Nationwide Session on ‘Platform Work as an Enabler for Girls’s Financial Empowerment’ | September 3, 2025

Background: Gender Samvaad is a nationwide digital platform of DAY-NRLM used to generate higher consciousness on DAY-NRLM’s interventions throughout the nation. Additionally it is a possibility to share and be taught finest practices amongst the States Rural Livelihoods Missions and listen to voices from SRLM cadres and SHG girls. Two such occasions have been held earlier on 16 April 2021 and 2nd July 2021. The third Gender Samvaad occasion was organized to spotlight points round meals & diet safety and initiatives undertaken by the State Rural Livelihoods Missions and SHG members for a similar. The United Nations standing committee on diet defines meals and diet safety as:

“Meals and diet safety exists when all folks always have bodily, social and financial entry to meals, which is consumed in enough amount and high quality to fulfill their dietary wants and meals preferences, and is supported by an setting of enough sanitation, well being companies and care, permitting for a wholesome and energetic life.” Meals Safety has 4 dimensions: Availability, Entry, Utilization and Stability of meals whereas Vitamin Safety contains the extra dimensions of Care and feeding practices and Well being and Sanitation.

Integrating FNHW inside DAY-NRLM: In 2019, the DAY-NRLM adopted a ‘Dashasutra’ technique for SRLMs, beneath which Meals Safety, Vitamin, Well being and WASH (FNHW) and Gender are included as important elements wanted to result in social growth. This inclusion of FNHW demonstrates the dedication of DAY-NRLM to contribute to general enchancment in well being and diet of the group. Provision of meals and diet safety is an important a part of the FNHW technique. To make sure the 4 dimensions of meals safety, i.e. Availability, Entry, Utilization and Stability of meals, DAY-NRLM envisages the next approaches, (1) institution of diet backyard and residential consumption of produce of diet gardens by SHG households (2) improve in entry of SHG households to Take House Rations (THR) beneath ICDS (3) Promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, (4) Improved protection of SHG households beneath Public Distribution System (PDS) and (5) Addressing gender points associated to consumption of meals. The efficient operationalization of those approaches might be achieved via inter-departmental convergence between DAY-NRLM and M/oWCD, Ministry of Agriculture and Meals and Public Distribution and intra-departmental convergence between FNHW and Farm Livelihoods verticals.

FNHW via a gender lens: In India, an effort for well being and diet can not attain fruition if sure vital points should not addressed. Proof demonstrates that, equitable distribution of meals throughout the household isn’t achieved with out addressing the GENDER NORMS. The widespread follow of ladies consuming final, least and leftovers inhibits girls from reaching their optimum dietary potential, even when there may be availability of enough meals within the house. Choices on procurement of meals merchandise and their distribution throughout the household are additionally typically taken by the top of the family who’re largely males, conserving members like girls, younger youngsters and aged on the fringes throughout the house.  With this in thoughts, DAY-NRLM incorporates a gender lens whereas designing interventions round all elements of social growth. This gender intentional strategy is being utilized in efforts for meals and diet safety as effectively.

Institutional partnerships to strengthen FNHW interventions for higher gender outcomes 

i) Selling convergence between Farm Livelihood and FNHW of DAY-NRLM, MoRD for institution and utilization of diet gardens by SHG households: The Ministry of Rural Growth has been endeavor a number of steps to reinforce promotion of diet gardens at family, group, Anganwadi and panchayat land throughout the nation via DAY-NRLM and MGNREGA. An in depth Advisory was shared with SRLMs by the Farm Livelihoods (FL) vertical of DAY-NRLM to determine diet gardens, in Could 2019. This was additional supplemented by together with work executed for growing diet backyard beneath the ambit of MGNREGA via a DO letter in August 2020. Further thrust was given to this effort through the Poshan Maah, 2020, when the MoPR, MoRD and MoWCD issued a Joint Directive to all State Chief Secretaries to conduct a month-long drive to plant diet backyard to reinforce Meals Safety. On account of these concerted efforts, 77.89 lakh Agri-Vitamin Gardens have been promoted throughout the SRLMs until December, 2021.

Proof means that the mere presence of a diet backyard at house doesn’t translate into equitable gender norms for improved dietary range. There’s a hole between gaining access to meals and really consuming it. Therefore, along-side rising meals, households additionally must be recommended to incorporate the produce of diet backyard of their each day food regimen. Below FNHW part of DAY-NRLM, consciousness classes on food regimen range have been initiated via month-to-month dialogue in SHG conferences and counseling the households via community-based occasions, house visits, village occasions and many others. Some SRLMs have progressed on this regard, and Gender Samvaad could possibly be an acceptable discussion board to share their expertise with different SRLMs. Additionally the message of mixing diet backyard institution with Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) to emphasise the significance of planting diet gardens and supplementing it with counseling for conduct change so that every household consumes the produce of the backyard, thereby bettering range of their food regimen and shifting a step additional in the direction of reaching a state of Dietary safety might be reiterated. Such dialogue may even improve the chance of convergence inside DAY-NRLM verticals and anxious departments.

ii) Selling convergence between MoRD and MoWCD to enhance entry of SHG girls to Take House Rations (THR) and different companies: The Ministry of Girls and Youngster Growth (MoWCD) launched the ICDS program on 2nd Oct 1975 and it stays one of many vital pillars for provision of meals within the type of Take House Rations (THR) and contemporary cooked meals for pregnant and lactating girls, youngsters beneath 6 years of age and adolescent women (beneath the SAG scheme). Below DAY-NRLM, SHG household with pregnant and lactating girls, youngsters beneath 6 years and adolescent women are inspired to avail the THR companies from the native Anganwadi Middle. A couple of SRLMs have collaborated with DoWCD for partaking SHGs producing and offering THR to Anganwadi Middle.

iii) Selling convergence between M/oRD and Ministry of Agriculture: Agricultural practices/cropping patterns additionally play a major function within the entry to meals for a group, which impacts their dietary sample. Regardless of producing giant portions of nutrient-rich crops akin to Rice, Pulses, Millets and many others, India harbours one-third of the world’s stunted youngsters. Proof suggests {that a} transfer in the direction of cultivation of nutrient-rich indigenous meals crops akin to Jowar, Bajra and different millets and diversification of crops can profit the diet standing of the local people. Girls empowerment via Agricultural initiatives additionally has an necessary function to play in bettering general dietary standing.

iv) Convergence between MoRD and Division of Meals and Civil Provides for improved protection of SHG households beneath Public Distribution System (PDS): Equally, the Public Distribution System (PDS) performs a vital function in lowering meals insecurity by appearing as a security web by distributing necessities at a backed price. With a community of greater than 400,000 Honest Worth Retailers (FPS), the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is maybe the most important distribution equipment of its kind on the planet reaching 80 crore individuals within the FY 2020-21. Below DAY-NRLM, linking of SHG members with entitlements and companies are inspired together with entry to backed meals and different family supplies beneath the PDS.

Targets of threerd Gender Samvaad: 

1. To tell members about the advantages of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and diet backyard in supplementing availability of numerous meals teams at family stage;
2. To bolster the importance of gender delicate approaches whereas conveying diet messages to advertise fairness amongst women and men in consumption of meals at house;
3. Expertise sharing between SRLMs on numerous studying and challenges confronted through the implementation.

AGENDA