State unveils 300cr scheme to make villages poverty-free

Jaipur: The state govt launched the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Garibi Mukt Gaon Yojana' to realise the vision of ‘Poverty Free Rajasthan'.
As per the scheme guidelines, all the BPL families of the identified villages will be brought above the poverty line in a phased manner. In the first phase, this scheme will be implemented in 5,000 villages. A provision of Rs 300 crore is proposed for this.
According to the BPL Census 2002, about 22 lakh families in the state are still living below the poverty line. To make Rajasthan a developed state, it is necessary to bring all the families living below the poverty line above it by promoting economic and social development.
The launch of the scheme was announced by chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma during the debate on the Budget 2025-26 finance and appropriation bill. This scheme will be applicable in all rural areas of the state.
The objectives of the scheme include bringing the families living below the poverty line, as per the BPL Census 2002, above the poverty line by improving their standard of living and quality of life. It aims to reduce the economic and social inequality of the target group, provide advanced basic facilities, ensure access to rights and entitlements, offer better livelihood opportunities, and prioritise the target group for welfare and social security schemes of the central and state govt.
Targets will be allocated to the districts from the state level every year to make the villages where BPL families reside, BPL-free villages. The district collector will select the targeted villages in ascending order based on the number of BPL families.
A detailed survey of BPL families in the identified villages will be conducted using MIS and IT. Based on the survey, the needs of the BPL families will be assessed, and they will be identified based on priority. A ‘Poverty Free Village Action Plan' will be prepared for each village/family by converging the available amount and resources of all other central/state-sponsored schemes to meet the needs and gaps of BPL families. The BPL families of the villages identified under the scheme will be brought above the poverty line through income generation, skill development, financial inclusion, and convergence with govt schemes.
Additionally, the district collector can take the help of various voluntary organisations, non-governmental organisations, institutions, corporate institutions, etc., as needed. The BPL families of the villages selected under the scheme will be given priority in the welfare/social security schemes of the central/state govt. For the timely implementation of the scheme, orders issued at the departmental level for determining activity wise time limits and accountability will be applicable.