The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), South Asia,at IFMR. The partnership aims to leverage J-PAL’s expertise as a knowledge partner to empower rural poor women towards self-sufficiency.
The MoU signed by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, Charanjit Singh, and Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia, Shobhini Mukerji, underscores the importance of real-time feedback in implementing effective programmes. According to Shri Charanjit Singh, this collaboration will facilitate the integration of feedback mechanisms, vital for informed decision-making.
Central to this partnership is the adoption of BRAC’s Graduation Approach, a proven livelihood program that has effectively uplifted vulnerable households out of poverty, as evidenced by randomised evaluations conducted by J-PAL and Innovations for Poverty Action. J-PAL South Asia will support MoRD in incorporating scientific evidence and data into their decision-making processes.
Furthermore, J-PAL South Asia will collaborate with MoRD to establish a Gender Impact Lab aimed at conducting new research and institutionalizing data utilization within the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY NRLM), with a focus on women-led development initiatives.
DAY-NRLM, renowned as one of the world’s largest community mobilization efforts, has organized over 10.04 crore women into self-help groups, promoting financial inclusion, digital literacy, sustainable livelihoods, and social development interventions. Above all, it endeavors to empower women to lead dignified lives.
Notably, J-PAL South Asia, in partnership with Bandhan-Konnagar, has been collaborating with the Government of Bihar’s JEEViKA since 2018 to support the expansion of the Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana (SJY), which is poised to become the largest government-led scale-up of the Graduation Approach globally. SJY aims to reach 200,000 women-headed households across Bihar by 2024, demonstrating a concerted effort towards sustainable rural development.
