Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has launched the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Poverty-Free Village Scheme,’ focusing on improving the economic conditions of rural families living below the poverty line (BPL). The scheme, in its first phase, covers 5,000 villages with a financial outlay of Rs 300 crore.
The scheme aims to assist rural BPL families by offering financial aid for self-employment and livelihood activities. Each identified family is eligible for up to Rs 1 lakh in assistance, while women associated with self-help groups can receive up to Rs 15,000 in working capital support per family.
The initiative also incentivises families who have moved above the poverty line through their own efforts. Such families will receive a one-time incentive of Rs 21,000, directly transferred to their verified bank accounts. So far, the state has verified 17,891 bank accounts out of the 22,400 eligible families. These families will also be issued ‘Atmanirbhar Parivar Cards’ as part of the scheme.
As of now, the government has identified 30,631 BPL families across 5,002 villages through physical surveys, matching their details with the 2002 BPL Census. The scheme also invites new applications from families who are still struggling with poverty, receiving over 61,000 applications so far.
The administration is preparing a ‘Poverty-Free Village Action Plan’ for each selected village, aligning these with existing government schemes related to skill development, financial inclusion, and income generation. The idea is to create village-level development roadmaps that help families transition towards self-reliance.
