What is direct cash transfer scheme?

In a landmark step, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the much-awaited direct cash transfer scheme wherein the subsidy amount will go directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

The government will implement the scheme for cash transfer to the beneficiary's account in 51 districts from January 1, 2013.

About direct cash transfer scheme:It is a poverty reduction measure in which government subsidies and other benefits are given directly to the poor in cash rather than in the form of subsidies.

What are its benefits?: It can help the government reach out to identified beneficiaries and can plug leakages. Currently, ration shop owners divert subsidised PDS grains or kerosene to open market and make fast buck. Such Leakages could stop. The scheme will also enhance efficiency of welfare schemes.

How is it implemented?:The money is directly transferred into bank accounts of beneficiaries. LPG and kerosene subsidies, pension payments, scholarships and employment guarantee scheme payments as well as benefits under other government welfare programmes will be made directly to beneficiaries. The money can then be used to buy services from the market. For eg. if subsidy on LPG or kerosene is abolished and the government still wants to give the subsidy to the poor, the subsidy portion will be transferred as cash into the banks of the intended beneficiaries.

What are the scheme's disadvantages?:It is feared that the money may not be used for the intended purpose and men may squander it.

Has it already been implemented in India?Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) has already begun on a pilot basis in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Sikkim. The government claims the results are encouraging.

Are there any other drawbacks?Yes, because only Aadhar card holders will get cash transfer. As of today, only 21 crore of the 120 crore people have Aadhar cards. Two other drawbacks are that most BPL families don't have bank accounts and several villages don't have any bank branches. These factors can limit the reach of cash transfer.

What about elsewhere in the world?Many Latin American countries have conditional cash transfer schemes in which money is transferred to poor families through women. The money is given, subject to them ensuring that their children attend school regularly, take preventive healthcare measures and provide better nutrition to their children. The Indian scheme is unconditional.

What are the scheme's political implications? While many studies have assessed positive impacts of such schemes, few have looked at their political benefits. A World Bank study recently reported there is a direct link between cash transfers and voting behaviour. It was found beneficiaries express a stronger preference for the ruling party that implements and expands cash transfers.

Read more at:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/what-is-direct-cash-transfer/1/235028.html

27 days of JEEVIKA 90000 of fund leverage 100 farmers benefited @JEEVIKA Umariya

With JEEVIka we have established strong linkages with the government department from the day one of the beginning of the project. The linkages has established with NABARD, Panchayats, KVK and agriculture department. Now recently on 26th of Nov 2012 at Umariya (Madhya Pradesh, JEEVIKA project district) JEEVIKA project team of JDSS-Jabalpur has established linkages with the agriculture department and able to leverage certified seeds for 100+ farmers for the rabi cropping (Winter season cropping). An estimated cost of this leveraged seed is about 90000= ( Ninety thousand).

Here important aspects are ( In concern with Umariya):

• In the interior tribal belt community has started getting benefits of certified seeds rather than using hybrid seeds ( 70% of farmers uses hybrid seeds)

• JEEVIKA tem has trained 50 farmers in 7 days on organic seed treatment.

• Just it is only 27 days passed that officially project has started and in 27 days a strong leverage of on an average 90000 has been mobilised.

• JEEVIKA is slowly taking a shape of working in collaborative way with government departments

For all this JEVIKA team at Umariya starts working at 6.am in the morning with farmers and meet with PRI and agriculture department by 10-12 and interconnect both community, PRI and agriculture department.

-Information is based on the inputs of JEEVIKA team of JDSS-Jabalpur

JEEVIKA blog –India’s most read development project blog!

JEEVIKA blog fever of India’s blog readers!

Changing the face of Development!

With JEEVIKA we are brining a new face of development, making development field more close, accessible and transparent through out the globe through JEEVIKA blog!

I please to share with you all the that in almost 15 days time JEEVIKA blog has crossed the mark of 25000 (Twenty Five Thousand) viewership and it’s the biggest land mark in the blogs of development project and has become the fever of India blog readers. Now you can watch an ATTRACTIVE GALLERY OF JEEVIKA BLOG designed by Mr. Hayden (with support from Caritas Spain).

We are also planning have thorough research on the communication and marketing of this blog so that similar process could be adopted for other development aspect mainly for advocacy and generating funds!

Some interesting facts about JEEVIKA blog? • It’s the entire team of JEEVIKA project from project Coordinator to Directors to update and see what could be update on it. We have a team lead by caritas india project Office now, soon it will be lead by some of the Coordinators and Directors.

• At places like Indore, Gwalior JEEVIKA team meet with got officials and give presentation through JEEVIKA blog!

• Is designed by a web designer from Spain with support from caritas Spain.

What Impact JEEVIKA blog is generating?

• JEEVIKA blog has not the strong viewership base; it is able to most of the computer systems of government offices in Madhya Pradesh and is able to attract many individual donors to support for it!

• It has enhanced the visibility of partner organisations, community, project area, and the supporting agencies. The best part In Field the project team is working and off field online this blog is working for generating support for the field from various agencies.

• Blog has been shared with most of the innovative agencies and institutions -The World bank, UN Development, Greenpeace International, Times of India (ToI) and has a strong sharing of this blog through its twitter account.

We are thankful to the JEEVIKA project Partners team that are so actively involved in field and keep on updating us for the content of JEEVIKA blog!

Enjoy reading the India’s most read development project blog at www.jeevikacaritas.blogspot.com you can also get in touch with JEEVIKA field at JEEVIKA MP Channel (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuRdZRUBp-XpmJ7eMgz9rg?feature=results_main) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/JeevikaCARITAS ) and on face book .

Innovative way of orienting JEEVIKA staff on SHGs@JEEVIKA Umariya

JEEVIKA team of JDSS-Jabalpur has organised a one day orientation programme on “BPL Women Self Help Group” on 26th Nov 2012 at Umariya field office for the JEEVIKA project team. The uniqueness of the programme was that rather than someone from outside would orient; team has involved those who all are the part of women self help group and get oriented with them. It has given them an interesting learning, not only to understand the SHG concept but to feel the inner politics, dynamics and complex relation in SHG. Also this orientation has not only finished here it will be an ongoing process in the form that the JEEVIKA team meber will first of all visit some of the SHGs in the near by villages , would spend some time in there meeting, would learn from them and and then would start working on SHG formation.

Important here is not only to learn how to form SHGs, but to feel how to sustain SHGs!

Rajesh (Project Coordinator-JEEVIKA-JDSS-Jabalpur)

Learning’s of JEEVIKA project team in 1st month of project implementation ( Oct 2012)

ANWC-Bhopal JEEVIKA team: JEEVIKA brings out platform of equality and a strong coordination among the staff members which has supported for establishing a good relationship between the community and the PRI members.

GCSS-Gwalior JEEVIKA team: First of all it’s a result based project so all will have to work hard for getting results in particular time duration. Biggest learning is how we will have to cooperate with related departments and officials, villagers and PRI members. It’s a process of time management, team management. It needed regular contacts with govt. departments because there are various immediate schemes for community like seed distribution.

IDSSS-Indore JEEVIKA team: JEEVIKA as systematic project is establishing systems in the team as well as in the intervention in the field.

JDSS-Jabalpur JEEVIKA team: JEEVIKA is bringing a team spirit in the team!

KDSSS-Khandwa: JEEVIKA has given spirit to get involve from the day one of the project and learning by doing!

Pragati-Jhabua: Regular visit to field is vital to work on and with projects like JEEVIKA.

Kripa-Ujjain: No key learning!

BIO FARMING: Govt. of Madhya Pradesh

Organic farming practices are being implemented under the guidance and supervision of a team of experts comprising scientists, environmentalists, and food management personals in 1565 villages selected from 313 blocks of 48 districts in the State. Use of agro-chemicals in these selected villages for growing crops is strictly prohibited. Nutrients to the crops are provided through green manuring, composts, phosphocomposts, fermented preparations prepared from cow dung and urine etc. .

Pests are being managed through use of neem and cow urine based fermented preparations. Most of the organic farmers in these villages are following the principles of diversity in crops, variability in farm operation and integration of crop production system with livestock maintenance/Crop wastes are being used as valuable feed to the livestock and livestock wastes like dung and urine are used as resources for providing nutrients as well as managing the pests problems.

The success of this programme is evident from the fact that these villages have become model for other. The message of growing crops through organic resources is spreading from village to villages through farmers contact programme.During the year 2004-05 five cultivators have been selected for Organic farming from each village of the state.

Use of cow dung & cow urine is resource for providing nutrient & pest management . For this GAU SEWA SADAN is ready to provide cow for those cultivator who wants to adopt bio farming .

Govt. Agri. farm has already been followed the approved methods of bio farming. A modle Gau-Shala has been establishment at Govt. Agri.Farm PHANDA Distt.-BHOPAL. For more on this http://www.mp.gov.in/biofarming/bio-village.htm

HARIT PRAYAS team supporting JEEVIKA team: A write-up from HARIT PRAYAS Project Manager

JEEVIKA: Key highlights in October 2012

At Shivpuri: • Seed distribution to 35 selected farmers with support from Horticulture department • Formation of 3 farmers club and 5 Women Self Help Group (SHGs) • All concerned 9 Panchayts have give in written the support letter to JEEVIKA project

At Indore-Dhar: • 4 BPL women SHGs has formed • All concerned 8 Panchayts have give in written the support letter to JEEVIKA project

At Jhabua: • JEEVIKA team Visited 805 target families out of 1685 target families • Team has developed a model which is self explanatory in nature for community strength and which highlights the very skill of the uneducated person in the tribal community.This is about a grain container made by uneducated women of the community. This container is made-up of the mud. The technology is very simple but highly skilled work. Items like mud, manure and wheat fodder are proportionally mixed. Same is case with formation of the SHG. There is a selection of members, they are trained time to time and facilitated during the meetings just like ‘Kothi” the grain container is polished time to time and kept in a secured place. SHG also get empowered with necessary information and knowledge.

At Shehore: • All concerned 9 Panchayts have give in written the support letter to JEEVIKA project • JEEVIKA project team meeting with officials of KVK & NABARD

At Ujjain: • 10 Panchayats has supported in written to JEEVIKA project

At Khandwa: • 3 SHG formed in the very 1st month of the project

At Umariya: • 9 Panchayts have give in written the support letter to JEEVIKA project • JEEVIKA project team meeting with officials of KVK & NABARD

JEEVIKA in action :From field office

IDSSS_Indore has started a field office for the operation of JEEVIKA project. The office is in Manpur, just near to the project field area. The concept of field office has been introduced in JEEVIKA so that a close accompaniment must be given to the community through the project ffield office and also it would establish a a better understanding of project staff with community. The intervention of project field has its own challenges like electricity ( hardly available)and in interior context, but the passion and the commitment of the JEEVIKA team is quite higher than the challenges!

GENDER in jeevika: By Deepti ( Caritas India)

Gender is a crosscutting issue in any developmental work, and hence any and every initiative for the development of the community needs to involve the gender perspective so as to ensure equity and equality.Hence with the same understanding, on the occasion of the launch programme of JEEVIKA project, Caritas India organized a session on understanding gender and gender mainstreaming for the JEEVIKA project team members and the community representatives ON 7th Nov 2012 at Jhanbua. The session defined gender as the "Socio Cultural definition of man and woman,the way society distinguishes men and women and assign them social roles". Thereafter,gender was understood in the context of project implementation and how gender can be mainstreamed at each and every stage of project cycle management.The session facilitator organized theme specific games and video shows for the participants in order to make the session more interactive and to ensure that the participants take back the learning's to their work areas. The session discussed topics such as difference between Sex and Gender, creating an enabling environment and mainstreaming gender by understanding project cycle.

JEEVIKA blog...with feelings!

Travelling to Madhya Pradesh , its severe cold, a sweater and a jacket but still feeling cold…thanks to god the just now has send a tea seller…now bit ok with the sip of tea…is thinking how this blog mere from information sharing of project could become more interactive with the audience reading it…or just it would be a blog to share the happenings of JEEVIKA project field! But what a reader sitting somewhere else will gain from the reading this blog? Obviously its not that only we want to make this blog as a reading hub, we want that it would be a part of discussion and at the end some where it lead to benefit the community of 104 villages from 7 districts of Madhya Pradesh….with the concept of Development diaries on this blog we are trying to bring out the feelings in words from all those who will be associated with JEEVIKA and its field…either community, PRI, NABARD, partner organisations, donor agencies or any one who is associated with it. Lets make this blog one part to share the feelings, lets understand the feelings…and lets not only discuss but work on the feeling…hope next time some feeling from community end would be here….. -Caritas India Project Officer

What is special about the JEEVIKA blog?

JEEVIKA blog setting a new record of viewership!

With JEEVIKA launching with nine days of its beginning from the launching today we are able to set our mark at India level. We claim based on Google search http://indianbloggers.org/ that JEEVIKA blog is the highest viewed development project blog on 18th/11/2012 through out the India and it remarks its, Caritas India, and its partner’s organisation reach and visibility through out the globe. The blog has been shared with the in the JEEVIKA project orientation programme. In last nine days its has been visted 10000 (ten thousand times)

Agriculture department come foreword to support JEEVIKA project !

Agriculture department in Umariya ( JEEVIKA project district) come foreword to support JEEVIKA Project and has given written support for the JEEVIKA project. We are also signing MoU with KVK and NABARD for the the support of JEEVIKA project.

Empanelment Application form - National CSR Hub

In the wake of rapid globalization and pressing ecological issues, the perception towards the role of corporate in the broader social paradigm is undergoing a sea change. In the recent years, society and the state have put forward an expectation before public sector corporate to integrate the social responsibility aspects in their business persuasion. This scenario not only affects large scale public sector undertakings, but also includes firms of small scale. The underlying assumption that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one way through which companies can demonstrate their commitments towards being socially responsible. In fact, CSR as an integral aspect of corporate has double edge effect in terms of creating goodwill to the company and acting as a social and economic intervention to bring about large scale change in the life of people from different walks.

It is in this context, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai and Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Government of India have come to realize that there is a need to have centralized system where core functions of CSR including learning and knowledge dissemination take place. As a result, TISS, a pioneer educational institution in social sciences with decades of experience in teaching, research, publications, and field interventions (for more information visit www.tiss.edu) has come forward to host National CSR Hub. This hub is coordinated at the School of Management and Labour Studies (SMLS) at TISS. The hub carries out activities in a partnership mode i.e. TISS, civil society organizations, and the concerned PEs. Broadly, core functions of CSR Hub at TISS include inter alia Research, Publication and knowledge dissemination, Capacity Building, and Advocacy. A dedicated team of faculties and research associates at TISS work in collaboration with DPE, and the concerned Public Enterprise. Over a period of time, it is envisioned that the CSR Hub would work with many PEs and endeavor to reach out across India. For more log on to: http://tiss.edu/announcement/empanelment-application-form-national-csr-hub

jeevika project area

The project is being implemented in 104 villages of 11 blocks of 7 districts of Madhya Pradesh. The number of villages are as:- 15 geographically contiguous tribal villages of Thandla block (Jhabuwa district) , 15 tribal villages of Pali and Naurajabad block (Umariya district), 15 villages of Icchawar and Nasrullaganj block block (Shehore District), 16 tribal villages from Ujjain & Ghatiya blocks (Ujjain district), 14 tribal villages from Dharampuri & Mhow block ( Indore-Dhar District), 15 tribal villages of Khalwa block ( Khandwa district), and 14 villages of Shivpuri block ( Shivpuri district).

Development diaries-1

In development sector concept of “development” is little bit difficult to understand, we first plan a project and then we think about implementation in the actual field, but with JEEVIKA the concept is bit different, although for saying it was situation analysis, and base line, but I personally feel that during this initial process it self we have completed our first phase of project and now from October 2012 we have started the 2nd phase of JEEVIKA…its not just for the sake of writing, but it is mainly to share that how intense we have involved in the entire process of making of JEEVIKA. It took almost 105 days for entire process making, I myself visited 36 villages and it was heavily raining when my team was doing the baseline…..it was difficult situation…nights and nights gone like that…..but one interesting thing was there we all enjoyed with all odds and evens of making of JEEVIKA…some where I feel each and every members of JEEVIKA team starts loving the process , the engagement and indeed the the passion to bring change…..just to night I have received a message from JEEVIKA Khandwa team , stating night they are interacting with community and discussing on rabi crop……I just messaged why a meeting late night ? they replied its no meeting its interaction…we do not want any meeting …we want people shuld feel the process of change as the part of their life not as a formal meeting……a lot many innovation JEEVIKA team members have..a lot for me to learn from them……. Have a beautiful day! -Project Officer (Caritas India)

JEEVIKA Broucher in Hindi

35 concerned panchayts has supported jeevika project

Fr. Augustine (MPSSS-forum Director) has inaugurated the copy of support letters from 35 concerned Panchayats (out of 57 total Panchayats

covered under JEEVIKA project) of JEEVIKA projects and stressed that how it is vital that in the beginning of the project it self most of the Panchayats has came foreword to support for the project. He also shared that the JEEVIKA in itself is an innovation and is a change based practice which need to be adopted in other projects also.

baseline findings in jeevika project

Process of developing JEEVIKA project

Project formulation has been initiated based on the concept of taking learning’s and good result from tow innovative projects LIFE project (Rajasthan) and HARIT PRAYAS project (Bundelkhand region) and considering to bring out the similar changes with different community in different project villages in Madhya Pradesh. Uniqueness of JEEVIKA is that it has developed with the support of community and project partner team and is based on 100% base line survey data analysis. The project has initiated with clarifying the concept and initiating recruitment process to hire quality staff at dioceses level to coordinate the project. In the recruitment process caritas India has given technical as well as hand holding support and finally 42 qualified staff have been recruited for the project before its initiation. The entire baseline in 104 village’s survey has been done by the newly appointed project staff. In the entire process of developing this proposal following are the key steps involved in it:

JEEVIKA

JEEVIKA is a ‘result based’, community owned and community managed project to address the issues of distress migration, food security and sustainable livelihood options through sustaining agriculture, promoting livestock, developing skills of youth and ensuring and securing entitlements of the deprived community (mainly SC/ST/OBC) in 104 villages of seven (6 tribal districts) districts(Umariya, Shivpuri, Jhabuwa, Indore-Dhar, Khandwa, Shehore, & Ujjain) of Madhya Pradesh. The project aims to bring changes in the practices and thought process of the community and system changes in the form of proper functioning of government institutions/structures for development community and the context. The project would be directly facilitating around 8592 BPL (Below Poverty Line) families The project targets around 48% of SC & ST women would be able to bring a bigger out change in the status and the role of women ‘from and in’ governance to income generation. In the region where agriculture has highly influenced by the synthetic fertilisers (around 100% % of cultivation is synthetic fertiliser based cultivation) and input cost in the agriculture is about 75% of the total benefit from the agriculture, JEEVIKA would be the first project to address the issue of sustainable agriculture with small and marginalised farmers with an average land holding of 3-4 bigha and the input cost would be reduced and profit for the farmers would be visualised in both increase in production and decrease in input cost. In terms of securing and ensuring entitlements JEEVIKA would accentuate on MGNREGA, FRA (Forest Right Act) and other social security schemes provided by the government. The deliverance of the project would be through Community Based and Community Managed Organisations, (CBMOs) and other stake holders as Krishi Vigyan Kendera (KVK), NABARD and Panchayats,NABARD, KVK and PRI would be the official partner of JEEVIKA project. The project uniqueness is it has its own web page which would be updated on daily basis about happenings of project field and would strengthen the visbility of project, partner organisation and Caritas India and also would establish transparent system of project operation.

Now get more close to the JEEVIKA field with JEEVIKA online channel!

To keep updates of live day to day happenings in the field of JEEVIKA, the informal communication and research wing of JEEVIKA has introduced its online channel JEEVIKA MP- http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuRdZRUBp-XpmJ7eMgz9rg. Now it would be there for 10 -30 minutes per day and soon it would be 12 hours LIVE channel per day. Interesting feature would be we would be developing and working on video volunteer from the field and most of these short films would be shot the community and field volunteer with locally available resources. Now get more close to the JEEVIKA field! For more on JEEVIKA log on to www.jeevikacaritas.blogspot.com or be a development friend of JEEVIKA on http://www.facebook.com/jeevika.caritas

Culural Programme during JEEVIKA launching!

The Launching programme has also entertained with the cultural programme by Project team members of JEEVIKA project partners of Jhabua, Khandwa and Bhopal. The highlight of the programme was the puppet show by the ANWC-Bhopal team which has addressed the various aspects of JEEVIKA in the story form and represented it through a puppet show. The entire cultural programme has shown the creativity and passion of the project team to work in the project for better results. At the end of the programme Fr. Sunil (Director Kripa-Ujjain) has thanked all the guests, community members, PRI representatives and JEEVIKA project Partners directors and teams to make the successful beginning of the JEEVIKA and seeing it as step of change rather than just a project… The launching programme has ended with the national anthem.

Orientation Programme for JEEVIKA team & PRI members

The launching programme was followed with the two and half days orientation programme for the JEEVIKA project staff and PRI members on various aspects of JEEVIKA project initiating from RBM (Result based management in JEEVIKA project), gender, finance management, role of PRI and Job Descriptions of JEEVIKA project team the entire orientation programme has been facilitated by Caritas India team, team members from LIFE (Rajasthan) and HARIT PRAYAS projects ( Bundelkhand region). Key aspects of the orientation programme was team members from ongoing successful and impact based projects like LIFE and HARIT PRAYAS of Caritas India has taken the sessions and shared how the change is possible also it’s the 1st time that PRI members also were the part of entire two and half day orientation programme so that they could also understand the process and implementation part of the project.

Media Coverage of JEEVIKA launching

The launching programme news has covered by leading Hindi news papers of national level-Dainik Bhashkar, Danik jagran, Patrika, Express city, Free press and Nav Bharat.All the leading NEWS paper accentuated on key aspects of JEEVIKA and its colloboration with KVK, NABARD and Panchayats from the begining of the project. Also all the news headlines expressed JEEVIKA as movement.

JEEVIKA launching programme (6th Nov 2012)

JEEVIKA is process of change Let’s bring change together! Let’s bring change now! Let’s make Madhya Pradesh My Pradesh with JEEVIKA project!

…. with tribal culture: Launching of JEEVIKA project has started with the above slogans to bring out the change in the life of tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh. Caritas India more than 200 community members, government officials and representative teams from the project partners have launched the Caritas Spain supported JEEVIKA project on 6th November 2012 in PRAGATI pastoral centre of Jhabua diocese. Thereafter the entire gathering of guests, staff and community members together proceeded towards the venue from the main gate dancing to the tunes of tribal music show case of various aspects of JEEVIKA project. After reaching the pastoral center the launch programme was chaired by his Excellency Bishop Dev Prasad Ganava ( Most Rev Bishop of Jhabuwa) and Fr. Frederick D’souza ( Executive Director Caritas India) and Fr. Augustine ( MPSSS forum Director), the chief guest for the day was Mr. Veer Singh Bhuriya (MLA of Jhabua) and the program was graced by the presence of Mr. Sanjay (NABARD AGM-Jhabua) Mr. Tomar (KVK head Jhabua), Cooperative president, Jhabua Tahshildar and directors of all the 7 project partners of JEEVIKA ( ANWC-Bhopal, GCSS-Gwalior, Pragati-Jhabua, KDSS-Khandwa, IDSSS-Indore, Kripa-Ujjain and JDSS-Jabalpur). Apart from the above, the programme was also attended by 35 Panchayat members, 150 villagers and project staff.

…...welcome: Fr. Anthon Katara (Director Pragati-Jhabua) India has welcomed in traditional tribal style to all guests, community members and PRI members and expressed his happiness and positive energy in organising the launching ceremony of JEEVIKA project at Jhabua. After welcome address a film on 50 years of Caritas India has been shown accentuating the work of Caritas India for various causes and to support community in need. ……ceremony: The launching ceremony began with the brief introduction of JEEVIKA project by Mr. Vinod Pandey (Project Officer –Caritas India) especially focusing on the process part of JEEVIKA where he has shared that JEEVIKA is one of the 1st Project project where community has been involved in designing the project and is based on 100% of baseline survey, he has also shared that JEEVIKA is not mere a project but is a process of development. There after His Excellency Bishop Dev Prasad Ganava along with Mr. Veer Singh Bhuriya (Jhabua-MLA-Member of Legislative Assembly) has inaugurated the logo of JEEVIKA project (the logo of JEEVIKA project is designed in support from Caritas Spain by one of the finest designer of Spain Mr. Hayden. The logo represents the tribal art and is based on wasi paintings and inside represents livelihood framework) and address the gathering by sharing about the situation of Jhabua district. He also spoke of the initiatives of JEEVIKA project, its uniqueness in the form of its community participatory based design and he also stressed that JEEVIKA is a process of change not mere a project and wished good luck for the successful implementation of the project.

The MLA of Jhabua Mr. Veer Singh Bhuriay addressed the audience. He shared about his knowledge of the project and his relation with Pragati. He also stated the various initiatives taken by him towards the development of the community. Hence, he sees JEEVIKA project as another opportunity for the development of the community and assured of his support and promised to make MP as JEEVIKA Pradesh. Thereafter the AGM of NABARD Mr. Sanjay addressed the gathering and spoke about the various interventions of NABARD and that they are going to support JEEVIKA in all ways possible. Fr. Frederick D’Souza, Executive Director Caritas India has inaugurated the brouchers of JEEVIKA project (in Hnidi and English) and addressed the gathering and shared about the plight of farmers, farmer’s suicide and lack of resources to pay back loans. He then said that JEEVIKA will help in empowering the farmers and help them stand on their feet. He shared that the JEEVIKA project is not merely a project, rather a movement to bring a change in the lives of the community through agricultural interventions. As the name suggests, it will bring livelihood for the people. He wished all the best wishes and re stressed that change is important and is possible through JEEVIKA! Fr. Augustine (MPSSS-forum Director) has inaugurated the copy of support letters from 35 concerned Panchayats of JEEVIKA projects and stressed that how it is vital that in the beginning of the project itself most of the panchayts has come foreword to support for the project. He also shared that the JEEVIKA in itself is an innovation and is a change based practice which need to be adopted in other projects also. Thereafter, the KVK representative Mr. Tomar addressed the gathering and stated that project like JEEVIKA is a very good and important intervention in the tribal areas. He also said that KVK will render all possible support in the project. In this regard, KVK is going to sign an MoU with Caritas India and Pragati-Jhabua

towards its support to the JEEVIKA project. The Launching programme has also entertained with the cultural programme by Project team members of JEEVIKA project partners of Jhabua, Khandwa and Bhopal. The highlight of the programme was the puppet show by the ANWC-Bhopal team which has addressed the various aspects of JEEVIKA in the story form and represented it through a puppet show. The entire cultural programme has shown the creativity and passion of the project team to work in the project for better results. …an end with a new beginning: At the end of the programme Fr. Sunil (Director Kripa-Ujjain) has thanked all the guests, community members, PRI representatives and JEEVIKA project Partners directors and teams to make the successful beginning of the JEEVIKA and seeing it as step of change rather than just a project… The launching programme has ended with the national anthem.