Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Rural Development Schemes · Topic 1.4
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) is the flagship poverty reduction mission of the Ministry of Rural Development, launched in June 2011 as Aajeevika to replace the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana. It was renamed in 2015. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that organises poor rural women into self-help groups and their federations, and links them with bank credit, skills and markets. Its present goals include making three crore and then six crore rural women Lakhpati Didis, that is, women with a yearly household income of at least Rs 1 lakh.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Rural Development Schemes
At a Glance
- Launch June 2011 as Aajeevika (NRLM)
- Renamed Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – NRLM in 2015
- Ministry Rural Development
- Core unit Women self-help groups and federations
- Key target Lakhpati Didis: 3 crore reached, 6 crore next (as reported)
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Rural Development Schemes
Where Does It Fit?
This is the fourth topic of the macro on rural development. Where the job guarantee law gives wage work, this mission builds lasting livelihoods through group enterprise and credit. The urban cousin is described in Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), and the rural mission also appears in the macro on employment as Aajeevika – National Rural Livelihoods Mission. Previous topic: Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G). Next topic: Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM).
How Does DAY-NRLM Work?
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Social mobilisation | Poor women are organised into self-help groups, village organisations and cluster level federations |
| Revolving Fund | A small grant to a newly formed SHG, in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, to build the habit of lending among members |
| Community Investment Fund | A larger fund given to village organisations, which lend to SHGs and members for livelihood activities |
| Bank linkage | SHGs get cash credit from banks. Interest subvention brings the effective rate on loans up to Rs 3 lakh down to about 7 per cent, and lower for prompt repayers |
| Livelihood promotion | Support for farm, non-farm and livestock activities, including Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana and the Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme |
| Skills | Placement linked skill training for rural youth is done through Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and Rural Self Employment Training Institutes |
| Community cadres | Trained women called Sakhis, such as Bank Sakhi, Krishi Sakhi and Pashu Sakhi, give services in villages |
What Is the Lakhpati Didi Initiative?
- Meaning: a woman member of a self-help group whose household earns at least Rs 1 lakh a year from several livelihood activities, sustained over at least four agricultural seasons
- First target: 2 crore announced in 2023 and raised to 3 crore in the Interim Budget of 2024
- Milestone: As reported, the 3 crore mark was reached in early 2026, ahead of the March 2027 target, and the Centre has spoken of a new goal of 6 crore
- Drone Didi: the Namo Drone Didi scheme gives drones to women SHGs for agricultural spraying services, with training and a central subsidy
- Credit: bank loans to women SHGs have crossed Rs 12 lakh crore in total disbursement, as reported by the Ministry in January 2026
- Reach: As reported, about 10 crore women are members of roughly 90 lakh SHGs, so check the latest data before using exact numbers
- Digital: SHG accounts, payments and bookkeeping are being moved to digital tools to cut costs
- Convergence: SHG women are linked with schemes for farm, dairy, food processing and rural housing
What Else Should You Remember?
- Predecessor: The Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana of 1999 gave subsidy linked loans to individual families. It was replaced because it reached few poor families and had low repayment
- Design shift: The mission moved from individual subsidy to a community owned, demand driven model with women at the centre
- World Bank support: The mission has used World Bank credit for its work in the states, as in the National Rural Livelihoods Project
- Sibling for cities: The urban counterpart, the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, started in 2013, and it was renamed after Deendayal Upadhyaya in 2016
- Funding: The mission is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, with the Centre and states sharing costs in 60:40 for most states and 90:10 for the north-eastern and Himalayan states
- State missions: Kudumbashree in Kerala, Jeevika in Bihar and Mission Shakti in Odisha are well known state missions that were models for the national approach
- Inclusion: The mission has special support for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, persons with disability and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
- Women empowerment: Membership in SHGs has been linked with higher savings, control over assets and participation in Panchayats
- Risks: Group loans may fund consumption, enterprises may fail without market links, and income claims depend on survey method
- Evaluation: Studies show gains in savings and credit access, but the income effect varies by state and by group strength
Why Does It Matter for the Exam?
- Launch and renaming: 2011 as Aajeevika; renamed Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana in 2015
- Predecessor: Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
- Concepts: SHG, Revolving Fund, Community Investment Fund, Sakhi cadre
- Lakhpati Didi: income threshold of Rs 1 lakh and the 3 crore target
- Confusions: rural versus urban livelihood missions and the employment guarantee law
As an analytical point, women’s collectives can lift incomes only when credit is paired with markets and skills. A group that gets a loan but has no buyer for its product slips back into debt. The mission works best where federations help women to sell, process and negotiate prices.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Women Collective credit and enterprise
- Targets Lakhpati Didi in the news
- Models Kudumbashree and Jeevika
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the cluster-based mission that tried to bring urban facilities to villages. Next topic: Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM).
Key People and Terms
- SHG Self-help group of 10 to 20 women
- Revolving Fund Start-up fund for an SHG
- Community Investment Fund Fund for village organisations
- Sakhi Community resource person
- Lakhpati Didi Woman with household income of Rs 1 lakh
- Federation Group of SHGs at village or cluster level
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Launched in June 2011; renamed in 2015.
- Replaced SGSY.
- Lakhpati Didi means yearly household income of Rs 1 lakh.
- Interest subvention gives credit around 7 per cent up to Rs 3 lakh.
- Nodal ministry: Rural Development.
Do Not Confuse With
- DAY-NRLM and DAY-NULM Rural versus urban livelihood missions
- DAY-NRLM and MGNREGA Group enterprise versus wage work
- SHG and federation The group and its higher level body
Memory Hook
Form the group, fund the group, link the bank, lift the income to a lakh.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the effect of self-help groups on women and rural poverty. These points give a balanced frame.
- Strengths Savings, credit access, women voice
- Weaknesses Market links, uneven quality, debt risk
- Way ahead Value chains, digital finance, skills
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss how self-help groups under DAY-NRLM have contributed to women empowerment and rural livelihoods, and the challenges they face.”
How to Answer
- Intro Mission model of 2011.
- Gains Savings, credit, voice.
- Challenges Markets, debt, uneven support.
- Way Value chains and digital finance.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DAY-NRLM?
DAY-NRLM is the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission of the Ministry of Rural Development. Launched in June 2011 as Aajeevika and renamed in 2015, it organises poor rural women into self-help groups and federations and links them with credit, skills and markets to raise household income.
What is a Lakhpati Didi?
A Lakhpati Didi is a woman member of a self-help group whose household earns at least Rs 1 lakh a year from several livelihood activities, sustained over a period. The target was raised from 2 crore to 3 crore in 2024, and a goal of 6 crore has since been spoken of, as reported.
Which scheme did DAY-NRLM replace?
DAY-NRLM replaced the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana of 1999. That older scheme gave subsidy linked bank loans to individual poor families and had weak reach and low repayment, while the new mission uses community based self-help groups, federations and a demand driven approach.
What is the Community Investment Fund?
The Community Investment Fund is a financial support under DAY-NRLM given to village organisations and cluster federations. They use it to lend to self-help groups and members for livelihood activities, which builds community owned institutions and reduces the dependence of poor women on moneylenders and informal credit.
What is the Namo Drone Didi scheme?
Namo Drone Didi is a central sector scheme approved in November 2023 to give drones to women self-help groups, so that they can offer agricultural spraying services on rent. It includes training for drone pilots and technicians and a subsidy on the cost of the drone, linked with the livelihood mission.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 DAY-NRLM replaced the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana.
The mission began in 2011.
2 DAY-NRLM is run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
It is run by the Ministry of Rural Development.
3 A Lakhpati Didi has a household income of at least Rs 1 lakh a year.
Earned from several livelihood activities.
4 The urban counterpart is DAY-NULM.
For urban poor livelihoods.
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