Govt ensures unhindered rural development amid second wave of Covid

24 May 2021 CW Team

Amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has come up with ways to tackle rural development works across the nation.

To battle the pandemic in rural areas, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (Dsy-Nrlm) has come into action from April 8-14 to provide training to trainees on Covid-appropriate behaviours, vaccination and vaccine hesitancy and encourage good health-seeking behaviours and immunity building measures.

The mission has trained 13,958 state, districts and block-level nodal persons as master trainers in 34 SRLMs, 1,14,500 Community Resource Persons (CRP) by master trainers and 2.5 crore Women Self Help Groups (SHG) members by CRPs.

MoRD has also trained state and district nodal persons for capacity building and social development on managing the pandemic under Day-Nrlm.

To provide relief and boost job opportunities among women, Revolving Fund and Community Investment Fund has invested close to Rs 56 crore to women Self Help Groups in FY21 compared to Rs 32 crore last year.

The staff and community workers on-farm and non-farm based livelihoods are provided online training and Agri-Nutri gardens by SHG households are also promoted during the current scenario.

Amid the lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry has achieved completion of the highest length of road in the last three years.

In FY2021, the Cumulative Physical Progress and the Cumulative Expenditure has come across a hike to 1,795.9 km and Rs 1,693.8 respectively under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) from April 1 to May 12.

Image Source

Also read: Forecasted GDP rate for FY22 drops to 9.2%: Care Ratings

Infrastructure Urban

03 Apr 2026

Centre Disburses Over Rs 24,610 mn in XV Finance Commission Grants

The Union Government has released XV Finance Commission tied grants during the financial year 2025–26 to rural local bodies in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Sikkim and has released withheld portions of tied and untied grants to Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Tripura. The total disbursal exceeded Rs 24,610 mn, with figures expressed in million (mn) thereafter. The releases cover allocations pertaining to different financial years and aim to strengthen rural local governance. State-wise disbursements included Rs 3,324.6 mn for Punjab, Rs 9,432.7 mn for Madhya Pradesh, Rs 3,47..

Centre Releases Over Rs 15 bn as XV FC Grants to Rural Bodies

The Union Government has released over Rs 15 bn in grants recommended by the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in six states. The funds comprise tied and untied grants disbursed in FY 2025–26. Telangana received Rs 2.48 bn as the first instalment of untied grants for FY 2025–26, benefitting 12600 Gram Panchayats (GPs). Uttarakhand received Rs 913.1 mn as the second instalment and an additional Rs 18.4 mn of a withheld first instalment was released to a further 216 GPs. Mizoram is included among beneficiary st..

Government Assures Fuel Supplies And Seafarer Safety Amid West Asia Developments

The Government of India has stepped up coordinated measures to maintain stability in critical sectors as developments in West Asia continue to unfold. It has prioritised uninterrupted energy supplies, safeguarded maritime operations and extended consular assistance to nationals. Central authorities are working with State and Union territory administrations to ensure timely information dissemination and operational continuity. Refineries are reported to be operating at high capacity with adequate inventories of petrol and diesel, and domestic LPG production has been increased to support consump..