Mission Samriddhi also supports additional initiatives across various states of India that fall outside the ambit of the holistic Cluster Development Programme (CDP), but follow the Community Development Framework (CDF).
The HOCO farming initiative of Mission Samriddhi integrates the principles of natural farming with the strengths and values of collective farming. Land fragmentation is cited as one of the primary reasons for the agrarian crisis. Collective farming as a concept involves pooling resources of land, labour, and capital for collaborative agricultural production.
Through the HOCO Farming Project, Mission Samriddhi aims to enhance rural and tribal livelihoods by integrating the strength of working collectively with natural and organic ways of farming. The initiative is currently being implemented at Shiratoki, a small tribal hamlet in the Yavatmal district, where forty households have pooled 125 acres of their land to practice collective farming. The concept of collective farming resonated with them since they had a similar practice of ‘Attari’, whereby they all contributed their labour in the fields of others.
A Farmer Producer Organisation has been established to systematically manage the production and the marketing of the produce. Technical inputs on aspects of crop planning, water management and harvesting and natural farming practices are provided by a team of subject experts to the farmers. The overall plan has facilitated the establishment of water structures to harvest an estimated 200 crore litres of water through farm ponds, compartment bunding and CCTs. The farmers are being trained to produce non-chemical fertilisers, pesticides and bioenzymes. The individual farmer will receive an assured income in the form of a monthly salary and sharing of the profits. Watch
India Education Collective (IEC) is working through its approach in Decentralisation of Education Governance (DEG), Teacher Collective (TC), and interventions with an assessment to address the existing problems in Primary schools. IEC works with equal participation of the Panchayats and the communities thereby strengthening the local governance in the villages. This approach aligns with Mission Samriddhi's approach to strengthening local self-governance and bringing about change through a cluster of villages as a unit.
The QLI project is currently being implemented in the Maregoan Block, Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, bringing together India Education Collective (IEC), Mission Samriddhi (MS), Gramin Samasya Mukti Trust (GSMT), and Gyan Prakash Foundation (GPF) to impact 5000 students in 104 schools across 57 Gram Panchayats in Year 1. In the subsequent 2 years of the project, it would be scaled up to cover 350,000 students across 1200 Gram Panchayats.
In December 2021, Mission Samriddhi, in collaboration with Kamal Nayan Bajaj Foundation (KJBF) and Anode Governance Foundation, began a 30-month project in 15 Gram Panchayats in Wardha district of Maharashtra, to lead an intensive and structured transformation of select Gram Panchayats, following the unique Gram Panchayat Organization Development methodology, developed by Anode Governance Foundation.
The Gram Panchayat Organization Development framework involves the application of Organisation Development (OD) principles in the space of public administration, recognising Gram Panchayats as organisations with a need for clarity on its different components such as vision, processes and systems, structure and roles, as well as mechanisms to strengthen affiliation of its members with the institution.
The expected outcomes include:
1) Gram Panchayats will have a clear set of shared values and goals to bind their work and achieve the desired change
2) Relevant structures such as GP-level standing committees
are formed and activated through training and hands-on activities to implement goals
3) GP begins to make informed decisions on how to operationalise its vision and mission
4) Processes and responsibilities
are defined for implementation across the different structures of Gram Panchayat
5) Gram Panchayat is equipped to follow guidelines, prepare their GPDPs to align with their vision and goals, lay down systems,
and report the same in portals.
Kheti Virasat Mission, Punjab's Organic Kitchen Garden (OKG) project titled 'A Path to Women Empowerment through Nutritional and Health Security' is being supported by Mission Samriddhi since February 2023.
Kheti Virasat Mission was established in 2005 with a vision to provide an alternative paradigm of agriculture that would work in harmony with nature and provide Nutritional and Health Security with Safe and Diverse Food. In 2008, KVM started working with the women (mostly marginal and landless) to revive kitchen gardens.
The project supported by Mission Samriddhi is being implemented in 3 clusters of Faridkot district, covering 3300 HHs in 33 villages. Organic Kitchen Garden is a potential entry point to be followed by CDP implementation in these Clusters.
Celebration of Villages is a celebration of the spirit of rural India. An initiative of Mission Samriddhi, it is an endeavour to acknowledge and appreciate the rural transformation towards sufficiency, resilience and prosperity. Initiated in 2019, the CoV identifies and celebrates Gram Panchayats exhibiting exemplary work in Natural Resource Management, Livelihoods, holistic approach to MGNREGA and Community Empowerment. In 2019, the exemplary work done by the gram panchayats in the Yavatmal district in Maharashtra was celebrated while in 2020 it was the inspiring gram panchayats of Wardha district in Maharashtra. This initiative is being taken to other states, other districts and other Gram Panchayats of India Read more...
With the limited social interactions owing to the pandemic, a need was felt to connect with communities on various development fronts. Samriddhi Samvaad was conceptualized, in 2021, as a series of dialogues to celebrate, listen and learn from the stories of various change-makers who are making a difference in their own unique ways to create a better world. With conversations held every month, Samriddhi Samvaad highlights the pioneering development initiatives and its impact know more...
While the 73rd Amendment provided a Constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), the true potential of PRI to bring about rural development could hardly manifest into reality. Given the status of PRI and the reasons for its unrealized potential, a group of like-minded civil society thinkers came together to strengthen the PRI system, address the core issues affecting it and also encourage dialogues that could help empower the institution.
In 2019, on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, at Sevagram, Maharashtra Mission Samriddhi facilitated the launch of an independent pan-India multi-stakeholder platform, India Panchayat Foundation (https://ipf800960647.wordpress.com ),S to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions.
The India Panchayat Foundation (IPF) envisions to realise an empowered Panchayati Raj System that upholds equity,equality and the highest standards of governance, contributing to enhanced social justice and quality of life of communities. Initiatives such as the Teesari Sarkar Abhiyan - a campaign strengthening and empowering the PRIs across several states, a State Project Management Unit for PRI Empowerment driven by PRADAN with the Govt. of Jharkhand and a MGNREGA Convergence Cell driven by SESTA with the Assam Govt. – are some examples of projects being catalyzed by IPF.
Since 2021, a 3-year initiative of PRADAN to establish a State Project Management Unit (SPMU) under the Department of Panchayati Raj (DoPR), Government of Jharkhand (GoJ) is being supported by India Panchayat Foundation.
The major role of the SPMU is:
1. To provide thematic support to DoPR to take forward the agenda of strengthening of PRI Bodies, Gram Sabhas and thus facilitating the process of local development.
2. Manage Operations while anchoring the various activities like training events, GPDP etc.
3. Programme Monitoring and review with respect to the overall implementation of the "Gram Panchayat Development Plan” programme and timely advising the Principal Secretary, RDD, GoJ
To address the challenges of MGNREGS and facilitate community and PRIs for smooth implementations of schemes under MGNREGA, SeSTA has initiated a Convergence Cell to build momentum around the programme in the state of Assam.
The 3-year initiative which started in 2021 is being supported by India Panchayat Foundation to strengthen the Convergence Cell that will create awareness, facilitate people’s participation in the planning and execution of MGNREGA work, assist the Gram Panchayats in accessing MGNREGA-related information, ensure timely payment, accountability and transparency.
This cell will help in increasing individual assets related to irrigation, agriculture and other livelihoods. The Convergence Cell covers 45 blocks to benefit an estimated 10,000 households with 100 days of employment as well the leverage of IBS assets to the tune of 75 Cr INR.
Project Co Vijay, a joint program with UNICEF India Country Office implemented in 2021-22, helped to strengthen the Gram Panchayats to be better prepared for an impactful response towards COVID-19 and other seasonal hazards, with the coordination of multiple stakeholders and partners. The project was implemented in 241 GPs spread across 13 Blocks, and 8 Districts of 5 states in India namely: Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to ensure lifesaving, recovery and preparedness initiatives. The project included initiatives in the sectors of Disaster Risk Reduction, Health and Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Livelihood and Social Protection.
Centre for Bee Development (CBeed), supported by Mission Samriddhi, has been working dedicatedly in Wardha district of Maharashtra, integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific and sustainable methods of harvesting wild honey; enhancing livelihood of indigenous committees in the region while protecting the wild species of honeybees. CBeeD, has invented a non-violent (‘ahimsa’) approach for honey harvesting and uses scientific techniques to ensure sustainable harvesting of honey wax and the post-harvest management of produce.
ADK Jain Eye Hospital (www.adkjaineyehospital.org ) is a specialist hospital providing access to quality eye care in and around Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. This world-class hospital has been conceived to help underserved communities see the light, through selfless service, professional expertise, and appropriate technologies. It will serve as a Centre of Excellence integrating local research with global advancement, furthering the cause of medical education. The hospital established in the year 2017, ADK Jain Trust Eye Care Hospital has been a long-cherished dream of the entire ADK Jain family, friends and team members associated with Mission Samriddhi.
In 2019, with an objective of developing 26 project GPs as centres of excellence in 4 districts of Jharkhand, covering about 25,000 households (HHs), Mission Samriddhi supported PRADAN and Anode Governance Lab to redefine
pathways using Gram Spandan framework with deliverables in 4 key areas:
1. Building institutional capacity of Gram Panchayats
2. Deepening GP capacities to deliver on thematic areas (Agriculture, Education,
MGNREGS, and Social Security.
3. Advocacy with the State
4. Developing inputs for a capacity-building curriculum
Gram Panchayats have been mandated to prepare the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) for economic development and social justice by utilizing the available resources.
A 3-year action research project, Mission Samriddhi Action Research Project (MSHARP), evolved in 2018 in collaboration with NIRDPR, to empower the locally elected representatives of the gram panchayat to evolve a robust Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) to achieve integrated, holistic and sustainable development. Mission Samriddhi was NIRDPR’s primary partner to drive initiatives across 10 Clusters across 3 states.
The impact of the project was seen in the following areas:
1) Convergence of financial and human resources at the GP level
2) Prioritization of development work at the GP level in the spirit of democracy and
participation
3) Improved implementation of the schemes and programme
4) More inclusive planning, including the marginalised and underprivileged communities and
5) Improved governance at the local
level.
