Field study assesses NRLM’s impact on tribal livelihoods in West Singhbhum
Pioneer News Service
Jamshedpur
Dr. Md. Moazzam Nazri, Head of the Faculty of Commerce, Karim City College, Jamshedpur, along with research scholar Vasu, conducted a field visit to Khuntpani and Manoharpur blocks of West Singhbhum district on August 9 as part of their Ph.D. research on poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihood development among tribal communities.
The study, titled “Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Livelihood Development of Tribals through the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM): A Case Study of West Singhbhum District, Jharkhand,” focused on assessing the grassroots impact of NRLM initiatives.
During the field visit, the researchers collected primary information from around 400 respondents associated with 80 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) through structured questionnaires. They also held direct interactions with SHG members to understand their livelihood activities, income-generation opportunities, savings practices, socio-economic conditions and the impact of NRLM interventions.
The SHG members highlighted the role of the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) in strengthening livelihood opportunities, improving savings and income generation, and bringing positive changes in their social and economic conditions. The researchers also observed increased confidence, economic participation and social empowerment among women associated with the SHGs.
Dr. Nazri and Vasu expressed their gratitude to Dhananjay Kumar, Project Engineer, PRADAN, Ranchi; Parwati Purty, Bookkeeper of SHG–Sude Sagen, Kustuya, Khuntpani; and Kanchan Devi, Chairperson of SHG–Vikas Swayam Sahayata Samuh, Purana Manoharpur, for their valuable assistance in facilitating the field study.
The researchers said the visit provided important grassroots insights into the role of NRLM and JSLPS in poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment and sustainable livelihood development among tribal communities in West Singhbhum.
