The conference on ‘Evolving India: Re-imagining Rural Development for Shared Prosperity’ is organised along with the World Bank and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“The success stories emerging from Rural India are showcasing India to emerge in 2047,” said Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh
New Delhi, NFAPost: The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) organised a two-day conference inviting the sharpest minds on rural development to brainstorm and create a roadmap for Rural India during the Amrit Kaal.
The two-day Conference titled ‘Evolving India: Re-imagining Rural Development for Shared Prosperity’ was inaugurated on Tuesday by Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh in New Delhi.
The Ministry of Rural Development contributes to India’s rural development agenda of building safety nets, enhancing livelihoods opportunities for the vulnerable and improving rural infrastructure.
The World Bank and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have been two long-term strategic partners of the Ministry of Rural Development and have supported the central and state governments in chartering newer directions through investments, partnership development, evidence gathering and knowledge support.
The MoRD believes that the time is now ripe to chalk out a medium-term plan for 2024-2030 and a long-term plan for 2024-2047 to chart out the future of rural development in India.
The Ministry recognises the complexity of the structural transition in rural economy and is committed towards contributing to the growth of emerging sectors; aligning institutional vehicles to connect rural aspirations with these sectors; building an institutional safety net for the vulnerable; customizing strategies to address regional disparities and building an enabling environment for market-led growth.
Aligned with above objectives, the two-day Conference titled ‘Evolving India: Re-imagining Rural Development for Shared Prosperity’ has been organised where experts and professionals are participating with focus on six key themes central to India’s rural transformation. Deliberations on each theme begin with opening remarks from a distinguished policy thinker followed by panel discussion with diverse representation.
In his keynote address at the conference Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh stated that today there are lakhs of success stories emerging of SHG women who have done exemplary work across India reflecting the transformation brought about by the policies and initiatives of DAY-NRLM under inspiring leadership of PM Narendra Modi.
“The Ministry aims to support and enhance livelihoods opportunities and enable Lakhpati women across SHG network. Here I praise the SHG women’s contribution in testing times like Covid-19 and in India’s GDP growth. India’s as a 5 trillion economy will have a significant contribution of the SHG women,” said Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh.
He also highlighted the ministry’s focus on sustainability, carbon neutrality, financial inclusivity and the firm alignment of the MoRD with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
Speaking at the event Union Minister of State Faggan Singh Kulaste asserted that the scope & strength of the SHG network can be greatly enhanced with adequate training in packaging and marketing support to the SHGs.
Addressing the august gathering, Rural Development Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh laid stress on the community driven approach with socio economic empowerment of rural women at its core.
Speaking about the multiple schemes of the Ministry he mentioned that the ministry ensures the delivery of its services by leveraging the social capital. “The mission to achieve its objectives of enhanced income must leverage the benefits of various government schemes and build upon the partnerships,” said Rural Development Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh.
Welcoming the participants, Rural Livelihoods Additional Secretary Charanjit Singh highlighted the milestones Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has created as the largest programme of its kind in the world today and showing the world the way with women led development.
In his address World Bank India Country Director Auguste Tano Koume said that the partnership between Government of India and The World Bank has enabled large scale transformation on the ground across several states in India .
“The challenges that emerging India faces include the requirements of livelihood opportunities in the rural area as well as changing demographics,” said World Bank India Country Director Auguste Tano Koume.
In his video message, Country Director BMGF India, Shri Hari Menon highlighted the initiatives that the BMGF partnership with Govt of India is helping enable empowerment of women through the Self Help Groups.
The speakers and attendees at this conference include public sector leaders from the national and state governments, representatives from civil society, academia, voices from the grassroots and those watching rural development from close quarters in the private sector.
The 2-day conference focused on following six dedicated themes:
Leveraging digital opportunities for rural India
Strengthening the nexus of agri-food, climate change, nutrition, and gender
Entrepreneurship and jobs for rural youth
Investing in the rural-urban transition
Reimagining the design of collectives
Financing for inclusive rural growth
GDi, a social impact consulting startup, is the knowledge partner of the event that promises to widen the scope development in rural India. The conference is being live streamed on DAY-NRLM and World Bank social media handles.
