The Hindu : U.K. to fund poverty removal schemes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 01, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

U.K. to fund poverty removal schemes

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN. 31. The British Government's Department for International Development (DFID) is going to unveil a new country assistance plan aimed at helping India reach its millennium development goals.

Stating this here on Friday at the inauguration of a two-day national seminar on "Advocacy for Realising Rights and Eradicating Poverty'', Charlotte Seymour-Smith, Head of DFID-India, said the new strategy would be focused on a more integrated approach towards tackling poverty, improving the enabling environment for sustainable economic growth and improving the access of the poor to better services.

While DFID was working with the government especially in the States of Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, it is also working out a strategy for strengthening its partnership with civil society ensuring that considerations of equity and fair participation was ensured, she said.

The seminar, organised by Development Alternatives, aims at strengthening advocacy strategies for recognition, protection and promotion of the entitlements of the poorest of the poor under the Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme (PACS). The seminar has brought together PACS partners, advocacy experts, representatives of national and State Governments, key decision-makers, elected representatives, ideologues and academicians.

"PACS is one of our largest and most exciting civil society action programmes,'' said Ms. Seymour-Smith, adding that the projects are presently being executed in 100 districts spread across six States. Its thrust areas have been poverty alleviation, livelihood, self-governance and empowerment of women and it works through partnering civil society organisations that work on rural development in these districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ashok Khosla, President of Development Alternatives, said that advocacy initiatives around the thematic areas of the PACS programme need to be mounted. "Promoting people-centred advocacy approaches will enable the poor and marginalised to stand up for their rights and realise their entitlements, be it civil, economic, political or social,'' he said.

Bridging the gap between grassroots activism and macro-policy reforms by building rights-based perspectives, engendering collective approaches and strengthening networks and capacities for advocacy was the need of the hour, he added.

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