India, IFAD launch new programme to strengthen rural economy

New Delhi: India, in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), on Tuesday launched a new eight-year programme for the 2026-2033 period to enhance rural incomes, strengthen resilience, and scale sustainable livelihood opportunities across the country.

The finance ministry, in a statement, said the Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for the period 2026-2033 is aligned with India's Viksit Bharat@2047 vision and focuses on two strategic priorities - enhancing the social, economic, and climate resilience of rural communities; and strengthening knowledge systems.

Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Anuradha Thakur, said that "IFAD's programmes in India have remained closely integrated with national priorities - supporting agricultural transformation, livelihood diversification, women's empowerment, and institutional strengthening."


She further said, "Over time, the focus has evolved from basic poverty alleviation to building sustainable, market-oriented rural livelihoods that are resilient to climate and economic shocks."

The newly-launched initiative places strong emphasis on strengthening grassroots institutions such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and cooperatives, which serve as key platforms connecting finance, technology, infrastructure, and markets.

Over the past two decades, IFAD-supported initiatives in India have demonstrated significant impact in large-scale financial inclusion of women through SHGs, enhancement of market access for farmers through infrastructure support, and development of women-led enterprises through value addition and e-commerce integration.