DAY-NRLM organised National Conclave on Cluster Level Federation (CLF) led Social and Economic Empowerment yesterday

Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh has emphasised on the whole of government and whole of society approach and stressed on the need for the CLF to extend its focus beyond the farm sector. Shri Singh highlighted the importance of diversifying livelihood sources, specifically emphasizing secondary and tertiary avenues. Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh was addressing a National Conclave on Cluster Level Federation (CLF) led Social and Economic Empowerment, which was organised by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) with the support of its partner organisations, PRADAN and TRIF.

The conclave was held to reflect on the collective power of Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) promoted under DAY NRLM and its members in reshaping the socio-economic landscape.

Guest speaker, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Shri. N N Sinha shared insightful perspectives and emphasized the significance of "Lakhpati Didi" as a crucial starting point for the journey towards livelihood intensification. However, he stressed that this concept should evolve beyond being merely a Lakhpati Didi, aiming for broader and sustained impacts.

During a significant segment titled "Enabling CLF as Sustainable Institutions," Shri Amarjeet Sinha, Chairman, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), spoke of the significance of CLF-led economic development while urging participants to embrace a broader perspective. He emphasized the need to envision the big picture, advocating for a comprehensive approach guided by an overarching vision.

Additional Secretary (MoRD) Shri Charanjit Singh spoke on the broad objective and DAY-NRLM’s perspective on CLF-led socio-economic empowerment. Emphasizing the significance of PRI-CBO (Panchayati Raj Institution-Community Based Organization), he underscored the need for collaborative efforts between these entities.

Conversations during the course of the conclave delved into governance aspects, leadership, decision-making, audits, and compliance. The conclave also focused on addressing multi-dimensional poverty and fostering synergy among individual entrepreneurs, producer collectives, and stakeholders involved in the production-marketing cycle in its various focussed sessions.

Panel discussions were also held on themes like strengthening governance of CLFs; contextualized planning, building backward and forward Linkages; and role of CLFs in addressing multi-dimensional aspects of poverty; bringing synergy among Producer Collectives and Cluster Level Federations. The community leaders from CLFs across the country shared their experiences during different sessions.