HIGHER BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR RURAL ROAD AND WATER SECTORS

The Central Government has reaffirmed its commitment to a better and more energetic indian_rupeePradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana as it had a massive impact in improvement of access for  Rural population. Initiated during the NDA-I under the stewardship of then Prime Minister Atal  Behari Vajpayee, the scheme has been provided a sum of Rs. 14, 389 crore in the General  Budget 2014-15.
While renewing its commitment to providing wage and self-employment opportunity in  rural areas, the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that the wage employment would  be provided under MGNREGA through works that are more productive, asset creating and  substantially linked to agriculture and allied activities.
Ajeevika, the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), aims to eliminate rural  poverty through sustainable livelihood options. Under this Mission, Women SHGs are provided  bank loans at 4% on prompt repayment in 150 districts and at 7 % in all other districts. The  Finance Minister said that Government has decided to extend the provision of bank loan for  women SHGs at 4% in another 100 districts. Shri Jaitley also proposed to set-up a “Start Up  Village Entrepreneurship Programme” for encouraging rural youth to take up local  entrepreneurship programs with an initial sum of Rs 100 crore.
Shri Jaitley said to give an added impetus to watershed development in the country, a  new programme called “Neeranchal” will be launched with an initial outlay of Rs 2,142 crore in  the current financial year. For providing safe drinking water, Rs 3600 crore has been earmarked  under National Rural Drinking Water Programme in approximately 20,000 habitations affected  with arsenic, fluoride, heavy/toxic elements, pesticides/fertilizers through community water  purification plants in next 3 years, the Finance Minister added.