CivicSabha 2.0 - Strengthening Rural Resilience, Employment and Livelihoods through Digital Decision Tools

As climate shocks increasingly strain rural livelihoods, one fundamental question that arises - can our data systems, digital tools and institutions work together as seamlessly as the challenges demand? Addressing these challenges CivicDataLab (CDL) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) convened a Roundtable discussion on "Strengthening Rural Resilience, Employment and Livelihoods through Digital Decision Tools", as part of CivicSabha 2.0. The session examined how rural development and livelihood programmes can evolve to better respond to climate variability and livelihood stress, moving beyond programme silos toward interoperable, integrated systems that strengthen rural resilience.

Shri Ashish Gupta, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, delivered the keynote address, followed by opening remarks from Meekha Hannah Paul, Director, Natural Resource Management and Archaeology (NRMAe), GIZ India. The session showcased early stages of the wireframes developed by CDL as part of the Adaptive Social Protection of Vulnerable Communities for Enhanced Rural Resilience (AVCERR) initiative by GIZ which is designed to strengthen climate resilience in rural India. The session brought out several cross-cutting themes on strengthening rural resilience, enhancing employment and livelihood opportunities, and leveraging digital decision-support systems for inclusive development.