[12] A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CENTRAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND DALIT EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MGNREGA, NRLM, PMAY-G, AND PMKVY
ARTICLE INFO: Date of Submission: Jan 17, 2026, Revised: Feb 10, 2026, Accepted: Feb 15 , 2026, CrossRef D.O.I : https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i2.2026.101-116. HOW TO CITE:Prakash Chandra Dilare (2026). A Systematic Review of Central Rural Development Policies and Dalit Empowerment through MGNREGA, NRLM, PMAY-G, and PMKVY. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 5(2), 101-116.
Abstract
The focus of Independent India has always been on the soul of India i.e. Rural Development and Social Justice. There was a crucial effort that Dalit empowerment was in the centre but various complexities are also found to be associated with it. The policies, their implication and their outcomes are highly dependent on their design, their true implementation and the intention of the removal of social discrimination. The current research study is a systematic review regarding the government approach of Dalit empowerment through various central rural development policies. These are MGNREGA, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, NRLM, National Rural Development Mission, PMAYG, PMKVY, PMKVY Pradhan Mantri, KaushalVikasYojana. These schemes were aimed for the rural development and they specially supported the Dalit society of rural India. The methods used in the current study is PRISMA framework and the literature analysed for the data came from the various government reports, academic journals and other empirical studies occurred between 2005-2014. From the research findings we came out with the idea that these all four policies have significantly increased the opportunities in employment, livelihood, housing and skill development for the Dalit communities. However, in context of empowerment there is uneven success across regions and groups that is highly based on the environmental factors and social factors. MGNREGA scheme helped to improve the financial security of Dalit workers but it also
suffered the waste discrimination and delay in the payment system. NRLM scheme promoted collective agency and self-help groups for the upliftment of Dalit women communities but it also faces institutional weakness and limited sustainability. PMAYG scheme on one hand improved housing quality and the social dignity for the Dalit communities but as limitation the land ownership issues and the local inequalities could not be fully addressed. PMKVY scheme provided various kinds of trainings in skill development, also provided the platform for the new job opportunities but the rural job absorption is significantly low. So the long term benefits from the PMKVY were not so significant. For the real Dalit empowerment not just the policy inclusion is required but on the ground level social support is necessary. It also requires the structural changes, intersectional understandings and the participatory governance and involvement of society and its stakeholders. The current report suggests an approach of convergence which combines economic, social and political empowerment for the sustainable rural development and Dalit empowerment.
