With over 20 lakh crores (USD 300 billion) announced by the Central Government alone as part of COVID-19 relief measures, the crisis has not only increased but also laid bare the number of citizens dependent on government relief measures. As we await the short term and long-term effects of the pandemic, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are already playing a critical role in ensuring vulnerable communities are identified and reached. In fact, India is estimated to have over 3.3 million Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), many of whom work at the last mile. Critical in the ability of CSOs to effectively engage with government authorities and serve vulnerable communities is for them to have the right tools and information.

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS

A pan India survey of over 160 CSOs conducted by PRIA about their upcoming interventions and challenges , revealed that 30% CSOs would be involved in enabling access to government schemes, 26% would be involved in advocacy with government agencies, 15% would monitor government programmes One of the biggest challenges however faced by a majority (93%) was coordinating with the government. Importantly,  58% asked for access to knowledge as a crucial capacity need. 

The Accountability Initiative at the Centre for Policy Research has been researching and studying the nuts and bolts of government functioning for over 10 years. In the current context,  it is imperative that accessible, relevant and applicable information on government functioning is available to all CSOs who are either directly engaging with the government or working to complement government efforts in ensuring access. 

There are three critical inter-related pieces of information on government functioning that all development  professionals should know.

1. Information on flow of funds in government programmes 

2. Information on administrative structure across levels of government

3. An understanding of the local self government itself – usually the first point of contact for most citizens

This track will not only engage with the WHY of government engagement but also talk about HOW that can be made possible. 

SESSIONS: October 7-8 , 2020

Day 1: 7 Oct 2020

• Keynote Address

• Why does the development sector need to engage with the nuts and bolts of government functioning at  every level and now more than ever? 

• Building capacities and combating challenges of government engagement - the what, the who and the how?

• Deep Dive: Building capacities of grassroots field workers to engage with local administration effectively

• Masterclass 1: Union, State, District, Block and Villages: Disentangling decentralized governance in India

• Announcement: Launch of Understanding State Capabilities, course on understanding the nuts and bolts of government functioning

Day 2: 8 Oct 2020

• How does the government perceive doors of citizen engagement - are they open or closed? Real or fake? Invited or claimed? What challenges of citizen engagement do they foresee?

• Why funders should explore grants to organizations that encourage citizen-state engagement?
  This includes building trust, collaboration, and capacity among citizens/civil society orgs as well as government machinery to be able to engage with each other more effectively.

• Masterclass 2: The truth lies where the money hides - Identifying fiscal roadblocks in health, education, nutrition and livelihood programmes of the government.

• Everything you wanted to know about the bureaucracy but were afraid to ask?
  A stand up act by Ex IAS officer TR Raghunandan to take you deeper into the world of bureaucrats and bureaucratic functioning.

IMMEDIATE OUTCOMES

• What the government system looks like from the inside.

• The role citizens can play in the government system.

• Roadblocks in the  intended purpose and structure of welfare schemes.

• Knowledge, skills and attitudes required to engage with the government more effectively

Evidence shows that availability, access and usage of technology is highly gendered. According to a report - ‘State of the Internet Traffic Trend’, there is more than a 40% rise in the internet usage in the last few months. Dependence on digital medium of work and interaction skyrocketed for the social sector ventures as well. Along with the existing social media platforms to build awareness and engagement on social issues, video calling applications are being used for training/seminar/knowledge transfer purposes. Though shifting to digital spaces definitely made it easy to connect a large number of people with very limited resources, access still remains a challenge for people at the last mile. Globally, there are 250 million fewer women online than men, and the gap is widening - from 11 per cent in 2013 to 12 per cent in 2016 (ITU, 2016). Women and girls being at the edge - when it comes to access and use of technology and gadgets, makes it very difficult for organisations working with women and girls to substitute physical interfaces with digital tools. Therefore, in the current context the entire digital interaction gets limited with a very small class of the society and excludes the most marginalised.

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS

In the days to come technology in various forms is going to affect and influence all spheres of our lives. Making use of technology for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment is an integral component of SDGs. Goal 5 of the SDGs , which stands for Gender Equality, talks about, ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls. One of the targets under Goal 5 exclusively states - Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

It is in this context that we propose the following sessions to understand how technology can be made gender friendly and more accessible by women and girls. It is intriguing to note how during the pandemic, and lockdown situation, the gender gap in the use and access to technology has increased. We propose bringing together different stakeholders funders, experts, NGOs and policy makers to look forward to solution-specific strategies.

SESSIONS

September 22, 2020

• 10.30 am - 11 am
  Introduction

  • Introduction to Building Civil Society Organisations of the Future by Arthan

  • Introduction to Gender & Technology track by Breakthrough

• 11 am - 11.30 am
  Guest Speaker: Anja Kovacs (The Internet Democracy Project)

• 11.30 am - 1 pm
  Session: Is Digital Technology Gender Inclusive?
  Speakers: Gayatri Buragohain (Feminist Approach to Technology), Neha Dixit (Journalist), Angelica Pago (Fight Inequality), Sohini Bhattacharya (Breakthrough)

• 1.30 pm - 2 pm
  Guest Speaker: Bishakha Datta (Point Of View)

• 2 pm - 3.15 pm
  Session: Reaching the Most Marginalised Women & Girls through Technology
  Speakers: Isha Chitnis (Adivasi Lives Matter), Osama Manzar (Digital Empowerment Foundation), Ritika Bhatia (Khabar Lahariya)

• 3.15 pm - 3.45 pm
  Guest Speaker: Paromita Vohra

• 3.45 pm - 5 pm
  Session: Feminist Internet - An Alternative
  Speakers: Anja Kovacs (The Internet Democracy Project), Manisha Pande (Newslaundry), Anita Gurumurthy (IT for Change), Greeshma Kuthar (Firstpost)

September 23, 2020

• 11.15 am - 11.30 am
  Recap & Introduction by Arthan and Breakthrough

• 11.30 am - 1 pm
  Roundtable: Stakeholders Consultation
  Speakers: Subhalaxmi Nandi (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and more