MKSP Loka Kalyan Parishad

Mahila Kishan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP):

Government of India some time back has launched the National Livelihood Mission (NRLM), a significant programme aimed at eradication of acute poverty and hunger in the rural areas. Under this programme at least one member from each identified rural poor household, preferably a woman, would be brought under the Self Help Group (SHG) network in a time bound manner. Subsequently, both woman and men would be organised for addressing livelihoods issues i.e. farmers organisation, milk producers cooperatives, weavers associations, etc. All these institutions are inclusive and no poor would be left out of them. NRLM would ensure adequate coverage of vulnerable sections of the society such that 50% of the beneficiaries are SC/STs, 15% are minorities and 3% are persons with disability, while keeping in view the ultimate target of 100% coverage of BPL families. 

An important sub-programme of this flagship programme of the Govt. of India, is the Mahila Kishan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP).

33% of the agricultural laborers in India are women and about 80% of the economically active women are engaged in agriculture. But due to various reasons they are not duly recognized as farmers and often remain outside the consideration of many service providers particularly those related to agriculture. It has been the concern of the Govt. of India to bring them under focus so that these women can have their rightful place in the agriculture sector.

Through this Programme, Mahila Kishans will be facilitated to be brought into sustainable agricultural practices to address the food and nutrition security issues through effective capacity building and hand holding through:

  • Establishment of partnership (Public-Private, Private-Private) on the Basis of sharing of resources.
  • Land based cultivations through natural resource management. (SRI, TPS, SWI emphasized)
  • Integrated pond management.
  • Reclamation of degraded resources, common property resource management.
  • Nutrition Garden for those having homestead lands.
  • Community nutrition gardens for landless families.
  • Convergence to governmental programmes like NREGA, TSC, Individual Benefit Scheme (IBS) as well as group activities, Backward Area Grants etc.

At the end of this project period, the groups along with their community architecture will be merged with the NRLM of the State.

By the end of the project period 60,000 BPL families Mahila Kishan would be mobilized into around 6,000 SHGs and strengthened and enhanced their livelihood security and reduce their food insecurity.

In quantitative terms, potentially empowered women farmers would be able to improve farm and non-farm production of each family (cereals, pulses, vegetables, rearing of small animals (goates,sheep,chicks,ducks,rabbits etc.)and micro-enterprises a cash income of Rs. 3500 – Rs. 4000 per month, at the end of the project period in the intensive action area.

Mahila kisans will be  part of the process of  local level governace through participatory democratic process.

An asset amounting to a  minimum Rs. 20,500 per family would be generated at the end of the project period from the sources like grain bank, plantations and animal resources, Group-owned progeny orchards, agro-forestry, economic plantation in the Common Property Resource etc. excluding income from the non-farm other type of micro-enterprises.

6000 SHGs would be ultimately federated in the Maha Sangha (SHG Federation at Block level) in accordance with the existing structure of the state in this respect. The groups along with their community architecture will be merged with the NRLM of the State at the end of this project period.

NPM and NRM - based sustainable agricultural practices will bring back the low input cost, eco-friendly agricultural environment in the rural areas through profitable Decentralized Natural Resource Management against the rampant use of costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

A development model will be established which may be replicated in other areas of the state through empowerment of Mahila Kishans under People’s Institutional framework encompassing village level to District level connected with sustainable agricultural practice.