Govt Recommits to Inclusive Livelihoods at J-PAL Roundtable on Poverty Alleviation

“No one should be left behind as the government works towards realizing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047,” said Shri Charanjit Singh.

Shri Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary for Rural Livelihoods at the Ministry of Rural Development, reaffirmed the government's commitment to addressing climate change and poverty by providing inclusive livelihoods to the last mile. Shri Singh made these remarks at the exclusive "Reimagining Poverty Alleviation in India" roundtable organized by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia in New Delhi yesterday.

"No one should be left behind as the government works towards realizing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of making India a developed nation by 2047," said Shri Charanjit Singh. He emphasized the urgent need to address the unique challenges faced by poor women, which can vary from State to State, and highlighted the importance of local community knowledge in identifying and solving these challenges.

Shri Singh also spoke about the Ministry of Rural Development's innovative partnerships under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), stressing the significance of multi-stakeholder collaborations to reach people at the last mile and end poverty. "If we work together, we can make a lot of difference," he said.

Shri Singh informed that DAY-NRLM has mobilized more than 10.04 crore women into over 90.76 lakh self-help groups. The initiative promotes financial inclusion, digital literacy, sustainable livelihoods, and social development interventions, with a holistic and inclusive approach to livelihood development for women being a key feature of DAY-NRLM.

Speaking at the event, Joint Secretary for Rural Livelihoods, Ministry of Rural Development, Ms. Smriti Sharan, highlighted the ministry's close collaboration with State governments to ensure effective implementation of innovative projects based on the Graduation Approach. These projects are designed to put rural women on the path to self-sufficiency and are adapted by States based on their priority areas. Ms. Sharan also stressed the importance of bringing poor households under other social protection programs and the need for scientific evidence, data, and technology to tackle the multidimensional nature of poverty. "We have to move beyond the definition of monetary poverty," she said.

J-PAL co-founder and Nobel Laureate Shri Abhijit Banerjee emphasized the vital role of the Graduation Approach model in protecting the poor, noting that once given a chance, these individuals begin taking charge of their lives. The Graduation Approach, developed by NGO BRAC, is one of the most rigorously tested social protection programs in the world, with seven randomized evaluations by researchers affiliated with J-PAL and Innovations for Poverty Action finding it effective in lifting poor households out of poverty. It has reached more than 3 million households across 15 countries.

The roundtable was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Rural Development, JEEViKA, BRAC, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, and The/Nudge Institute, among others. J-PAL co-founder and Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee shared insights and lessons from studying the effects of the Graduation Approach for approximately two decades.