Bihar

Rural Livelihood Promotion Society Government of Bihar

Bihar Innovation Forum II

Concept Note

January, 2013

Bihar Innovation Forum

Concept Note

CONTENTS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES APPROACH THEMATIC FOCUS ASSESSMENT CRITERIA ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA BENEFITS/VALUE PROPOSITION FOR FINALISTS & WINNERS PARTNERS APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS IMPORTANT DATES

Bihar Innovation Forum

Concept Note

1. BACKGROUND

The Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project or Jeevika (which means livelihood in Sanskrit) was launched in 2007 with the objective of improving livelihoods of rural poor households through social and economic empowerment. To achieve its objective, the project focuses on - (a) creating and strengthening institutions of the rural poor womens self help groups (SHGs) and their federations; and (b) enabling them to access and negotiate better services, credit and assets from public and private sector agencies. Jeevika is implemented by the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), Government of Bihar and is supported by the World Bank to the tune of about US$ 200 million.

Bihar Innovation Forum (BIF) I, 2007

n Introduced by BRLPS in recognition of the importance of identifying, nurturing and supporting innovative ideas to
address the livelihoods needs of the rural poor across key sectors n Pioneering approach that aimed to find solutions to improve rural livelihoods beyond established channels through an open, transparent and competitive process n Over 150 proposals received from innovators and social entrepreneurs from the public, private and civil society sectors. 25 of these were shortlisted and showcased at the BIF I event in Patna, Bihar. Subsequently, BRLPS went on to develop direct partnerships with 5 innovators in the areas of dairy (COMFED), fishery (SAKHI), system of rice intensification (PRADAN), honey production (EDA Rural Systems) and fox nut cultivation (SAKTI SUDHA)

Key Project Results 2007-2012

Jeevika has made considerable progress in improving the livelihoods of the rural poor in 9 districts of Bihar:

850,000
Number of rural poor households mobilised into SHGs

Rs. 30 crore (US$ 5.5 million)

CumulaOve savings and corpus of these households

Rs. 162 crore (US$ 30 million)

CumulaOve credit ow from 16 commercial banks to these households

12,000
Number of community resource persons trained

Technical partnerships with private, public and NGO sectors for Dairy, Fishery, Rice CulOvaOon, Honey ProducOon, Fox Nut CulOvaOon, Arts & Cra[s

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Concept Note

Jeevikas Integration with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission

n Going forward, Jeevika will be integrated with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). NRLM will involve a
US$ 5.1 billion investment by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India over 7 years n The World Bank is supporting NRLM through the National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) with an outlay of US$ 1 billion to enable MoRD to increase effectiveness and results of NRLM n State Rural Livelihood Missions are being appointed to implement NRLM at the state level. The BRLPS has been designated as the State Rural Livelihood Mission for Bihar and its mandate for rural livelihood improvement has expanded to cover the entire state with the goal of reaching 1.25 crore or 12.5 million rural, poor households across Bihar

Bihar Innovation Forum II, 2013

n BIF II will play a critical role in achieving rural livelihood improvement at this grand scale

n It will facilitate continuous integration of innovations from different fields in the livelihoods improvement agenda

n Focus will be on co-opting all the different players innovators, social entrepreneurs, civil society organizations,
business sector, government, development agencies and academia - by providing incentives and encouraging investments in the rural poor and leveraging their respective strengths in developing viable business models at scaled up levels

n Government of Bihar is the first state government in the country to pioneer such an event

Bihar Innovation Forum

Concept Note

2. OBJECTIVES

n Support to high impact innovations from across India for replication in Bihar
Identify, recognize and support high impact, sustainable and scalable rural livelihood solutions from across India with high potential for replication in Bihar n Focused promotion of social enterprises/entrepreneurs or inclusive businesses Special support for social entrepreneurship models which expand access to goods, services, and livelihood opportunities for those at the base of the economic pyramid. These models may be for profit, non-profit or hybrid n Support to early grassroots innovations from within Bihar Identify and recognize early stage grassroots innovations and provide mentoring and incubation support n Facilitate partnerships among different players Develop partnerships with various stakeholders - innovators, social entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, business sector, government, development agencies and academia to provide customized support to innovations to maximize their impact in challenging socio economic contexts

3. APPROACH
IdenOcaOon of InnovaOons
Pan India call for proposals to surface high rural impact innovaeons in 8 livelihood themes Surfacing of grassroots innovaeons from within Bihar through district fairs

Showcasing & Awarding InnovaOons

Showcasing 35 nalists in 8 livelihood themes at the BIF II event in Patna Cash awards for 16 winners in the 8 livelihood themes

Post Forum Partnerships for Scale Up

Capacity development for nalists and winners through sectoral boot camps Technical and nancial partnerships for - scale up of select innovaeons; provision of incubaeon and mentoring support; development of impact monitoring systems

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4. THEMATIC FOCUS
BIF II will focus on 8 livelihood themes and their indicative descriptions are as below: i) Agriculture Innovations in agricultural and food security enhancement may include improved productivity/production, local level value addition, post harvest management, processing, access to markets ii) Livestock Innovations in pro-poor livestock sectors such as dairy, poultry, goat rearing may include enhanced quality and quantity of animal feed, increased production through scientific animal management, local level value addition, processing and marketing iii) Financial Services Innovations in financial services may include better savings, credit, insurance and remittance products that mitigate risks and vulnerabilities of the poor as well as financial solutions that increase efficiency and reduce the transactions costs for the poor iv) Rural Energy Innovations in rural energy may include products and services that harness renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro, wind and biomass such as biomass based community grids, design innovations in stoves and lanterns, etc. v) ICT Based Solutions Innovations in ICT may include information and communication technologies such as computing, wi-fi, internet access, telephony and others that are affordable, durable, easy to use and maintain, use less power and improve rural connectivity in the context of other livelihood themes mentioned here vi) Non-farm Sector/ Skill Development Innovations may include creation of income and/or employment generating opportunities linked to skill development in sectors such as services (e.g. BPO), manufacturing, processing, cottage industries and others vii) Access to Entitlements Innovations in access to public entitlements may include delivery or convergence mechanisms that enhance access to and benefits from various government schemes and programs such as the Public Distribution System, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and others viii) Access to Services Innovations in access to services may include mechanisms that enhance public and private delivery of essential services such as health, water and sanitation, education and others

Bihar Innovation Forum

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5. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

All proposals will undergo a thorough assessment process involving independent, expert juries. Assessment criteria will include but are not limited to the following: n Impact - Demonstrated on ground positive impact on rural livelihoods n Scalability - Potential for scale up in terms of both geographical and beneficiary coverage n Innovation - Novelty or uniqueness of intervention that sets it apart from others n Sustainability - Financial viability (as opposed to commercial viability) that enables operational expansion n Inclusion - Coverage or involvement of disadvantaged groups including women, SC/STs, OBCs, disabled n Replicability - Adaptability to different geographies and socio economic contexts n Growth Potential - Expansion potential to achieve commercial viability

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

n Proposals can be submitted by public (including government departments and academic institutions), private
(including social enterprises and MSMEs) and civil society entities registered in India

n Proposals must be relevant to the 8 livelihood themes

n Proposals submitted can be for-profit, non-profit or hybrid models

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7. BENEFITS/VALUE PROPOSITION FOR FINALISTS AND WINNERS

The value proposition offered by BIF II goes beyond showcasing of innovations and offers an opportunity to the innovators and social entrepreneurs to work in partnership with the Government of Bihar to reach unprecedented scale and serve the rural poor. It offers unparalleled access to the state government, commercial banks and rural communities and fills the various backend gaps that usually hinder scale, growth and sustainability. Key benefits for finalists and winners include: n Immediate access to a massive community institutional platform comprising 850,000 rural, poor households organized as SHGs and federated as village organizations and cluster level federations. Eventual access to 1.25 crore or 12.5 million households to be supported under the NRLM. These households/SHGs can be leveraged as consumers, producers, distribution networks, technical support staff as well as in other capacities n Opportunity to leverage existing relationships with 16 commercial banks servicing these SHGs n Last mile delivery and field level logistical and implementation support from BRLPS through project staff as well as 12,000 community resource persons and 250 bank mitras n Showcasing and recognition by the Government of Bihar as well as by its media partners n Opportunity to partner with the Government of Bihar for scaling up innovations through formal partnership modalities n Token cash awards of up to 7 lakhs

8. PARTNERS

BIF II is a collaborative effort supported by various partners. While it is being organized, managed and coordinated by the BRLPS, some partners contributing in different capacities include: n Knowledge Partners: World Bank; Development Marketplace, World Bank Institute n Technical Partners: GIZ, Intellecap

Bihar Innovation Forum

Concept Note

9. APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

BIF II compeeeon will be launched by BRLPS by issuing a pan India call for proposals which will be open for 6 weeks
Only online applicaeon opeon will be available

Received applicaeons will be evaluated by independant juries of naeonal and internaeonal experts against the assessment criteria
100 proposals will be selected for rigourous onsite due diligence

Post due diligence, 35 nalists will be selected for showcasing at the Bihar Innovaeon Forum in Patna
From the 35 nalists, 16 winners will be selected

10.

IMPORTANT DATES

n February 2013 - Formal issue of Call for Proposals by the BRLPS n May/June 2013 Bihar Innovation Forum II to be held in Patna, Bihar

For more information please contact: Srashti Singhal at srashtisinghal88@gmail.com or, Debaraj Behra at debaraj@brlp.in