(Left to Right): Moa Sangtam, Jt Secretary & Mission Director, NSRLM, Thavaseelan K, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary for Rural Development, and Shweta S Banerjee, India Country Lead, BRAC International during the signing of MoU between NSRLM & BRAC International at Hotel Vivor Kohima on October 6.
Morung Express News
Kohima | October 6
Thavaseelan K, Commissioner & Secretary of Department of Rural Development, Nagaland said on Tuesday that the strength of a rural development programme is tested by how well it reaches people for whom participation itself is difficult. Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM)’s inclusion goal places dignified lives and access to rights and entitlements at the centre of its work, he added.
Speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NSRLM, Rural Development Department, Government of Nagaland, and BRAC International at Hotel Vivor, Kohima, on October 6, he remarked, “NSRLM's SAY-SOBLOK gives us an opportunity to carry that purpose further, through sustained attention to extremely vulnerable rural households.”
SAY-SOBLOK will support 4000 extremely vulnerable households, inspired by BRAC’s Graduation Approach. It combines intensive household-level coaching, livelihood development, financial inclusion, access to government entitlements and services, social empowerment, and resilience-building through a sequenced, time-bound approach.
On the three-year technical collaboration between NSRLM and BRAC International, he said the quality of the partnership will depend on how well the approach is adapted to the circumstances of families in Nagaland. He added, “We must begin by identifying households fairly and listening to them properly.”
Underlining that community knowledge is invaluable, he nevertheless stressed, “We should also ask whose voice is missing from a meeting and whose difficulties are least visible.”
People who live at a distance, he noted, have a disability or carry heavy care responsibilities that may need deliberate outreach. In this regard, he emphasised that selection should follow clear criteria, with verification and a simple way for a household to raise an omission or concern. The collaboration, he said, should help establish a sound starting point, review progress at appropriate intervals, and identify where the approach needs improvement. He added, “If an intervention works well, we should understand the conditions that made it work. If it falls short, we should examine the reasons and correct the course.”
This, he said, would give Nagaland a stronger basis for future decisions and experience that can be useful to other programmes.
He urged the NSRLM and its partners to translate the collaboration into a practical plan with clear responsibilities and regular opportunities to resolve problems. “The needs and choices of participating households should remain central throughout,” he added.
Highlighting that the value of the MoU will be realised through families gaining greater security in their daily lives, he said, “when we review this initiative in the years ahead, I hope we will hear from women who can plan with greater confidence, families who can manage a difficult month without losing the progress they have made, and people whose voice now carries weight in decisions affecting them.”
Moa Sangtam, Mission Director, NSRLM, highlighted the Social Inclusion status of NSRLM with supporting data and the activities undertaken, and also presented the Mission's innovations towards inclusive development.
Shweta S Banerjee, India Country Lead, BRAC International, emphasized that a collaborative coalition involving national, state and local governments, community institutions and civil society organisations (CSOs) can bring positive change for participant households.
“Nagaland’s communities will drive SAY SOBLOK, and BRAC is standing by to support with any technical assistance, global learning, and resources for research that might be needed to implement the program. We are here to learn with you on this journey,” she said.
Highlights of the programme included opening remarks by M Rollan Lotha, Chief Operating Officer (Programs), NSRLM, an overview of SAY by Mona Dave, National Anchor for SAY, DAY-NRLM, and a presentation on BRAC's engagement in Nagaland by Ajit Ranjan, Senior Program Advisor, BRAC International besides presentations on BRAC's Global and India experience by Ramesh Veluru, Program Advisor-Livelihoods, Himanshu Pahwa, Program Coordinator-Coaching and Capacity Building, Abhishek Singh, Program Specialist-Strategy and Anoushka Agarwal, Senior Specialist Finance and Administration while Action Plans and Next Steps was facilitated by Khriezovonuo Lhoungu, SPM SISD, NSRLM, and Kshovan Guha, Lead Coaching, SAY National PMU.
