Critically discuss the performance of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) since its launch in 2013 towards reducing poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households.

National Rural Livelihood Mission is a project implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI that intends to alleviate poverty in India. It mainly focuses on the promotion of self-employment and organizing the rural poor into Self Help Groups to make them self dependent. In 2015, the scheme was succeeded by Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana.

Major components

• The NULM mission focuses on providing assistance for skill development to boost the capacity of the urban poor for self-employment or better-salaried employment.
• It focuses on providing financial assistance to individuals or groups of urban poor for setting up micro-enterprises in line with their skills, aptitude, training, and local conditions.
• Under this project, a multi-pronged approach has been planned for continuous capacity building of SHGs at Central, state, and city levels with aid from NGOs and other stakeholders.
• Under the project, permanent all-weather 24 x 7 shelters equipped with essential services will be constructed.
• It focuses on the promotion of novel initiatives in the form of innovative projects for sustainable approaches to urban livelihood through public, private, community partnerships.

Achievements

NULM is decided to be implemented in two phases i.e. Phase-I between 2013 and 2017 and Phase-II between 2017 and 2022. The funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in a certain ratio.

• Starting from 2014-15 to 2019, over 460,000 SHGs have been formed under the NULM project.
• About 5 lakhs beneficiaries have been helped for setting up micro-enterprises for self-employment.
• The project has made an agreement with several e-commerce platforms to provide market access to SHG’s products.
• More than thousands of shelters have been made functional.
• NULM street vendors have been provided proper identity cards.

Comment

As the economy of India is going to face a recession in 2020-21 due to a pandemic outbreak, job creation will be a big challenge and the situation could become worse as the migrant laborers have returned to their villages. The NULM project may create opportunities and become a light of hope for them.