Major Rural Development Programmes in India 

1. Community Development Programme (CDP) – 1952

• First integrated rural development programme.
• Launched on 2 October 1952.
• Aim: All-round development of rural areas – agriculture, irrigation, communication, health, education, etc.
• Covered 55 pilot blocks initially.

2. Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) – 1978

• Launched by Janata Government in 1978 and implemented nationwide in 1980.
• Objective: Provide assets and credit to rural poor (small farmers, landless laborers, artisans).
• Later merged into Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) in 1999.

3. National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) – 1980

• Launched during the Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-1985).
• Aim: Employment generation in rural areas through public works.
• Merged into Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY) in 1989.

4. Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP) – 1983

• Aim: Provide employment to landless rural households.
• Focus on creating durable assets like roads, schools, housing.
• Later merged with NREP into JRY (1989).

5. Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY) – 1989

• Launched by Rajiv Gandhi Government.
• Aim: Wage employment to rural poor by developing rural infrastructure.
• Merged into Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) in 2001.

6. Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) – 1985

• Housing scheme for BPL families in rural areas.
• Special focus: SC/ST, freed bonded laborers, and minorities.
• Merged into Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) in 2016.

7. Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) – 2001

• Merged JRY and EAS (Employment Assurance Scheme).
• Aim: Wage employment & food security.
• Replaced by MGNREGA (2005).

8. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – 2005

• Notified on 7 September 2005, implemented in 2006.
• Provides 100 days guaranteed wage employment to every rural household.
• World’s largest wage employment programme.

9. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) – 2005

• Now part of National Health Mission (NHM, 2013).
• Aim: Strengthening healthcare in rural areas, with focus on maternal and child health.

10. National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) – 2011

• Renamed as Aajeevika – NRLM.
• Promotes self-employment & SHGs (Self-Help Groups) for rural poor.
• Focus on skill development, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion.

11. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) – 2000

• Launched by Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government.
• Aim: Provide all-weather road connectivity to rural habitations.

12. Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) – 2014

• Launched by PM Narendra Modi on 11 October 2014.
• Aim: Each MP adopts villages for holistic model village development.

13. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) – 2016

• Launched in 2016.
• Aim: Develop rural clusters with urban-like facilities (smart villages).

14. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) – 2016

• Replaced Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY).
• Aim: Provide pucca houses to all rural poor by 2024.

15. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) – 2014

• A placement-linked skill development programme for rural youth (15–35 years).

16. Digital India Programme – 2015

• Strengthens digital infrastructure in rural areas.
• Promotes e-Governance, digital literacy, and online services.

17. Mission Antyodaya – 2017

• Launched by Ministry of Rural Development.
• Aim: Poverty-free India by 2022 (extended further) by improving Gram Panchayat development indicators

Rural Development Programmes in India