Usharmukti Project
Effective implementation of MGNREGA in watershed mode in the Western part of the State of West Bengal
Government Partner: Govt of West Bengal MGNREGA Cell
Funding Partners: BRLF and Ford Foundation
CSO Partner: Pradan (Lead), DRCSC, TSRD, RDA, SM, LKP and
Prasari
Usharmukti (Liberation from Barrenness) is a mega-watershed development project implemented in 54 blocks in six districts in West Bengal. The project idea originates from the learning of earlier water conservation interventions that continued to be patchy and ‘implemented as discrete islands’ rather than on a ‘large land mass’ area. It was felt that there is an immediate need to implement the concept of a watershed and its imperatives such as a broad ridge to valley treatment, hydrological considerations in treatment measures considering more extensive geography, and the catchment of a river.
Under the Usharmukti Project, the ‘watershed approach’ following ‘Ridge to Valley’ interventions principles has been taken up for a large expanse of geography in continuity, for the management of rainwater over time and affecting the production outputs and its sustainability. Usharmukti Project aimed at a comprehensive treatment with arresting the surface flow of rolling topography to recharge the groundwater and base flow of rivers and streams which led to their rejuvenation in the region and regenerated the catchment areas. The project has accelerated the pace and appropriate resource investment to transform the ecology and bring prosperity to the Usharmukti project region.
The project was initiated by the Government of West Bengal in collaboration with BRLF and six CSO partners PRADAN as the lead partner. Commissioner, MGNREGA, Panchayat, and Rural Development Department, Government of West Bengal, invited BRLF to support this project to facilitate the capacity building of MGNREGA functionaries, especially the grass-root implementing bodies such as Gram Panchayats, Blocks, Districts. In collaboration with expert CSOs, the whole ecosystem was orchestrated to effectively translate ‘today’s wage’ to ‘tomorrow’s livelihood’ for the poor communities. The project ended in July 2021.
The main objective of the program is to increase the reach of government welfare schemes and to address challenges in sectors such as education, health, nutrition and innovation in tribal areas, in order to ensure an integrated and focused approach to the socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes population in a coordinated and planned manner. Keeping in mind our core competence in the field of CSO facilitation and screening, MoTA has appointed BRLF to carry out a rigorous screening process for shortlisting proposals from different parts of the country on various themes such as education, health and innovation.
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