Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA)

Integrated Basin Development and livelihood Promotion Programme (IBDLP) INTRODUCTION The State’s rural population is heavily dependent upon the natural resources for livelihood support. However, pressure on natural resources due to increased needs coupled with unsustainable resource utilization warrant putting in place a developmental framework that ensures sustainable livelihoods, gainful employment opportunities, and inclusive growth. Climate change coping strategies (mitigating and adaptive measures) further call for a fresh approach toward appropriate natural resources planning and management. Better convergence, better governance and higher participation of the Community in the Developmental efforts will have to be therefore, central to any new initiative for holistic development. In spite of rich natural resource base and the opportunities that come along with it, substantial population of the State particularly in the rural areas has to still grapple with very low income. Clearly it portrays the case of poverty amidst plenty. About half the people of Meghalaya live below the poverty line (Meghalaya State Planning Board, 2009). If we were to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the poverty level and improving the basic services and welfare of the people residing in rural villages comprising 4,30,573 lakh households, it is imperative to adopt a forward looking approach for making optimum and productive utilization of the State’s natural resources, viz., ‘Water’, ‘Land’ and ‘Biotic Resources’. While keeping in view the above scenario, and in order to achieve overall targets of holistic development and in line with the perspective of promoting inclusive growth with a focus on poverty alleviation, employment generation and livelihood promotion as highlighted by the 35thPlanning Commission in its Approach Paper to the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Government of Meghalaya launched a State flagship programme titled “Integrated Basin Development & Livelihood Promotion Programme (IBDLP)” in April 2012. The Programme envisions mission mode interventions for promoting optimum and effective development and utilization of Basin resources of Meghalaya for ensuring livelihood security and inclusive growth in a sustainable framework. APPROACH The Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Promotion (IBDLP) Programme was launched by the Government of Meghalaya as its flagship programme in 2012 in order to create a statewide institutional ecosystem for ecologically sustainable and economically inclusive development in Meghalaya. The Programme aims to put Meghalaya on a higher growth trajectory and improve the quality of life and well being of all its citizens. It seeks to redefine the relationship between the citizen and state and to bring about a paradigm shift in the way development is viewed and administered by moving from the current supply driven beneficiary model of development to a demand driven partnership model of development. Thus IBDLP is a strongly citizen-centric programme that emphasizes entrepreneurship and intellectual development of the people of Meghalaya as the pathway to its vision for sustainable development: individuals’ entrepreneurial capacity to start successful enterprises, communities’ leadership capacity to take action on ecological and economic issues that are critical to them, citizens’ capacity to identify their own development aspirations and make these aspirations a reality. The IBDLP programme is not prescriptive in nature and leaves space for the choices regarding planning and implementation of demand side initiatives by the citizens and entrepreneurs. Rather, IBDLP focuses on building a systematic, inclusive framework within which sustainable, inclusive, people-centred development can occur. KEY FEATURES Strengthen statewide institutions for good governance that respond to the needs and demands of the people, and that enable collaboration between citizens and the government Facilitate convergence across government departments so that cross-cutting sectors can be addressed and public service delivery becomes effective and responsive to on-ground realities reconceptualise citizens as active “partners” and not as passive “beneficiaries”, thus catalysing people’s aspirations and creating in them the spirit of enterprise Ensure that the twin goals of natural resource management and livelihoods are simultaneously integrated into every initiative to enable wholistic sustainable development Catalyze, support and invest in the entire sustainable development value chain - from skills and resources for community partners, to market infrastructure of regional markets, to state level institutions for policy and technical knowledge Promote livelihoods through enterprise and entrepreneurship rather than through direct subsidies and grants Promote natural resource management not through top-down policies and programmes, but through community-led initiatives for sustainable use of natural resources The core thrust of the programme is on creating an ecosystem for inclusive growth and sustainable development and not on direct benefits transfer to individuals and households to ensure systemic reforms rather than short term solutions Thus the programme ensures universal access to institutional services under its interventions rather than use a targeted approach that may lead to exclusion or marginalisation Where targeted investment of resources is required, investment is based on fair and transparent policies and not on arbitrary selection of individuals, interventions or regions