The National Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (NRLPS), an esteemed autonomous body under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), has officially announced the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BRAC International, a distinguished Global South-led organization renowned for its mission to empower people and communities.
The MoU, signed with the shared objective of advancing the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), a flagship initiative of the MoRD, marks a significant step towards inclusive development and poverty alleviation efforts in rural India.
The formalization of the partnership was overseen by key dignitaries, including Additional Secretary and CEO of NRLPS, Shri Charanjit Singh, and Country Lead for India at BRAC International, Ms. Shweta S Banerjee, in the esteemed presence of Joint Secretary (RL-1) of DAY-NRLM, Smt. Smriti Sharan, Director of DAY-NRLM, Mr. Raman Wadhwa, and Executive Director of BRAC International, Mr. Shameran Abed.
In his address, Shri Charanjit Singh remarked, “The DAY-NRLM mission has reached a stage where more than 100 million women members have been mobilized into community institutions.” He emphasized on the role of partnerships and leveraging BRAC’s global experience in reaching those furthest behind.
Smt Smriti Sharan conveyed, “this partnership is taking shape at a crucial juncture for DAY-NRLM, which has been steadfastly dedicated to universal and inclusive mobilization. With 100 million rural poor households mobilized already, our focus now shifts to uplifting ‘lakhpati didis’ through Samaveshi Aajeevika, an inclusive livelihood programme, while also ensuring the inclusion of the most marginalized in the SHG movement.”
Mr. Shameran Abed extended his gratitude to both DAY-NRLM and BRAC India team for their dedication in recognizing their respective strengths and coming to an agreement to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). He expressed BRAC’s readiness to collaborate with the Ministry in facilitating Samaveshi Aajeevika with the government taking the lead.
The Samaveshi Aajeevika program aims to foster self-confidence, social inclusion, and prosperity through inclusive livelihoods at the grassroots level. It will introduce comprehensive productive inclusion strategies to enhance the lives of marginalized populations, leveraging the globally tested and proven “Graduation approach” to the DAY-NRLM program.
Founded in Bangladesh in 1972, BRAC has expanded its reach to 17 countries, partnering with over 100 million people and delivering cost-effective, evidence-backed interventions. Notably, its “Graduation approach” has garnered global recognition and has been embraced by private organizations and governments worldwide, showcasing positive outcomes through extensive evaluations.
