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Livelihood Programmes

ICICI Foundation has been running Livelihood Programmes to create and strengthen local ecosystems, and address diverse challenges faced by the country’s rural and urban population. The four pillars of the Livelihood Programmes are value chain development for rural activities, Climate Smart Agriculture, urban livelihood through ICICI Academy for Skills, and Rural Self-Employment Training Institutes (RSETI). With these initiatives, ICICI Foundation has positively impacted lives of 2.9 million beneficiaries till March 31, 2023.

Value Chain Interventions

ICICI Foundation is committed to strengthening local ecosystems through its value chain-based projects and provide sustainable livelihoods to make villages self-sustaining. These interventions positively influence the village ecosystem by adding value to local produce, enhancing income, and offering market and credit linkages to the beneficiaries. They involve the local authorities including the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK), a government body that provides vocational training to farmers. The interventions in the agriculture value chain include activities like animal husbandry, Climate Smart Agriculture, mushroom farming, dairy farming, vermicomposting, backyard poultry and goat rearing, among others.

A value chain-based project adopts a bottom-up approach. It begins with understanding the macro and micro-environment in the identified cluster of villages through collaborative interactions with community members and local government. Thereafter, it co-creates systemic solutions by designing programmes to nurture value chains for specific products and services. These programmes make optimal use of available local resources including locally relevant trades and skills, by providing pro bono skill development training in the relevant trades. Since inception till March 31, 2023, nearly 520,000 beneficiaries have been enabled with sustainable livelihoods of which 58% are women.

Key Value Chain Projects

Boosting Income of Lac Farmers
Developing Inland Fishery Value Chain in Manipur

ICICI Foundation has been supporting the lac farmers of Jharkhand since 2020. The project provides the farmers with infrastructure and support for lac cultivation.

Project

Working with the tribals and forest dwellers.
Signed MoU with Indian Council of Agricultural Research to revive and support lac cultivation.
Provided 70 Farmtool Banks for each village in Ranchi, Khunti, West Singhbhum districts in Jharkhand.
Set up the first solar-powered lac processing unit in Silda village, Khunti district.
Initiated a backyard kitchen garden and mushroom cultivation as a supplementary source of livelihood and for food security.

A lac cultivation training session at Barabahera village in Ranchi district, Jharkhand

Impact

60% increase in the average income of 2,200 tribals and forest dwellers where the intervention has been carried out for over a year.
Positively impacted 4,430 beneficiaries.
Supported plantation of 43,000 lac host trees including semialata plants.

In fiscal 2023, ICICI Foundation supported over 1,300 fish farmers in Bishnupur, Imphal West and Thoubal districts of Manipur through its value chain intervention in inland fishery. The intervention aims to address the current shortage of fish production. The initiative has significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of fish production through capacity building, infrastructural support, production of spawn (fish eggs), nursery management, and supporting farmers with market linkages.

Project

Provides scientific knowledge to fish farmers.
Hatchery – catering to 7,000-8,000 acres.
Nurtures microenterprises by supporting the set-up of solar dryer, fish vending kiosks and smoking kilns.
Setting up three farmer-facilitating centres to provide fish feed and water testing kit to local farmers.

Farmers harvesting fish at Lourembam village in Bishnupur district, Manipur

Impact

80% increase in the productivity of fish per acre.
Developed supplementary source of income through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) via value-added products and community engagement.
Accelerated the production rate of value-added products through three smoking kiln units.
1,400 fish farmers benefitted with average 70% increase in the overall income.

Enhancing Productivity through Climate Smart Agriculture

ICICI Foundation has been promoting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) to help farmers respond effectively to climate change while enhancing crop productivity and thereby increasing their income. The objective is to sustainably increase productivity and incomes, help farmers adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, wherever possible.

Under its Rural Livelihood Programme, ICICI Foundation has been supporting CSA since 2018 by promoting scientific methods of paddy cultivation in several states of India. It is helping paddy farmers increase productivity by deploying the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and the Alternate Dry and Wet (ADW) irrigation methods.

SRI, popularly known as the Madagascar method, is a comprehensive initiative for managing land, seed selection, water, nutrients, labour and capital. It involves planting fewer, well-spaced seedlings. ADW is a water-saving technique that uses intermittent or controlled irrigation instead of the traditional method of continuous flooding of the field. It is estimated to reduce water usage by 30% without any loss to the crop.

ICICI Foundation’s interventions are benefitting farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

_Over 2,240

Farmers benefitted

1,860

Acres of land cultivated using SRI method

4,750

Acres of land cultivated using ADW method

11 _billion

Litres of water saved annually through deployment of SRI and ADW methods

ICICI Academy for Skills

Since 2013, ICICI Academy for Skills (ICICI Academy) has been providing skill training with the aim of generating employment for underprivileged youth as part of a unique livelihood and skilling initiative. It provides sustainable job opportunities for such youth through industry-relevant and job-oriented training. The pro bono training initiative also includes skill development in financial literacy as well as soft skills and life skills.

ICICI Academy is operating through 26 centres across the country. The centres are equipped with state-of-the-art practical laboratories for imparting technical and non-technical skills through 15 courses which are curated in collaboration with as many reputed institutions. These institutions are AkzoNobel, Blue Star, BPL Medical Technologies, Cars 24, Crompton, Enrich, Godrej Disha, KOEL Care, LG Electronics, Mahindra Rise, Schneider Electric India, Tally Solutions, TVS Motor Company and ICICI Bank. ICICI Academy provides job opportunities to the successful candidates through over 1,400 placement partners.

Trainees attending a session of ‘Refrigeration & AC Repair’ in Durg district, Chhattisgarh

20,000

Youth trained in fiscal 2023

205,550

Youth skilled since inception till March 31, 2023. Of them, 43% are women

100%

Placement for successful candidates

Convocation ceremony of class of 2023 at Durg, Chhattisgarh

Technical Courses

Assistant Beauty Therapist

Central Air Conditioning

Electrical & Home Appliance Repair

Home Health Aide

Multi-skilled Technician

Power Application Engine Preventive Maintenance

Paint Application Techniques

Pumps & Motor Repair

Refrigeration & AC Repair

Two & Three Wheeler Service Technician

Tractor Mechanic

Non-Technical Courses

Financial Services Associate Course

Office Administration

Retail Sales

Selling Skills

Success Story

Deepali Giri Delhi

Deepali Giri working at an NGO

From challenges to success

मेरे जैसी साधारण पृष्ठभूमि की लड़की के लिए जिंदगी आसान नहीं होती। मेरे पिता एक ऑटो ड्राइवर थे और उनकी आय बहुत कम और अनियमित थी। मेरी मां एक गृहिणी हैं, जिनके पास मेरे दो छोटे भाई-बहनों और मेरी देखभाल की जिम्मेदारी है। आय का कोई नियमित स्रोत नहीं होने के कारण, मेरा परिवार मुझे बुनियादी शिक्षा दिलवाने से ज्यादा कुछ नहीं कर सकता था। मैं एक मुश्किल भविष्य के लिए मानसिक रूप से तैयार थी, जिसमें मुझे बेहतरी की कोई गुंजाइश नजर नहीं आ रही थी। (Life is never easy for a girl from a humble background like me. My father was an auto driver with meagre, irregular earnings. My mother was a homemaker busy taking care of my two younger siblings and me. With no steady source of income, my family could not support me beyond basic education. I was mentally prepared for a difficult life, with no prospects for betterment.)

I saw the first ray of hope when my school teacher told me about ICICI Academy. I joined the ‘Office Administration’ course and learnt how to become a self-confident and professional individual. Soon, I got a job as a fundraiser with an NGO working with cancer survivors.

My separation from my husband in 2021 would have thrown my life into turmoil had it not been for my financial independence I had due to ICICI Academy’s training. I am currently working with a leading organisation earning a handsome salary. My younger brother has started working since February 2023 and together we are taking care of our family, including my two minor children.

I still remember the joy on the faces of my family when I bought a two-wheeler and mobile phones for them with my earnings. My goal now is to buy a car for the family, and I am sure that I will be able to do so in the near future.

मुझे अपने बच्चों को उज्ज्वल भविष्य देने का पूरा भरोसा है। राह बाधाओं से भरी थी लेकिन आईसीआईसीआई एकेडमी से मिले प्रशिक्षण ने मुझे परेशानियों पर काबू पाने की ताकत दी।

मुझे अपने बच्चों को उज्ज्वल भविष्य देने का पूरा भरोसा है। राह बाधाओं से भरी थी लेकिन आईसीआईसीआई एकेडमी से मिले प्रशिक्षण ने मुझे परेशानियों पर काबू पाने की ताकत दी। (I am quite confident of providing a bright future to my children. The road to comfort and happiness was filled with obstacles but ICICI Academy's training gave me the strength to overcome them all.)

Success Story

Punarad Yadav Balod, Chhattisgarh

Punarad, a senior technician, working at a site

From a labourer to a service engineer

2016 से पहले, मैं सिर्फ एक छोटा सा दिहाड़ी मजदूर था, पेंटिंग और अन्य छोटे–मोटे काम करता था। (Before 2016, I was just a small-time daily wage labourer, doing painting and other minor works.)

My father’s meagre monthly salary of ₹1,200 as a cook in a primary school was not sufficient to support our family of eight that included my grandparents, parents and three siblings. Every day was a struggle and meeting even the basic needs was a challenge. My dream of pursuing my studies after Class XII had been shattered completely.

One day my friend told me about ICICI Academy from where he had completed a course and got a job too. Inspired by his story, I decided to join the 'Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Repair' course at ICICI Academy. In addition to technical skills, the course also equipped me with necessary life skills, discipline, time management and self confidence. The environment there was nice and comfortable.

There was no looking back after that. Today, at the age of 22, I am working as a senior technician in the same company earning a handsome salary.

With my earnings, I have been able to help my two younger brothers and sister pursue their education. I am providing consistent financial support to my family. The two motorbikes I purchased with my income, one for my father and one for myself, are more than a symbol of financial prosperity. They symbolise my newly found confidence and sense of pride.

एकेडमी ने मेरे जीवन में जिस तरह उजाला भरा है, उसके लिए आईसीआईसीआई एकेडमी के लिए शुक्रिया कहना बहुत छोटी बात है। एकेडमी मेरे और मेरे जैसे कई अन्य युवाओं के लिए प्रकाश की किरण हैं।

एकेडमी ने मेरे जीवन में जिस तरह उजाला भरा है, उसके लिए आईसीआईसीआई एकेडमी के लिए शुक्रिया कहना बहुत छोटी बात है। एकेडमी मेरे और मेरे जैसे कई अन्य युवाओं के लिए प्रकाश की किरण हैं। (I cannot thank ICICI Academy enough for the way it has improved my life. They are a beacon of hope for me and many other youth like me.)

ICICI Rural Self Employment Training Institutes

ICICI Foundation’s Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) in Udaipur and Jodhpur have been supporting self-employment opportunities for rural youth since 2011. ICICI Bank had set up the RSETIs as part of a national programme initiated by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, to provide vocational training to rural youth from marginalised communities.

ICICI Foundation is focussed on strengthening the infrastructure and creating awareness about the training courses at the RSETIs. Over the years, satellite centres have also been set up in various blocks in Udaipur and Jodhpur districts. This is helping RSETIs to expand their ambit and reach by offering flexible on-location training courses to local youth. These include 'Dairy Farming & Vermicomposting', 'Electric Appliances Repair', 'Electric Motor Rewinding & Pump Set Maintenance' and 'Sand Stone Cutting & Finishing' among others.