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Technical Assistance to RDD

Background

Urban poverty continues to affect a significant portion of the population in Indian metro cities, particularly impacting women and youth from marginalized communities. Urban Self-Help Groups (SHGs), formed by mobilizing women from low-income households, play a critical role in enabling economic empowerment through income-generating activities. However, many of these groups lack access to sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship opportunities. Recognizing this gap, the ‘Cloud Kitchen’ initiative was conceived to equip urban SHG members and underprivileged youth with the skills and resources to operate food service enterprises using the cloud kitchen model—a growing trend in urban food services.

Scope of Intervention 

Despite progressive MGNREGA provisions, systemic barriers have limited women’s access to decent work, leadership, and entitlement benefits. These include:

  • Underrepresentation of women in supervisory roles like MGNREGA Mates.
  • Weak convergence between SHG platforms (JEEViKA) and Gram Panchayat planning.
  • Inadequate access to productive asset creation for ultra-poor women.
  • Poor implementation of gender-sensitive infrastructure at worksites.
  • Lack of structured support, monitoring, and community feedback loops.

The initiative responded by focusing on prototypes and scalable models to enhance women’s visibility, agency, and institutional inclusion within the MGNREGA ecosystem.

Program Lead & Collaborators

The program was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by PCI India in partnership with the Rural Development Department (RDD), Government of Bihar,

  • Collaborating Entities: JEEViKA (NRLM Bihar), Bihar Rural Development Society (BRDS), Panchayati Raj Department
  • Technical Partners: TRIF, local SHG federations, and CSOs
  • Operational Geography: District & block-level immersion sites in Madhubani, Gaya, and other locations

What We Did

The initiative embedded gender-sensitive, scalable, and systemic models into rural governance structures through:

  • Women MGNREGA Mates & Leadership Development
  • Productive Asset Creation for Ultra-Poor Households
  • Decentralized Planning through SHG-PRI Integration
  • Infrastructure Development for Women’s Collectives
  • Gender-Sensitive Worksites & Rozgar Diwas
  • Community Data Systems
  • Policy Advocacy & Systemic Influence

Outcome

  • 70,577 Women MGNREGA Mates trained; 30,847 deployed
  • Women’s Participation in MGNREGA up by 54% in FY 23-24
  • 18,029 assets created in Ultra Poor Households
  • 200+ Labour Groups Formed in immersion blocks

Systemic Shifts

  • Gender-centric policy integration via formal state endorsements (DO Letters, SOPs).
  • Evidence-backed model for statewide scale-up of SHG-led MGNREGA participation.
  • Institutional platforms like Mahila Sabhas and Didi Adhikar Kendras established.
  • Bihar saw a 28% increase in person-days generated under MGNREGA (vs. 20% national decline).
  • Women’s person-days increased by 37.88%, vs. a national drop of 15.23%.
  • SC person-days rose by 88.67% in Bihar (national decline of 18.83%)