Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) and Rural Development: Enhancing India’s Rural Landscape

Rural development is an essential component for national growth and development. In India, 67% of population is residing in rural areas for which there are various initiatives have been implemented by Government of India. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (hereafter SAGY) has emerged as a significant initiative that fosters holistic development in rural areas and transforms rural India through inclusive and sustainable development. SAGY Scheme was launched on 11th October 2014 (birth anniversary of Lok Nayak Shri Jayaprakash Narayan) with its aim to transform villages into Saansad Adarsh Grams. Under SAGY, the Members of Parliament (hereafter MPs) are empowered to choose and develop model villages across the country. SAGY in mainly came with three distinct features, i.e. demand driven, inspired by society and based on people participation. This paper is an attempt to review the selected literature for assessing the impact and effectiveness of the SAGY Scheme in rural development. It examined crucial factors, including the selection of Gram Panchayats (hereafter GPS), community participation, convergence of government schemes, infrastructure development, human development, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The review of available literature shows that the SAGY scheme has made significant progress in rural areas by transforming villages into Saansad Adarsh Grams. The paper highlighted that still there is a need to address the challenges before the SAGY i.e. limited resources, inadequate administrative capabilities, and insufficient monitoring systems in order to ensure the successful implementation of the Scheme.