The recent update mentions that 59 proposals amounting to Rs. 1223 crore were submitted by M.P and 16 proposals amounting to Rs.1224.7 crore were submitted by U.P. to the Government of India and they were approved for release of funds. Against the allocation of Rs.760.00 crore during FY 2009-10, an amount of Rs 693.802 crore (91.28%) has been released to the states (Rs.361.52 crore to M.P. and Rs.332.282 crore to U.P.) up to March 31, 2010.

The Bundelkhand package lays emphasis on drought mitigation in Bundelkhand region. Therefore, substantive focus and financial resource allocation has been made on interventions that restores ecological quality and conserves natural resources especially water and land for sustainable livelihoods in the region.

The focus of the package also reinforces the basic need that has been core of civil society action in Bundelkhand. Thus they foresee a strong role in participating with the institutions of Governance responsible for effective utilisation of resources under Bundelkhand package. Simultaneously, it is also expected that the Government looks at effective modes of engagement with civil society organisations in the region for delivery of services envisaged in the package.

This issue of Development Alternatives newsletter focuses on highlighting some important initiatives by Civil Society Organisations in the area of community centric Natural Resource Management in Bundelkhand region. These are proven successes and await large scale replication. The scaling up, for sure, relies on institutional mechanisms that support healthy engagement between civil society and state Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

I hope that different spectrum of readers from Government, civil society and private sector will find this issue useful and informative to generate multi-stakeholder action in the impoverished region of Bundelkhand. Development Alternatives has initiated a grassroot knowledge platform in Bundelkhand that deliberates on mechanisms of community based ecological restoration for mitigating climatic vulnerabilities.