Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) RD Block Chümoukedima under DRDA Dimapur has launched four Cluster Level Federation (CLF) Saturday, at Tenyiphe village council hall.
The newly launched CLF comprises of cedar federation, orchid federation, unique federation and galaxy federation.
Regarding Self Help Group (SHG) as one of the best financial intermediary systems, additional secretary, RD and mission director, NSRLM, Kohima, Athel O Lotha said that it has a great potential to alleviate poverty and for empowering marginalized sections of population particularly women. She asserted that SHG reaching out beyond simple financial intermediation helps in organizing livelihood and non- financial services as well as social services in accordance with its principles.
Lotha also lamented that despite tremendous positive impacts, SHGs still faces significant constraints and challenges which limit their service capacity, bargaining power, and even hinder and endanger their long term sustainability.
Hence, SHGs through its village organizations are federated into “Federations” to take agenda which is beyond the scope of individual SHGs and for achieving sustainability, Lotha added.
The additional secretary also congratulated the SHG and Village Level Organization (VLO) members, the mission staff and stake holders for their collective efforts in achieving this milestone.
This is just the beginning, and that emergence of SHG federations has attracted attention from policy makers as well as practitioners of microfinance, she stated.
Furthermore, Lotha encouraged the participants to seize the moment to promote livelihoods collectives, producer cooperatives/companies for deriving economics of scale, backward and forward linkages and access information, credit, technology, markets etc while the mission was functioning.
She also encouraged them to take a pledge to strive, to provide greater space, voice and resources for the poor and for reducing dependence on external agencies saying that “alone we cannot achieve much, but together we can achieve more than we bargain for”.
Highlighting about the initial stage of NSRLM, Kohima chief operating officer M Rollan Lotha was sure that Nagaland will progress with the formation of federation in Nagaland.
In regard to NSRLM fund, Rollan said as per the record there has been no loss or user being that has been disbursed to the women community under NSRLM.
He informed that there are about 15 federation started in Nagaland and it is planned that the federation will be made a part and registration will also be done in the days to come.
He also mentioned that the mission was looking forward how the federations will run and sustain with or without the support of any government which has been the ultimate goal of NSRLM, he asserted.
Rollan also spoke on the importance of leadership rotation so that everyone will get the privilege and opportunity, when they are trying to come together and survive on their own. Though, SHG started microfinance concept, Rollan encouraged them to think beyond economic activity and look forward for need base as cooperative society in unity. He also requested the BDO block Chumu to provide support towards the women who were in need of nurturing.
Rollan further informed that NSRLM looks forward covering all blocks within this year. Altogether, NSRLM is targeting to reach out to one lakh fifty seven household and is looking forward for bringing about 74 federations. At present NSRLM has reached out to 62 thousand household, he maintained.
Brief report of NSRLM was presented by NSRLM, DRDA Dimapur ADPM M Yimok Phom where she maintained that under CLFs it has 28 VLOs and 439 SHGs within Chümoukedima block.
Short speech was also delivered by DRDA Dimapur project director H Atokhe Aye and exhortation by village council secretary signal Angami Avi Natso.
The programme highlighted release of CLF souvenir, group song and folk dance by CLF members and united VLO SIGNAL Angami respectively.
Earlier, certificates were also given away to the four CLF president.