RECENT TRENDS IN LIVELIHOOD SECURITY

1. Prof. R.B. Singh Member, National Commission For Farmers RECENT TRENDS IN LIVELIHOOD SECURITY

2. RECENT TRENDS IN LIVELIHOOD SECURITY • Number of hungry in India during the last six years increased by 13 million, rising to 225 million. • India continues to be home to one-fourth of world’s hungry and poor and 40 percent of the world’s undernourished children. • Per capita agricultural growth 0.7 percent during 1995-2003; marginalisation of rural population; urban-rural divide widening (Bihar vs. Punjab). • Hot spots, acute distress, deprivation; Average indebtedness of farmers even in Punjab about Rs one lakh.

3. Governments’ Resolve UPA government has resolved to give high priority to farmers and agriculture and implementing a strategy for ensuring food, Nutritional and income security with a decisive thrust on improving access to health care, ensuring compulsory primary education, training in market-driven skills and enhanced higher education opportunities, thereby catalyzing sustainable livelihoods for and vulnerable communities.

4. Knowledge-led Development In order to steer a Job-led growth In rural economy from a Job-less growth, the government recognizes the importance of developing an information and knowledge-led rural economy, especially among the ultra poor and socially underprivileged sections of the society

5. FIVE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THIS MILLENNIUM • Biotechnological Revolution; Regulatory regimes; gene divide. • ICT Revolution, but widening digital divide. • Knowledge economies underpinning competitiveness. • Post WTO developments, Globalization and Liberalization. • Thrust on Human Capital Development.

6. CRUCIAL NEEDS • Access to demand driven and value added information on production and processing • Timely and Location specific • Knowledge Transfer from various institutions / agencies to end-user • Healthcare, livelihoods, market information • Genetic, Quality, Legal and Trade Literacy • Information on entitlements and methods of accessing them

7. ICT and Titanic Tsunami http://www.nemoc.navy.mil/Library/Metoc/Indian+Ocean/Bay+of+Bengal/Models/Swaps/Sig+Wav+Ht+and+Dir+Series/index.html

8. Ushering In An Evergreen Revolution CORE PRINCIPLES • Social inclusion and gender equity • Reaching remote areas and remedying regional balances by mobilising Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for sustainable livelihoods and basic human needs • Demand-driven and value-added information which is time and location specific

9. Core principles… • Convergence and synergy among all on-going initiatives in order to generate a critical mass of inter-institutional efforts and learning • Reaching the unreached with a bouquet of services – health, education, training, microfinance, social enterprise, e-governance • Creating social capital, using information -communication as the outreach tool

10. RURAL KNOWLEDGE CENTRE (RKC) • Based on the principles of social inclusion, gender equity and reaching the unreached • Using ICT for information empowerment • Access to information on entitlements, governance and infrastructure, weather and markets, education, healthcare, public services • Retail outlet for online skill building and training services

11. Network of RKCs across the country • Formation of a National Alliance for Mission 2007, through partnership of a range of stakeholders: Government, Private Sector, Academia, Mass media, NGOs and Civil Society Groups • Location either in Panchayat building/village school/Open University Study Centre • Community-owned; Management by trained ICT Self Help Groups; Selection and training of one million rural virtual academicians • Low-interest Credit support from banks; Venture Capital Fund • Active Role of Panchayats in supporting and outsourcing services through RKCs.

12. Principal Components of Mission 2007: Every Village a Knowledge Centre • Connectivity: Extend BSNL network through wireless technology to connect all 600,000 villages • Content: Location-specific and need-based; Multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary Content Consortium in every district; Establish National Digital Gateway for Rural Livelihood Security • Capacity Building: Capacity Building Consortium at district level; One million rural virtual academicians • Care and Management: Trained ICT-SHGs linked to Panchayats

13. PUBLIC POLICY SUPPORT • Universal Service Opportunity under the USO Fund – to extend connectivity through broadband and internet telephony • Rural ICT Policy; BSNL network in 6000 blocks to reach the 600,000 villages • Community Radio Policy – Licence to 4000 community radio stations • Outsourcing government services to RKCs • Incentives to Rural Service Providers; • Farmers’ Distress Call Centres • 20,000 VKCs covering 100,000 villages in the 150 districts in 2005

14. NVA and the Self-help groups triggered Micro-enterprise Revolution • NVA’s Vision: Elect one million NVA Fellows by 2010, at least one woman and one man in every village • NVA’s Mission: Help SHGs to evolve into Sustainable Self-help Groups (SSHGs) rooted in the principles of economics, ecology and gender and social equity • The bottom line of the ICT movement in rural India should be “ food, health, literacy and work for all” • Act as the key service provider to the National Alliance

15. Sustainable Self-help Groups Ground Rules: • It is the ICT SHGs which will ‘ own’ the village knowledge centres throughout India • Membership of the self-help groups must be based on the Sarvodaya principal (ie, a “ win-win situation for all”) • There should be two way linkages between appropriate experts and self-help groups • Collaboration with private sector and industry could be on the pattern of production on contract/ franchise/buy-back arrangements • Decentralised production should be supported by key centralised services ( e.g. e-commerce)

16. Job Led Economic Growth Management Market Sustainable Self-help Groups Technology Credit

17. Reaching the Unreached Village Knowledge Centre (VKS) National/ State Hubs Internet VKS VKS Block/ Mandal Hub VKS Dist Lead Hub VKS VKS

18. Global Alliance for ICT4D • World Summit on Information Society • FAO’s WAICENT • UNESCO’s Distance Learning Program • The Commonwealth of Learning • CGIAR - Global Open Agriculture and Food University (based at IFPRI) • VASAT (ICRISAT piloted in AP – India and Niger)

19. National Alliance for ICT4ARD India’s National Alliance for ICT4ARD (Mission 2007: Every Village a Knowledge Center) will be a model for the whole world as India accounts for one-fourth of the world’s rural population and nearly 30% of the world’s farming families. India must succeed in quickly achieving agrarian prosperity to lead the world in fighting poverty and hunger.

20. Concrete Actions Proposed • The National Agriculture Library at IARI may be designated as the National Digital Gateway for Rural Livelihood Security. The ICAR must duly invest in strengthening the necessary hardware, human-ware and software resources. All concerned institutes especially the Delhi based ones viz. NCAP, IASRI, NCs located withing IARI, the CGIAR centers, NAAS, TAAS etc. must actively feed into the gateway.

21. Concrete Actions Proposed • IARI’s KVK at Shikohpur should be restructured to be the hub and outlet for on-line skill building in agriculture, including urban and periurban agriculture, particularly for ICT - SHGs in the State of Delhi

22. Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man whom you have seen, and ask yourself, if the steps you contemplate are going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore to him control over his own life and destiny?’ M.K. Gandhi