): As far as State-wise estimates of rural poverty and multidimensional poverty are concerned, this Ministry does not maintain such data. (c): Evaluation of schemes/programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is a continuous process and necessary corrective actions are taken based on the assessment of their implementation at ground level. Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the last impact assessment was carried out by NITI Aayog in the year 2019-20. The assessment done by NITI Aayog highlighted that, while MGNREGS has enhanced rural livelihood security, it faced significant operational and structural challenges. To overcome the challenges, such as lack of effective grievance redressal mechanisms and poor asset maintenance, the report recommended for strengthening of social audit, better identification of beneficiaries, inclusion of vulnerable groups and reducing regional disparities in development. Further, to modernize IT governance, the report recommended upgrading rural infrastructure transitioning to intuitive, mobile-based applications that support real-time, localized data entry. The Report also advocated development of robust GIS technology for data-driven planning. Under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), a three phase study on "Evaluation of Governance Parameters of PMAY-G" was conducted by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) which also included impact assessment of Direct Benefit Transfer in reduction of leakages. The main findings of the evaluation report are as under: i. Average number of days taken for completion of PMAY-G houses was 314 days which is reduced to 114 days in 2017-18. Page 1 of 3ii. Increased demand for the construction related materials has generated additional jobs in the economy. iii. There is a significant increase in the mean expenditures which is mostly driven by an increased expenditure on food items post-PMAY-G as compared to the pre PMAY-G house indicating an improved living standard. iv. A considerable reduction in open defecation post-PMAY-G house has been observed due to construction of toilets leading to improved health status of the PMAY-G household members. v. There has been a significant increase in the use of LPG gas among PMAY-G households. Similarly, a study on ‘Impact Assessment of PMAY-G” was conducted by National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR) to assess extent to which the program objectives were met with regard to improving the physical conditions of the target population and socio-economic improvements experienced by the target population, as a result of owning a new house. It was conducted in three states viz. Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal (Covering 24 Gram panchayats in six districts, interviewing 1382 PMAY-G beneficiaries). The main findings of the evaluation report are as under: i. PMAY-G house has decreased the burden of house maintenance. ii. PMAY-G has made significant impact on the lives of beneficiaries both in terms of physical facilities provided and subject well-being. iii. PMAY-G have slightly reduced congestion in houses by providing two or more rooms. iv. On indicators such as social status, self-worth, confidence level, feeling of ownership, feeling of safety & security, self-perceived improvement in health, overall quality of life, and satisfaction about the new house, PMAY-G beneficiaries feel much better, compared to the beneficiaries who are waitlisted under PMAY-G i.e. the beneficiaries who have not yet received the PMAY-G house. Further, as informed by the Department of Food & Public Distribution (DFPD), in order to strengthen the monitoring of National Food Security Act (NFSA) implementation and to provide a more in-depth, incisive and comprehensive empirical evidence on regular basis, DFPD has engaged an agency for conducting the concurrent evaluation of the implementation of NFSA, 2013 during 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28. (d): After 2002 Below Poverty Line (BPL) Census, recognizing the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) was conducted in association with the States/UTs. SECC-2011 provides data of households on various aspects of their socio- economic status viz., housing, land- holding/landlessness, educational status, status of women, the differently abled, occupation, possession of assets, scheduled caste/ scheduled tribe (SC/ST) households, income, etc. The beneficiaries under several schemes of Government of India as well as many state governments are selected based on the (i)“automatically excluded households”, (ii) “automatically included households” and (iii) “deprived households” data of SECC-2011. Most of the rural households are covered under at least one major rural development schemes/programmes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), National Social Assistance Page 2 of 3Programme(NSAP) and Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY). (e): Under PMAY-G, the beneficiaries are facilitated with 90/95 man days of unskilled labour wages through mandatory convergence with MGNREGS. Support of Rs. 12,000 for construction of toilet is also provided through Swacch Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding. Other basic amenities through convergence with other schemes, provided to the PMAY-G beneficiaries includes electricity, clean cooking gas, water connection, etc. Similar convergence activities are also undertaken for the Housing intervention of the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN). Under DAY-NRLM, the Panchayati Raj Institutions-Community Based Organisations (PRI-CBO) convergence framework, one of the key components is the capacity building of both PRI members and Self-Help Group (SHG) members. This is done to strengthen collaboration between the two parties for the overall development of the people and the area under the Gram Panchayat (GP). As part of the convergence strategy with PRIs, the preparation of the Village Prosperity Resilience Plan (VPRP) has been introduced to capture the demands of SHG members. These demands are then expected to be incorporated into the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). The portions of the VPRP that are not directly related to the GPDP but pertain to different line departments are submitted by the CBOs to the concerned departments for integration into their respective plans. The CBOs also follow up to ensure the realization of these demands. Further, NSAP guidelines states for convergence of various antipoverty programmes with NSAP so that besides pension support, eligible beneficiaries may also get access to health, food security and other social assistance measures. In addition, Ministry of Food Processing Industries through Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme is working in convergence with MoRD to provide support to food processing units of Self Help Groups (SHGs)/ SHG members. Under the Scheme, support to upgrade existing units or setting up of new SHG micro food processing enterprises is provided through a credit linked grant @ 35% with maximum grant of Rs.10 lakh. The Scheme also provides support to food processing units of SHGs/ FPOs/ Cooperatives for Common Infrastructure @35% credit-linked subsidy, Seed Capital to SHGs, Incubation Centre, Branding & Marketing and Capacity Building. ***** Page 3 of 3