Sector Expert Consultation on Poverty

On 21st November, the sector expert consultation on poverty was organized at Amar Clark, Jaipur. The consultation was aimed to identify the most important interventions and ideas for alleviating poverty and improving the socio-economic sector of Rajasthan State. A total of 32 sector experts participated in the consultation.

A diverse range of sector experts attended the consultation from ARAVALI, BAIF, Accountability Initiative, UNICEF, CUTS International, Tata Trusts, CECOEDECON, Partners in Development (PiD), PRYATAN, Antakshari Foundation, PRIYA, Magic Bus, British High Commission, IIHMR, Action Aid and Rajasthan Agriculture Competitiveness Project.

A total of 52 interventions were listed by the sector experts

Interventions 

• Program and funds convergence at implementation level (for example MGNREGA and PMKSY) 
• Affordable and accessible health facilities
• Minimum support price for major agriculture produce
• Real cost of agriculture produces before deciding MSP
• Ensure already existing MSP to be available for all (discouraging the sale of produce below MSP)
• Mitigation mechanism for reducing the impact of climate change on agricultural output     
• Poverty reduction initiative to be linked to climate change issue 
• Better technology for coping with climate change 
• Better and inclusive planning for implementation, to start the process well in advance 
• Reducing out of pocket expenditure on health issue (expenditure shock) and provision of safety net to poor
• Enhancing coverage of crop insurance for 1) people who cultivate on others land (not the landowner but the who tactually cultivate –Batai system  2) the harm done by animals in agricultural system 
• Higher investment in health infrastructure and facilities to reduce the impact of expenditure shock 
• Impact analysis of existing scheme along with learning from the previous program 
• Human resources in Govt department at program implementation level 
• Participative planning of scheme by beneficiaries 
• Capacity building and sensitization of front-line workers as well functionaries on the ground 
• Support for treatment of Silicosis for the people affected by mining – implementation of safety regulation in mining area 
• Promoting the traditional knowledge (like Taka system)
• Preventive health care - by promoting traditional and ancient knowledge (like Yoga)
• Skill development Training for youth in remote area - providing training closer to their home 
• Better monitoring of existing programs 
• Village/ Gram panchayat to be considered as unit for planning of all poverty and income generation program  
• High unspent balance at district and block level 
• Prioritized employment oriented skill development program for youth in slum area 
• Better marketing facilities for local handicraft/produce  
• Activating the child protection committee at Gram Panchayat level 
• Interested based skilling for youth living in shelter homes 
• Reduce Inputs and technology cost for agriculture 
• Irrigated approach for health and poverty reduction 
• Increase awareness of existing schemes to all beneficiaries  
• Single window and online accessible platform to know the eligibility for different scheme 
• Awareness and promotion of preventive approach to health care 
• An overall guideline (in terms of regulation of Self-help Groups) along with Increase quality of SHGs through investment in training, exposure, etc
• Using Rejeevika MIS (Web-based Portal) to monitor SHGs and help in screening of their members 
• Bridge the gap in between planning and implementation process
• Regulation to ensure - Safety net for all labors engaged in various sector (like mining or MGNREGA)
• Comprehensive skill packages for indigenous and local community based on their interest  
• Mela/camp for awareness generation of existing scheme at village and block level 
• Comprehensive assessment of program by beneficiaries
• Promote use of vermicomposting for increasing productivity of agricultural field 
• Growth and development based approach to reducing poverty 
• Industry involvement in poverty reduction by providing jobs and employment
• Promote industrial cluster backward region of state 
• Women to be the key target for skill development program
• Development of peri-urban areas for reducing poverty 
• Reduce the intra-generational transfer of poverty by providing basic health and education to children (for the poorest of the poor)      
• Scaling Mitigating Poverty in Western Rajasthan (MPOWER) program to reduce poverty in the selected blocks, the poorest in the western Rajasthan.
• Local bank for SHG women in order to ensure the access to credit (an intervention of GoR)
• Strengthening governance and management of SHGs by providing training and exposure  
• Reducing the number of scheme to ensure better targeting and holistic saturation of target beneficiaries 
• Awareness about anemia and malnutrition (both in poor and rich) 
• Expenditure monitoring

List of Participants

• Ambuj Kishore, Program Director, ARAVALI 
• Balram Singh Solanki, Program Officer, BAIF 
• V. P. Sharma, Chief Project Coordinator, MSGD Jan Seva Nidhi Alwar
• Bharat Yadav, Program Coordinator, Shiv Shikshna Samiti
• Dharmmash Jadav, Consultant, UNICEF
• Tajuddin Khan, Paisa Associate, Accountability Initiative, New Delhi
• Ram Ratan, Sr. Paisa Associate -Rajasthan, Accountability Initiative 
• Ankite Luharia, Program officer, Action Aid
• Ratna Varma, Assistant Professor, IIHMR Jaipur
• Varun Sharma, Program Coordinator, ARAVALI
• Nilima Agrawal, Manager program, Magic Bus
•  Malti jain, Adviser, British High Commission 
• Manoj Agrawal, SPM, Rajeevika
• Mangilal, Child Protection Expert, Antakshari Foundation 
• Ramlal, PM, Antakshari Foundation
• Om Prakash, President, CFSD
• Dr Abha Malik, Director, Health, Environment and Development Consortium 
• Ms Shivani, Deputy Director, WORLD
• Balmukund Sharma, Sr Program officer, PRIA 
• Zola Zareen, Program Coordinator, CECOEDECON 
• Dharmendra Gautam, RI Consultant, UNICEF
• Rajeen Tiwari, Programe Director, Bhoruka Charitable Trust 
• Dr P S Khan, Project Coordinator, Rajasthan Agriculture Competitiveness Project 
• Amrat Singh, Chief Executive, Partners in Development (PiD)
• Malay Kumar, Chief Executive, PRAYTAN
• Nisheet Kumar Singh, Program Officer, SRKPS
• Jeetali Agami, Project Officer, CUTS International 
• Chhal Biharai Sharma, Chairperson, RUWA NFIW
• Vijay Goyal, Gen, Secretary, RIHR, Rajasthan
• Dr. Malli Gupta, Chairperson, Dist LCC Jaipur, Rajasthan University Women's Association (RUWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW)
• Rampal Choudhary, CFT, Antakshari Foundation