Antyodaya Diwas Day is annually observed across India on 25 September to commemorate the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, a prominent Indian political leader, philosopher, and the former President of the political party Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS), the predecessor party of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
- 25 September 2024 marks the 108th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
The day emphasises Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s concept of “Antyodaya“, meaning the rise and development of the last person in society.
- The goal of ‘Antyodaya’ is to end the practice of people living in extreme poverty in India.
Background:
i.On 25 September 2014, during the 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the Government of India (GoI) led by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi declared the 25 September of every year as Antyodaya Diwas Day.
- Antyodaya Diwas Day was declared a national observance to commemorate and recognise the efforts and contributions of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
ii.The 1st Antyodaya Diwas Day was observed on 25 September 2014.
Points to Note:
i.During the 1st Antyodaya Diwas Day, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), re-established Aajeevika Skills, a skill development initiative as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya – Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
- The MoRD launched a new program “NRLM” by restructuring and replacing the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) scheme with effect from April 2013.
ii.The NRLM was renamed as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) with effect from 2016 and is the flagship program of the Government of India (GoI).
iii.DAY-NRLM promotes poverty reduction by building strong institutions such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for the poor, particularly women, and enabling these institutions to access a range of financial services and livelihoods.
About Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY):
i.DDU-GKY is a skill training and placement program that aims to skill rural youth who are poor and provide them with jobs having regular monthly wages at or above the minimum wage.
- It is uniquely focused on rural youth between the ages of 15-35, from poor families.
ii.As part of the Skill India campaign, it supports Make in India, Digital India, Smart Cities and Start-Up India, and Stand-Up India campaigns.
About Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya:
i.Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was born on 25 September 1916, in the village of Nagla Chandrabhan in Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh (UP).
ii.He established the publishing house ‘Rashtra Dharma Prakashan’ in Lucknow (UP) and launched the monthly magazine ‘Rashtra Dharma’.
- Later he launched the weekly magazine ‘Panchjanya’ and then the daily magazine ‘Swadesh’.
iii.He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1937 and in 1951, he convened a state-level political convention of UP and founded the state unit of the new party, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS).
iv.From 1951 to 1967, for 16 years, he remained the General Secretary of the BJS and in 1967 he became its President.
- Integral humanism was a set of concepts drafted by Upadhyaya as a political program and adopted in 1965 as the official doctrine of the Jan Sangh.
v.In February 1968, he died near Mughalsarai Junction railway station in UP.
vi.Notable works : ‘Samrat Chandragupta(1946)’ , ‘Jagadguru Shankaracharya(1947)’, Akhand Bharat Kyon? (1952)and Bharatiya Arth Neeti: Vikas Ki Ek Disha (Indian Economic Policy: A Direction of Development) (1958).
