India: Advanced Project Preparedness for Poverty Reduction - Enhancing Capacities of Executing and Implementing Agencies to Achieve Gender Equality Results (Subproject 29)

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development - Irrigation

Education - Technical and vocational education and training

Finance - Infrastructure finance and investment funds

Water and other urban infrastructure and services - Urban water supply

1. The Government of India's (GOI) Twelfth Five-Year Plan strategy of inclusion envisages the engendering of development planning. The Plan calls for interventions not only through direct policy and program targeting women, but also through sector policies and programs which directly or indirectly impact women . In its Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for India (2013-2017) which is being finalized the ADB commits to align itself to the priorities set out by GOI by: (a) promoting operationally-relevant gender-related knowledge products; (b) spearheading innovative approaches to gender mainstreaming' in the design and implementation of its operations; and (c) contributing to further the capacity of selected Executing and Implementing Agencies (EAs/IAs) to effectively deliver on their commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment.

2. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is the nodal Ministry within GOI for issues pertaining to women, children and women's empowerment. The National Mission for the Empowerment of Women (NMEW) in MWCD was launched in 2010 by GOI with the aim of strengthening inter-sector convergence and facilitating the process of coordinating women's welfare and socio-economic development programs across central ministries and state departments. NMEW has a National Mission Authority (NMA) at apex level under the Chairpersonship of the Prime Minister and a similar Mission at state-level under the Chairpersonship of the Chief Ministers of respective States. There is a National Mission Directorate with National Resource Centre for Women (NRCW) as its adjunct to provide technical support to the NMA and the Coordination Committee. The state level institution consists of the State Mission Authority (SMA) and State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW), which works in co-ordination with NRCW. As on June 2013, 26 States/Union Territories have set up SRCWs.

3. MWCD's association with ADB dates back to 2011, at the time of its participation in the 1st Gender Mainstreaming Consultation Workshop for South Asian National Women's Machineries (NWM) held at ADB/HQ (14 -16 September 2011) and in 2012 through its contribution to the organization of the national training workshop Capturing Gender Equality Results and Implementing Impact Evaluation in ADB Operations, organized by the India Resident Mission (INRM) on 30 -31 August 2012 in Delhi. Feedback provided by participants highlighted the need to carry out more in-depth and sector specific training programs at state level. Participants felt that doing so would result in greater buy in and involve a more diverse group of Government staff from different line departments.

4. Recent engagement with the MWCD within the context of development of the India Gender Equality Diagnostic of Selected Sectors (GEDSS) identified some potential areas for collaboration, based on the identified need to: (a) document promising practices emerging from the implementation of ADB projects in India; (b) build the gender capacities of EAs/IAs associated with the implementation of ADB projects; (c) enhance their ability to more effectively leverage GOI's gender-related policies, schemes and programs in the design of ADB Operations; and (d) promote cross-fertilization of experience in implementing gender-related schemes and programs across States.

1. Increased awareness of State- and sector-specific gender equality issues by EAs/IAs

2. Increased gender-related knowledge and skills of EAs/IAs

3. Increased gender equality results in selected States relevant for MWCD and ADB