MGNREGA
MGNREGA

German International Development Agency (GIZ): GIZ is fully owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. GIZ support the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. The GIZ is dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. The Indo-German development cooperation has been successfully moving forward since the last 63 years.

The India-Germany Green and Sustainable Development Partnership was launched on 02 May 2022 during the 6th India-Germany inter-governmental consultations (IGC) jointly chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Germany.

GIZ work with MoRD and RD Department in states has been ongoing since 2013. MoRD has partnership with Germany through Project Environmental Benefits of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/ Schemes (EB-MGNREGA/S) in year 2013 and currently has three ongoing projects namely:

  • Water Security and Climate Adaptation in Rural India (WASCA): April 2019-March 2022 (Phase I) and April 2022 to March 2025 (Phase-II)
  • Enhancing Rural Resilience through Appropriate Development Interventions (ERADA)
  • The Germany-India-Peru Trilateral Cooperation.
Impacts through Indo-German bilateral projects
  • Indo-German bilateral projects continue to extend support for better implementation of public programmes (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, NRLM etc.) to enhance water security and climate resilient livelihood opportunities in Rural India.
  • WASCA project extended support to the Ministry’s objective of national rollout of the GIS planning following the “Ridge to Valley” & Composite Water Resource Management (CWRM) planning approach nationally covering all the 15 Agroclimatic Zones (ACZs) through demonstrations in 57 Districts in 17 States/Uts and National lever interventions.
  • WASCA project is providing technical support for implementation of 23,298 Mahatma Gandhi NREGS GP GIS Plans in 57 pilot districts across 17 states. The implementation of these activities will eventually benefit 65 million Ha area.
  • WASCA project helps to created GIS vector database of 56 million Ha to reclaim Degraded Areas countrywide that will contribute towards LDNs, through consolidation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS GP GIS Plans at district level. 
  • WASCA project helps to developed database of 1 million geotagged waterbodies for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS plans in project states, through consolidation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS GP GIS Plans at district level. 
  • WASCA project helps to prepared vector layers of Natural drainage network for 17 project states, through consolidation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS GP GIS Plans at district level. 
  • Capacity building of more than 15,000 Rural Development functionaries through a series of training programmes, virtual workshops, online consultations and offline technical backstopping support to technical functionaries and planning cadre. The trained functionaries are available to support implementation processes as well as any national scale-up.
  • Innovative Measures to address Regional Priority Areas using Geo-informatics Tools in Convergence with Mahatma Gandhi NREGS under WASCA project:  
    1. Management of Land Degradation/ wasteland
    2. Sustainability of water bodies
    3. River Eco-Restorations
    4. Sustainable Groundwater Management
    5. Coastal Area Management
    6. Convergence of PMKSY WDC 2.0 with Mahatma Gandhi NREGS
    7. Enhancing Irrigation Potential and Command Areas
    8. Enhancing Source Sustainability of Drinking Water (JJM) in convergence with Mahatma Gandhi NREGS
    9. Contribution of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS GIS Plans to prepare District JSA-CTR Plan
  • Project ERADA has contributed to improving the income of 100,000 vulnerable households in rural areas, thus, creating sustainable livelihood opportunities, increasing rural resilience and preparedness for future shocks in pilot states namely Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand.
    • 34,627 households linked to Mahatma Gandhi NREGS for livelihood asset creation.
    • Biogas promotion through Mahatma Gandhi NREGA in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar
    • Moringa (drumstick) plantations with 2100 vulnerable households in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
    • 10 fish farmers in Dumka with 10 Mahatma Gandhi NREGA ponds identified and trained on improved fish farming practices; Leveraged 1 million fish spawns per farmer, and nets, fish feed and other inputs from Fisheries Department.

India-Peru-Germany Trilateral cooperation technical support to MIDIS (Peru’s Social Security Programme) is extending support to establish a technological architecture that allows handling and managing spatial and non-spatial analysis with a social perspective.

Names of the States/UTs: 1. Himachal Pradesh, 2. Sikkim, 3. West Bengal, 4. Bihar, 5. Uttar Pradesh, 6. Haryana, 7. Telangana, 8. Madhya Pradesh, 9. Maharashtra, 10. Andhra Pradesh, 11. Tamil Nadu, 12. Kerala, 13. Gujarat, 14. Rajasthan, 15. Andaman,16. Jharkhand and 17. Ladakh

Background and Objective
Triangular cooperation is implemented through a joint cooperative approach, with the partnership of a facilitating agency/partner country, a pivotal partner/country with a middle income and a beneficiary country/partner that implements the project with support from the other two partners. The projects implemented through TriCo aim to provide flexible and contextualized solutions to development challenges in beneficiary partner nations.

  • The beneficiary partner has necessitated support to tackle a specific development challenge (Peru);
  • The pivotal partner often has proven experience of tackling the challenge already, and shares its resources, knowledge and expertise to help others do the same (India); and
  • The facilitating partner helps connect the partners, supporting the collaboration financially and technically (GIZ-Germany).

This project ‘Development of a geospatial portal prototype for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of MIDIS interventions and social programs’ seeks to provide technical support to the Peruvian Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS) for the development of a geoportal prototype. This tool will enable GIS (Geographic Information System) based planning, monitoring and evaluation of MIDIS’ activities and social programmes for comprehensive analysis and evidence-based decision making. Currently, MIDIS does not have sufficient capacity for managing spatial data on its interventions throughout the country. Line directorates and social programmes under MIDIS require this tool to optimise their interventions, with an emphasis on territorial management and closing gaps in access to social services.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the public employment programme of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, has been using geospatial information and GIS technology for the past few years. Purposes include especially the planning, management and monitoring of development programmes in India. Their experience of using open-source data from government platforms of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and other sources at a nationwide scale provides important lessons for enhancing transparency, accountability and better use of technical and financial resources. This triangular cooperation project proposal creates synergies by using India's comparative advantage as an emerging partner and is an opportunity to disseminate India's successful experiences and acquired capacities. Inter alia, it will strengthen India’s presence and visibility as a country with greater responsibility in global affairs, especially in the international cooperation system.

Political Partners of the Triangular Cooperation Project
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India; Ministry of development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS), Peru; Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
Implementing Partners of the Triangular Cooperation Project
Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), India; Ministry of development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS), Peru; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Key Components

  • Transfer GIS-based technology for planning, management and monitoring policy programmes from India to Peru.
  • Build capacities by training national and sub-national programme staff in utilising the tool, and conduct of GIS-based information and processes. Develop knowledge products to support and sustain the capacity development process.

Project 1 –

Support to the Operationalization of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) passed by Parliament in August 2005 is a legislation that guarantees wage employment on public works to any adult who is willing to do unskilled manual work, subject to a limit of 100 days per household per financial year. There were several challenges in implementing the NREGA, but in the start up phase there was a need to focus on some key priorities. These challenges include communications, advocacy and social mobilization; social audit to ensure transparency and accountability; participatory planning for preparing need-based shelves of projects; and monitoring and evaluation including MIS for enhancing efficiency and effectiveness, which required all round capacity building for different implementing agencies and other key stakeholders. Gender equity concerns need to be mainstreamed.

The project ‘Empowering lives through Mahatma Gandhi NREGA’, supported the MoRD in its efforts to operationalize the NREGA. This project implemented in phases. The first phase commenced immediately for a period of 12 months and focussed on development of national and sub-national communications strategies, development of capacity building tools to support the state governments and development of modules and prototypes for ICT-based MIS and M&E systems, including social audit and local planning. Consultations placed with key resource organizations to support implementation of NREGA.

The second phase, of 5–year duration, built upon the insights gained in the first phase and, sustain national efforts initiated towards strengthening management capacities, supervision, monitoring & evaluation, research and capacity building measures.

Programme Period:
1 April 2006-30 April 2007 (1st phase)
1 May 2007 – 31 May 2012 (2nd phase)

Project 2 - Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Support (Goals)

The provision of development support services by UNDP to the Ministry was crucial for the successful implementation of MGNREGS, NRLM, SAGY, and rural housing initiatives. These services include personnel, technical resources, and professional expertise. By tapping into UNDP's vast network and experience in development work, the Ministry gains access to specialized knowledge and skills that may not be readily available within its own resources. This partnership enhanced the capacity of the Ministry to design and implement effective strategies, monitor progress, and overcome challenges.

Project targets the most backward 12 districts across three states: Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand. These districts often face significant challenges in terms of development, infrastructure, and poverty. By prioritizing these areas, the project aimed to channellise resources where they are most needed, ensuring that the benefits of MGNREGS and NRLM reach those who are most marginalized and disadvantaged. Additionally, the project had provided technical assistance to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and the North East acknowledges the diverse needs and contexts of different regions across India. This broaden the scope of the initiative to address rural development challenges beyond the initial 12 districts, thereby maximizing its impact nationwide.

Programme Period:
2013-2017