Empowering the Poor: A Decade of Inclusive Transformation

Empowering the Poor: A Decade of Inclusive Transformation

#GS-2 #Poverty #Issues Relating to Poverty & Hunger #Economy #Governance & Social Justice #Infrastructure #Health #Education #Women

Why in News

  • India reduced multidimensional poverty significantly over the past decade through welfare schemes, digital systems, and infrastructure growth.
  • Nearly 25 crore people escaped poverty as the poverty rate dropped from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23.
  • This progress shows a clear move from simply reducing hardship to building human capabilities and economic strength.

How has India Achieved Universal Access to Basic Needs?

  • Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, rural household tap water connections rose from 3.23 crore in 2019 to 15.84 crore by May 2026, covering nearly 82% of rural homes.
  • More than 9.23 lakh schools and 9.66 lakh Anganwadi Centres now have running tap water.
  • The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan built over 12.11 crore household toilets, achieving full rural sanitation coverage by 2019.
  • Over 5 lakh villages reached ODF Plus (Model) status by managing solid and liquid waste properly.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana gave over 10.57 crore free LPG connections to poor women to stop indoor air pollution.
  • Through SAUBHAGYA and other programs, 100% village electrification was reached by 2025.
  • Average daily electricity in villages went up from 12.5 hours in 2014 to 22.6 hours in 2025.
  • PMAY-Urban completed over 98.10 lakh houses while PMAY-Gramin finished 3.03 crore rural homes.
  • Most of these new houses are registered in women's names to help them own assets.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana connected 99.6% of eligible villages with all-weather roads for better market and school access.

What are the Key Advancements in Public Health and Food Security?

  • Ayushman Bharat, the largest public health scheme in the world, issued 43.93 crore health cards offering an annual cover of Rs 5 lakh.
  • The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission created 88.33 crore digital health accounts (ABHA) and linked 97.81 crore health records.
  • Programs like the Janani Suraksha Yojana helped lower the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) from 130 per 100,000 live births during 2014-16 down to 88 in 2021-23.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) provides free foodgrains to over 81 crore people using digitized ration shops.

How are Education and Learning Outcomes being Strengthened?

  • The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan reduced female primary school dropout rates from 4.6% in 2013-14 to 0.3% in 2024-25.
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao raised the national sex ratio to 1,020 and pushed female secondary school enrollment to 80.2%.
  • Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas increased residential schooling for disadvantaged girls, enrolling 7.11 lakh students by 2024.
  • Digital platforms like SWAYAM and DIKSHA made learning easier, with SWAYAM alone recording over 5.80 crore enrollments.
  • Under DAY-NRLM, women in Self-Help Groups grew from 2.37 crore to 10 crore, while groups rose from 21.31 lakh to 91.75 lakh.
  • The Lakhpati Didi initiative helped 3.07 crore rural women start successful businesses.
  • The PMKVY skill program trained over 1.64 crore youth, focusing on new fields like AI and Industry 4.0.
  • MGNREGA provided over 3,036 crore person-days of work since 2014.
  • The eShram portal registered 31.64 crore unorganized workers to give them social security.
  • The PM Jan Dhan Yojana opened bank accounts for 58.16 crore people, and PM MUDRA Yojana gave 66% of its loans to women.
  • The BharatNet project brought high-speed broadband to 2.19 lakh Gram Panchayats.
  • The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system changed digital payments by handling over 2,100 crore monthly transactions.

What Integrated Interventions are Accelerating Tribal Development?

  • The PM-JANMAN Mission focuses on 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by providing housing, water, power, and mobile clinics.
  • Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) grew from 129 to 499, teaching 1.54 lakh Scheduled Tribe students.
  • The government sanctioned 1,146 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras to help tribals earn more from forest produce.

Conclusion

  • India changed its welfare approach from basic handouts to complete socio-economic growth.
  • By focusing on women, local businesses, and digital tools, the country is helping its weakest citizens.
  • This decade moved the nation from Antyodaya to Sarvodaya, building a stronger and fairer society.