DAY-NULM
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Urban Livelihoods Mission
DAY-NULM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Urban Livelihoods Mission) is the government's comprehensive urban poverty alleviation programme. Renamed from the earlier SJSRY (Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana) in 2013 and subsequently renamed DAY-NULM in 2016, it addresses the multidimensional poverty of India's urban poor through five interlocking components.
**Five Components of DAY-NULM:**
**1. Social Mobilisation — SHG Formation:**
Urban poor women (aged 18–65, annual family income below poverty line) are mobilised into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) of 10–15 members. SHGs open joint savings accounts and receive a revolving fund of ₹10,000. SHGs are federated into Area Level Federations (ALFs) and City Livelihood Centres (CLCs). SHG members save monthly and give each other loans from the corpus before accessing bank credit.
**2. Capacity Building — Skill Training:**
Market-linked skill training for urban poor in high-demand trades: construction, electronics repair, hospitality, retail, beauty, healthcare assistant, etc. Duration: 3–6 months. Stipend: ₹1,500–₹2,000/month during training. Placement assistance after training. Skills aligned to local industry demand.
**3. Self-Employment — Enterprise Loans with Subsidy:**
SHG members and urban poor can access bank credit for individual or group enterprises with government interest subsidy:
- Individual micro-enterprise: bank loan, subsidy = 25% of project cost (max ₹10,000)
- Group enterprise: bank loan, subsidy = 35% of project cost (max ₹50,000)
**4. Shelter for Urban Homeless:**
Permanent shelters with dormitory facilities, lockers, toilets, potable water, first aid, information boards for urban homeless. Cities must provide shelter capacity of at least 1 per 1 lakh urban population.
**5. Support for Street Vendors:**
Identity cards, SHG formation, vendor markets (Hawker Zones), market credit. This component has now been significantly subsumed by the dedicated PM SVANidhi scheme.
Key Objectives
- Reduce urban poverty through SHG formation, skill training, and enterprise support.
- Enable urban poor women's economic empowerment through SHG-bank linkage.
- Provide skill training and placement assistance to urban youth and adults.
- Provide dignified shelter to urban homeless — the most vulnerable urban group.
- Support street vendors through market infrastructure and credit access.
Benefits
Eligibility
- Urban poor — below poverty line or near-poor urban households
- Urban women aged 18–65 for SHG formation
- Urban poor youth (18–35) for skill training
- Urban homeless for shelter facilities
- Urban street vendors for vendor support
- Must be resident of the urban area (within ULB limits)
- SHG membership requires minimum savings discipline
- Enterprise loan requires viable business plan
How to Apply
Step 1: Contact your Urban Local Body (municipal corporation/council) NULM desk
Step 2: Alternatively, approach the nearest City Livelihood Centre (CLC) if established in your city
Step 3: For SHG: form a group of 10–15 urban poor women, approach ULB NULM officer to register
Step 4: For skill training: register on your city's NULM skill training portal or at CLC
Step 5: For enterprise loan: SHG members apply through bank with ULB recommendation
Step 6: For shelter: homeless persons contact city's night shelter facility directly
Required Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I join or form an SHG under NULM?
To join an existing SHG: contact your municipal ward office's NULM desk — they will connect you with an active SHG in your area. To form a new SHG: gather 10–15 urban poor women from your neighbourhood, approach the ULB NULM officer to register the group, open a joint savings account at a bank, and start monthly savings. The ULB will verify the group and provide the ₹10,000 revolving fund after the group is operational for 3–6 months.
What skills are taught under NULM training?
Market-linked skills with local employment demand: construction (mason helper, plumber, electrician), hospitality (food preparation, housekeeping, front desk), healthcare assistant (nursing aide, phlebotomy), beauty and wellness, retail, IT/data entry, garment making, and security services. Training duration is 3–6 months with ₹1,500–₹2,000/month stipend. Placement assistance through NULM's industry partnerships.
What is the difference between NULM and PM SVANidhi?
PM SVANidhi is specifically for urban street vendors — it provides a focused ₹10,000→₹50,000 loan ladder with digital incentive. NULM is a broader urban poverty mission covering SHG formation, skill training, enterprise support, and shelter. Many street vendors benefit from BOTH: PM SVANidhi for working capital loans, and NULM for SHG formation, skill upgrading, and market infrastructure (hawker zones).