CInI-NABARD Partnership:
NABARD has agreed to partner with CInI in taking up the Watershed Development Fund on Co-Funding basis for implementation of the above projects. To implement the project at field level a Project Facilitating agency ( PFA ) will be identified to take up the project in approximately 5000 ha area. The PFA will be an NGO having extensive experience and expertise in the matter of conceptualization and implementation of Watershed Development Programme. The project with a total investment of Rs. 12000 per ha. will be co-funded by NABARD and CInI in the ratio of 60:40 of the total share between the two. NABARD will support Rs. 6000/ha, CInI Rs. 4000/ha and remaining Rs. 2000/ha will be mobilized as peoples contribution in the form of shramdan. Initially the above partnership is taken up in Kundra and Jeypore blocks of Koraput district, and Harsha Trust is identified as the PFA for implementation of the above project

Sukhi Bali Raja Initiatives:
SBI is an initiative being jointly promoted by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), which focuses on overcoming the agrarian distress among the rural community in six distressed districts (Yavatmal, Wardha, Buldhana, Amravati, Washim and Akola) of Vidharbha. The initiative focuses on promoting comprehensive livelihood programme for the rural community, through pilot field projects in selected clusters, which could be upscaled subsequently. As a part of the Central India Initiative nodal agency functions, Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) has been accorded the responsibility for close monitoring and technical back-stopping support to the project “Agrarian Sustainability through Action Research (AGRASAR) in Vidharbha” to be implemented by IGS, Hyderabad and other Sukhi Baliraja Initiative (SBI) projects in selected distressed districts of Vidarbha. CInI, as the nodal agency of Central India Initiative programme is mandated with the responsibility of facilitating regular monitoring of the programme activities and providing external knowledge and networking support for the projects.

CInI in Institutional development process
CInI in collaboration with Human and Institutional Development forum, a Bangalore based organization, organized three days workshop from 16-18th December, in Ranchi at KJVK campus-on exploring Human and Institutional Development in Jharkhand and Orissa. It was a grand event participated by all the existing and potential partners of CInI in these two states along with CInI East and West members. Open space technology was used and series of workshop was conducted to identify opportunities, explore strengths, articulate aspirations and commitment to result in the context of HID

Participated in National workshop on Normative Concerns, Challenges and opportunities in the New Era of Watershed Development Projects in India

Government of India had issued Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects in 2008. The main objective of this guideline was to create a common platform where all the stakeholders (Government, NGO’s/CSO’s, Academic institutes and community) can come together and act in one common way. Though loopholes of previous Watershed guidelines (Hariyali Guidelines, 2003) have been overcome, there still exist major gaps which were discussed. The workshop was held in New Delhi on 18th and 19th of September, 2008 and was attended by two of the CInI members. The major highlights of the workshop were:

• To bring all the stakeholders viz. Government, CSO’s and communities at one common platform.
• Strong networking to bring the convergence related to social capital, natural resource management and infrastructure.
• Along with physical structures, livelihood related activities have been given due importance.
• Landless and resource less people taken into cognizance.
• Microdetailings to be operationalized.
• Importance of baseline studies in decision making process.