Projects · Previous projects

Our Interventions

SPARC 2015–2020 · earlier phase

What SPARC Associates did with Members of Parliament in the program’s first phase.

Livelihood

Setting up of Fruit Processing unit

Maharashtra

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has taken up the exercise to distribute the Solar Conduction Dryers at a subsidized price under Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY). This was done to economically empower rural farmers by reducing the wastage and increasing the shelf life of the agro-products. Though the funds were released in 2014-15, they remained unutilized, a major reason being the huge cost of SCDs. The Associate intervened to fast-track the process and ensure that the correct amount of funds are allocated for the beneficiaries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

Lake Cleaning

Telangana

Lake is a common property resource and hence exploitation is common and rampant due to negligence and lack of responsibility of all the stakeholders. Over-exploitation of lakes is leading to rise in reported cases of Dengue in Hyderabad. Reversal of a polluted lake cannot be done by an individual. To overcome this challenge SPARC Associate worked closely with the Office of the MP to create a low-cost boat to clean the lake at a much faster rate.

Social Welfare

Assistance to Disabled

In various constituencies of multiple states

Disability restricts the opportunities to lead functionally productive lives and stunts their economic and social growth. Usage of suitable, durable and standard aids can help in the social and economic empowerment of this section. There has been a constant endeavor from GoI to provide these appliances at minimum costs and introduced Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids/ Appliances (ADIP) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. SPARC Associates across constituencies played a crucial role in the identification and implementation of this scheme by reaching out to the Ministry and ensuring the camps are conducted to register the beneficiaries. They further worked closely with the District Administration and the Community for the distribution of the aids and appliances

Animal Husbandry, Livelihood

Artificial Insemination

Telangana

Animal Husbandry emerged as a preferred alternative livelihood option for the farmers in drought-prone areas of Telangana. But, an absence of proper support system has hampered the income. SPARC Associate took up the challenge, met BAIF officials to understand their project and coordinated with multiple stakeholders in the District Administration to get approvals. The Associate also successfully tapped CSR funds worth 1 crores for the project to be implemented and operated for the next 5 years

Renewable Energy

Sourcing Solar Street Lights

In various constituencies of multiple states

Government of India has undertaken a number of policy measures for increasing the share of renewable energy in India’s energy mix. Hence, this initiative focused on bringing renewable energy to the SPARC Associate’s constituency. SPARC Associate identified either a Government Scheme or a CSR funder for the installation of solar street lights.

Constituency engagements, 2016

Working with Members of Parliament on their priorities.

In the program’s first year, Swaniti teams worked on studies and plans requested by individual MPs. Each one ended in a report for the MP, which you can read below.

Generating employment in Bolangir

Bolangir is a Lok Sabha constituency in the state of Odisha and covers the districts of Bolangir and Subarnapur (Sonepur). According to the Census 2011 data, approximately 90 percent of the total population of the two districts resides in rural areas. 17.73% of the population in the constituency belongs to either SC/ST category.
It comprises of 7 assembly constituencies: Birmaharajpur, Sonepur, Loisingha, Patnagarh, Bolangir, Titlagarh and Kantabanji spread across 14 blocks of Bolangir and 6 blocks of Subarnapur.

Read the report PDF · 1 MB

Improving school-to-work transition rate in Hamirpur

Hamirpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh is represented by Mr. Anurag Thakur in the Lok Sabha. It is spread across 17 local assembly segments in the country which are Dehra, Jaswan-Pragpur, Dharampur, Bhoranj, Sujanpur, Hamirpur, Barsar, Nadaun, Chintpurni, Gagret, Haroli, Una, Kutlehar, Jhanduta, Ghumarwin, Bilaspur and Sri Naina Deviji. The assembly segments fall under two districts i.e Kangra and Hamirpur.
Hamirpur has an impressive literacy rate of 89 % , which is considerably higher than the national average being 74%. Despite the large literate population, the skill level of the population is low which translates into a workforce which does not have a high skilled quotient.
In our engagement with Mr. Anurag Thakur, we were asked to interact with a wide set of stakeholders to understand the deficiencies of the school curriculum. We were also asked to identify critical gaps in the educational infrastructure which have resulted in the low skill level of the population. We also categorized key areas of impact which could have a multiplier effect on the skilling potential of the youth.

Read the report PDF · 0.3 MB

Catalyzing Skill Development in Balasore, Odisha

Balasore constituency, Odisha is represented by Mr. Rabindra Kumar Jena in the Lok Sabha. It is spread across 7 local assembly constituencies which are Badshahi, Jaleswar, Bhograi, Basta, Balasore, Remuna and Nilgiri. Badshahi lies in Mayurbanj district whereas as the other six assembly constituencies belong to Balsore district.
The Balasore region despite the high literacy rates (79.9 %) lacks a healthy skill infrastructure. This harms the workforce in the region, especially because Balaosore has immense potential for growth especially in the MSME , horticulture and pisciculture sectors.
In our engagement with Mr. Jena, we were asked to conduct a comprehensive study of the skill training providers in the region including both government and private training providers. We also identified the strengths and weaknesses of the vocational education ecosystem in Balasore and suggest reforms which could aid the youth population of Balasore.

Read the report PDF · 6 MB

Building "Model Villages" in Nandurbar, Maharashtra

The parliamentary constituency of Nandurbar, one of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, covers the entire Nandurbar district and parts of adjoining Dhule district. It comprises of all the 6 talukas – Akkalkuwa, Akrani, Talode, Shahada, Nandurbar and Nawapur – of Nandurbar district and 2 talukas – Shirpur and Sakri – of Dhule district. Nandurbar is enveloped by Vadodara, Narmada and Surat districts of Gujarat to the west and Alirajpur and Barwani districts of Madhya Pradesh to the north and east.
Nandurbar is also the tribal heartland of Maharashtra, accounting for the highest proportion of ST population in the state. Scheduled Tribes (STs) account for 63% of the total population of the constituency. In Maharashtra, 9.4% of the population belongs to the ST category and the entire constituency accounts for 15% of the ST population in the state.
The Honorable MP representing Nandurbar in the Lok Sabha, Dr. Heena Gavit has identified Kahatul GP in Shahada Block for development as a Model Village under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana of the Government of India. The Swaniti team is working in Kahatul to develop a comprehensive plan of action for the holistic development of the GP.
The team has actively engaged with the community, block and district officials and the MPs Office to assess the requirements of the GP, calculate the resource envelope at the disposal of Panchayat and district administration and prioritize interventions. Accordingly, the team has prepared a Village Development Plan for Kahatul. The structure and approach followed under the SAGY development programme is specified in the report.
The report also highlights the issues of malnutrition and lack of skill development opportunities in the constituency, as requested by Dr. Gavit

Read the report PDF · 7.3 MB

Roadmap for Growth of Jute Industry in Barrackpore

Barrackpore, the Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal is represented by Mr. Dinesh Trivedi in the Lok Sabha. The constituency comprises of 7 assembly segments, which fall under North 24 Parganas District and has been a historically important economic and military centre in the country.
The constituency is famous for being the oldest cantonment in the country and for housing a number of jute mills, which are located along the banks of the River Hooghly. However, the jute industry is not in the pink of health owing to global competition and lack of indigenous technological innovation. Moreover, the workers in these jute mills face several challenges.
In our interactions with Mr. Dinesh Trivedi , we were asked to identify some of these challenges, and to identify those which could be most effectively addressed without an exceptionally high investment in time and resources. He also asked us to conduct an extensive study of the factors plaguing the growth of the jute industry and subsequently prepare a roadmap for addressing the same. He was also interested in highlighting policy level changes, which could aid in revival of the industry

Read the report PDF · 7 MB

See the ongoing project, SPARC-AI