English

The vast forest expanse of 64 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh (AP) is home to four million forest dwellers. The forests play a significant role in sustaining the livelihood of these people, especially the sale of forest produce (non-timber forest products), since agricultural activity by itself is not sufficient for sustenance, or as a source of livelihood.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) organises a national conference to examine issues related to effective functioning of the District Planning Committees.

Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India mandates the setting up of District Planning Committees (DPCs) in every state. The DPCs are intended to consolidate the plans prepared by the panchayats and municipalities in the district and to prepare the draft development plan for the entire district. However, the progress in formation of DPCs has been slow, with only 19 states having implemented Article 243 ZD in the right spirit.

A rigorous external evaluation of Aid India’s education project in Tamil Nadu, supported by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) UK, was conducted by New Concept.

UNICEF documents its children and community-led initiatives along with people-centred activities to bring out the best practices in sanitation and hygiene education; open defecation free villages; and community-based water resource management.

Documentation of success stories and lessons learned from the on going programmes.

International Federation for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established as an International Financial Institution in 1977, with a mission to enable poor rural people to overcome poverty. IFAD focuses on country-specific solutions, which can involve increasing rural poor peoples' access to financial services, markets, technology, land and other natural resources.