Initiative to improve Human Development Index in Vidarbha

In a major initiative, the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF) and the Maharashtra government have launched a high-impact Human Development Index project to improve the quality of life in the poor-performing talukas of the Vidarbha region.

The BRLF was set up by the Government of India as an independent society under the Ministry of Rural Development to scale up civil society action in partnership with the central and state governments.

The initiative, which is taken ahead by Human Development Commissionerate (HDC) of Maharashtra government, started on May 1, 2022, will go on till April 30, 2023.

The project will focus on proper monitoring and effective implementation of the existing schemes for the education and health of the HDC department. It will also enable deeper engagement with the poor community in a cluster approach to planning and implementing smart, innovative best-suited livelihoods interventions.

Kuldeep Singh, Chief Operating Officer, BRLF, said that this project will be implemented in 23 blocks of Maharashtra by six civil society organizations (CSOs) in partnership with the Tribal Development Department and HDC, Maharashtra.

The project is expected to leverage Rs. 56 crores from various schemes under HD Department benefitting 25,000 households.

Nitin Patil, Commissioner, HDD, Maharashtra, said that the department would cover ultra-poor households in the selected blocks through this project.

“Our partnership with BRLF would help facilitate knowledge management, implementation, and coordination with CSOs and set up monitoring and evaluation frameworks,” he said.

The HDD will coordinate with line departments like MGNREGA, Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED), MAHIM, State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), Water Resource Department (WRD), Forest, Horticulture, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, and other related State Government Departments for creating convergence in livelihood options for the targeted households.

The project will improve the living standard and well-being of 25,000 poor households, improve the well-being of women and adolescent girls by addressing the gender-based inequities, ensure effective implementation of ongoing health and education scheme and provide technical support to the HDC department for the implementation of livelihoods interventions, especially in agriculture, Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), and natural resource management.