Kudumbashree

Kudumbashree (IPA: [ku.ɖum.bɐʃ.riː]; means 'Prosperity of the family'^[1]) is a poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the Government of Kerala. Kudumbashree has a three-tier structure for its women community network, with Neighborhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level, Area Development Societies (ADS) at the middle level, and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level.

In 2012, Kudumbashree was recognized as a National Resource Organisation (NRO) by Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) to provide support to other States in their poverty eradication efforts.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Kudumbashree was set up in 1997 following the recommendations of a three-member task force appointed by the State government. Its formation was in the context of the devolution of powers to the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Kerala, and the Peoples’ Planning Campaign, which attempted to draw up the Ninth Plan of the local governments from below through the PRIs.

Kudumbashree was launched following the 1996 People's Plan Campaign of the E. K. Nayanar government. From the beginning, it has been functioning under the local self-government department by accepting financial support from the union government and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

Today, Kudumbashree has 1070 CDS (Community Developments Society, 19470 ADS (Area Development Society) and 3,16,860 NHGs(Neighborhood Groups) Kerala's 46 lakh women community network, which is spread across Kerala.^[7] The Kudumbashree Mission was registered as a Charitable Society under the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act of 1955 in November 1998. The mission was officially inaugurated by Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister, Government of India on 17 May 1998 at Malappuram as requested by the State Government and the Mission started functioning on 1 April 1999 under the Local Self-Government Department of the Government of Kerala.^[1]

The State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM), popularly known as the Kudumbashree Mission is the State government's instrument for poverty eradication under the Local Self-Government Department.^[8]

The Mission has a Governing Body chaired by the Minister for Local Self-Government and an executive committee chaired by the Principal Secretary, Local Self-Government Department. The Mission is the agency that promotes and supports the Kudumbashree community network.^{[citation needed]}

The Mission structure consists of a State Mission and 14 District Missions. The State Mission in divided into three divisions – Livelihood Development, Organisation and Social Development, and Systems Support.^{[citation needed]}

The Kudumbashree community network has a three-tier structure. The neighborhood groups (NHGs) are the units at the primary level. The economic status of families is decided based on the standard set by the Government from time to time. The Area Development Societies (ADSs) form the middle tier of the network.^{[citation needed]}

As of July 2024, Kudumbashree has 3,16,295 NHGs affiliated to 19,470 ADSs and 1070 CDSs with a total membership of 46,16,837 women. Kudumbashree membership is open to all adult women, limited to one membership per family.^[9]

Out of the total NHG members, women between 18 and 40 years of age constitute 10% only. The limitations including giving membership only to one member per family, have been a reason for this. Because of this, a greater percentage of young women failed to get directly benefitted out of the various programmes being implemented through Kudumbashree. As a solution, Kudumbashree formulated Auxiliary Groups and now the young women are offered an opportunity to become part of these Auxiliary Groups. The project aims at ensuring the social, cultural and livelihood upliftment of young women. To ensure the social inclusion of the side-lined transgender community, Kudumbashree had also started special NHGs for Trans genders and they are given an opportunity to find a steady livelihood of their own and lead a dignified life in the society.^[10]

Kudumbashree associates with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Kerala.^[11]

After its formation in 2012, the Kudumbashree NRO signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 9 States (Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Sikkim) to provide technical and implementation support to their State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) for the adaption of Kudumbashree's best practices. Kudumbashree NRO provides assistance to States in undertaking pilot interventions under the Enterprises project and Panchayati Raj Institutions – Community Based Organisations (PRI-CBO) Convergence Project.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}

The Enterprises project identifies individuals from local communities and trains them for 6–9 months to form a cadre of community professionals called Micro-Enterprise Consultants (MEC). MEC are expected to provide hand holding support and capacity building services primarily to women entrepreneurs from rural areas in exchange for a fee. The Enterprises project is in the pilot phase in select districts of 7 States - Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Sikkim.^[18]

The PRI-CBO Convergence project identifies individuals from local communities and trains them to form a cadre of community professionals called Local Resource Groups (LRG). LRG are expected to work with community institutions and local governments to improve the efficiency and reach of poor centric programmes, promote participatory planning and inculcate democratic consciousness in local communities. The PRI-CBO Convergence project is in the pilot phase in select blocks of 7 States – Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Sikkim.^{[19][20][21][22]}

In 2015, Kudumbashree NRO entered into collaborations with Ethiopia and South Africa to provide support for the adaption of Kudumbashree's best practices in these countries.^{[23][24][25][26][27][28]}

• Kudumbashree National Resource Organisation

• Kudumbashree
• The Kudumbashree Story
• Kudumbashree - The world’s largest Women’s network
• Kudumbashree National Resource Organisation
• National Rural Livelihoods Mission^{[permanent dead link]}

• M. A. Oommen (April 2008). Micro-finance and Poverty Alleviation: The Case of Kerala's Kudumbashree (PDF). Kochi: Centre for Socio-econo mic & E nvironmental Studies(CSES). Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• Glyn Williams, Binitha V. Thampi, D. Narayana, Sailaja Nandigama and Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya (1 August 2011). "Performing Participatory Citizenship – Politics and Power in Kerala's Kudumbashree Programme". The Journal of Development Studies. 47 (8): 1261–1280. doi:10.1080/00220388.2010.527949. S2CID 154562213. Retrieved 2 November 2020.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)