NULM renamed as DAY-NULM; extended to all urban local bodies

NEW DELHI, Feb 20:
The Government today announced renaming of National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) as “Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-NULM”, which will now cover all 4,041 statutory urban local bodies in the country.
Introduced in 2013, the programme, which will be named as “Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-Rashtriya Shahri Aajeevika Mission” in Hindi, is being currently implemented in 791 cities across the country covering all district headquarters, cities and towns with a population of above one lakh.
NULM seeks to enhance employment opportunities and incomes of the urban poor through skill development and training, setting up of individual and group micro-enterprises, formation of Self-Help Groups, building shelters for homeless, among others.
“Government has extended the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) to all the 4,041 statutory urban local bodies in the country,” an official release said.
“NULM is now renamed as ‘Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-NULM’ and in Hindi as ‘Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-Rashtriya Shahri Aajeevika Mission’,” it added.
Now all the states and Union Territories (UTs) have been empowered to implement DAY-NULM in all the remaining 3,250 statutory urban local bodies even if they have a population of less than one lakh each, the release said.
In all, DAY-NULM will benefit urban poor in 1,505 new towns in the North, 991 towns in the South, 375 in the West, 249 in the East and 130 more towns in the North-East.
Under ‘Employment through Skill Training and Placement’ component of DAY-NULM, an expenditure of Rs 15,000 per person is allowed on training of urban poor which is Rs 18,000 in North-East and Jammu and Kashmir, it said.
Under ‘Social Mobilisation and Institution Development’ through formation of Self-Help Groups for training members and hand holding, an initial support of Rs 10,000 is given for each group. For Registered Area Level Federations of such groups, assistance of Rs 50,000 is provided.
Urban poor are also assisted with interest subsidy of 5-7 per cent for setting up individual micro-enterprises with a loan of up to Rs 2 lakh and for group enterprises with a loan limit of up to Rs 10 lakhs, it said.
Cost of construction of shelters for urban homeless is fully funded under the scheme with each such shelter accommodating at least 50 homeless.
Other means of helping the urban poor is through setting up infrastructure for street vendors and innovative and special projects for rag pickers, differently abled etc, it added. (PTI)