Ehsaan Yousf
SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 11: The Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) kickstarted a comprehensive three-day Union Territory-level training programme on Village Poverty Reduction Plan (VPRP).
The capacity-building initiative aimed to equip key resource persons, district teams, and block mission coordinators with the technical frameworks necessary to streamline community-driven rural development across J&K.
Operating under the guidelines of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Rural Development, the VPRP serves as a structured, grassroots planning exercise led by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations. As an institutional sub-plan of the broader Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), it ensures that the economic, social, and developmental priorities of vulnerable households are systematically incorporated into local governance agendas.
The program focuses on developing a pool of master trainers who will extend capacity-building instruction to rural women across community-based organizations. This cascading training structure is designed to capacitate rural women to voice their common concerns through proper planning, and its integration of into local Gram Sabhas and GPDPs.
The VPRP serves as a comprehensive demand plan prepared by women-led SHG networks. It addresses key pillars of grassroots development, including social entitlements, livelihood plan, Social development plan, Public good service and Resource development plan. Once finalized, these plans will be integrated into the GPDPs to ensure participatory and inclusive governance.
The training facilitated by professionals from the NMMU on programmatic and technical aspects, highlighting conceptual learning through practical sessions. Participants will gain hands-on experience with the VPRP process through interactive sessions, demonstrations, and peer-learning activities.
During the 3-day program, state resource persons will facilitate interactive workshops to enable digital mapping, demand consolidation, and effective presentation before local Gram Sabhas.
Highlighting the significance of the training program, Dr. Shubhra Sharma, Mission Director, JKRLM, said, “The Village Prosperity & Resilience Plan is a pivotal step toward strengthening grassroots democracy and translating in tangible socio-economic progress. By empowering our rural women and SHG federations to lead the development agenda, we are ensuring that government interventions align directly with the genuine needs of every household. Our goal is to build self-reliant, resilient villages where every community member has a say in their planning .”
The three-day program will conclude with established frameworks for submitting and converging community demand plans directly into upcoming Gram Panchayat Development Plans.
