Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Charanjit Singh addressed Partners Meeting on Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) yesterday in New Delhi. In his address, Shri Charanjit Singh emphasized the crucial role of partnerships in achieving Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH Interventions (FNHW) goals. He said that there are multiple innovations in the community which can impact livelihoods as well as the health and nutrition status of rural families which need to be explored. Shri Charanjit Singh also unveiled the FNHW logo for DAY-NRLM “Sangathan, Swasthya, Samridhi”.

Setting the context for the need of FNHW integration in DAY-NRLM, Joint Secretary- Rural Livelihoods, Ministry of Rural Development, Ms. Smriti Sharan stated the strength of the women-led and women-owned institutions, emphasised on the while of government approach, and invited partnerships for increasing outreach to the last mile with cost effective interventions. She also stated that partners can help the government in amplifying the impact.

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission, a flagship program of Government of India organised a Partners Meeting, to explore possibilities of partnering with a variety of agencies to improve FNHW outcomes in rural households.

The specific objectives of the meeting were to share learnings derived from the massive efforts being undertaken by women’s groups across the country under the DAY-NRLM towards enhancing awareness of rural communities on FNHW, promoting adoption of healthy behaviours and improving access to entitlements and services. The meeting is first in the series of consultations to draft a roadmap for establishing fruitful strategy document, impact collaborations with partners to support ongoing interventions and ideate for innovations and research.

The day witnessed participation from Chahattisgarh where the State Mission Director, State Managing Director, Ms. Padmini Sahu highlighted SRLM’s perspective on FNHW interventions, convergence opportunities and underscored the importance of effective partnerships. The existing partners viz. BMGF, PCI India and UNICEF shared their experiences on collaboration with DAY NRLM and how the FNHW interventions have evolved over the years. The event also had a panel featuring renowned corporate and CSR leaders who shared their views on the potential of DAY-NRLM platform for Health and nutrition and the collaborative journey to take this forward.

This Partner's Meeting marks a pivotal turning point in DAY-NRLM's approach, signifying a strong commitment to prioritize FNHW alongside livelihood creation. By fostering strategic partnerships and scaling up FNHW interventions, DAY-NRLM aims to empower rural women, break the cycle of poverty, and build resilient communities across India.

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SK/SS/SM