CML: An Initiative of TATA TRUSTS

As an Initiative of the Tata Trusts, CML imbibes the larger vision, values and goals of the Trusts, carrying along with it, its core competence in capacity building, linkage and facilitation. Currently CML intensively focusing in the states of Manipur, Assam, Tripura, and regions of Meghalaya.

Current approach is to base the interventions on:

  • Integrated Cluster Development approach in the identified clusters.
  • Layer themes in the existing cluster in a phased manner.
  • Work collaboratively through strategic partnerships.
  • Build on linkages and collaborations and up-scale emerging models.

Thematic level Strategy is to work towards

  • Yield enhancement, supplementing rural farm incomes through allied activities working across the value chains to generating gainfully employment in the rural areas. Encourage rural youth to engage in enterprise mode involvements.
  • Generating job opportunities in the urban areas through skill training, capacity building initiatives and micro-enterprise promotion.
  • Stress on quality of education & attainment. Enable equal opportunity for progression, popularize IT and other technologies for learning, employability and enterprise.
  • In the long run address health as a component of livelihood enhancement. Focus on malnutrition, child & maternal health, water borne diseases & Malaria

Organizations Operational Structure

 CML presently works through five vertical with cross functional relationship.

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  • General Administration

General Administration is responsible for overall Planning, Budgeting, Finance and Accounts, HR, Monitoring, Evaluation & & Learning and Compliances. While the other four verticals carry out management, facilitation and implementation of projects on the ground.

  • Implementation & Technical Support

 At present there are 23 projects under the Implementation and Technical Support vertical. Projects under this vertical are broadly classified as direct implementation projects and grant projects for monitoring and up scaling. Thematically, the projects under this vertical falls under Agri & allied and Market-led initiatives. This is a cross functional vertical and it supports the other verticals in field level implementation and technical support.

There are 8 direct implementation projects at present, 4 in Assam, 3 in Tripura and 1 in Manipur. The total sanctioned budget for these 8 projects from Tata Trust stands at INR 4080.62 lakhs over a period of 3 years.

Collaboration has been an important aspect of direct implementation projects. Established linkage and collaboration has been forged with Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, the Mising Autonomous Council, Government of Assam, Government of Tripura, Tata Motors, Indian Hotels Limited, Tata Consultancy Services among others in carrying forward the projects.

The remaining 15 projects under this vertical are grant projects which are implemented by partner NGOs of the Tata Trusts. CML carries out the support, monitoring and facilitation role for these projects. One of the primary focus of CML’s engagement in these projects is to work closely with the NGOs to upscale the initiative and graduate it to a sustainable form. A few of the projects (currently 3) under this vertical are relief and rehabilitation

  • Value chain and Market-led interventions

 Market-led interventions has been part of the portfolio of the Tata Trusts under the Natural Resource Management & Rural Livelihood theme. Presently the focus is on taking up these initiatives in a more proactive manner and work comprehensively across the value chain. The long run objective is to substantially scale up the initiatives with required support services in a self-sustainable mode.

In line with the Trusts vision CML has initiated the vertical of Value Chain and Market-led Interventions. Currently, there are 4 ongoing projects under this vertical out of which one is the direct implementation collaborative project in association with the National Small Poultry Holders Trusts (NSPDT).

  • Skill, Micro-enterprises & Knowledge

Skill & Micro-enterprises is a new thematic area which has been taken up by the Tata Trusts. There has been significant focus in this vertical at the Trust level and a number of linkages and collaborations has been made. One prominent development of this vertical has been linkage of the Tata Trusts with the other Tata group companies to leverage initiative under the vertical.

At present there are 3 ongoing projects under the Skill, Micro-enterprise & Knowledge vertical. Two of the 3 ongoing projects under this vertical are direct implementation projects.

The Tata Trusts has signed a comprehensive MOU with the Government of Tripura in the presence of Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, and the Chief Minister of Tripura during 2015. The Tripura State Initiative (TSI) has been initiated by CML and the Tata Trusts to undertake implementation of the programs covered under the MOU.  The initiative intends to implement interventions in the thematic areas of Dairy Development, Fisheries, Skill Development, School Education, Nutrition and Health, for improvement in the quality of life of the households in Tripura. In the process, a model block development program will also be developed and implemented, to create model blocks, which the State would take forward and upscale across the state.

Presently, 4 projects are on the ground under the Tripura State Initiative, it includes projects under Fisheries, ITI Skills, Education and Dairy Development. The Tripura State Initiative is managed through a main project office located at Agartala and 3 field offices in the districts of Dhalai, Khowai and Sipahijala. A total of 12 project staff (including 2 staff from Tata Trusts, Mumbai office) and 12 field level staff are engaged in the initiative.

The Fishery project under Tripura State Initiative covers 4 clusters each in the districts of Khowai, Dhalai and Sipahijala. The Education project covers 99 school in Khowai, and the ITI Skill project has tied up with 2 ITI’s to undertake courses in automobile and hotel management in collaboration with Tata Motors and Indian Hotels Limited respectively.

The Tata Trusts has signed a comprehensive MOU with the Government of Tripura in the presence of Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, and the Chief Minister of Tripura during 2015. The Tripura State Initiative (TSI) has been initiated by CML and the Tata Trusts to undertake implementation of the programs covered under the MOU. The initiative intends to implement interventions in the thematic areas of Dairy Development, Fisheries, Skill Development, School Education, Nutrition and Health, for improvement in the quality of life of the households in Tripura. In the process, a model block development programme will also be developed and implemented, to create model blocks, which the State would take forward and upscale across the state.

Presently, 4 projects are on the ground under the Tripura State Initiative, it includes projects under Fisheries, ITI Skills, Education and Dairy Development. The Tripura State Initiative is managed through a main project office located at Agartala and 3 field offices in the districts of Dhalai, Khowai and Sipahijala. A total of 12 project staff (including 2 staff from Tata Trusts, Mumbai office) and 12 field level staff are engaged in the initiative. The Fishery project under Tripura State Initiative covers 4 clusters each in the districts of Khowai, Dhalai and Sipahijala. The Education project covers 99 school in Khowai, and the ITI Skill project has tied up with 2 ITI’s to undertake courses in automobile and hotel management in collaboration with Tata Motors and Indian Hotels Limited respectively.

Tripura State initiative

The Tata Trusts has signed a comprehensive MOU with the Government of Tripura in the presence of Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, and the Chief Minister of Tripura during 2015. The Tripura State Initiative (TSI) has been initiated by CML and the Tata Trusts to undertake implementation of the programs covered under the MOU. The initiative intends to implement interventions in the thematic areas of Dairy Development, Fisheries, Skill Development, School Education, Nutrition and Health, for improvement in the quality of life of the households in Tripura. In the process, a model block development programme will also be developed and implemented, to create model blocks, which the State would take forward and upscale across the state.

Presently, 4 projects are on the ground under the Tripura State Initiative, it includes projects under Fisheries, ITI Skills, Education and Dairy Development. The Tripura State Initiative is managed through a main project office located at Agartala and 3 field offices in the districts of Dhalai, Khowai and Sipahijala. A total of 12 project staff (including 2 staff from Tata Trusts, Mumbai office) and 12 field level staff are engaged in the initiative. The Fishery project under Tripura State Initiative covers 4 clusters each in the districts of Khowai, Dhalai and Sipahijala. The Education project covers 99 school in Khowai, and the ITI Skill project has tied up with 2 ITI’s to undertake courses in automobile and hotel management in collaboration with Tata Motors and Indian Hotels Limited respectively.

Genesis of & Emergence of CML

Centre for Microfinance & Livelihood (CML) was initiated by the Tata Trusts, Mumbai in 2008. It was conceptualized as a specialized umbrella support organization for capacity building, research, collaborative interventions and policy advocacy in the development space of Northeast India. With its mandate of strengthening the development space in the region, CML started its initiatives focussing on the domains of training and capacity building, livelihood intervention piloting and compilation and synthesis of sector information for forging linkages and advocacy.

During 2012, CML initiated the second phase of its journey with a renewed strategy based on its initial 3 years of experience on the ground, feedbacks of the grassroots leaders and program review of sector experts. Here CML focused on three key verticals of Capacity Building, Knowledge Management and Linkages. Work under the Capacity Building vertical resulted in CML managing one of the largest structured and holistic capacity building program for non-governmental organizations’ in the country. By the middle of 2015 when the activities under the second phase were wrapped up as a result of a transformation, CML under the Capacity Building program was working closely with 69 non-government organization spread across the eight Northeast states. CML during this period has also conducted a number of research and studies under its Knowledge Management Vertical and has been disseminating sector information among the stakeholders. CML has also been successful in forging multiparty linkages through the MKSP project under the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

In course of the journey during the second phase CML was increasingly working in tandem with the Tata Trusts. And during early part of 2015, as part of the transformation at the Tata Trusts, CML was recognized as an Associate. The process of transformation of CML as an Associate of Tata Trust has been underway and during the course of the year significant part of required changes has been put in place. CML is registered as an independent entity under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in the state of Meghalaya.