Raipur: Chhattisgarh will receive five national awards for outstanding work in the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Urban Livelihoods Mission. The Government of India has selected the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) and four urban bodies—Bilaspur, Raigarh, Champa, and Bhatapara—for the prestigious ‘SPARK-2023-24’ awards. These awards recognise excellent efforts in empowering urban poor families and enhancing their livelihood opportunities in the state. The award ceremony will be held on July 18 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. It will be organised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, and the Minister of State, Tokhan Sahu, will present the awards.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development Shri Arun Sao congratulated the SUDA team and the four urban bodies for this achievement, which brings pride to the state. He expressed gratitude to the central government for this honour. Under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, beneficiaries are being supported through social mobility, institutional development, self-employment, skill training, assistance to urban street vendors, and shelter schemes for the urban homeless. Dr. Basvaraju S., Secretary of the Urban Administration Department, also congratulated SUDA and the selected urban bodies. He stated that Chhattisgarh has been consistently performing well in this mission, which is committed to the economic and social empowerment of women and youth.
Shashank Pandey, Chief Executive Officer of SUDA, shared that these awards are being given for excellent work in empowering urban poor families and increasing their livelihood opportunities. Through the effective implementation of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), urban bodies have made significant improvements in the lives of the urban population. Beneficiaries in the state are continuously supported under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission and the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme.
Chhattisgarh will receive awards for outstanding urban development initiatives
Chhattisgarh is being recognised with national awards for its exceptional work under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). The state’s efforts in 2023–24 have yielded impressive results, including the formation of 2,653 women’s self-help groups, with 1,532 groups receiving revolving funds totaling Rs. 1.532 crore. Additionally, 123 area-level organisations and four city-level federations have been established to promote women’s empowerment. The state has distributed Rs. 23.5 lakh in grants to 47 area-level organisations and provided individual loans worth Rs. 31.17 crore to 3,028 beneficiaries for various businesses. Group loans totaling Rs. 7.73 crore have been provided to 1,352 members of 340 groups, and bank-linked loans amounting to Rs. 76.74 crore have been provided to 2,766 self-help groups for income-generating activities.
The state is also operating 47 shelter homes in 39 urban bodies, with four more under construction, to accommodate urban homeless individuals. As part of the street vendors’ assistance scheme, surveys have been conducted in all urban bodies, and vendor ID cards and certificates have been distributed. Twenty-five vending zones have been demarcated, and nine vending markets have been constructed and operationalised.
Recognising the crucial role of street vendors in supplying essential services and goods, the state is implementing the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme. A total financial assistance of Rs. 165.25 crore has been provided to needy individuals through banks under the PM SVANidhi scheme.