PoP CELL

Indira Kranti Patham – a state-wide community driven project implemented by SERP (Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty) is aimed at alleviating poverty from rural areas in all its dimensions. The main objective is to enable the rural poor in the state, particularly the poorest of the poor (PoP), to improve their livelihoods and quality of life. SERP envisaged reaching the rural poor through the platform of SHG, facilitating bank linkage as the first step followed by various livelihood activities. As on today about 1 core women have been mobilized to form SHGs.

However it is the hard truth that there are still 20-30% of the poor households (HH), are yet to access and be part of the CBO structure created by SERP. Also many HH who are in SHG, have fallen back into poverty cycle due to their low shock absorbing capability. The presumption that the empowered network of CBOs will facilitate handholding of the poor SC&ST households has proved premature. In this context, the need for a new strategy focussing on the PoP household evolved out along with the emphasis in enhancing the income levels and the reduction in expenses, with the focus as household as a unit, thus looking beyond SHGs.