The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), joined by UNICEF, creates an agency for government project communications.
UNICEF helps village councils
To help strengthen communication between government agencies in implementing major programs, the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), in partnership with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), created the Communication Resource Unit (CRU).
The CRU is in charge of guiding State governments, and their outreach programs like the National Health Mission, POSHAN Abhiyaan, and Swachh Bharath Mission.
The UNICEF supervised agency is now operating in three states of India, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. It aims to provide strategic communication support for different government departments using legit channels for consultation, capacity building, and technical support.
The Communication Resource Unit
CRU is a government unit that operates under the leadership of Dr. Gyanmudra, a Professor, head of the Center for Good Governance and Policy Analysis, and NIRDPR Director.
The unit is composed of members that are skilled in Social and Behavioral Change Communications (SBCC) strategies, planning and development, capacity building, and developing Information Education and Communication (IEC) programs.
According to Dr. Gyanmudra,
CRU has been recognized as a unique model to operate out of a National Institute like NIRDPR and serve government departments with different communication support.
CRU is considered a success story in the country office, which is why they are putting up the same effort to duplicate the same kind of success in other institutes. With the expertise annd resources from UNICEF, the unit is confident enough that they can deliver effectively.
Currently, the CRU, with support from the Hyderabad field office, is offering services to various departments with minimal to no cost at all. They offer consultations for community missions to develop strategies that will keep the momentum going.
Over time, the government unit expects to generate enough funds that will be enough to sustain operations without the help of external fundings. This is positive news for India, after dealing with a national crisis over the Citizenship Amendment Act issue.
Featured image by Campaign
