Microfinance Focus June 3, 2011: The UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi today launched the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), a re-christened version of the ongoing Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana from Banswara, Rajasthan.

The Minister for Rural Development, Government of India, Vilasrao Deshmukh and the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot were also present at the occasion.

The NRLM recognizes the potential that the poor have to come out of poverty with proper handholding, training and capacity building and credit linkage and that they have multiple livelihoods – wage employment and self employment. It will stabilize and enhance incomes from both the livelihoods and promote diversification of livelihoods.

The role of Banks will be of prime importance under NRLM as a source of credit for the poor at reasonable rates.  NRLM will focus on getting banks to lend to the poor by making them bankable clients through smart use of subsidy.

NRLM will have special focus on the poorest households, who are currently dependant on MGNREGA. These families will be supported to broaden their livelihoods through assets and skill acquisition which will enhance the quality of their livelihoods significantly.

NRLM will focus on women and on vulnerable sections such as scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, minorities, women headed families, etc. The second focus of NRLM would be rural youth of the country who are unemployed.  They will be supported through placement linked skill development projects through which their skills will be upgraded through short term training courses in sectors which have high demand for services.

The NRLM scheme is based on large scale successes in states such as Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh where social mobilization and building strong institutions of the poor have led to reduction in poverty and empowerment of the poor.