DIMAPUR: Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM), Department of Rural Development, in collaboration with BRAC International, organised a programme on Samaveshi Aajeevika Yojana (SAY–SOBLOK) at Hotel Vivor Banquet Hall, Kohima, on October 6.
The event witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NSRLM and BRAC International to support 4,000 extremely vulnerable households in the state under SAY–SOBLOK, aligned with DAY NRLM, a DIPR report stated.
Commissioner and secretary, Rural Development, Thavaseelan K. emphasised the need for rural development programmes to effectively reach the most vulnerable households.
He said SAY provides an opportunity to extend focused livelihood support while ensuring access to government services and entitlements. Stressing fair beneficiary selection, household specific livelihood choices, and women’s participation, he called for stronger interdepartmental coordination and community level support.
Delivering the keynote, Jt. Secretary & Mission Director, NSRLM, Moa Sangtam, highlighted NSRLM’s social inclusion initiatives, including mobilisation of 15,481 SHGs and 1,269 Village Level Organisations, access to bank credit, vulnerability mapping, and exclusive SHGs for vulnerable groups. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he urged participants to reflect on the essence of the MoU, noting that “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”
COO (Programs), NSRLM, M. Rollan Lotha, welcomed BRAC and partners, recalling NSRLM’s journey since 2013 and its commitment to ensuring no household is left behind.
In her address, India Country Lead, BRAC International, Shweta S. Banerjee, reaffirmed BRAC’s commitment to supporting SAY in Nagaland. She appreciated NSRLM’s interventions and said BRAC would contribute through capacity building, cross learning, best practices, and research partnerships, expressing hope that innovations from Nagaland could serve as models for other states.
National Anchor for SAY, DAY NRLM, Mona Dave, provided an overview of SAY, while Senior Program Advisor, BRAC International, Ajit Ranjan, outlined the importance of strengthening community institutions, capacity building, and partnerships for effective implementation.
The programme also featured sessions by Program Advisor-Livelihoods, Ramesh Veluru; Program Coordinator–Coaching and CB, Himanshu Pahwa; and Program Specialist–Strategy, Abhishek Singh. Veluru highlighted the role of coaching in enabling households to achieve self sufficiency, Pahwa spoke on BRAC’s livelihood promotion approach, and Singh elaborated on BRAC’s learning ecosystem through Learning Exchange Programmes and Joint Reviews.
The event concluded with presentation of action points and next steps by Lead Coaching, SAY National PMU, Kshovan Guha.
