Global News Post: Rural Development

India: Bio-toilets to Bring about Rural Revolution in the Country, Says Rural Development Minister

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Union Minister of Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh, the Defence Minister, A. K. Antony and the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Srikant Kumar Jena visiting the Bio-Digester based toilets, during the MoU Exchange function between DRDO & Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for Implementation of Bio-Digester based Eco-friendly Toilets in Gram Panchayats, in New Delhi on July 26, 2012. Photo © PIB<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">NEW DELHI (PIB) --- The Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Jairam Ramesh said that one lakh bio-toilets will be installed in about 300 backward Gram Pachayats of the country in the next two years to make them open defecation free. He said, the project will entail a cost of 150 crore rupees in the first phase.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">He was speaking here after the signing of an MoU between DRDO and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for Bio-Digester based Eco-friendly toilets developed by DRDO.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ramesh said, his Ministry has also offered to install with DRDO built bio-toilets in all new railways coaches and to share half the cost of retrofitting all existing 50,000 coaches in the next four to five years. He informed that the whole project will cost about 500 crore rupees and offered to share the burden on a 50-50 basis with the Railways. He said, the measure will not only prevent the corrosion of tracks but will also provide odourless toilets to passengers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Minister said there are three dimensions to sanitation challenge in India and the solution must be found with an obsession to tackle the same. Referring to the fact that 60 percent of all open defecations in the world happen in India, Ramesh promised to make the country open defecation free in the next ten years. He said 11 million passengers travel every day by train and at present waste is dumped directly on to the tracks because of the existing toilet system in trains. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Minister said the third aspect of the sanitation problem is that there are still 15 lakh in-sanitary latrines in the country, where manual scavenging is widely prevalent.  Ramesh said, the DRDO technology is an important route and not a magic bullet, but he expressed the hope that in the long run it will bring about a revolution in the rural areas, if pursued in a mission mode manner.</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: Bio-toilets to Bring about Rural Revolution in the Country, Says Rural Development Minister

The Union Minister of Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh, the Defence Minister, A. K. Antony and the Ministe...

India: Schemes for Development of Rural Industries

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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">New Delhi (PIB) --- </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Union Cabinet Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Virbhadra Singh told Rajya Sabha today that, the Ministry of MSME is implementing a credit-linked subsidy programme named Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) since 2008-09 all over the country, including in drought, flood, cyclone, storms and tsunami affected areas. Under PMEGP, margin money subsidy and entrepreneurship training is provided to beneficiaries for setting up of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector. The scheme is implemented through field offices of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs) and District Industries Centres (DICs) with the involvement of Banks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">General category beneficiary can avail of margin money subsidy of 25% of the project cost in rural areas and 15% in urban areas. For beneficiaries belonging to special categories such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBC, minorities, women, ex-servicemen, physically handicapped, beneficiaries belonging to NER, hill and border areas, etc., the margin money subsidy is 35% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. The maximum cost of project is Rs. 25 lakh in the manufacturing sector and Rs.10 lakh in the service sector. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: Schemes for Development of Rural Industries

New Delhi (PIB) --- The Union Cabinet Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Virbhadra Singh told Rajya Sabha today that, the M...

Rural Development Ministry Proposes 40% Increase in Sanitation Projects

Rural Development Ministry Proposes 40% Increase in Sanitation Projects

New Delhi (PIB) --- The Union government is seriously considering to 40 percent increase for sanitation sector in the annual budget this y...

India: PM Calls for Asia-Africa Cooperation for Agriculture and Rural Development

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing at the<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Inauguration of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Afro-Asian<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Rural Development Organization, in New Delhi on<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">March 05, 2012.</span><i> PIB Photo<o:p></o:p></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">NEW DELHI (NNN-UNI) --Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for joint efforts by Asia and Africa for a global regime to access funds and green technologies for rural socio-economic growth and for best outcomes at climate change negotiations and the upcoming Rio 20 conference in Brazil. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span>"We have to work together to build a favourable international regime that enables us to access funds and green technologies for rural economic and social growth. We should put our heads together to work for the best outcomes at the climate change negotiations and the forthcoming Rio 20 conference in Brazil," he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In his address at the inaugural session of the golden jubilee celebrations of Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation, the Prime Minister said there was also need to tackle short-term and long-term environmental challenges faced by the two economies. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He called upon scientists and experts to reflect on technologies and processes that are most suitable for rural conditions and circumstances, both in Africa and Asia. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Calling for encouraging more investment and trade in agriculture between Asia and Africa and the role of private sector in this, Dr Singh said Indian investment was flowing into Africa in agro-processing, agricultural machinery and floriculture. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He stressed on encouraging investment flows and Indian farm technologies and practices relevant for African conditions. -- NNN-UNI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: PM Calls for Asia-Africa Cooperation for Agriculture and Rural Development

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing at the Inauguration of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Afro-Asian Rural Development Org...

India and AARDO in Search of New Horizons

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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">By Debajani Baxipatra<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">India had played a leading role in struggle for political emancipation of many nations of Africa.  The Mahatma once said “India’s heart pines for Africa”. Due to shared history, commonality of issues and challenges and geopolitical reasons India has been a strong votary and architect of solidarity and cooperation among Afro-Asian nations.  From Bandung to hey days of Non-alignment and pinnacle of South-South Cooperation India has always stood up for a closer relationship and collective approach among the countries of the region on every possible sphere.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) is the culmination of a unique camaraderie and resolve in exploring innovative and effective ways and means to strengthen cooperation between Asia and Africa in the field of rural development.  AARDO is one of the earliest examples of South-South cooperation in rural development in the Afro-Asian region.  It is an autonomous inter-governmental organisation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Notwithstanding the growing and rapid urbanization of the countries of the region, an average 68 per cent of population in the region still live in rural areas.  More than two-thirds of the world population lives in this region.  Paradoxically, three-fourth of world’s poor also live here.  No doubt poverty is a global phenomenon; it however does not affect every region of the world equally.  Worldwide 2.7 billion people live on less than $2 a day, and 1.1 billion people live on under $1 a day. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In Sub-Saharan Africa almost 50% of the population lives on under $1 a day.  Thirty-two of the world’s forty eight poorest countries are located in this region.  Similarly, Southeast Asia account for approximately half of the world’s poor.  Of a population of 1.3 billion, 85% live on less than $2 a day.  The East Asia/Pacific region is home to 1.8-2 billion people, making it one of the most populous regions on earth.  About 50% of the population here too lives on less than $2 a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thus the whole Afro-Asian region in general and the rural areas of the region in particular are afflicted by extreme poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Poverty is the greatest affront on human rights, dignity, and development.  Many of the conflicts witnessed in the countries of the region are directly attributable to extreme poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To banish extreme poverty and allied scourges from the face of the earth in a time bound manner by 2015 through a global partnership, UN adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  As a natural corollary, AARDO in its New Delhi Declaration of 2007 undertook to achieve the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and agreed to carry forward the spirit of cooperation for rural development, to begin with, among AARDO member countries and strive to enlarge cooperation with others in the year to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The principal objective of AARDO has been the promotion of understanding among member countries for better appreciation of each other's problems.  To realise these objectives, AARDO has been implementing a number of concerted programmes on triennial basis.  During the triennium 2006-2008, all out efforts were made to consolidate the existing activities of AARDO, namely, training programmes, workshops, seminars, deputation of experts, development pilot projects, dissemination of information and at the same time, initiate new programmes such as new training courses, regional level workshops/seminars and study visits, action research studies, meeting of heads of training institutes and regional representatives to discuss and review technical programmes, etc. AARDO also aims to help the member countries in obtaining financial and technical assistance for rural development programmes from the financial and other specialised institutions like World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), African Development Bank (AFDB) etc.Another major plank for AARDO has been collaboration with appropriate international and regional organisations, including the UN agencies and national level bodies both governmental and non-governmental, in the developed and developing countries, for the purpose of taking such actions as may accelerate the pace of rural development.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">AARDO has also been assisting in the development of organisation of farmers and other rural people including the cooperatives for accelerating rural development in the member countries.  It is in this backdrop that India’s experience and phenomenal success in the field of agriculture and rural reconstruction are of critical value to the AARDO member states many of which are still struggling to grapple with the issue of how to fast pace the development of their rural areas by eradicating thirst, hunger, illiteracy, disease and poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">From the dawn of independence one of the most abiding and absorbing tasks for our successive governments has been to develop millions of our villages where over 70 per cent of our people live.  Keeping with the urgency of bridging the gulf, 5-year plans set out and achieved ambitious tasks of rural reconstruction.  The methodology, strategy, orientation and trajectory were changed and adjusted, but the focus remained the improvement of the quality of life in our rural areas.  Tenth Five-Year Plan had outlined India’s human development goals and targets for the next five to 10 years.  Most of these are related to and are more ambitious than the Millennium Development Goals. Emanating from this is “Bharat Nirman” – a time bound business like programme for specific targets of rural infrastructure development by 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To match up with the renewed emphasis and new mood of reaching out development in rural areas also called for a change in approach, a paradigm shift was hence introduced with more and more rural development programme becoming demand driven i.e. not limited by budget, programmes are also aiming at universal coverage.  The new mantra for rural development is to foster an “inclusive growth” which does not leave out the vast majority of rural populace from the ambit of growth and development taking place in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">India’s concern for poverty eradication and emancipating the rural population from the scourge of hunger transcends her national boundaries as India always believes that poverty is indivisible and is the single biggest cause for conflict among communities and nations and hence need to be combated concertedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The formation of Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) (earlier known as Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organisation) in 1962 underscored the far-sightedness of the social and political leaders of Asia and Africa in recognising the need for cooperation among the countries in the field of agriculture and rural development.  The “Copenhagen Declaration” described poverty as “….. a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Time has therefore come to strengthen AARDO to enable it to take a holistic approach to address the rural poverty as defined by the “Copenhagen Declaration” so that its mission and objectives can be taken beyond the realms of semantics.  This can be achieved by bringing together   many of the nations of Africa and Asia, which are still not members of AARDO and also by broadening its purview.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The forthcoming Golden Jubilee celebration of AARDO being held in New Delhi on 5-6th, March, 2012 shall provide a new fillip and also an apt platform to the 29 member nations to share their experiences and explore new areas of cooperation.  (PIB Feature)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Disclaimer:</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">  </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The views expressed by the author in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of PIB or Global News post. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The author is Lecturer at Delhi University.</span></div></div>

India and AARDO in Search of New Horizons

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India: Government and World Bank Sign an Agreement to Improve Livelihoods for 300,000 Village Households

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Government and World Bank Sign an Agreement worth US $130 Million to Improve Livelihoods for 300,000 Village Households in North Eastern States</span></i></b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">NEW DELHI<span class="apple-style-span"> (PIB) --- </span>The Government of India and the World Bank today signed an IDA credit of US$ 130 million to finance the Government of India’s (GOI) efforts to empower rural communities in the growth-deficient North East (NE) region to improve their livelihood opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlxyv2LETn6mWhGsdaQKDr9AASQwOar-ZZjnUiPD1sSQ139XgMZcCA86MJ6jRfTYL9P7OmUV93I5AM_-aD4C287yTJcJA8C5EQNmuGdeRj-RLpMrL2aIHZxBQNxXy7o7_KML5inTpY9Y/s1600/l2012012038711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlxyv2LETn6mWhGsdaQKDr9AASQwOar-ZZjnUiPD1sSQ139XgMZcCA86MJ6jRfTYL9P7OmUV93I5AM_-aD4C287yTJcJA8C5EQNmuGdeRj-RLpMrL2aIHZxBQNxXy7o7_KML5inTpY9Y/s640/l2012012038711.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: '\'Trebuchet MS\''; font-size: 8pt;">The Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance,</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><u1:p></u1:p>  <div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: '\'Trebuchet MS\''; font-size: 8pt;">Venu Rajamony, the Project Director, D. L. Wankhar and the Country Director for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:country-region u2:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place></st1:place></st1:country-region>,</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><u1:p></u1:p>  <div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: '\'Trebuchet MS\''; font-size: 8pt;">World Bank, Mr. Roberto Zagha signed an US$ 130 Million Agreement to improve livelihoods</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><u1:p></u1:p>  <div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: '\'Trebuchet MS\''; font-size: 8pt;">for 300,000 village households in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:placename u2:st="on">North</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:placename> </span><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:placename u2:st="on">Eastern</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placetype u2:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:placetype>, in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:place u2:st="on"><st1:city u2:st="on">New Delhi</st1:city></st1:place></st1:place></st1:city><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>on January 20, 2012. Photo</i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) will enhance the livelihoods of the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged in eight districts of the four participating states- Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South, West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Despite its rich natural resources and relatively good human development indicators, the North East (NE) region lags behind the rest of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> in important parameters of growth. Almost 35 percent of its predominantly rural population lives below the poverty line; agricultural productivity is low; and high school drop-out rates and lack of skills have led to high unemployment among the youth. This low-growth scenario is exacerbated by problems of geographical inaccessibility, protracted insurgency in some areas, and recurring natural disasters. Recognizing the urgent need to put economic growth on track in the NE, the Government of India developed the North Eastern Region (NER) Vision 2020, endorsed by all NE states. The Vision envisages using a partnership-approach with all relevant stakeholders to make interventions responsive to people’s needs and aspirations for a better quality of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The agreements for the North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) were signed by Shri Venu Rajamony, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; Shri D. L. Wankhar, Project Director on behalf of the North East Rural Livelihoods Project; and Mr. Roberto Zagha, World Bank Country Director in India. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The Project seeks to develop an institutional platform for the communities, which will help them link up with the private sector, public sector, and civil society and to acquire the institutional, technical, and financial capacity needed for improving their livelihoods. Global development experience shows that absolute poverty can be overcome by equipping a member of the household (especially a youth) with employable skills. A separate activity for skills development and job placement has thus been included in the project to ensure that such opportunities are available to the rural poor. Some livelihood opportunities envisaged under the Project include natural resource management activities such as forest management, non-timber forest produce storage and processing, horticulture, preservation of riverine fishes, water harvesting and recharging of ground/surface water in the villages; community-based infrastructure activities like upgrading of small agricultural link roads, micro hydro-power schemes, wind-cum-solar mills, to name a few. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The Project comprises four main components (i) Social Empowerment; (ii) Economic Empowerment; (iii) Partnership Development and (iv) Project Management. The first component seeks to help rural communities to create sustainable institutions so that they can manage common activities around microfinance, livelihoods and natural resource management. The second component will provide funds to the community institutions to undertake various livelihood activities, as well as provide self-entrepreneurship opportunities to unemployed youth. To enable this, the Project with help develop partnerships with various formal financial intermediaries - such as microfinance institutions, commercial banks, development financial institutions such as National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), and specialized funding agencies such as North East Development Finance Institution (NEDFI) – and with the private sector and civil society to allow rural communities to access technical and marketing support. The project management component facilitates the implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, learning and quality enhancement efforts of the project. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, has a final maturity of 25 years, including 5 year grace period.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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India: Government and World Bank Sign an Agreement to Improve Livelihoods for 300,000 Village Households

Government and World Bank Sign an Agreement worth US $130 Million to Improve Livelihoods for 300,000 Village Households in North Eastern St...

Government of India and World Bank sign US$ 1 Billion Agreement to give a major boost to Rural Livelihoods

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfsEHEdUs2F9AP4un1xGUN63j4bX-ROS0sEJFU9z4RkJFIJzK0S6PUxT1vPDzoiWJ1KxbTakYdhADeMufQxaC1KrZJgd_9B7XT8FS3LC3DPdfAlW_u-Wb39UKGJk568f1quhngMBeKMyZ/s1600/worldbank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfsEHEdUs2F9AP4un1xGUN63j4bX-ROS0sEJFU9z4RkJFIJzK0S6PUxT1vPDzoiWJ1KxbTakYdhADeMufQxaC1KrZJgd_9B7XT8FS3LC3DPdfAlW_u-Wb39UKGJk568f1quhngMBeKMyZ/s320/worldbank.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">The Acting Country Director World Bank, Mr. Hubert Nove Josserand and the Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Shri Venu Rajamony exchanging the signed documents of an Agreement between World Bank and Ministry Of Rural Development on $ 1 Billion loan for National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), in the presence of Union Minister for Rural Development, Shri Jairam Ramesh and the Ministers of State for Rural Development, Shri Pradeep Jain and Ms. Agatha Sangma, in New Delhi on July 18, 2011.</span></b></i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The Government of India and the World Bank today signed a Credit Agreement of US$1 billion (approximately Rs. 4,600 crores) for the National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP). The Project will strengthen the implementation of the Government of India’s newly launched National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). The NRLM is one of the world’s largest poverty reduction initiatives,</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">aiming to reach 350 million people (almost a quarter of India’s population), with an outlay of approximately US$ 6.5 billion.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Welcoming the NRLP, Minister for Rural Development, Mr. Jairam Ramesh said “I am delighted that the NRLP is being launched. This is a critical project that will help scale up our battle against poverty across the country, through the activation of self-help groups, skill building, and other innovative livelihood interventions among BPL households. NRLP will specifically focus on 12 states which have the highest number of poor people, thereby creating a major impact on poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The NRLM will help us move 70 million BPL households out of poverty over the next ten years through a time-bound, demand driven process.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Scaling-up Innovations</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The NRLP will help scale up the successes of past livelihood initiatives, particularly to other lagging regions of the country. So far, World Bank supported livelihoods projects in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu have mobilized some 35 million rural poor since 2000.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Under the aegis of the NRLM, the NRLP will now support specific additional investments in the 12 states that have the highest numbers of poor people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>These States, namely Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal account for almost 85 percent of India’s rural poor.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">NRLM: An Innovative Approach to Poverty Alleviation</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Deriving lessons from the state rural livelihoods initiatives, the NRLM will adopt a saturation approach – one that aims to bring at least one member, preferably a woman member, of each of the 70 million rural BPL households under the SHG network.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>As of now, about 30 million rural BPL families are covered under the SHG net. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">NRLM will lay special emphasis on making agriculture-related livelihoods more productive and more sustainable, given the fact that more than 70 percent of the rural populace derives their livelihoods from agriculture.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Another innovation that NRLM will be scaling up is the use of social capital created under various rural livelihoods programs; expansion of coverage of the program in a rapid and effective manner; and knowledge dissemination.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Key proposed initiatives include:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">· Investing in building people’s institutions namely Self Help Groups (SHG) and Federations of SHGs at village, cluster, block and district levels;<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">· Promoting thrift-based groups and promoting financial discipline;<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">· Investing in financial literacy & business planning as a core activity of SHG formation; and<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">· Helping SHGs address the livelihood needs including consumption purposes (such as health emergency, child education) and income generating activities.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The two major shifts under NRLM, vis-a-vis its predecessor program, the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) are:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">(i)NRLM will be a demand driven program - States will formulate their own poverty reduction action plans based on their past experience, capacities and resources.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">(ii)NRLM will provide for a professional support structure that will enable effective program implementation at all levels from State to sub-district level. Eventually, it is expected that people’s institutions will replace the external support structures by gradually taking over their roles and responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Expanding access to finance and private sector investments in rural India</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The NRLM aims to encourage thrift and prudent financial behavior, and institute mechanisms that will impart financial literacy and credit counseling. SHGs will be able to create the space for financial services providers to bring in a range of affordable financial services for the poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Current state livelihood programs have helped open 1.5 million SHGs accounts and 4.5 million savings accounts for the poor in commercial banks; set up 3000 help desks in commercial banks to facilitate banking services for poor clients and enabled 21,200 community institutions to function as village level “banking correspondents”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The Project will draw lessons from some of the current state livelihood programs that have, for example, enabled SHGs to access savings of more than US$1 billion which helped them make accumulated investments of US$9 billion over the last ten years in micro, small, and community enterprises. This resulted in expansion of rural markets and attracted several private sector and multinational firms to partner with these projects. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have leveraged nearly US$7.5 billion in credit from commercial banks, and achieved annual turnover of US$500 million through collective marketing of farm and non-farm produce. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Enabling voice and accountability</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The Project will help NRLM create an institutional platform by mobilizing rural poor, particularly women, into robust grassroots institutions of their own. These beneficiaries, with the strength of the group behind them, will then be able to exert their voice and enforce accountability over providers of educational, health, nutritional and financial services. This, based on past experience in several Indian states, is expected to have a transformational social impact, supporting India’s efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on Nutrition, Gender, and Poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Towards this end, NRLM will also focus on areas of the country such as Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts, desert areas etc.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Building job skills</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Supporting the rural poor in building their skills and capabilities for self-employment will enable them to graduate from dependence on safety nets to building productive assets of their own. Producer groups in agriculture, dairy, and the non-farm sector will be better able to upgrade technologies that will improve the productivity and quality of their products, access market information, develop value chains, attract the private and cooperative sector to do business with them, and negotiate fairer terms of trade for their products and services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>As an example, about 500,000 youth from poor households were trained and placed in leading companies like Nokia, Hyundai, Samsung, HSBC, Group 4, More, Future Group etc.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">NRLP will also invest in a robust Management Information System (MIS) which will help both the National and State-level Rural Livelihood Mission Management Units (i.e., NMMU and SMMUs) monitor the overall livelihood and financial performance of the SHGs and federations. The Project will also establish e-governance architecture for NRLM with use of ICT including mobiles up to the village level.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The credit is from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm – the Credit is on IDA terms with a maturity of 25 years, including a five year grace period. PIB<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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Government of India and World Bank sign US$ 1 Billion Agreement to give a major boost to Rural Livelihoods

The Acting Country Director World Bank, Mr. Hubert Nove Josserand and the Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Fin...