RESETTLING URBAN POPULATIONS LEARNING FROM THE GRADUATION APPROACH IN INDIA

This paper aims to highlight a unique and innovative value addition to resettlement projects that supports the sustainable economic and social welfare of vulnerable populations who are relocated. The integration of the Graduation Approach in resettlement planning and implementation under the Tamil Nadu Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Housing for Urban Poor Sector Project presents that unique model of value addition in India. Graduation Approach is a combination of sequenced interventions spanning social assistance, livelihoods promotion, financial inclusion, social empowerment and coaching, aimed to lift households out of poverty and into sustainable livelihoods. Using the Graduation Approach under this project as a case study, the paper explains its contextualized design, potential impact, lessons learned, and recommendations for other resettlement projects. The paper provides a model for future resettlement planning across the region.


I. INTRODUCTION
1. Development projects often involve involuntary resettlement impacts, including physical relocation, livelihood loss and psychosocial effects on affected household members. Typically, replacement cost principles applied in multilateral development bank-funded projects overemphasize entitlements in cash or kind, while insufficiently addressing the economic and social impacts on the affected population, such as their psychosocial wellbeing, household-level livelihood requirements, the convergence of resettlement interventions with existing government and nongovernment organization (NGO) programs, and affected households' access to such programs. A more holistic approach to resettlement planning and implementation is clearly required. Global evidence indicates that the Graduation Approach (also referred to as economic inclusion or cash plus) is a comprehensive model that is successful in reducing poverty and improving the overall welfare of the most vulnerable groups across diverse contexts.

2.
The Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Housing for Urban Poor Sector Project (IRSHUP), an affordable housing project in India's Tamil Nadu state, financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), provided an opportunity to apply the integrated Graduation Approach. 1 The project included the largescale relocation of more than 6,000 households, many of whose livelihoods and social ties will also be affected. Integrating the Graduation Approach with resettlement planning was proposed to be piloted under IRSHUP to support rebuilding the economic and social welfare of affected households. The design of the Graduation Approach for IRSHUP provides a contextualized adaptation of the model; it also provides a model for adding value to the resettlement process, offering sustainable welfare solutions for resettled populations.

3.
This working paper presents a model that integrates the Graduation Approach with resettlement planning, using two proposed graduation pilots under IRSHUP. The objectives of the paper are to describe the overall approach, design, and arrangements followed to implement the Graduation Approach under the project. The key research question for the case study is: "How can the Graduation Approach be incorporated with resettlement planning and implementation to improve outcomes for resettled persons?" The methodology adopted for the case study includes a desk review of all project materials and review of reports that were based on intensive field work and consultations undertaken during the program planning process.

4.
The integrated solution proposed under the project is expected to contribute to the overall social and economic welfare of affected households post-relocation, which will be measured using an identified set of graduation criteria. Improved access to (i) viable economic opportunities, (ii) financial services, (iii) tailored technical training, and (iv) social support systems under the Graduation Approach are all expected to contribute to the social and economic empowerment of affected households. While extensive information about Graduation programs is available globally, little research exists on the application of the approach in development-induced resettlement contexts. Therefore, the IRSHUP case study in this working paper fills a critical gap in existing literature.

5.
Development projects often need land to meet their objectives, leading to widescale displacement and the voluntary or involuntary resettlement of households. Nearly 15 million people are affected globally by development-induced displacement and resettlement every year. 2 Their resettlement is due to one of three broad reasons: (i) they live in an area that is required for the development project (e.g., the reservoir of a dam); (ii) they live in an area next to a project (e.g., a national park that will be expanded); or (iii) their location might be subject to harm (e.g., prone to floods or earthquakes). 3 For any or all of these reasons, project-induced resettlement can occur at both small scale and large scale, where thousands of people are relocated. Successful resettlement is considered a key contributor to a project's overall success or failure. 4 6.
While resettlement can have positive impacts on households, it also disrupts the lives of those who need to relocate and rebuild their economic and social ties. Risks that resettled households experience include unemployment, landlessness, marginalization, increased mortality, food insecurity, and social disarticulation. 5 Specifically, involuntary resettlement under development projects can give rise to severe economic, social, and environmental risks, and result in the long-term hardship and impoverishment of affected people if it is not managed well. 6 7.
In another study, researchers reviewed 203 resettlement case studies around the world to assess the overall impact on the lives of the resettled populations. They found that the resettlement process generally results in negative outcomes for affected people across the factors of natural, social, financial, human, and cultural capital. The only area with a net positive outcome was physical assets, i.e., the provision of services and infrastructure development. 7 Another study identified the loss of employment as the most negative outcome of resettlement, where projects fail to provide the required skills and training for households to find employment in a new setting. 8 This can lead to suboptimal outcomes in the long term, evident through the generally observed lack of economic growth in relocation sites, community disintegration, and re-encroachment by households (i.e., participants returning to their previous locations) (footnote 2).

8.
Critically, monetary compensation for resettlement is just one factor for support; the most common reason attributed to poor resettlement outcomes is the lack of adequate broader resettlement program measures, or an integrated support package. When resettlement is done poorly and people fail to adjust, it does not lead to economic and social growth for them and keeps them dependent on the project or government to deal with their everyday struggles. 9 Many governments and organizations now have well-defined policies for resettlement and safeguards, which provide affected households with Resettlement involving compulsory relocation is considered successful when impacts on individuals and communities are minimized or reversed and (i) affected persons are helped to reestablish their lives and livelihoods on a productive and self-sustainable basis and are given choices among available resettlement options, and (ii) attention is paid to prevention of adverse impact on host communities and the environment. integrated support mechanisms. However, studies point out a few critical gaps in the current approach towards sustainable resettlement.

9.
Current compensation methodologies are considered inadequate to support households in new sites. Many resettlement projects focus heavily on cash compensation or alternative housing, but much less on the other key factors affecting households, such as social impacts (footnote 3). Further, compensation is usually based on an inventory of losses, but not on the requirements of households to rebuild their lives, such as to start a feasible income-generating activity (footnote 9). For the most vulnerable people in particular, replacing an inventory of losses in particular may not serve them well or offer an opportunity for sustainable resettlement, given they had less to begin with. While multilateral development banks and international organizations in theory require that the vulnerable people are better off post-relocation, projects can often fail to provide comprehensive support systems to help households thrive in their new locations. Evidence from the field suggests that there is need for special attention to the inherent vulnerabilities of the affected population (footnote 3).

B.
Moving Toward Successful Resettlement Approaches

10.
A 2015 World Bank report based on a review of two decades of resettlement projects found three broad shortcomings in resettlement: (i) lack of documentation of project oversight, (ii) lack of follow up on protection measures, and (iii) lack of identification of some projects as high-risk for populations living in their proximity. 10 This led to an action plan to strengthen the preparation, implementation, and supervision of the resettlement process. In 2017, the International Association for Impact Assessment held a symposium on "Resettlement and Livelihoods" which provided eight lessons learned for restoring livelihoods in a resettlement context. These were: (i) allocating resources to develop comprehensive and detailed baseline data on livelihood activities; (ii) involving experienced practitioners and using tools to record and disaggregate data; (iii) ensuring timely data management for monitoring and evaluating the impact of resettlement at every stage of the project; (iv) ensuring early community information, consultation, and participation in the design of livelihood restoration programs; (v) providing a series of community-based and diversified livelihood support measures; (vi) building a solid relationship between the community and the government with careful planning of roles and responsibilities; (vii) establishing a land acquisition, resettlement, and rehabilitation policy; and (viii) making outcomes binding on the project based on a commitment to ensure sustainable (and adaptive) livelihoods and enabling the outputs that achieve them to have more flexibility. 11

11.
In order to achieve true success in development projects, effective resettlement is key. While resettlement of households will cause some disruption and harm, if done correctly, it can become an opportunity for better development. Multiple studies recommend recognizing the process of resettlement as complex, being multi-dimensional, multi-factor, multi-scalar, and multi-level. 12 Therefore, resettling households with diverse vulnerabilities, capacities, and interests requires a multi-faceted approach.

12.
This working paper provides an example of one such multi-dimensional and comprehensive model.

C.
The Graduation Approach 1. Background

13.
The Graduation Approach, pioneered by BRAC in 2002, is a holistic, time-bound, and carefully sequenced set of interventions to place households on an upward trajectory from poverty. 14 It includes four pillars: (i) social assistance in the form of cash transfers or a subsistence allowance and access to immediate needs, such as those related to health and education; (ii) livelihoods promotion through localized market assessment, household-level asset packages/employment matching, and technical training; (iii) financial inclusion through financial literacy training, access to savings and financial services for economic resilience; and (iv) social empowerment through community mobilization and life skills training to induce positive behavior change among families and communities. 15

14.
A typical Graduation program is implemented over a period of 18-36 months. The approach has been widely adapted to multiple contexts, such as urban settlements, fragile and conflict zones, and disaster affected areas, as well as with diverse population groups, such as women, youth, refugees, and people with disabilities.

15.
The Graduation Approach has a strong evidence base for positive outcomes. A study in 2015 captured the impact of the approach across six countries-Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Pakistan, and Peru-using randomized control trials to assess if it was effective in reducing poverty and scalable across diverse contexts. The study, which covered 11,000 households, found statistically significant impacts on all 10 outcome variables: consumption, food security, productive assets, financial inclusion, time use, income and revenues, physical health, mental health, political involvement, and women's empowerment. Even 1 year after the interventions, eight out of 10 outcomes showed statistically significant gains. The households that received Graduation interventions showed much higher household consumption, income, and revenues in five out of six contexts. 16

16.
Studies have also captured the long-term impact of the Graduation Approach. In India, 3 years after one program, Graduation households consumed 12% more than the control group, and 7 years after the asset transfer they consumed 25% more than the control group. Participants also reported average savings that were double than those that did not participate in the program. 17  households' consumption had increased 2.5 times more than measured after 4 years. 18 The most recent study, published in 2020, captured results 10 years after Graduation interventions in West Bengal, India. The researchers found major improvements in household well-being, with sustained improvements in consumption, wealth, health, and income up to 10 years after the completion of the program. 19

17.
Given the intensity of resources required in the program, studies also calculated the cost-benefit ratio of the Graduation Approach. 20 The 2015 study found the following returns on investment: 433% in India, 260% in Ethiopia, 179% in Pakistan, 146% in Peru, and 133% in Ghana. Only one country (Honduras) had a negative return on investment, which was attributed to a large number of chickens (i.e., the productive assets provided to most households) dying due to illness. 21 The significantly positive returns on investment in the other five countries demonstrate the cost effectiveness of the Graduation model.

18.
Graduation-similar programs, also referred to as cash-plus or productive inclusion programs, or broadly categorized as economic inclusion programs, were being implemented in more than 75 countries as of 2021, reaching approximately 20 million households and nearly 92 million individuals. 22 Most of these programs are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (footnote 22). The Graduation Approach has been widely adapted to multiple contexts, such as urban settlements, fragile and conflict zones, and disaster-affected areas, as well as with various population groups, such as women, youth, refugees, and people with disabilities. The State of Economic Inclusion report captures the growing prominence and rapid expansion of these programs globally (footnote 22).

19.
While there is extensive information on Graduation programs globally, there is little research on the application of the Graduation Approach in project-induced resettlement contexts. The closest context that can be mapped is refugee populations that have been displaced and resettled. However, that is distinct from development-induced resettlement because of the policies concerning each, and the barriers that refugees can be subject to in certain settings. 23 Therefore, it would be an unfit comparison to the resettlement context that forms the focus of this paper.

20.
Given the paucity of published data on the Graduation Approach in a development-induced resettlement setting, the case study in this working paper fills a critical gap in available information. The design of the Graduation Approach in an ADB-financed affordable housing project in Tamil Nadu, India provides a contextualized adaptation of the model, thereby contributing to the rich database on Graduation programs globally. It also provides a model for unique value addition to the resettlement process, aimed towards the sustainable economic and social welfare of resettled populations.  The cost-benefit analysis in the multi-country study considered (i) costs as direct program costs (direct transfer and supervision costs), startup expenses and indirect costs (including local and international overhead costs); and (ii) benefits as the consumption gains and asset value changes attributable to the program.

21.
Box 1 provides the case for why this model is important to support ADB's work on safeguards, given comprehensive approaches like the Graduation Approach can fill some of the gaps identified in the resettlement process.

Box 1: ADB's Involuntary Resettlement Safeguards Policy and the Graduation Approach
The Asian Development Bank's (ADB's) Involuntary Resettlement Safeguards Policy 2009 aims to (i) avoid involuntary resettlement wherever possible, (ii) minimize involuntary resettlement by exploring project and design alternatives, (iii) enhance or at least restore the livelihoods of all displaced people in real terms relative to pre-project levels, and (iv) improve the living standards of the displaced poor people and other vulnerable groups.
ADB's Independent Evaluation Department, in its 2020 evaluation of involuntary resettlement, found shortcomings in livelihood restoration and improvement, specifically for the poorest and most vulnerable households. It highlighted the lack of appropriate assessment of the varying risks within a socioeconomic context as well as social risks for other communities. It recommended ADB to rethink its approach for livelihood restoration in involuntary resettlement, focusing more on ensuring adequate resources, baseline information, market assessments, and consideration for affected persons.
This makes a strong case for the integration of comprehensive approaches, like the Graduation Approach, with resettlement planning and implementation. It is an important step towards meeting ADB's commitment to successful resettlement processes.

22.
Tamil Nadu state in India has a population of 72 million people and contributed to 8.54% of the country's gross domestic product in 2019-2020. The state's consistent economic growth and rapid urbanization has led to urban development, especially housing and provision for basic services, falling short of meeting demand. Tamil Nadu faces an acute shortage of housing for its urban poor people. Poor people face a lack of access to existing housing programs, there is a lack of inclusive design that considers cultural and gender factors, and replacement housing often limits the urban poor people's access to employment and basic services. 24

23.
The (i) relocating vulnerable communities living in hazard-prone areas to newly constructed housing in safe locations, while ensuring their economic and social welfare; (ii) mobilizing private sector financing to provide affordable housing units for urban poor households, migrant workers, and lower income groups; and (iii) supporting the state in regional development planning.

24.
Under the first output, the relocation of households from high-risk, flood-prone zones to safer areas will lead to significant involuntary resettlement, with an impact on livelihoods and linkages, such as access to networks and basic services, for affected families. 25 Box 2 provides more details on the first output. The Asian Developmen Bank (ADB)-financed Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Housing for Urban Poor Sector Project in Tamil Nadu aims to promote access to inclusive, resilient, and sustainable housing and urban development. The anticipated impact of the project is for permanent shelter with appropriate housing infrastructure and services provided for every affected household to be provided. The envisaged outcome is increased access to inclusive, safe, and affordable housing infrastructure and services for vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in Tamil Nadu.
The project will introduce gradual changes in the delivery of affordable housing to the urban poor people by (i) improving design and implementation, with robust operation and maintenance mechanisms, ensuring housing infrastructures are climate resilient, and increasing consultation and participation of beneficiaries (including women) in design; (ii) implementing a Graduation Program to lift relocated vulnerable households from poverty; and (iii) building the capacity of the Housing and Urban Development Department and local urban bodies in affordable, inclusive, and sustainable urban housing.
The project cost is $215 million, of which $150 million (69.8%) will be financed through an ADB loan and the remaining $65 million (30.2%) will be the government's contribution. The involuntary resettlement impacts of ADB-supported projects are considered significant if 200 or more persons will experience major impacts, defined as (i) being physically displaced from housing, or (ii) losing 10% or more of their productive (income generating) assets.

25.
The Government of Tamil Nadu through the Housing and Urban Development Department is the executing agency responsible for overall IRSHUP management. The Tamil Nadu Urban Housing Development Board (TNUHDB) is the implementing agency for the Graduation pilot program. ADB is the primary financing agency for IRSHUP, including the planning and design of the Graduation Program. BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) was the technical advisor for the planning and design phase of the Graduation pilot program, while World Vision India (WVI) was the local technical support partner for the design phase.

C.
Program Plan

26.
The IRSHUP project is piloting the Graduation Approach to reduce the negative impacts of resettlement and support households in rebuilding their lives through sustained economic and social welfare post-relocation. To achieve this, the Graduation Approach has been integrated within the IRSHUP resettlement framework to provide complementary additions for affected households. It builds off existing programs and services of government, nongovernment, and private organizations. While the actual resettlement of households will take place after the relocation housing is constructed and amenities are in place, the planning and design phase has offered significant learnings that form the basis of this paper.

27.
The IRSHUP model of resettlement integrates the four pillars of Graduation (described in para. 13) and recognizes coaching and mentoring as a key cross-cutting and overarching element. The four pillars of the Graduation Approach, namely social protection, livelihood promotion, financial inclusion, and social empowerment, are supported by the cross-cutting pillar of regular coaching and mentorship of eligible households by trained field staff, as shown in Figure 1.

28.
Under the first output of relocating vulnerable communities living in hazard prone areas to newly constructed housing in safe locations, while ensuring their economic and social welfare, affordable housing units will be constructed at nine project sites with the Graduation Approach piloted in two: Kalanivasal (Sivagangai district) and Reddiarpatti (Tirunelveli district). The results from these sites will determine the scale-up of the program in the remaining seven sites. These two pilot sites provide all the data and lessons drawn in the paper.

29.
There are 876 households planned to be relocated in the Reddiarpatti site, spread over 13 settlements. The distance between the sending (where households currently live) and receiving sites (where households will move to post-resettlement) is 9-12 kilometers Meanwhile, 900 households are planned to be resettled in Kalanivasal site, spread over 10 settlements. The distance between the sending and receiving sites in Kalanivasal is 2-10 kilometers. Table 1 shows the key indicators in the pilot sites extracted from the IRSHUP baseline socioeconomic survey.

30.
Further details on the profile of affected families can be found in the site-specific resettlement plans. 26

31.
The case study has certain data limitations. First, due to resistance to relocation by some households, data from all households could not be collected during the program design phase. Until February 2022, the baseline study in Kalanivasal had gathered data from 96% of the households; in Reddiarpatti, however, the survey team could only cover about 30% of households. This gap was later filled by the team through additional data collection after the Graduation Program design phase. Given the more sensitive nature of sites in Reddiarpatti, the team adopted a phased approach to collect household-level socioeconomic data. Second, the entire planning and design phase took place amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which created restrictions on the travel of project teams. Certain data could not be accessed at the project sites during this period, such as the existing livelihood preferences of all households under market assessment and the complete list of functioning self-help groups under financial inclusion. However, efforts were made by the team to curate existing databases and they used the support of line departments in Tamil Nadu to bridge information gaps. Additionally, consultations and sample surveys were undertaken, particularly during the market assessment, to extrapolate findings for a larger group of households. These measures helped partly mitigate the limitations. Further guidance has been provided in the program road map to collect additional data on the abovementioned categories and include necessary refinements closer to implementation, such as rapid assessments to validate households' livelihood preferences.

F.
Staffing Structure 32. Figure 2 provides an overview of the staffing and collaboration plan between different partners in the planning and implementation stages of the IRSHUP Graduation Program.

33.
The IRSHUP Graduation Program includes six stages ( Figure 3). Timelines for the Graduation Program are embedded within the larger IRSHUP project timelines (Table 2).

34.
The IRSHUP Graduation Program is designed to provide complementary value additions to the existing resettlement package, which includes standard livelihood and social assistance, provision of government services, community mobilization through resident welfare committees, and monitoring through broad oversight by field staff. Each Graduation pillar adds support interventions (such as market and skills assessment to identify feasible livelihood activities or landscaping and resource planning to establish social linkages) to the resettlement plan that are integrated with the existing package to provide a holistic approach for all households, as shown in Figure 4 (also explained in Appendix 1). Figure 4 illustrates the layered approach, with the existing resettlement package illustrated in yellow and Graduation-specific interventions highlighted in blue.

35.
The IRSHUP case study demonstrates how resettlement planning and the Graduation Approach can be effectively integrated through their common elements such as social assistance, linkages to government services, livelihood assistance, training, resident welfare committees, oversight by field animators, and access to financial services.

36.
Once the stage of implementation is reached, the IRSHUP Graduation Program will assess all vulnerable persons and/or families and include all persons and/or families with multiple vulnerabilities as well as those that lose their primary source of income. 27 For persons and/or families with multiple vulnerabilities that have not lost their primary source of income, preference will be given to women members of the household. 28 A livelihood impact survey will be conducted within 1-2 months after the relocation of households to identify those that have lost their primary source of income. The exact timing of relocation will be determined based on completion of house construction and provision of amenities at the relocation sites, as well as consideration of school and/or exam calendars. As per preliminary estimates, this is projected to be around 70% of the total number of affected families. Figure 5 provides an overview of the selection criteria for the IRSHUP Graduation Program, which will be applied after the survey. 27 Vulnerable families are those families with physical/mentally disabled members, women-headed families, below the poverty line families, families with elderly (above 60 years) members, women and children, families of indigenous people, landless families and those families without legal title to land, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families, and families with transgender members. 28 For some families with a male household head and who will not be losing their primary source of income through relocation but are still members of a vulnerable group as defined by the government, the project will target a female member of the household and engage them in livelihood activities to supplement household income at the new site to increase overall household resilience.

37.
After selection, all Graduation households (i.e., households that qualify and participate in the Graduation Program) will be segmented to determine the intensity of support they will receive from TNUHDB animators (field staff) during implementation. While the subsistence allowance, asset transfer, and technical trainings will be provided to all participants, Graduation households that are more vulnerable (Table 3) will receive more intensive coaching and follow-ups on livelihoods, business management, financial literacy, and life skills. This is in recognition of the heterogeneity of the population impacted by resettlement in this context.

38.
Based on the analysis of the baseline socioeconomic survey data, preliminary segmentation criteria have been developed to identify the more vulnerable Graduation households requiring a higher intensity of coaching support. This information will be validated through community assessments by TNUHDB and additional technical staff. The draft criteria reflected in Table 3 will be refined closer to implementation through a rapid assessment. Given that the data points are subject to change over time, it will be critical to account for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on households' socioeconomic wellbeing.

39.
While consultations are regularly conducted with all project-affected families under IRSHUP, after household selection and segmentation the project team will undertake specific community sensitization sessions to provide Graduation households with information on the rationale for selection and segmentation criteria, as well as solicit feedback on vulnerability and additional considerations that the households would like to share. Such social preparation would be the last step to finalize and categorize households participating in the program.

2.
Linkages to Basic Services

40.
To provide households with access to essential services, the Graduation program team, with support from TNUHDB, conducted an extensive landscaping and resource planning exercise to map all available and planned services near the two project sites. The process of mapping was informed by past scoping exercises conducted by expert civil society partners (BRAC and WVI), thereby leveraging their experience. Such services were mapped across parameters, such as affordability, quality, and accessibility for the target groups. The exercise also included a mapping of government schemes and programs that are relevant for urban poor people. Table 4 provides an analysis of the provision of basic services in both sites, with details of mapping provided to TNUHDB. This information will be used by TNUHDB animators to orient the community on basic services and programs and to build effective linkages for them post-relocation. It can also facilitate operational planning for the government and other key stakeholders to determine the scope for additional services.

41.
The social protection pillar of the Graduation Approach aims to provide basic consumption support in the form of social assistance or allowance and access to essential services like health, education, and safety net programs by establishing linkages. This pillar adds value to standard resettlement assistance by linking participants to resources and services. As part of the IRSHUP Resettlement Framework, all Graduation households that were owners and/or occupiers of residential space will receive a subsistence allowance of ₹2,500 per month for a period of 12 months following relocation. Households will also receive a one-time shifting assistance of ₹10,000. Additionally, all families with multiple vulnerabilities will receive a one-time assistance of ₹5,000. Such social assistance will support Graduation households in meeting their immediate consumption needs post-resettlement. Some cash or in-kind assistance is common in Graduation programs around the world. Therefore, the social assistance or allowance component of standard resettlement packages provides an essential and complementary foundation for Graduation interventions.

42.
Livelihoods promotion is a core pillar of the Graduation approach to support improved and sustained economic welfare of participants. In a resettlement context like IRSHUP, this forms the foundation for households to rebuild and thrive in the new locations. The Graduation Approach adds value to standard livelihood restoration programs through a series of targeted steps, such as a localized market assessment, household-level enterprise matching, and tailored technical trainings. Such assessments and adaptations serve to identify the needs and interests of the households and matches them with the most viable livelihood opportunities, thereby providing them a bigger push toward economic growth and sustained resettlement.

43.
The IRSHUP resettlement plan will provide every Graduation household with an asset package of up to ₹50,000 and technical training worth up to ₹15,000. Resettled households can either continue their previous professions or start new ones, determined at the stage of household-level enterprise matching. Those who wish to continue their existing professions will be provided with tailored support to grow, expand, or diversify their livelihoods in receiving sites. Therefore, the livelihood interventions will support resettled households to effectively engage with markets through individual enterprises, cooperatives, or employment. This strongly aligns with the goals of resettlement packages that aim to boost the economic welfare of affected families.

44.
As the first step in this pillar, a localized market assessment was conducted with the goal of identifying the most viable livelihood options for Graduation households post-resettlement, focusing on the risks and opportunities facing the urban poor. The assessment was conducted from May to October 2021 by MART Global in collaboration with WVI. The market assessment entailed an extensive field study in the two project locations, both at the sending and receiving sites. It analyzed the demand and supply sides of the local market to identify feasible options. The final outputs of the assessment were: (i) a feasibility matrix for all the recommended livelihood options; (ii) an asset package for all recommended options within the project support limit of ₹50,000; (iii) a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis for all livelihood options; and (iv) a business plan for each activity to support expansion, growth, and diversification.

45.
The market study followed the following methodology: (i) Preparatory desk research (ii) Preliminary livelihoods photo documentation (iii) Household surveys with nearly 30% of the target population (453 households) (iv) In-depth interviews with key stakeholders (36 local entrepreneurs, 10 training institutes, 30 government officials, 40 market players, and 8 NGOs) (v) Focus group discussions with the community covering eight types of vulnerabilities.

46.
Based on the analysis, there was a preliminary shortlist of 30 activities per project location, which was finally refined into 23 viable livelihood activities per site (Table 5).

47.
The assessment also recommended livelihood options that were less common among the surveyed participants at the sending sites, but could be profitable at the receiving sites. 29 Each of the recommended activities were mapped against skillsets, interest, resources, market, finance, scope for expansion, required investment, and return on investment. The final market assessment report provides asset packages for all the recommended activities, detailing the cost and quantity of inputs required for each. A sample asset package is presented in Table 6. The report also includes a business plan for all livelihood options, to support the expansion and diversification of activities for resettled households. 29 These include mushroom cultivation, oil extraction unit, incense stick making, and LED bulb assembling.

48.
The second step aims at matching every Graduation household with a suitable livelihood activity, chosen from the list identified in the market assessment. This will be undertaken by TNUHDB at the time of relocation. To facilitate the process, the Graduation program team has developed a household enterprise matching tool that consists of three steps. First, animators will use a questionnaire with each household (participating member) to understand their capacities, available resources, and preferences regarding livelihoods. Second, animators will help households rank their top three choices for income generating activities. Third, animators will conduct a skills and readiness assessment for the shortlisted three options, to help the household decide the final livelihood activity they wish to undertake. 30 The enterprise matching tool has been informed by past successful tools used by BRAC UPGI in Graduation programs around the world.

49.
After all participants have been matched to livelihood activities, TNUHDB will procure asset packages and provide them to the households. Given the sequenced nature of Graduation programs, the asset transfers need to coincide with the end of livelihood technical trainings. Timely distribution of assets is critical to program success, the lack of which has led to major challenges such as attrition in other Graduation programs around the world. 31 This was a key lesson learned in the ADB-financed Graduation pilot with the Department of Labor and Employment in the Philippines. 32 While the broader process of procurement and delivery has been discussed with TNUHDB, more detailed guidelines will need to be established closer to implementation.

50.
In addition to livelihood assets, the second critical part of this pillar is technical training. After Graduation households have selected their livelihood, a local expert will deliver training on managing these livelihoods, which will include a component that is common to all participants and another that is tailored to the types of livelihood activities (such as goods or services based). The Tamil Nadu Skills Development Corporation has been recommended by TNUHDB to prepare the content for and deliver the livelihood trainings. Further, for additional support, the WVI team has mapped private local training institutes which provide livelihood-related trainings near the project sites. Their services can be used if 30 Animators will pay close attention to market saturation levels for particularly popular livelihoods. 31 Attrition in the graduation context refers to dropping out of households from the program, prior to the completion period, typically 18-24 months. TNUHDB identifies the need for external trainers. As mentioned, a provision of ₹15,000 per participant has been made in IRSHUP to impart technical trainings to Graduation participants.

51.
The TNUHDB animators will continuously monitor and support households through the reinforcement of key messages from trainings, early identification of risks (such as change in market trends due to economic or social policies, maintenance of productive assets like livestock) and provision of mitigation measures to support the economic growth of all households. It is also important to note that while the Graduation households will begin by selecting a primary income generating activity through the course of the program, they will be encouraged to grow and diversify their livelihoods and supplement incomes through additional trainings and upskilling.

52.
The Graduation approach's financial inclusion pillar aims at increasing access to savings and financial services for households to build their economic resilience. The Graduation approach adds value to standard resettlement plans by mapping existing savings groups, providing a plan to transition them from sending to receiving sites, strengthening savings groups, increasing participants' access to formal credit mechanisms, and imparting financial literacy to help them save and invest better. All these measures will contribute to developing resilience among resettled households against shocks.

53.
As the first step, the WVI team, with support from the Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation (TNWDC) and the Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihood Mission (TNULM), mapped all existing self-help groups (SHGs) in the sending sites of the two project locations. WVI's experience of working with TNULM enabled quick collection of data despite the pandemic. The team identified 96 SHGs in Reddiarpatti and 39 in Kalanivasal, with bank linkages to each group. Table 7 provides an example of mapping from the Reddiarpatti site.

54.
As physical displacement entails households moving from one location to another, a seamless transition of services and groups is important to ensure successful relocation. This step is unique to the application of the Graduation Approach in a resettlement context, due to the difference between sending and receiving sites. To achieve this goal, the WVI team along with TNWDC and TNULM developed a step-by-step transition plan for SHGs, highlighting the preparatory work and assigning responsibility at each step. The transition plans for the two sites are given below in Tables 8 and 9. It is important to note the coordination that will be required between the department and bank personnel at the sending and receiving sites, and the additional training of SHGs for this transition.

55.
In the planning and design phase, the Graduation team identified relevant curriculum and local partners to impart financial literacy training to all participants. Given TNULM's extensive presence and work with SHGs, they were the recommended partner for such trainings. Their training curriculum includes educating participants on (i) the importance of savings and credit; (ii) maintaining books of accounts; and (iii) financial planning, including budgeting and financial management at the household level. TNULM will also provide all SHGs with books of accounts and record notes post-relocation. Further, their community organizers will facilitate credit linkages to banks for them.

56.
To enable the access to financial service providers in the receiving sites, the WVI team mapped 11 financial institutions and 17 microfinance institutions for linkages to participants. Further, the team engaged with these institutions and with all others mapped under the program to discuss the proposed resettlement plan and obtain verbal consent for extending services to the relocated households. This allowed for the early planning of support mechanisms for households, as well as partnerships with relevant departments and institutions.

57.
The social empowerment pillar aims to address the needs and concerns of vulnerable groups through community mobilization and strengthening, as well as improvements in household dynamics and behavior. In the Tamil Nadu case, it will focus on these goals through two aspects: (i) a plan for strengthening resident welfare committees (RWCs) as a means to integrate and empower the community, and (ii) a life skills training plan to sensitize households on key social and health issues. In a resettlement context like IRSHUP, the social empowerment pillar of the Graduation Approach adds value by improving the social well-being of households. When participants move from one area to another, they often lose their social ties and can feel isolated in the journey of rebuilding their lives. The Graduation program provides psychosocial support to mitigate this negative impact through the social empowerment pillar.

58.
RWCs will have eight members, with equal representation of men and women, who will select a president, secretary, and treasurer. Once households have been relocated, the committee will meet monthly to discuss and address the challenges faced by households in the resettlement area. RWCs will also be responsible for maintaining the facilities in the receiving sites and supporting other communityled initiatives. The Graduation Approach aims at strengthening the role of RWCs to integrate the community and raise their concerns in a timely manner.

59.
A critical component of the Graduation Approach is life skills training, which is intended to reinforce positive behavior change among households by addressing key sociocultural issues like alcohol consumption, high debt, and conflict within communities. The Graduation team identified the 10 most critical issues through consultations with the community (Appendix 2). Thereafter, a curriculum was developed and contextualized on each of these issues to meet the needs of the target group. The life skills curriculum was refined using learnings from past trainings delivered by WVI and BRAC UPGI. To cater to the local resettlement context, WVI provided additional content on topics like psychosocial resilience and conflict resolution by drawing from similar programs they had implemented in Tamil Nadu.

60.
During implementation, TNUHDB animators will deliver twice-weekly/monthly life skills sessions to all participants and monitor the change in their behavior. The curriculum under all topics was contextualized and prepared in both English and Tamil. Figure 6 is an example of the material prepared for the delivery of life skills training:

61.
Coaching and mentorship is the cross-cutting pillar through which all Graduation interventions are delivered by animators, using a combination of individual household visits and group coaching. This adds value to a resettlement project by providing affected households with close support and mentorship. In the IRSHUP Graduation program, TNUHDB animators will act as mentors and trainers for households, providing interventions under the four pillars. Each animator is recommended to have a maximum caseload of 150 Graduation households, with sole focus on Graduation interventions. For all group coaching sessions, the group size is recommended to be 15-20 people. Each animator who is assigned 150 participants with 20 people in each group will provide group coaching to approximately eight groups.

62.
To support this, the program plan includes a draft animator visit schedule, highlighting the plan to be followed by each animator (Appendix 3). With the above-mentioned calculations, the frequency of animator visits for each household would be once every 2 weeks for group life skills coaching and once every month for individual household visits. Further, based on the segmentation of Graduation households, the program will be able to determine those that need more intensive coaching support and those that need less. The animator visit schedule will alter after the segmentation of households and adapt based on vulnerability, progress in program, and challenges faced.

63.
In the IRSHUP Graduation program, monitoring will occur at household and program level to track progress, timeliness, and effectiveness of activities. Ongoing monitoring will help integrate learning to continuously refine and improve program activities. This is aimed to be integrated with TNUHDB's plan for monitoring and evaluation under IRSHUP, supported by the monitoring and evaluation data analytics officer. The Graduation team supported contextualized planning through a draft monitoring framework highlighting key considerations and sample data to be collected at the level of household and program. The program plan also recommends the use of digital data collection methods to support realtime tracking, adaptation, and planning.
Learning and refinements are an important part of any Graduation program, with specific guidelines designed for the IRSHUP Graduation program. This will help assess core elements of the program against intended outcomes. The TNUHDB field team will report such information on a monthly and quarterly basis. This includes questions such as: (i) "What are some positive and negative behavior changes among participants that you have observed?" (ii) "Have you been able to identify fast and slow climbers? How are you identifying them?" (iii) "What are your observations regarding the impact in specific areas (such as household dynamics, enterprise decision-making, children's education)?"

64.
The draft monitoring and learning framework is included in the Operations Guide and will be refined closer to implementation.

9.
List of Program Resources

65.
Over the 18 months of IRSHUP Graduation program assessment, design, and planning, the project team contributed immensely to the generation of knowledge resources, including technical and operational documents (Table 10). Every resource incorporated insights and feedback from all partners, with information validated in the field by the project team. All resources were also informed by past successful experiences of the civil society partners, i.e., BRAC UPGI and WVI, who had implemented the Graduation Approach in several other contexts. Further, these resources form a critical base of knowledge to mitigate the time lag between planning and implementation. A set of these resources was handed over to TNUHDB during the Training of Trainers (ToT) to support a smooth transition for implementation. Operations Guide A comprehensive handbook that provides details on the operational structure, program oversight, and partner roles, guidance on implementation of the graduation interventions, and frameworks for monitoring and learning. It is aimed to support all stakeholders in successfully implementing the Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Housing for Urban Poor Sector Project (IRSHUP) Graduation Program from start to end. a The draft operations guide is ready. It is a living document, which will be updated during the project cycle.

Market Assessment Report
A localized market study to determine a menu of feasible livelihood opportunities for resettled participants at the receiving sites, with value chain analysis, risk assessment and list of potential asset packages. It is aimed to support sustainable and resilient livelihoods post relocation.
The market assessment report is finalized and will be followed by householdlevel enterprise matching.

Landscaping and Resource Planning Report
Mapping of the accessibility and quality of available and planned social service resources around the project sites. This is to enable linkages and access to basic services like health and education by the resettled communities post relocation.
This was completed in 2021 and submitted to Tamil Nadu Urban Housing Development Board (TNUHDB) for further use.

Graduation Restoration Plan
Detailed project design and institutional framework for Graduation interventions integrated into the Resettlement Framework, to be agreed upon by key stakeholders and executed by TNUHDB. It will serve as a reference point for any Graduation-related work within the Resettlement Framework.

The Graduation
Restoration Plan was revised and included in the updated Resettlement Framework published in January 2021.

Partner Capacity Assessment Report
A holistic assessment of the capacity of partners, in this case, TNUHDB. It aims to identify the strengths and areas of capacity building and technical support required for TNUHDB to implement an effective Graduation program.
This was submitted to TNUHDB and used to build capacity during the program planning.

Schemes Compendium
A compendium of central and state government schemes that are relevant for the target group in the two sites. This will enable better linkages for participants post relocation.
This was completed by the team in 2021 and handed over TNUHDB.

Information, Education, and Communication Material
Outreach material on the Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Housing for Urban Poor Sector Project Graduation program to enable consultation and participation with households in the project sites. It is aimed to ensure an adequate understanding and support for the program components and to seek feedback on program planning.
The brochures were used in community consultations. Further material has been provided to TNUHDB.

Contextualized Life Skills Curriculum
Curriculum for all shortlisted life skills topics was contextualized by a local content and Information, Education, and Communication material specialist. This will support TNUHDB animators in delivering training that is relevant to the target participants in the local context.
The material was finalized and provided to TNUHDB in 2022.

Handover Report
The handover report provides a summary of key project documents which will be useful to TNUHDB before and during implementation.

66.
The IRSHUP Graduation program is unique among Graduation programs around the world as it will be implemented entirely by a government partner, i.e., TNUHDB. Therefore, one of the key components of the planning and design phase was to build the capacity of TNUHDB to smoothly implement the program. The steps taken included the following.

1.
Training of Trainers 67. The ToT was a 5-day interactive virtual training (due to pandemic restrictions) for the TNUHDB implementing staff on core program elements including targeting and segmentation criteria, graduation pillars, monitoring and graduation criteria, program resources, and timelines. 33 This was aimed to build the staff's capacity to execute the program and discuss final design elements and the operational road map for program implementation. The virtual ToT took place 7-11 February 2022. The content was delivered by facilitators from ADB, BRAC UPGI, and WVI. The training used a mix of role play, polling, group discussions, debrief sessions, and question and answer sessions to keep it interactive. A total of 43 attendees from ADB, BRAC UPGI, TNUHDB and WVI attended.

68.
Pre-and post-training questionnaires were circulated on the first and last day of the ToT. Out of the 26 attendees from TNUHDB who responded to the survey, 96% strongly agreed or agreed that the training content and structure was logical, easy to follow, and well organized; 100% strongly agreed or agreed that participation and interaction was encouraged throughout; and 96% mentioned that the 33 Graduation criteria provide specific goals for households to work towards, track their own progress over the duration of the program, and indicate clear benchmarks for graduating. Appendix 4 has details. content on the four pillars and monitoring was most useful. Further, participants shared that all the sessions were informative and useful for the purpose of preparing for implementation.

69.
The training was concluded by members of TNUHDB presenting a summary of learnings. The training provided a platform to discuss challenges related to implementation, address common issues, and build capacity of the team to execute the various components of the program. For a successful training, the team adopted learnings from BRAC's past virtual ToTs and combined them with WVI's local knowledge of how to best engage TNUHDB staff.

2.
Meetings and Regular Engagement

70.
Throughout the course of planning, design, and preparation over 18 months, the Graduation team conducted monthly review and feedback meetings with TNUHDB, chaired by the Chief Community Development Officer. The meetings were aimed to update them on the progress of the program and seek inputs on the design considerations under the four pillars. Further, given the sensitivity of resettlement, the meetings provided an avenue to discuss challenges and prepare monthly visit plans with the field team. At the community level, the team engaged with TNUHDB community officers and animators every week to discuss the site specific inputs required in Graduation program planning. This process enabled a participatory design while gradually building the implementing partner's capacity.

71.
Based on the feedback received from TNUHDB, the Graduation team helped increase staff capacity to (i) assess the needs of identified families and prepare them for relocation process in a positive manner, (ii) collect information on the various welfare schemes for urban poor people and effectively disseminate it, and (iii) coordinate with line departments to build an integrated plan for pillars such as livelihoods promotion and financial inclusion. The close coordination between TNUHDB and WVI field teams provided an effective model for collaboration and capacity building.

72.
The community engagement specialists under IRSHUP prepared the Consultation and Participation Plan (CAPP) for the IRSHUP project, mainly focusing on the first output of affordable housing for vulnerable communities. The objective of CAPP is to ensure the participation of all project beneficiaries in a meaningful and continuous way, at every stage of the project. During the design stage, the CAPP was conducted to inform beneficiaries of the proposed design, safeguards, and Graduation program, and to collect their feedback. The IRSHUP project team consulted with 496 stakeholders at the two Graduation sites; this included project-affected families, host community members, local NGOs, and administrative representatives like the district collector, municipal commissioner, and town planning officer.

73.
As the Graduation program requires continuous engagement with the affected households, the CAPP provided a platform for the program team to interact with beneficiaries at every stage of consultation. Using CAPP-organized consultations, the Graduation team helped disseminate information on the interventions, clarify people's doubts about their livelihoods and sustenance in the new location, and incorporated their feedback into program design. For example, the inputs received by community members were used to modify the design of open spaces in the receiving sites, such that they support households' existing livelihood activities. Therefore, the CAPP provides an important platform for the smooth implementation of resettlement plans and is complementary to the Graduation program.

K.
Program Road Map

74.
The Graduation program design and implementation in IRSHUP has a gap between the two phases to accommodate the time required for construction of affordable housing. Once that is complete and households can be relocated, the implementation of the Graduation program will begin. To mitigate any issues arising due to the time lag as well as to support execution, the program team prepared a road map for TNUHDB and ADB. The program road map is a chronological step-by-step summary of the key Graduation program components that may need to be refined closer to the start of implementation and once participants have been resettled. This is to support TNUHDB and ADB in updating the program design for it to remain relevant, and to bridge the time gap between planning and implementation. Tables 11 summarizes the key activities to be undertaken during preparation for implementation and implementation. The details of every task are included in the project documents, primarily in the IRSHUP Graduation Program Operations Guide.

75.
In addition to the activities laid out in the program road map there are certain key considerations moving forward. First, all TNUHDB staff will need refresher training on the Graduation program to execute planned activities. This will be a follow-up to the ToT. Second, the program will need to consider any attrition or turnover at TNUHDB to establish buy-in with the leadership as well as to familiarize all field staff with the program. Third, the program should engage the necessary Graduation specialists to support interventions prior to and during implementation, such as undertaking rapid assessments, developing the monitoring and data collection system, and supervising the livelihood impact survey. These measures will help address any risks that are likely to arise from the time gap until implementation.

76.
The IRSHUP Graduation program is expected to have a number of impacts.

77.
The comprehensive set of interventions under the Graduation Approach-based on rigorous assessments and design considerations and validated by field insights-will contribute significantly to the economic and social well-being of households. On the economic front, viable livelihood packages, along with technical trainings and regular follow-ups, will provide households with an opportunity to thrive in the new sites. In addition, the presence of trained field coaches who can mentor households in this new life phase, connect them to basic services, and work closely with them to achieve their goals will have a positive psychosocial impact. Finally, measures to strengthen resident committees and savings groups is likely to increase social cohesion in the community.

78.
The 2-year long Graduation program is expected to empower households with the skills, capacity, and resilience required to sustain positive outcomes, as seen in other Graduation programs. Such impact will be measured during the program through ongoing monitoring visits by the project team. The program road map also includes sample Graduation criteria to assess the progress of the participants across the four pillars. Additionally, an end-line survey is being considered at the end of the 18-24 months-long program to measure changes in the socioeconomic status of resettled households. These metrics will provide adequate data on the projected outcome.

B.
Equitable and Inclusive Project Design

79.
The design and planning of every Graduation pillar was based on community insights, which were facilitated by the field team. For example, the assessment of households' current livelihood status included focus group discussions with community groups representing eight different types of vulnerability, such as women-headed households, people with disabilities, daily wage laborers, elderly households, and below poverty line families. The findings from the assessment were used to recommend suitable and diversified asset packages for livelihoods promotion. Similarly, the feedback received from the community helped include measures in the infrastructure design of the receiving sites to further tailor them to the households' needs, such as enabling open spaces for pottery and ensuring access to water sources for laundry. For this, the team worked closely with the project lead architect and civil engineers to plan for physical spaces that can better accommodate the livelihood options. The team also expanded the market assessment by including a scoping of planned government and private sector infrastructure development to project the employment demand that can be generated for households in the near future. Through such measures in every component, the program is expected to contribute to an equitable and inclusive project design for the community.

C.
Comprehensive Government Welfare Programs

80.
The integrated IRSHUP Graduation design presents an example for the comprehensive planning of government social welfare programs. As Graduation builds from existing schemes and services of the government, a case study can pave the way for more integrated program design by the government, keeping the household at the center of all interventions. This can positively impact the planning and functioning of government programs and services. For example, in a resettlement context, the services of line departments can be further coordinated to provide holistic support through financial inclusion, community mobilization, technical training, and social assistance.

81.
The project also provides a unique opportunity of working with departments like Housing and Urban Development, as opposed to only social welfare departments for programs like the Graduation Approach. With such integration, the project is able to ameliorate structural barriers to households' health, well-being, and social and economic opportunities. The opportunity for participant households to directly influence physical infrastructure design in resettlement sites, particularly those that had previously created hurdles or barriers to access in sending sites, is critical. Such integration of Graduation design within a housing development project paves the way for more comprehensive programs in the future.

IV. CHALLENGES, LESSONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A.
Challenges To Date

82.
The biggest challenge was-and continues to be-the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected operations around the region. Specifically, for the IRSHUP Graduation program, Tamil Nadu was one of the most severely affected states in India, with a total of 36.0 million cases and 38,049 deaths as of 28 November 2022. 34 As preventive measures during the pandemic, both the state government and ADB restricted travel on multiple occasions to prioritize safety. Subsequently, many activities that were planned to take place in-person had to either be conducted virtually or moved to a later date. For instance, the IRSHUP baseline socioeconomic survey was aimed to be completed in the first half of 2020, but this was done at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. For the Graduation program, planning activities such as partner capacity assessment and monthly reviews had to be conducted virtually. Other activities like landscaping and resource planning and market assessment were done via a mix of virtual and in-person methods.

83.
To overcome the constraints of remote engagement, multiple mitigation measures were taken. Foremost, WVI's presence on ground helped bridge the information gaps from field. As some of the 34 Government of India. COVID19 Statewise Status | Mygov.In (accessed on 28 November 2022). team members were based at the project sites themselves, they used local connections to collect data more easily than otherwise possible. The WVI field staff helped gather information on every design consideration required by the team, thereby validating each component on ground as the rest of the team could not travel to Tamil Nadu.

84.
To tackle the delays and restrictions caused by COVID-19, the ADB team extended technical assistance to provide adequate time for planning activities. This allowed the team to adapt to the changing situation of the pandemic and complete their tasks accordingly. For instance, the baseline survey was completed in the first quarter of 2021 with data made available in the second and third quarters of the year. Due to the extension of technical assistance, the Graduation team had adequate time to analyze this data for drafting segmentation criteria. Lastly, to ensure the safety of team and community members during COVID-19, the WVI field team was provided with safety gear for all their visits. Multiple trainings were also conducted on COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure that the team members and others around them were kept safe.

85.
IRSHUP is a sensitive project as it involves a large amount of involuntary resettlement. While many communities are supportive, there has also been some resistance to moving from current settlements. Households worry about losing their economic and social ties. Further, local politics in the area have added to the complexity. As a result, a high degree of sensitivity is associated with project work in certain locations. Since the WVI team was based in field, it required caution at every step, such as seeking prior permissions for field work from TNUHDB, informing them before every field visit, and only conducting field work in permissible sites. While extremely important, this was also a time-intensive process and restricted the Graduation program team's work to select locations.

86.
To deal with such sensitivities, the Graduation program team established a series of protocols with the IRSHUP team to seek TNUHDB's timely guidance and permission. This included developing a monthly plan of the proposed field work (with location, date, name of team members, number of households to be visited, and objective of the visit) submitted to TNUHDB. Once approval was granted by them, the field team kept the TNUHDB staff informed before every visit to the community and accompanied their members if they had to visit a more sensitive location. Further, the WVI staff from the two sites shared guidance with one another on the soft skills that can help deal with resistant households. These measures offered important lessons on resettlement projects, such as requiring and planning for regular local government support in advance. Lastly, regular meetings with the IRSHUP and TNUHDB teams enabled a real-time check of the situation on the ground and opportunity to seek highlevel guidance on dealing with these challenges.

B.
Lessons Learned from the Case Study

87.
Graduation is a unique approach to improve resettlement outcomes. The IRSHUP Graduation program can be a reference point for development projects that struggle with the long-term welfare of resettled communities. The holistic design of the program across the four pillars provides a unique approach to using social safeguards to improve resettlement outcomes and offers a critical opportunity to examine this connection further. As well, the integration of Graduation interventions with the project resettlement framework and site-specific resettlement plan can be a reference point for ongoing and future projects. This is one of the first times that such an integration is being attempted in an ADB-funded project; the implementation outcomes may have far-reaching implications on the way resettlement issues are addressed in development projects in the future. Implementation by a government agency is likely to yield further lessons for scaling up of graduation programs.

88.
Leveraging civil society organizations as partners can add value. One of the biggest advantages of the IRSHUP Graduation program was its mix of civil society partners: BRAC UPGI with global expertise and WVI with local expertise. This brought a rich diversity of experiences and perspectives. For instance, while developing the Operations Guide, BRAC UPGI brought international examples from the operations manual developed for Graduation programs in Egypt and Uganda. These became useful reference points in determining the level of depth and breadth of the IRSHUP Graduation Operations Manual. Similarly, WVI brought national examples of life skills training curricula through its existing modules on psychosocial support and resilience used in other WVI programs in India, which supported the contextualization of life skills training content in IRSHUP. Such diversity enabled continuous cross-learning of experiences and applying the most relevant adaptations to the program.

89.
Community consultations are an integral component. Graduation programs are participatory in nature, with multiple touchpoints that exist with the community to seek feedback for program design and planning. Integral to the success of the program is two-way communication with the community (i.e., seeking feedback and responding through a sustained dialogue). This increases the level of community consultations for a resettlement project, which is also proposed to be participatory and inclusive. In the IRSHUP case study, community inputs helped refine the design of the receiving sites through adequate facilities for diverse livelihoods, thereby improving the overall resettlement plan. Therefore, community consultations remain an integral and ongoing component of the project.

90.
Tailored assessments and design elements are important. Community members face diverse challenges based on the context and vulnerabilities existing within a group. Therefore, to support all households in attaining sustained welfare, it is important to tailor resettlement plans to the needs of the diverse community members. For example, standard resettlement projects usually provide households with a subsistence allowance, along with livelihood assistance and training. This helps them kickstart their work and invest in income-generating activities. However, these interventions can be made more successful with a holistic and tailored form of support. A localized market assessment can be included to identify the most viable opportunities in the new sites. Further, an assessment of households' skills, interests, and resources can enable a more targeted livelihood match for participants. Together, this can enhance the economic opportunities for households to thrive at new sites.

91.
Capacity building of the government partner is an ongoing process. One of the critical lessons learned in this program has been the regular need for capacity building of the counterpart (TNUHDB), especially for innovative approaches like Graduation. One-time training programs may not be adequate to build the government's capacity for implementation. Instead, regular engagement is required to gradually equip and prepare them for implementation. A partner capacity assessment can be an important tool to start, the findings from which can be used to provide support on an ongoing basis, as done in the IRSHUP Graduation program. Further, providing adequate resources and handover is key to partner preparation.

92.
Conducive environment for the Graduation approach. With the integration of Graduation in resettlement, key barriers and vulnerabilities around basic services like access to clean water and sanitation can be eliminated. As receiving sites are well equipped in terms of infrastructure, it allows the program to focus on the socioeconomic elements and the intrinsic challenges faced by households such as the psychosocial impacts of relocation on individuals, disruption of community and social networks, loss of livelihoods, and integration with host communities. The added element of building a more conducive enabling environment as it relates to basic services, livelihood support (e.g., adding public transport stops, storage facilities for carts, and market spaces), and spaces for social and communal gathering is an innovation in the urban context.

C.
Recommendations for Other Projects

93.
Piloting the Graduation approach in more projects. Given the unique value of the Graduation program, it can become an example of mitigating adverse impacts in resettlement contexts and enabling positive change. The feasibility of applying this approach as a comprehensive model of development at the household level can be explored in infrastructure projects involving relocation and livelihood impacts, affordable housing projects, and other unique contexts. This can contribute to building resilient communities in the long term. 35

94.
Some strategies to expand the Graduation approach have been explained in Box 3.

Box 3: Replication Strategies for Graduation Programs
(i) Knowledge sharing workshops with government counterparts for an increased buy-in for the program. Given the resource-intensive requirements of Graduation program, these workshops should focus on the value-addition and benefits of the Graduation Approach, which can amplify the impact of existing social assistance and livelihood programs. (ii) Knowledge-sharing workshops among ADB staff for increased collaboration on Graduation integration. Such workshops should take place across both regional and line departments to share ideas and build synergies towards applying the approach in more contexts. Events and brown bag lunches can be an effective tool for this. (iii) Advocate for an increased integration between different government departments to provide a coordinated and comprehensive bundle of support to households. The priority departments would include those working on poverty, social empowerment, financial inclusion, livelihoods, training, community mobilization, social assistance, and health. (iv) Loan-based funding for Graduation programs. Projects should move from grant-based financing to more loan-based funding and counterpart contribution, in order to sustainably mainstream the Graduation approach in ADB-financed projects. Operational departments can take the lead in embedding Graduation elements within loan-based project designs to support vulnerable households.
Source: Generated by authors.

95.
Applying such approaches to unique contexts and population groups. A comprehensive model like Graduation can provide teams with an entry point to unique contexts, such as climate vulnerable areas, disaster-affected zones, and fragile and conflict-affected situations, where operations can be challenging and complex. It can also enable teams to provide comprehensive support to improve the lives of the most vulnerable groups, including women, children, people with disabilities, and indigenous peoples. It is recommended that teams pilot such innovative models.

96.
Leveraging civil society partnerships to improve outcomes. Civil society partnerships can add value through community-driven project designs, blending international and local expertise, serving as trusted interlocutors with the community, and tailoring programs to household needs. Therefore, it is recommended to engage civil society in order to improve development outcomes of projects.

97.
Employing community-based approaches to programs. Two-way dialogues with communities and regular citizen engagement are important tools to improve the design and implementation across ADB projects. Such practices also enable early buy-in for interventions. It is recommended to include these practices within projects, document findings from community engagement, and continuously refine these approaches to ensure sustainable outcomes.

98.
Accreditation of specialist staff trained in Graduation and resettlement. With such work expanding to other projects, organizations like ADB should consider identifying, training, and accrediting specialist staff that can support the integration of Graduation approach into resettlement projects. Given the large-scale focus on project-induced resettlement, such staff can provide streamlined support to multiple projects, ensure cross-learning, and expand work on this model.

99.
Robust data collection and tracking system. It is important for projects to have robust baseline and endline data collection in projects, coupled with an effective tracking system to track the progression of affected households on a real time basis. Such data can support operational refinements at all stages of the Graduation program and contribute to improved resettlement through strengthened monitoring and evaluation. These measures should ideally be included in the project loan component, to ensure timely and appropriate budget allocation.