Graam Policy Scan
Volume - 3 / Issue - 4 / January 2023
Lead Story

Government of Karnataka entrusts GRAAM with the preparation of the (Revised) Skill Development Policy of Karnataka
Under the able leadership of Dr Basavaraju R…
Grassroots Initiative

We Mill: A farm-to-plate story of Ragi
Bengaluru: Within eleven months of its launch, We Mill is on its way to becoming a household name for a range of healthy ragi products. With continued efforts by the We Mill women, the superfood has found its place on the plates of several health-conscious customers. Be it the We Mill Ragi Malt n’ Shake, ready-to-cook Ragi Mudde Mix, or the delectable We Mill Ragi cookies, the products have secured a spot in the Indian kitchen. In these 11 months, We Mill was present at several events across Bengaluru and Mysuru.
In the past three months, We Mill reached out to several corporates campus to promulgate the benefits of superfoods. In the corporate setup, employees often lead a sedimentary life with an unlimited…

Orienting healthcare workers on the Utilization of Untied Funds
Jharkhand: GRAAM with the support of USAID, NISHTHA-Jhpiego is working on a community-led monitoring mechanism and establishment of Jan Arogya Samitis (JAS) for strengthening the delivery of CPHC through SC-HWCs in Jharkhand. As part of strengthening the healthcare system at the grassroots level, GRAAM undertook training activities in Khunti and West Singhbum districts.
The project is being implemented in the selected 35 Ayushaman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centers of West Singhbhum and Khunti. As part of the formation of Jan Arogya Samiti (JAS) as an inst…

Sugamya Shiksha - A Juggernaut of School Development
Mysuru: Children of the Government Higher Primary and High School, Metagalli beam with pride and joy today as they are honing their skills on par with students of any private school. Thanks to Sugamya Shiksha, a comprehensive school development model conceptualized and planned to make Government schools a model that enables a comprehensive learning environment.
The last three months of 2022 turned out to be fun and engaging for the students of Metagalli school as they were introduced to concepts of Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, and Soft skills. Apart from imparting 21st Century skills to the students…
Research at GRAAM

MoU inked between AFC INDIA LTD and GRAAM to strengthen Policy Engagement
GRAAM is happy to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the AFC India Ltd. (AFC) and Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) concerning cooperation and collaboration in consultancy and research projects in the broad areas of Agriculture, Rural Development, Livelihood Development, Development Research and Evaluations, and Policy Engagement initiatives.
Both AFC and GRAAM seek to combine their individual strengths. The organizations have common goals and have expressed their mutual desire to cooperate and collaborate in consultancy and policy research projects. In the broad areas of Agriculture and Rural Dev…

GRAAM to take the lead in state’s Indian Human Development Survey
Mysuru: Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a leading development research organization and a policy think tank in association with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) flagged off the third round of the Indian Human Development Survey in Karnataka.
The Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) is one of the few large-scale studies in India to track changes in different aspects of human development in Indian states. By studying the same households over a period of nearly 20 years between 2004-5 and 2022-23, the IHDS study report would help in assessing the socio-economic changes in the past decade. The study will a..

GRAAM to Map Policies and Programs on Non-Communicable Diseases in Indian
A study has been commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to GRAAM to study the policies and programs related to Non-Communicable Diseases. GRAAM tracked the targets and indicators that would shed light on the Non-Communicable Diseases-related health outcomes which may have been shaped by the various NCD-related policies and programs adopted over the years.
As reported by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative, the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) from NCDs and injuries have together exceeded those from communicable diseases in every state of India, contributing 57–86% of the total DALYs among the Indian states in…

21st Century Skills in India- State of the Sector Report 2022 launched in New Delhi
New Delhi: GRAAM was commissioned by UNICEF to devise a comprehensive report on 21st Century Skills titled, ’21st Century Skills in India State of the Sector Report 2022′. In October, the report was launched by Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE- GoI at the ‘National Conference – Democratizing Digital: Breaking Barriers for 21st Century Education.’
Mr Tiwari, congratulated GRAAM, YuWaah (Generation Unlimited India) at UNICEF and UNICEF India for bringing out an informative report that provides conceptual clarity on 21st-century skills.
The 21st Century Skills in India, State of the Sector

GRAAM to study the inclusion of vulnerable sections in the MGNREGA of Karnataka
GRAAM will assess the participation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe communities in the country’s largest employment scheme MGNREGA. The study is commissioned by MGNREGS, the Department of Rural Development, and Panchayat Raj.
Based on the initial study, it is noted that SCSTs have participated in the MGNREGA scheme beyond their share of the population, although it is indicated that there is inequitable participation of Scheduled Castes and Schedules Tribes in the MGNREGA. So GRAAM believes there is a need to examine the true extent of SCST participation in this employment scheme. Especially among SCSTs, women and senior citizens are vulnerable so…

Commissioned by WHO, GRAAM to study the Civil-Society's Participation in India’s Pandemic Response
In the project commissioned by World Health Organization, GRAAM will be taking up a study to understand the status of civil society coalition with the health system (especially during Covid-19 with a special focus on engagement in shaping policy).
As a part of the study, GRAAM will be assessing the nature of engagement of formal civil society networks/coalitions with the health system and reviewing existing platforms or mechanisms for civil society engagement amongst others.
The World Health Organization in 2021 said that the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of social participation in health…

GRAAM on a mission to understand the ultra-poor population in Karnataka
In a bid to understand the condition of ultra-poverty in Karnataka and to uplift their lives by providing livelihood opportunities, GRAAM has collaborated with The/Nudge Institute. In the new project commissioned by The/Nudge, GRAAM will be taking up the baseline and endline evaluation of the Graduation Approach interventions.
The Graduation approach is a multifaceted set of interventions designed to address the complex nature of extreme poverty. These interventions are adapted to the local context and generally include connecting participants to social…
Policy Engagement

Transformative solutions for inclusive development of PwD
India is still lagging behind in having an inclusive workforce be it including women or persons with disabilities. A total of 26.8 million people in India are disabled, however, of the total population, only 26% constitute the working population, as per Census 2011.
As per the data released by MNREGA in Karnataka, over 80 lakh people applied for job cards out of which only 22 thousand people with disability received some kind of employment under the scheme. This exposes the lacuna that exists in inclusivity in the workforce, leaving behind a huge chunk o…
Events by GRAAMers

Dr Basavaraju R Shreshta deliberates on Public Policy and People’s Participation
Mysuru: The Executive Director of GRAAM, Dr Basavaraju R Shreshta continued his stint as a guest speaker inspiring hundreds to pursue public policy and partake in the development of the nation. In the past three months, Dr Shrehsta was not only invited to address students but also guided probationary officers of the Karnataka Administrative Service.
Public Policy and People’s Participation
It was an insightful journey for the students of Law as the Executive Director of GRAAM, Dr Basavaraju R Shreshta delivered a lecture on the basics of public policy at the JSS College of Law in Mysuru.
Academic Engagement

Youth For Governance- Reports to be translated into action
Mysuru: It was an insightful closure to the Youth For Governance Fellowship (Y4G) in Mysuru, a yearlong fellowship program conducted by Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), in association with Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) to increase the participation of youth in governance and encourage them to be the agents of change in a democracy.
Y4G was a program launched in January 2022 with an aim to develop the youth’s willingness to contribute to the participatory functioning of governance institutions and promoted the ideas of federalism and citizenry and decentralized governance in India.