RFP: For Setting up of Community Radio Stations

Opportunity from RMOL ( Rajasthan Mission Of Livelihood) for "Skill Development of youths"

PMs last stand on Food security Bill!

Food inflation has gone down to 1.8%

Progress in LIFE project in Nov 2011@RCDSSS-Ajmer

Name of activity	No. of units planned/no. of units achieved	Total participation (of community)	Results achieved
Inauguration of 4 Rojgar Dhaba	4 /4	- -	Formal inauguration was organized in which villagers, panchayat members and block level officials were invited. The function was organized and managed by local Youth Group.
Training on organic farming	5/5	75	·         75 farmers of 5 villages are trained in first phase training and ready to adopt some practices of organic farming such as using replacing chemical & synthetic fertilizers with organic manures and compost.
Exposure Visit to pastureland development.	1/1	48	·         48 farmers are motivated and got exposure to development pastureland.
Record keeping training for SHG members	1/1	201 SHG members in 10 villages, participated in record keeping training.	201 SHG members were trained  and explained how to conduct SHG meeting, maintain SHG record like register and diary.
FFS Training	1/1	87 farmers attend ffs.	87 farmer of 10 villages got facilitation on rabi crop about sowing, seed and organic fertilizer.
Post harvesting Training at cluster level.	1/1	78 farmers were participated in post harvesting training.	78 farmers of 10 village traind on post harvesting methods, grading, value addition techniques  grains as well as vegetables.

...rural minister on MGNREGA minimum wage payment!

Rural Credit: Wants To Stop States From Hijacking Credit

Wants To Stop States From Hijacking Credit

Subodh Ghildiyal | TNN

New Delhi: The Union rural development ministry has decided to ape Planning Commissions discussion with states for annual finances to send a stronger message about Centres authorship on welfare schemes,a move aimed at addressing the longstanding gripe of Congress that states were cornering all the credit.
The ministry has asked states to prepare for annual plan discussion for RD schemes from 2012,a consultation to finalize their budget for each scheme funded by it.It would be an elaborate process with issues of discussion being intimated to the states,seeking response.They would form the basis for official-level meetings which would then be capped by ministerial-level discussions in March.
Currently,the Centre funnels money to states on the basis of estimates provided by officials.

With states making a beeline outside Krishi Bhavan to seek their share of funds for job guarantee scheme,rural roads,rural drinking water and sanitation campaign among others,it is hoped the process will correct the perception on who funds these big-ticket schemes implemented by states.

With Rs 88,000 crore,the highest civilian expenditure of any Union ministry,Congress is cross that it does not get the credit for rural focus.While these schemes are part of a concerted attempt to woo the politically crucial rural poor,states have long outwitted the Centre with imaginative steps like changing the names of schemes.Congresss anger was most visible in UPA-1 when party chief Sonia Gandhi publicly exhorted workers to call the states bluff on flagship scheme MGNREGA.
RD minister Jairam Ramesh has taken a leaf out of Planning Commissions book where states face the highpowered panel each year to seek allocation of resources.The annual ritual leaves little doubt on who funds a states budget.The ministry,however,has couched its political intent in the need for lending seriousness and depth in the implementation of programmes.

Key schemes funded by the Centre include MGNREGA,Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana,Indira Awas Yojana,Total Sanitation Campaign and old age pension.The high expenditure makes the states dependent on RD ministry for their performance on welfare front.However,the Centres role rarely exceeds the funding part and though monitoring is its mandate,it is known that Centre will not stop funds for violations for fear of earning the wrath of beneficiaries.

However,the annual discussion will include the aspect of budget allocation,issues about implementation of schemes,problems of states as its mandate.

Source: Times of India (20/12/2011) Delhi edition

PRI members are becoming the resource person for training on MGNREGA @LIFE Banswara

PRI members are becoming the resource person for training on MGNREGA

“LIFE team at Banswara has adopted a unique approach of involving PRI members as resource person (free of cost) for the enhancing the visibility and increasing the interest of participants and resource persons”

Training on MNREGA at village level: -To strengthen the capacity of target tribal families in the LIFE project villages,a training on MGNREGA has been organised under LIFE project on 21^st November 2011 in Amlipada village. Resource person in the concerned training were Sarpanch Mr. Gabbu Damor and  Panchyat Secretary Mr. Mohan Kharadi  from of Timeda panchayat ( the Panchayat from which village Amblipada belongs). The total of 40 participants availed the benefits of this training.

Focused On: - Focus of the training was on Job card formation, application for job cards-its procedure, wages rate, Type of work under this schemes, time of  payment , unemployment allowances, security, facility in the field 

Outcomes: At the end of the training a pledge in written form has been taken that participants would do the proper work ( the prescribed) and PRI would support in all sort for making MGNREGA more convenient for villages.  Now within a month of this training 100% villagers in Amblipada have job cards and average payment has increase to 95 INR in Amblipada.

The great Indian Divide-in terms of inequality-We with LIFE project trying to reduce this gap!

55% of India's population poor: Report

Rukmini Shrinivasan, TNN Jul 15, 2010, 03.24am IST

NEW DELHI: India's abysmal track record at ensuring basic levels of nutrition is the greatest contributor to its poverty as measured by the new international Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI). About 645 million people or 55% of India's population is poor as measured by this composite indicator made up of ten markers of education, health and standard of living achievement levels.

Developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) for the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) forthcoming 2010 Human Development Report, the MPI attempts to capture more than just income poverty at the household level. It is composed of ten indicators: years of schooling and child enrollment (education); child mortality and nutrition (health); and electricity, flooring, drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel and assets (standard of living). Each education and health indicator has a 1/6 weight, each standard of living indicator a 1/18 weight.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-07-15/india/28281806_1_child-mortality-nutrition-human-development-initiative

Rozgar Dhaba-securing employbility in LIFE project villages!

Name               - Mahipal s/o Shankar Singh

Age                  - 22 year old

Qualification   -10^th fail

Village             -Nepoli (Mavashiya Panchayat)

I was unemployed and engaged in daily labour work or mgnrega work and hardly could manage my basic needs. LIFE project staff initiated in our village and last month I came in touch with a staff Mr. Gyarasilal ( through LIFE project Rozgar Dhaba) for getting some employment opportunity when he was collecting data of unemployed youth in the village. He told me that there is a vacancy in Jaipur for driving JCB machine since I had worked some times earlier in a JCB company I got ready and with the help of Mr. Gyarasilal I applied for the vacancy. I am very glad to say that I am appointed in the company with 8000/- monthly salary with boarding lodging facility for free.

Major Achievements : (Results/targeted achievements) in LIFE project @RCDSSS-Ajmer

a.       Ranglal S/o Suja Gurjar (OBC) recieved KCC loan Rs. 50000/- whose KCC was made with our facilitation.

b.      Amari D/o Ladu Bhambi adopted grading their 400 kg. Mung yield (washing) as value-addition after training on post harvesting and grading practices. But not sold yet.

c.       Krishna SHG of Nolkha recieved loan of Rs. 110000/- and deposited 10000/- as fixed deposit.

d.      Jai Vishnu Mata SHG recieved loan of Rs. 150000/-  and deposited 17000/- as fixed deposit.

e.       6 youth got employment card in the employment fair.

f.        5 Vermin compost units, 1 Than and 2 azola unit (livestock feeding place) are established.

g.      1 youth members got employed by Rojgar Dhaba in Nepoli village and earning Rs. 8000/- per month.

h.      2 pensions of Bharmal S/o Asharfi and Hardayal S/o Dhula vill. Kalyanipura have started.

i.        14 AI. 10 buffalos and 4 cow.

Food security bill-in NEWS!

Agriculture production in LIFE project villages till Nov 2011

In terms of production in agriculture following are the key results in the field:

Crop season	Set target in the project (in %)	Production increase in the field of LIFE project villages of Banswara ( in %)	Production increase in the field of LIFE project villages of Ajmer ( in %)	Total average production increase ( in %)
Kharif 2010	25	40	20	30
Rabi 2010		40	15	27.5
Kharif 2011		55 ( with organic cultivation)	65 ( with organic cultivation)	60 ( with organic cultivation)
Rabi 2011		32 ( with organic cultivation)	40 ( with organic cultivation)	36 ( with Organic cultivation)

Source: Monthly cluster reports till November 2011

It is good to observe that with the practice of organic cultivation, production has improved with compare to synthetic fertilizer based cropping.

Climate change-Durban meet: impact on India

LEARNING CYCLE MEET-(30TH JAN-1ST FEB 2012)

Beneficiaries from government schemes till Nov 2011 in LIFE project

With the concept of making target community aware and get benefit from the livelihood schemes (being implemented by the state government & central government).

Type of scheme	Total beneficiaries in LIFE project at SJVS-Banswara	Total beneficiaries in LIFE project at RCDSSS-Ajmer	Total
Indira Awas Yojana ( IAY)	06	05	11
Old age pension	18	20	38
Widow pension	01	01	2
Disability  pension	00	01	1
Jeevan Adhar Yojana ( Panchyat)	01	00	1
MGNREGA	607	938	1545
Organic pits from Panchayat	25	00	25
Total	658	965	1623

Source: Monthly cluster reports till November 2011

In total 1623 target community from the LIFE project villages of Ajmer & Banswara have been benefited from the key government livelihood schemes (all 1623 after the project intervention and with the endevour of LIFE project team and its awareness strategy).

...making tribal community aware on sustainable agriculture &MGNREGA through wall paintings@Banswara

LIFE project at Banswara in NEWS!

LIFE project at Banswara is strengthening every day!

SJVS-Banswara LIFE project team with the support from Krishi mandi Banswara has facilitated the KISSAN SAMMELAN in the project block of LIFE project to create a common platform for the farmers to share the knowledge and skill on farming and challanges in it. the event has been covered by the leading news paper-Rajasthan Patrika.

Progess in sustainable agriculture in LIFE project till Nov 2011

In terms of progress in sustainable agriculture following are the key results achieved:

Practice	No. of farmers in LIFE project villages at Banswara	No. of farmers in LIFE project villages at  Ajmer	Total
Model farmers practicing: Organic cultivation Soil testing Guidance to other farmers Technical support from KVK Water testing Use of certified/traditional seeds Proper seed treatment	160	140	300
Farmers having Kissan Credit Cards ( KCC) after project intervention	08	17	26
Farmers availed loan from KCC for agriculture purpose	03	11	14
Framers using sprinkler system for irrigation	00	01	01

Source: Monthly cluster reports till November 2011 and application of monitoring tool