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The Government of India (GoI) continues to make huge investments in rural India, in an effort to improve the quality of life of the rural masses. However, many of the interventions are supply driven and are generally unsustainable. It is now commonly accepted that the involvement of the rural community in all facets, from planning to implementation to post-implementation operation and maintenance is imperative if interventions are to be sustainable. Consequently, the government is now gradually shifting from being a 'provider' to becoming a 'facilitator' thereby increasingly involving panchayats, community based organizations, and non government organisations in the development process.
In view of this backdrop, enhancing rural livelihoods remains a key test of the State, besides continuing to be a major theme in the Trust's grant portfolio. To facilitate the above, the Trust portfolio is focused on adding value to the sector through innovations, initiatives, and support to institutions working towards providing sustainable development to rural India. From the perspective of developing effective strategies and programme management, the Trust supports focussed initiatives in two broad areas: (a) Land and Water Development; and (b) Microfinance. Within each focus area, the Trust has initiated a few key initiatives that have improved the lives of the people, through high quality interventions.