Donor-European
Commission
The
State Partnership Programme (SPP) with Chhattisgarh is based on the
European Commission (EC) India Country Strategy Paper (CSP, 2002-06)
and the National Indicative Programme (NIP, 2004-06). The Chhattisgarh
SPP will provide sector budget support and technical assistance to the
Government of Chhattisgarh’s reform processes in education, health
and forest-based tribal livelihoods sectors. The EC’s sector budget
support will contribute to accelerating the Government of Chhattisgarh’s
own efforts to develop and implement comprehensive reforms in the education
sector, deepen reform initiatives in the health and family welfare sector
and create an enabling pro-poor environment policy framework and enhanced
capacities, specifically addressing non-timber forest-based tribal livelihoods.
The SPP is designed to complement and supplement ongoing reforms in
education promoted through the national Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and flank
and reinforce reforms in the health and family welfare sector through
the national Reproductive and Child Health Program, which is now part
of the recently launched National Rural Health Mission.
SPP interventions will revolve around the three themes of
(1) Strengthening devolution of functions, functionaries and funds to
the Panchayati Raj Institutions;
(2) Strengthening pro-poor sector policy, planning and management, with
a strong focus on governance and institutional capacity development
in the three concerned sectors; and
(3) Providing support for improved coverage of quality services in the
health and education sectors and enhancing forest-based livelihood opportunities,
particularly in the underserved regions of the state.
The Programme is in consonance with the concept outlined in the Country
Strategy Paper (CSP) and NIP, namely, supporting an integrated approach
to the development in the education, health and the environment sectors,
using governance as a cross cutting element. The Sector Policy Support
Programme (SPSP), which is the instrument for the SPP, seeks to deepen
and broaden the democratic and governance institutions through a programme
of institutional reforms and capacity building aimed at strengthening
local governments and civil society organisations. The programme will
contribute to the poverty reduction and human development goals set
by the Government of Chhattisgarh (GoCG) in its Vision 2012 document,
which are closely aligned with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
accepted by Government of India (GoI).
The design of the Chhattisgarh SPP is rooted in a careful analysis of
the development context of the state and the challenges posed by this.
This contextual analysis is based on work undertaken by the Programming,
Identification and Formulation Missions, posed by European Commission
and through a consultative process with Government of Chhattisgarh and
Civil Society. SPP fund flow is likely to commence from April 2006.