MoU signed for strengthening special PwD SHGs in Nagaland

Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 28

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed today between Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) and Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) to work together to support and empower persons with disabilities in Nagaland.

Imtimenla, Joint Secretary & Mission Director NSRLM and Diethono Nakhro, SCPD signed the MoU here at Hotel de Oriental Grand in the presence of other officials.

In order to ensure proper implementation of proposed plans for the vulnerable category, the convergence of the Mission with the SCPD connotes that the NSRLM has human resource and institutional presence in all the villages with community service providers to strengthen the process of mobilization and institution building, while the Office of the SCPD has the technical expertise for required strategic support as per laid plans and necessary interventions.

In this context, NSRLM and SCPD have formed a partnership to address issues faced by the vulnerable community, particularly persons with disabilities, and to facilitate access to entitlements and other benefits, while also exploring avenues for holistic development of the most vulnerable to live a dignified life.

Roles and responsibilities of SCPD
The SCPD shall undertake to support the project for the welfare of PwD SHGs within the identified area of operation of the NSRLM as per AAP.

It shall facilitate and provide technical support and strengthening of PwD SHGs, explore ways for sustainability of the SHGs whenever support is required by the Mission, ensure access to rightful entitlements for beneficiaries identified in the Pilot Blocks, orienting staff and community cadres on available entitlements.

It shall also facilitate working with special groups in line with the National Resource Organization and agencies, Interventions for special groups in the Pilot Blocks, strengthen special category groups through timely need-based capacity building support for staff and community cadres.

It would also facilitate innovative approach towards enterprise undertaking by the PwDs and/or other sources of dignified livelihoods for the special groups in the Pilot Blocks.

Roles & responsibilities of NSRLM
The NSRLM shall conduct sensitization and orientation on PwD SHGs formation and strengthening to District Mission Management Unit (DMMU) /Block MMU teams, provide a list of resource persons with qualification and experience details on par with NRLM resource norms, fix the responsibility of the CRPs/VFs/MBKs on formation, strengthening and overall monitoring of PwD SHGs as per the guidelines of SMMU.

It shall identify and catalogue the categories of PwDs in all villages and shall form at least minimum one PwD SHG in each village, prepare the list of target beneficiaries of PwDs with the support of VLOS /CLFs.

It shall coordinate with existing networks of PwDs for identification and facilitation of plans in the pilots and other non-intensive blocks, organize convergence campaign for the PwD SHGs to avail the benefits of government welfare schemes.

It shall provide financial assistance like Revolving Fund (RF), Community Investment Fund (CIF) and Vulnerability Reduction Fund (VRF) from NSRLM in time, ensure the VLO/CLF to monitor and strengthen the PwD SHGs network.
It shall document the best practices, case studies, compendium and other activities implemented through DMMUs and BMMUs.

Activities
This MoU will be effective for a period of one year.

The activities will include; Development of implementation framework, orientation of staff on the Schemes and programmes for PwDs, advocacy on access to entitlements by PwDs, joint celebration of PwD Day during project period.

Other area includes; campaign for promotion of awareness on rights and safeguards of persons with disabilities, development of training modules and support in conducting baseline, midline and end line survey.

NSRLM comes under the department of rural development, Government of Nagaland covering 74 blocks and 1164 villages with Mission Management Units at the State, District and Block levels.

Voice from SCPD
“This collaborative project is so much needed given the situation that still exists in our state. The harsh truth is that when it comes to disability, the situation has been disgracefully bad for a very long time. There’s no way to sugar coat the fact that there was huge neglect through the years – and of course we have to be very clear here that it’s not only about the government – it’s our society as a whole that has failed the disabled community,” said SCPD Diethono Nakhro.

She said that the good news is that “we are making progress now, slowly but surely awareness is improving and changes are beginning to take place.”

She said that the RPwD Act 2016 is the overarching legal framework in the country and all measures are being taken to ensure that the provisions of the Act, the laws, are implemented strictly in the state; “However, the fact remains that we still have a very long way to go and much work to be done before we become a truly inclusive society that leaves no citizen behind.”

Nakhro said that this project is a first of its kind and is really a significant initiative towards supporting people with disabilities to enable them to live their lives with dignity, while also raising awareness and promoting acceptance of disabilities in the larger community.

Voice from NSRLM
Imtimenla, Joint Secretary & Mission Director NSRLM said, “We must not forget that the vulnerable can come out of their vulnerability as they have innate capabilities, and we just need to nurture those capabilities. It is for this reason that the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission while making the Annual Action Plan has specifically proposed for MoU signing with organizations and agencies. For support in interventions for the elderly, we are signing MoU with Helpage India. For support in strategic strengthening of Persons with Disabilities, we are signing MoU with the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities today.”

She said that currently there are 765 exclusive elderly SHGs and 59 exclusive SHGs of Persons with Disabilities under the Mission, while many are also part of the mainstream SHGs.

“To achieve the objective of comprehensive development of these sections, the staff along with the network of SHGs in the villages namely the Village Level Organization will be involved in intensive facilitation for mobilization, identification, capacity building, financial inclusion, livelihoods accessibility and access to rights and entitlements. Resources will be pooled from within NSRLM and through convergence efforts,” she said.

The MoU will be for a period of 12 months initially and will be piloted in 4 Model Blocks namely, Jakhama, Chümoukedima, Longleng and Wokha Blocks.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/mou-signed-for-strengthening-special-pwd-shgs-in-nagaland