• The ministry of rural development and agriculture ministry jointly launched a training programme for ‘Krishi Sakhis’ to promote natural farming.

• The programme was launched under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). 

• The initiative is aimed at training 50,000 ‘Krishi Sakhis’ to give them certification in a phased manner by the National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF), a subordinate office of the agriculture ministry, which will be the nodal institution for this programme. 

• Training modules have been prepared by the NCONF and sent to the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) for the final review.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission

• Aajeevika-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the ministry of rural development in June 2011. 

• It was later renamed as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

• DAY-NRLM is a flagship poverty alleviation program implemented by the ministry of rural development. 

• It aims to reduce poverty by enabling the poor household to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities resulting in sustainable and diversified livelihood options for the poor. 

• This is one of the world’s largest initiatives to improve the livelihoods of the poor.

• DAY-NRLM seeks to reach out to around 10 crore rural poor households in a phased manner and organise one woman member from each household into affinity-based women self-help groups (SHGs) and federations at village level and at higher levels.

• The Mission is for creating efficient and effective institutional platforms for the rural poor enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services. 

• It will then provide them long-term support to diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life.

The Mission seeks to achieve its objectives through investing in four core components:

i) Social mobilisation and promotion and strengthening of self-managed and financially sustainable community institutions of the rural poor.

ii) Financial inclusion.

iii) Sustainable livelihoods.

iv) Social inclusion, social development and access to entitlements through convergence.

• The Mission has covered 7,091 blocks spread over 742 districts across all states and Union Territories except Delhi and Chandigarh. 

• More than 9.54 crore women have been mobilised into 87.39 lakh SHGs.

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