International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666 Vol.1 Issue-3(1), September, 2014 Dr. A.Jagadeesh babu, Director – Professor, Vestal Academy of I.T.& Management. G.N.T. Road, Vatluru; Eluru. 534 007. West Godavari Dist. Andhra Pradesh. India. :- growth becomes inclusive and contributes to a significant reduction in rural poverty. It is in this context that XI Five Year Plan has adopted an Indian economy recorded a fairly high inclusive growth strategy of expanding GDP growth rate of 9.2 percent during livelihood opportunities to the excluded 2008-2013. Notwithstanding the social and occupational groups. relatively high growth rate, over 25 crore The rural poverty situation in India is rural population (45 million households) highly complex and greatly in the country remain locked in poverty. differentiated by geography, demography Contrary to the earlier estimates of rural and social class. Nearly 60 percent of the poverty, the Tendulkar Committee rural poor households are concentrated reported a rural poverty ratio of about in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, 42 percent. While the number of rural Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, people living on less than Rs.50/-(US$1)a Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These day decreased by 2.9 crores, the number states lag behind several others not only of rural people living on less than in terms of per capita income but also in Rs.62.5 ($1.25)a day grew by 3.5 crore human development outcomes. Some of during the same period. these states have also been witnessing The key challenge before the Indian Maoist insurgency. economy today is to ensure that its International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666 Vol.1 Issue-3(1), September, 2014 In addition, certain social and Lack of access to last-mile services occupational groups in these states have further intensifies their poverty and been bearing a disproportionate burden affects their food security, health and of rural poverty. The Scheduled Castes, nutritional status. the Scheduled Tribes, the Minorities, single Women and households headed by women, persons with disability, the India’s strong economic growth has landless and the migrant labor suffer a consistently sought to include the rural disproportionate impact of poverty. poor, who are concentrated in areas Apart from deprivation, isolateion and where rainfed agriculture is the main exclusion that these communities and economic activity. However, poverty groups are subjected to, their factor persists because of limited and endowments are very limited and a inequitable access to productive significant proportion of them live in resources, such as land, water, improved fragile ecological zones, experiencing inputs and technologies and rapid deletion of natural resources microfinance, as well as vulnerability to Nature of Rural Poverty. drought and other natural disasters. Low levels of literacy and skills conspire Rural poverty in India is multi- to keep people in the poverty trap, dimensional. It is influenced by systemic preventing them from claiming their factors as well as structural changes in basic rights or from embarking on new the economy and exhibits geographic activities to earn income or build assets. and social characteristics. Multi - Dimensionality of Poverty The Department for International Development of the United Kingdom Most of the poor rural households are (DFID) has made a substantial resource - poor. A vast majority of them contribution to improving rural belong to the socially marginalized livelihoods in India. This has been groups of the SCs, the STs, the mainly achieved by supporting minorities and those engaged in low programmes led by state governments in productivity occupations. A predominant Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya proportion of these households are Pradesh and West Bengal. These engaged in agricultural labor, even as programmes have adopted different agriculture sector has been experiencing approaches – from ‘watershed plus’ in a relative decline in Gross Domestic Andhra Pradesh and western Orissa to Product (GDP).In addition, the rural supporting Panchayat Raj institutions in poor have a limited skill base that Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal and restricts their occupational mobility to Integrated Tribal Development Agencies benefit from the urban- centric growth in southern Orissa. process. Poverty denies the poor households access to a wide range of However, the reduction of rural poverty markets and services, including credit. through livelihoods promotion has been International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666 Vol.1 Issue-3(1), September, 2014 a unifying goal. These programmes focus promotion of a ‘livelihoods approach’ in on some of the poorest and most remote the watershed programme in states such districts in these states and particularly as Andhra Pradesh lies in the desire to target women and socially excluded take a more inclusive approach to tribal and caste groups. The rural community development and directly livelihoods approach places people at the address some of the criticism that the centre of development, and programmes watershed programme, which is based on this approach help men and essentially land-based, does not benefit women build assets and develop their the poor, many of whom are landless. skills so that they can access new Such an approach focuses on people’s opportunities for income generation and livelihood assets and strategies. People’s employment. Most rural people depend own human capital – comprising the on natural resources and agriculture for skills, knowledge, ability to labour and their livelihoods and DFID-supported good health – is one asset on which they programmes pay particular attention to can draw. Hitherto, there has been the sustainable management of water, insufficient differentiation in land and forests. Particular packages of considering human capital within support are directed to the landless and livelihoods frameworks. In reality, to marginal farmers so they also have people’s human capital exhibits wide opportunities to benefit. diversity – including that attributable to disability – and livelihoods approaches need to reflect this. The DFID-supported Andhra Pradesh A Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) approach Rural Livelihoods Project (APRLP) aims to provide a wider view of poverty covers five districts in Andhra Pradesh, than conventional income-based with a total population of over 15 approaches. It recognises the importance million. The target group for the project of ability to access resources and are the rural poor in those districts, entitlements, reduce risk and estimated to be up to 40% of the vulnerability, and exercise voice; it population. There are likely to be at therefore emphasises that the poor do least 150,000 Profoundly disabled have assets, options and strategies, and people in the project’s target population, that they are decision- takers; its and probably many more affected by concern with ‘getting below the surface’ someun-enumerated form of disability. to informal institutions and processes is particularly important; and it offers the prospect of identifying entry points for pro-poor change, and of sequencing activities in such a way as to minimise The irrigated area in Andhra Pradesh the danger of appropriation of benefits (GoAP) forms about 40% of the net sown by local elites. The rationale for the area by different sources. Out of the International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666 Vol.1 Issue-3(1), September, 2014 total area irrigated, 46% is irrigated by optimally by stakeholders; Alleviate wells, 35% by canals, 14% by tanks and poverty with diversified livelihood remaining 5% by other sources. programs through newly constructed However, figures indicate that only 38% minor irrigation tanks for increasing of the geographical area is under Agricultural production and rural cultivation which supports almost bout income in the economically backward 65% of labour force engaged in areas of Andhra Pradesh. The tanks agriculture. Andhra Pradesh Irrigation created under Andhra Pradesh and Livelihood Improvement Project was Irrigation and Livelihood Improvement mooted to tap the vast untapped Project (APILIP) cover the districts of potential that improved irrigation holds Adilabad, Khammam, Prakasam, and its positively impact and rural Kadapa and Ranga Reddy and livelihoods. The Andhra Pradesh rehabilitation of the existing medium Irrigation and Livelihood Improvement irrigation projects that stabilizes ayacut Project (APILIP) was initiated to in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, increase the irrigation potential and Khammam, Nalgonda, Medak, create livelihood programmes in Vijayanagaram, Prakasam, Chittoor, subproject areas. The Japan Bank for Kurnool, Nellore, Kadapa and International Cooperation extended Ananthapur districts is another part of Special Assistance for Project Formation programme under Andhra Pradesh of Andhra Pradesh Irrigation and Irrigation and Livelihood Improvement Livelihood Improvement Project Project (APILIP). (APILIP). Consequently it was agreed by Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) and Japan International Cooperation The key objective of the project is Agency (JICA) that 55 new minor increasing the agricultural production in irrigation tanks will be formed and 20 the state of Andhra Pradesh by medium irrigation projects modernized constructing and rehabilitating in the next six years that will be irrigation facilities interspersed in the constructed or rehabilitated in two state and improving water