An institutional cooperation between the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) through the project “Grassroot reach out & networking in India on trade & economics (GRANITE Phase 2)”.
07/07/2008 :: CUTS has been working on trade and development issues with its focus on South Asia. The organisation has implemented many projects and programmes in South Asia in this respect and has established a strong network on civil society organisations and research institutions in different countries of this region.
Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi India, had supported CUTS to implement a two-year project titled Grassroots Reach out & Networking in India on Trade & Economics (GRANITE). This project has been implemented in eight Indian states, viz. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharastra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in association with local partners (state-based civil society organisations). Its main objective was to develop the capacity of local institutions’ in order to better understand and comprehend the issues of globalisation, their relationship with economic governance in India (particularly at the sub-national level) and in terms of their policy relevance, and impact on people's livelihoods. The first phase of the project was completed in December 2006.
Institutional Cooperation
Now CUTS will take forward and consolidate various results and achievements of Phase I of the project, through the route of Institutional Cooperation between CUTS and NUPI. A three year project contract has been signed by the Embassy under the Institutional cooperation programme. Oxfam Novib, The Netherlands, will co-fund the project.
The overall objective of GRANITE phase 2, is to explore linkages between international trade and human development, thus finding pathways for mainstreaming international trade into national development strategy.
Project beneficiaries in India (particularly in eight Indian states) are:
-Grassroots civil society organisations, including community-based organisations
-Non-governmental organisation, including business associations
-Policy-makers (government officials, parliamentarians, state legislatures)
-Media persons
-Academics and researchers
The project objective is to generate a more coherent civil society voice on economic governance in India in the context of globalisation and its effects on the livelihoods of the poor, particularly the marginalised and women.
In the second phase of the GRANITE project, CUTS and project partners have identified the National Foreign Trade Policy of India, 2004-2009 for making policy interventions. One of the objectives of this Policy is to enhance employment opportunities (especially that of the poor) through generation of new exports. During its implementation, the next National Foreign Trade Policy of India will be adopted and that will give an opportunity to CUTS and its project partners to make pro-poor interventions to the new policy.
Thus, CUTS has successfully developed a methodology to make policy interventions at the national level while drawing inputs from the grassroots. This methodology will be further strengthened while implementing this project. This model of involving local partners for policy interventions on economic governance in India is one of its kind.
Besides the above, CUTS will also take the project results forward to international level. Thus, the voices from the grassroots on issues of globalisation and economic governance will also be heard at the international policy-making arena.
Since the National Foreign Trade Policy of India is focused on commodities, CUTS and project partners will first conduct research on selected commodities to understand how their enhanced exports are benefiting the poor and what changes would required for the poor to get further benefit from the National Foreign Trade Policy of India. The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) Oslo, has specific expertise to do research on commodities and their exports will be institutionally involved in this project and that will further enhance the capacity of CUTS and its project partners.
RNE, New Delhi