Asian Development Bank

ADB – JFPR: Project Background, Strategy & Objectives The Asian Development Bank & Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction assisted “Sustaining Income & Basic Human Needs of the Poor in Disaster Prone Areas” Project is located in Gujarat state of India, which covers a part of sixteen districts. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) Project was consequently prepared by the Asian Development Bank at the request of the Government of India and the Gujarat Government to address the grave situation in the rural regions. As a result, the ADB-JFPR Project has been envisaged as one that will address the poverty reduction needs of the rural communities. The Project commenced in January 2004 and will be completed in three years. The operational area of the project in Ahmedabad, Porbandar, Banaskantha, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Kutch, Patan, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar, Panchmahals, Vadodara and the poor tribal districts of Dahod, Narmada, Bharuch & Dangs districts of Gujarat. These project areas are amongst the worst affected by the earthquake and tribal dominated districts in the state. The ADB-JFPR Project focuses on the basic needs and the non-traditional income generation approaches for the rural poor. For the preparation of the Project, there has been intensive consultation with the state government, various nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, the poor, particularly women, and other critical stakeholders. Project Objectives and Strategy • To pilot new approaches for sustaining income generation of the poor under leasing arrangements; • To address specific needs of the rural poor and tribal families, with a focus on women; • To use the results of the pilot projects as pilots for ADB’s and Government of Gujarat’s growing poverty agenda. The Project activity focuses on effective delivery mechanism by making concerted efforts to develop physical infrastructure and by enabling the communities to have ownership of the project. Better and...