India’s livelihood landscape is highly diverse and complex, shaped by varied agro-climatic conditions and unequal access to natural, human, and economic resources, knowledge, technology, and markets. Nearly 70 percent of rural households depend on agriculture, with 83 percent being small and marginal farmers. There is a huge scope of improvements in productivity enhancement, access to resources, irrigation and rural infrastructure, and market access constrain incomes, calling for targeted investments and participatory approaches to build resilient livelihoods.
Launched in 2005, MGNREGS guaranteed the right to work by providing at least 100 days of assured wage employment per household annually, while creating durable assets for livelihood security. Through Gram Panchayat–centred participatory planning, it has demonstrated the model of “Today’s Wages – Tomorrow’s Livelihoods”.
Large-scale asset creation under MGNREGS, particularly through landscape-based, community-led natural resource management, has strengthened productive assets, livelihood and income security, and household capabilities. The High Impact Mega Watershed Project in Chhattisgarh demonstrated sustainable pathways to enhance smallholder incomes while conserving land and water resources. In Western Odisha, the Migration Project reduced distress migration by providing an additional 200 days of wage employment (from the state’s budget) and strengthening local livelihoods through land and water development. Jharkhand’s Birsa Harit Gram Yojana transformed landscapes through plantation-based interventions led by Gram Panchayats and women’s collectives. More recently, Madhya Pradesh created over 85,000 farm ponds under the Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan, improving water security for smallholder farmers.
The major learnings of these initiatives are:
- lives and livelihoods of people transform when community is involved in scientific and participatory planning processes;
- with enhanced technical capacities;
- integrating GIS tools and water budgeting;
- for large-scale creation of land and water conservation assets which would lead to livelihood intensification and diversification;
- targeted investments with strong convergence with line departments to realize Gram Panchayat–led plans.
Community-led planning strengthens ownership, natural resources, skills, and aspirations of small and marginal farmers, enabling diversified and sustainable livelihoods.
Over the past two decades, MGNREGS has provided assured wage employment to rural households while demonstrating pathways to convert short-term wages into sustainable livelihoods. As rural youth increasingly aspire to annual incomes of ₹2.5 lakhs or more, the way forward lies in strengthening resilient livelihoods, promoting climate-resilience and water security, developing rural growth centres, and fostering entrepreneurship.
Possibilities under Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)
This proposed programme aims to strengthen the rural economy by securing household income, increasing employment days, and building durable livelihood assets. There are possibilities to improve water availability, strengthening livelihoods, and creating rural infrastructure that can withstand climate vagaries and extreme weather. A key feature of this initiative is the convergence of several government flagship programmes to ensure a unified and inclusive approach to rural development, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
Water security is the key component of the programme. With a need-based approach, the programme promotes community-centric planning that addresses the needs of the smallholder farmers. The Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan, will serve as a bottom-up planning unit under the principle of ‘One Gram Panchayat, One Plan’, leveraging the provision of 125 working days as per this programme, and helping identify local needs, use available skills, unlock livelihood opportunities, and cater to the aspirations of rural people. CSOs and experts can play an important role in developing the capacities of the Gram Panchayat functionaries leading to a more transparent planning process. Ensuring water security at the Gram Panchayat level is essential for strengthening the rural economy, protecting local ecosystems, and fostering community ownership through participatory planning, especially with the involvement of women-led community institutions and schemes under Deen Dayal Antyoday Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
Livelihood security will be ensured when the assets will be effectively utilised to generate sustained income opportunities. Gram Panchayat and women collectives will play a crucial role in livelihood strengthening through sustainable production systems, climate resilient practices, improved technologies, cluster based livelihoods, local entrepreneurship and robust convergence. Moreover, as a statutory guarantee, it allows up to 25 additional days of wage employment beyond the existing 100 days, with a provision of weekly payment, providing a financial safety net. The Ministry of Rural development, Government of India has already launched Samaveshi Ajeevika Yojana to support the livelihoods of extremely vulnerable households.
The mission also supports the development of livelihood-related rural infrastructure such as storage godowns, small cold storage, solar processing units etc. to reduce production risks and improve resilience to climate variability. At the same time, a strong focus on digitising systems and processes is expected to improve transparency, efficiency, and service delivery.
The emphasis on women, water, and wealth is designed to strengthen the rural economy while promoting social equity and ecological balance. The women-led SHGs, Cluster-Level Federations, and Gram Panchayats can play a critical role in identifying and including the vulnerable households, particularly the women members, in the planning processes for transforming their lives and livelihoods and strengthening the local economy.
This saturation and convergence-based, technology-enabled, inclusive and progressive bill, providing 125 days of wage employment, focuses on strengthening resilience, and expanding livelihood opportunities in rural India. It seeks to make rural areas places of dignity, opportunity, and aspiration, in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
Courtesy PIB, Srinagar
The Author is Executive Director, PRADAN.
