Maarg Manthan · Topic 1.6

Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Rural Development Schemes · Topic 1.6

The Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a village development scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, launched on 11 October 2014, the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan. Each Member of Parliament adopts one Gram Panchayat as a model village and guides its all-round growth through convergence of existing schemes, as the scheme has no separate fund. The first village was to be developed by 2016, and two more by 2019, with a later goal of five villages by 2024. Population norms are 3,000 to 5,000 in plains and 1,000 to 3,000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Rural Development Schemes

At a Glance

Launch 11 October 2014
Ministry Rural Development
Who adopts Members of Parliament, one Gram Panchayat each
Funds No separate fund, convergence and MPLADS
Idea Model villages led by legislators
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Rural Development Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This is the sixth topic of the macro on rural development. It uses the influence of legislators to bring schemes together in one village, unlike the mission in Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM), which works with a cluster of villages. Previous topic: Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM). Next topic: Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).

How Does SAGY Work?

Rule	Provision
Launch date	11 October 2014, on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan. It is also linked with the memory of Nanaji Deshmukh
Unit	One Gram Panchayat, not a single revenue village
Population norm	3,000 to 5,000 in plain areas and 1,000 to 3,000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas. A Gram Panchayat with fewer people can be taken up if no larger one is available
Who can adopt	Lok Sabha members choose from their constituency. Rajya Sabha members choose from the state they were elected from. Nominated members choose from any district of the state
Restriction	An MP cannot adopt the village of the MP or the spouse
Timeline	One Gram Panchayat by March 2016, two more by 2019. For 2019-24 the plan was to adopt five by 2024, with one every year
Funds	No new money. Works use existing central and state schemes and the MPLADS fund, along with company social responsibility and local contributions
Plan	A Village Development Plan is made, with a baseline survey, a needs list and a time bound action plan

What Are the Goals and Domains of SAGY?

Goal: to create model villages that show good practice in social, economic and civic life that other villages can copy
Domains: personal development, human development, social development, economic development, environment, basic amenities and services, social security and good governance
Convergence: rural roads, housing, drinking water, sanitation, skill and livelihood schemes were to be tied to the plan
Local leadership: the Gram Panchayat and the Gram Sabha lead the planning, with the MP as a guide and mobiliser
Nodal officer: a district level officer and a village level team help the MP to prepare and monitor the plan
Monitoring: an online portal and review by state and district committees track progress
Values: villagers are urged to adopt values such as cleanliness, gender equality, communal harmony and community service
Social audit: works are expected to be audited by the Gram Sabha

What Else Should You Remember?

Origin: The scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, in which every Member of Parliament adopts a village, was announced by the Prime Minister in the Independence Day speech of 2014
Model idea: It follows the Gandhian idea of a self-reliant village and the earlier PURA concept of services in rural areas
Funding choice: The decision not to give a separate grant was meant to avoid a new silo and to make MPs use schemes better. It also became the main reason for the weak pace in many villages
MPLADS link: An MP can use the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme fund, which is Rs 5 crore a year per MP, for works in the adopted village
Take up: Parliamentary answers and reviews have shown that many MPs adopted a first village but fewer adopted second and third ones. Exact numbers vary by year
Findings: Evaluations pointed to progress in sanitation, power and roads, but gaps in jobs, health and local planning
Risks: Heavy dependence on the interest of the individual MP, a short political cycle and pressure on officers to show results in a few villages
Equity concern: Critics say that giving extra attention to a few villages may leave out other deserving ones
Similar models: Several states have their own adarsh gram schemes, and the Panchayat Advancement Index of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj measures village progress on nine themes
Link to local bodies: The Gram Panchayat Development Plan under the Panchayati Raj Ministry is the base planning tool, which SAGY tried to improve
Comparison: Compare with the Mission in Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY), which targets tribal majority villages with a dedicated fund

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Launch: 11 October 2014, Jayaprakash Narayan anniversary
Rules: one Gram Panchayat, not a MP or spouse village
Norms: 3,000 to 5,000 in plains and 1,000 to 3,000 in hills
Funds: no separate fund, convergence and MPLADS
Comparison: SAGY and the Rurban Mission or PMAAGY

As an analytical point, a scheme that depends on the personal energy of legislators can show good models but struggles to scale. Without a budget line and an institutional owner, it cannot ensure continuity after a change of MP. Linking SAGY plans to the Gram Panchayat Development Plan would make results more lasting.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Role of MPs Legislators as development leaders
Convergence No separate fund
Review Why the take-up was uneven

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the fund that finances rural infrastructure projects of states. Next topic: Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).

Key People and Terms

Adarsh Gram Model village
Gram Panchayat Village level local government
MPLADS MP Local Area Development Scheme
Convergence Joining several schemes
Village Development Plan Plan prepared for the adopted village
Baseline survey Data on starting position

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Launched on 11 October 2014.
Unit: one Gram Panchayat.
Norm: 3,000 to 5,000 plains; 1,000 to 3,000 hills.
No separate fund; MPLADS can be used.
MP cannot adopt own or spouse village.

Do Not Confuse With

SAGY and Rurban Mission One village adopted by an MP versus a cluster of villages
SAGY and PMAAGY MP led model village versus a tribal village scheme with money
MPLADS and SAGY A constituency fund versus an adoption scheme

Memory Hook

One panchayat, one MP, no new money, one plan for all.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the strengths and limits of leader led village schemes. These points give a balanced frame.

Strengths Political push, convergence, model effect
Weaknesses No fund, weak ownership, uneven take-up
Way ahead Link with Panchayat plans and give it a budget line

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Why did the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana fail to meet its expectations, and how can leader led village development be made more effective?”

How to Answer

Intro Scheme of 2014 and its design.
Reasons No fund, personal dependence.
Evidence Uneven take-up.
Way Panchayat plans, funds and monitoring.

GS Relevance

Prelims: rules of adoption, population norms, funding, launch details. GS Paper 2: role of legislators, government schemes and rural governance. GS Paper 3: inclusive development.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana?

SAGY is a scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development launched on 11 October 2014, under which each Member of Parliament adopts one Gram Panchayat and guides it to become a model village. It has no separate fund and relies on convergence of existing schemes, MPLADS and other sources.

Who can adopt a village under SAGY?

A Lok Sabha member can adopt a Gram Panchayat from the constituency, a Rajya Sabha member from the state of election, and a nominated member from any district of a state. An MP cannot adopt a village of their own or of their spouse, and urban constituencies pick nearby rural areas.

What are the population norms under SAGY?

A Gram Panchayat chosen under SAGY should ordinarily have a population of 3,000 to 5,000 in plain areas and 1,000 to 3,000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas. A smaller Gram Panchayat can be chosen if no Gram Panchayat of the required size is available in the area.

How is SAGY funded?

SAGY has no separate budget. Works are paid for by converging existing central and state schemes such as rural roads, housing, sanitation and livelihood programmes, along with the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme fund, company social responsibility money and community contributions, which has been a main point of criticism.

What are the main criticisms of SAGY?

Critics point to the absence of a dedicated fund, heavy dependence on the interest of the MP, uneven adoption by MPs after the first village, weak links to Gram Panchayat plans and the risk that attention to a few villages leaves other needy villages behind, as seen in reviews of the scheme.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Under SAGY, each MP adopts one Gram Panchayat as a model village.

True

The unit is a Gram Panchayat.

2 SAGY gives a separate fund of Rs 1 crore per adopted village.

False

There is no separate fund. It relies on convergence.

3 SAGY was launched on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan.