Gurukulamlivelihoods Magazine
| Welcome! The only generic livelihoods magazine in India that is neither a skill-specific, occupation-specific, sector-specific nor a profession-specific magazine. It focuses on development in general and livelihoods of the poor in particular. It is an instrument to collate, discuss and spread evolving livelihoods thought. Enjoy reading and your feedback is very much appreciated. |
Meaningful employment is something that every individual, both educated or uneducated, desire. Providing employment to its large number of unemployed youth along with those who are moving out of their existing traditional livelihoods is a huge challenge that India is facing. 'livelihoods' looks into the issue of 'Employment' which is the basic human necessity that needs to be taken care of, for the people to meet most of their needs.
Those who do not have access to institutions, those who do not have adequate capacities to deal with various institutions, those who do not have influence in the decision making processes inside the institutions that matter to the lives, can be called as poor. With this very reason many institutions of the poor for the poor are being promoted by many agencies and concerned individuals. 'livelihoods' looks into the institutions of the poor and the elements that make them effective and relevant.
Poverty in India is at such levels where even the basic needs of life remain largely unmet for the poor. This calls for an integrated and comprehensive strategy, with a network of institutions and individuals, offering multiple doses of support, to the poor in meeting their needs. The government of India, being the single largest and key player in this regard, continues to launch variety of programs to cater to the various needs of the poor. The results seem to be significant in some areas, but in others, gaps continue to prevail on a noticeable scale. In this context ‘livelihoods’ attempts to enumerate the various means adopted by government and other strategic players in meeting the needs of the poor and in helping the poor help themselves, the various localized strategies and possible alternatives.
Poor need everything that a non-poor need, to lead a decent quality of life. However, while the non-poor have graduated to needs + +….the basic needs of the poor remain largely unmet. They seem to be caught in a quagmire of issues pertaining to affordability and accessibility that continue to hamper their fulfillment of needs including those of food, health, education, housing, livelihood, security etc. In this context ‘livelihoods’ attempts to enumerate the felt needs of the poor; the list is by no means exhaustive….
The scale at which development initiatives should happen is enormous and no one single
entity may be able to bring considerable positive change in the livelihoods and quality of life
of the people. A multitude of socially responsible individuals, organizations, corporate
entities etc. have proved their abilities in bringing about a significant change in the society.
Each one of them has its own strengths and abilities emanating from within and without.
Effective partnerships between these various stakeholders, where differently thinking bright
brains can come together, can set India’s development on a faster track.
entity may be able to bring considerable positive change in the livelihoods and quality of life
of the people. A multitude of socially responsible individuals, organizations, corporate
entities etc. have proved their abilities in bringing about a significant change in the society.
Each one of them has its own strengths and abilities emanating from within and without.
Effective partnerships between these various stakeholders, where differently thinking bright
brains can come together, can set India’s development on a faster track.
Watershed Plus
Increasing productivity of dry lands is possible through soil and moisture conservation (SMC) efforts results in growth led by increases in the farm output. Separate efforts are required to include the and-less and the vulnerable in this growth, so that they also realize the benefits of improved food security, increased employment and diversification of livelihoods. Such activities are known as ‘Watershed Plus’ interventions, and ‘livelihoods’ explores these activities.
