Self-employment and Wage Generation Approach. This approach has been initiated from Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and enlarged successfully since then.
The following programmes are initiated by the government from time to time under the approach:
1. Food for Work Programme: This programme was launched in the 19706 for the upliftment of the poor. Under this programme, foodgrains are distributed against the wage work.
2. Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY): This programme has been implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, which aims at creating self-employment opportunities in rural areas and small towns. One can get financial assistance with bank loans to set up small enterprises under this programme. Under PMRY, the educated unemployed from low-income families in both rural and urban areas can get financial help to set up any type of industry which generates employment.
3. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY): This program mainly aims at creating employment opportunities, both self-employment and wage employment in urban areas. Individuals were given financial assistance under the self-employment programme. Now, the PMRY and SJSRY in the 1990s have been changed. Those who wish to benefit from these programmes are encouraged to form Self Help Groups (SHGs) and then the government will provide partial financial assistance through banks.
4. Swarna jayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana: Sawarna jayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana was launched in April 1999 and is the only self-employment program currently being implemented. It aims at promoting micro-enterprises and to bring the assisted poor families (Swarozgaris) above the poverty line by organising them into Self-Help Groups through the process of social mobilisation, training and capacity building, and provision of income-generating assets through a mix of Bank Credit and Government subsidy. The scheme is being implemented on a cost-sharing ratio of 75: 25 between the centre and the states.
5. Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY): The SGRY was launched in September 2001. The schemes of Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana and the Employment Assurance Scheme have been fully integrated with SGRY. The objective of the scheme is to provide additional wage employment along with food security, the creation of durable communities, social and economic assets, and infrastructure development in the rural areas. The scheme envisages the generation of 100 man-days of employment in a year. The cost of the program is to be shared between the centre and the states on a cost-sharing ratio of 87.5: 12.5 (including the foodgrains component).
