EVALUATION OF CENTRAL RURAL SECTOR SCHEMES

The Ministry of Rural Development commissioned a NITI Aayog evaluation of central rural sector schemes, notably the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana‑National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY‑NRLM), covering 2,206 households in 11 states and 2 UTs. The study reports that DAY‑NRLM has mobilised over 10 crore rural households into about 92 lakh SHGs, with average household incomes rising by 49 %. Women‑focused outcomes include 58 % reporting higher confidence, 52 % gaining better income‑generating opportunities and 46 % managing bank transactions independently. SHG‑linked credit is largely used for livelihood activities (34 % for new, 29.1 % for existing), and the programme’s NPA rate stands at 1.85 %. A comprehensive MEL framework, real‑time MIS (LoKOS) and the Lakhpati Didi Portal support monitoring and transparency.