(Pervez Bari): The World Bank has lauded effective implementation of District Poverty Initiative Project, (DPIP), in Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Madhya Pradesh during the half-yearly review of the scheme.
In a letter to Chief Secretary R. Parasuram, Bank’s India based Country Head Ono Ruhul has lauded the outstanding work undertaken to ensure upliftment of targetted rural families in the second phase of DPIP in the state and congratulated him on this achievement. Under the project’s second phase, targets have been successfully achieved during the last 3 years. Concerted efforts have also been made for economic upliftment of rural beneficiaries and improving their living conditions. Special success has been achieved in poor rural women’s empowerment and ensuring increase in their income.
World Bank team had undertaken the mid-year review of the project from November 19 to 27 and December 6 to 7. The team had visited villages in the project areas and witnessed result-oriented improvement in the lives of beneficiaries. The team members had also called on Additional Chief Secretary Panchayats & Rural Development Mrs. Aruna Sharma and DPIP’s Project Coordinator L.M. Bemwal and held discussions with them on livelihood promotion activities through the project in targeted villages.
Under the second phase of the DPIP, so far 3,17,248 lakh poor rural women have been connected with 27,564 self-help groups for their livelihood promotion. As many as 3295 Village Upliftment Societies are playing active role in livelihoods promotion activities. These efforts have led to increase in the income of self-help groups’ members. Besides, financial condition of members of livelihood clusters and producer companies has also improved. Targets of youths’ self-employment and skill development have also been achieved successfully. Over 90,000 youths have participated in 229 job fairs in rural areas in which 17,817 have got jobs.
Financial assistance is being provided through bank linkage to self-help groups. During the period under review, funds amounting to Rs.193.7 crore were made available to livelihood investment. These women deposited about Rs.18.75 crore as saving. Besides, bank linkage worth Rs.12.7 crore was also provided to 3,182 self-help groups. Cases of bank linkage have doubled as compared to past. Besides motivating self-help group members, loans are also being repaid to banks smoothly.
As the first federation of self-help groups at cluster level, Community Financial Organisation was constituted at Pichhore Cluster in Shivpuri district of the state. On the project’s initiative, villagers have formed 18 producer companies. Of these, 15 are agriculture-based, 2 milk business-based and one poultry farming-based. There are over 46 shareholders in these companies. During the year 2011-12, these companies’ turnover was over Rs.40.81 crore. Shareholders of these companies include small and marginal farmers and poor women. (pervezbari@eth.net)