livelihood promotion

Livelihood promotion enhances the choices and opportunities of the population, particularly the landless, poor women, and marginal farmers by promoting land and non-land based micro enterprises.

The project identifies appropriate micro enterprises by studying the local market, as well as local resources and skills. They then support the micro enterprises so identified through the Grameena Mahila Aarthika Seva Kendra (GMASK).

The chief targets for promoting land and non-land based enterprises are the poor, landless village artisans and women. Therefore 80 percent of Self Help Groups (SHGs) promoted at the village level are women SHGs and 80 percent of the village population is covered by SHGs.

The GMASK is expected to grow into a non-banking financial institution and is being developed as a self-reliant institution through effective utilisation of the capital of the SHGs.

For the year 2002 to 2005, the project will focus on micro enterprise promotion in seven villages, five Village Development Societies, 80 SHGs, four GMASK and individuals.

The expected results of this intervention are:

• About 35 income generating programmes (IGPs) / micro enterprises (individual and group) emerging from porter analysis will be supported.
• A systematic effort is made to address gender and equity issues by supporting individual and group income generating programmes emerging on their own.
• SHGs and GMASK will develop in financial strength by mobilising resources from various institutions, which in turn will create an environment for emergence of many micro enterprises.
• About 80 percent of the watershed population will be covered by the SHGs, thus creating livelihood option enterprises.