Cross Cutting Issues

The following cross cutting issues will be mainstreamed into all three thematic interventions. They are Governance, Gender, Advocacy and HIV / AIDS.

Governance
This will be realised through coordinated action as part of above-mentioned programme priorities. Effective governance will be a cross cutting element of programme strategy. The following will be the broad strategies
  • Facilitate capacity building of representatives of PRIs, with more focus on Women, Schedule Tribe and Schedule Caste members, to enable them to play leadership roles and develop Panchayat institutions as, a) functional local governments that can make appropriate integrated planning to address poverty and food insecurity, and b) implement various development and welfare programmes and schemes with efficiency and transparency
  • Facilitate developing models of effective Panchayat centric governance of natural and bio resources, including integration of FRA, PESA Act and MGNREGA etc. and convergence of various schemes
  • Monitor and analyse key government programmes and governance mechanisms, and make appropriate advocacy interventions when necessary.
  • Advocate for democratic functioning of the Panchayats and primacy of the Gramsabha and Pallisabha as the primary decision makers/planners
  • Support, facilitate and advocate for community monitoring, social audits and access to information at various levels, service delivery and governance
  • Research and analysis of governance mechanism at various levels. Make appropriate advocacy interventions to improve governance and encourage the decentralisation process.
Gender
RCDC will continue focusing on reducing the gender gap in all areas. It will empower women in all its grassroots initiatives and consider gender in the design of all its research, policy and advocacy activities. Women will be kept at the forefront of all community-led action and interventions. The primary effort will be to augment women’s capacity to demand justice, seek rights, develop entrepreneurial abilities, and establish leadership abilities.

Advocacy
Advocacy has been and will continue to be an integral part of all RCDC’s work. In order to ensure maximum impact from its work, RCDC will complement its grassroots interventions with integrated research, networking and advocacy activities. It will further strengthen its research capacity to get to the core of the various issues that confront its target communities and will use campaigns to spread awareness among larger audiences. It will continue to forge effective alliances to exert greater influence. All these will help in influencing policies and practices at various levels in favour of the poor people that it works with.

HIV & AIDS
Most of RCDC's programmes have HIV and AIDS incorporated into programme plans. RCDC will try to mainstream HIV / AIDS considerations into all its future plans. The issue will continue to be raised at community meetings in order to generate awareness.