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.
₹499 [Day Pass]
International participants [Day Pass]
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.
Information on flow of funds in government programmes
Information on administrative structure across levels of government
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