Ministry of Rural Development and BFIL Forge Alliance to Boost Livelihoods in Rural Livestock and Fisheries Sector

Ministry of Rural Development, GOI, and Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited (BFIL) have solidified their commitment to boosting livelihood interventions under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) through a Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The signing ceremony took place in New Delhi, where Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, Charanjit Singh, and Executive Vice Chairman of BFIL, J Sridharan, sealed the agreement.

In attendance were officials including Joint Secretary Smriti Sharan, Deputy Secretary Ms. Nivedita Prasad, Deputy Director Raman Wadhwa, National Mission Manager Dr. Vivek Kunj, Chief People Officer Kishore Sambasivam, Chief Managers Dr. Prem Nath Singh, and Asad Ahmad from BFIL.

Charanjit Singh highlighted the crucial role of livestock in augmenting household income and meeting nutritional requirements. He stressed the importance of adopting a saturation approach with tangible outcomes. Given BFIL's existing engagement with women in rural financial inclusion through Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), particularly in the livestock sector, he encouraged exploring avenues for formal collaboration.

Expressing gratitude for partnering with the GOI, Executive Vice Chairman J Sridharan affirmed BFIL's dedication to maximizing community benefits as outlined in the agreement.

Under the MoU's framework, an initial step involves establishing a centralized Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) to support DAY-NRLM at the national level. State-level PMUs will also be set up in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar. These units will comprise specialists in livestock and market linkage, tailored to each state's requirements. BFIL will additionally reinforce the role of Pashu Sakhis (last-mile extension workers at the village level) developed under DAY-NRLM to provide essential healthcare services to animals.

Another key focus area entails facilitating livestock clusters, developing IT-enabled ecosystems, and providing veterinary care and facilitation support to Self-Help Group (SHG) households enrolled in DAY-NRLM.

This collaboration between the Ministry of Rural Development and BFIL signifies a concerted effort to empower rural communities and enhance their livelihood opportunities, particularly in the realm of livestock and fisheries development.