About Progressive Youth Forum
Progressive Youth Forum (PYF) is a nonprofit making organization run by a dedicated group of like minded persons from various streams who are committed to the cause of rural development. The organization is also a centre for research, training and development studies which specializes in the field of integrated rural development planning through people’s participation at the grass roots level. The Progressive Youth Forum was established in 1997 with the objective to promote empowerment of youth through awareness, education, vocational training and by expanding self employment opportunities for them.
The organization was registered under The Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 on 26th May 1998 and was allotted Registration No 256. The organization has also been registered under the Foreign Contribution and Regulation Act. It was allotted FCRA No 115310013, dated 07-08-2016. The Registered Office of the PYF is located at village Ghagga in district Patiala. The activities of the Progressive Youth Forum were earlier confined to Punjab and Haryana, but now these have been extended to other adjoining states.
Ongoing Events
Integrated Water Development Scheme
During this year Progressive Youth Forum Lanched Integrated Water Development Scheme in five villages of district Firozpur in association with NABARD. The scheme aims to balance the conservation, regeneration and use by humans of land and water resources of five villages in district Firozpur. Common benefits from successful IWMP include improved agricultural yields and increased access to drinking water. The overall attributes of the watershed development approach, by and large, are three fold, viz. promoting economic development of the rural area, employment generation, and restoring ecological balance.
Rural Mart
Our organization has made many womens socially and financially awakened. As a result, significant improvement took place in their capabilities. Many of them are now keen to start new ventures which can enhance their income and uplift their families. To help such SHGs to realize their dreams, the progressive Youth Forum, in association with NABARD, launched a Kirat Rural Mart at Sunam, district Sangrur they sale their product range includes detergent powder, organic phenyl, dishwasher, pickles, chutney, sauses, murabba, spices, traditional food items and food snacks etc.
Livelihood and Enterprise Development Program (LEDP)
Under this programme, we provided training to matured members of SHGs in Phulkari & Embroidery and Cutting & Tailoring (Fashion Designers for women’s). We trained 100 SHGs members from 22 SHGs of villages Dirba, Kamalpur, Dyalgarh, Ghanour Rajputtan and Ghanour Jattan of block Dirba (Sangrur).
Farmers Producers Organizations
PYF launched a promotion of Two Farmers producers Organizations in district Sangrur (Punjab) in association with NABARD. Small and marginal farmers in Punjab are plagued with issues such as continued fragmentation of land and dwindling income. Considering their plight, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has decided to promote farmer producer organisations (FPOs) in the state in a big way. The concept behind FPOs is farmers can form groups and register themselves under the Indian Companies Act. Since small farmers often find it difficult to access markets on their own, aggregating farmers into the FPOs will help enable them improved market access and better bargaining capacity. Due to the rising cost of cultivation, lack of assured market, modern technologies and quality inputs, the small and marginal landholders are not able to realise optimal productivity as also price for their produce. Through the FPOs, the famers can have access to benefits such as quality agri-inputs and extension services. Besides economy of scale in their operations, this has resulted in increased bargaining power for them.
E-Shakti (Digitisation of Self Help Groups)
E-Shakti (Digitisation of Self Help Groups) in district Patiala, Sangrur, Firozpur and Sri Muktsar Sahib in association with NABARD, Digitisation of all the SHG accounts to bring SHG members under the fold of Financial Inclusion thereby helping them access wider of financial services together. Accounts to bring SHG members under the fold of Financial Inclusion thereby helping them access wider range of financial services together with increasing the bankers’ comfort in credit appraisal and linkage.
Off-Farm Producer Organisation (OFPOs)
Under this programme, we have set-up Cluster for Phulkari Handicrafts under Off-Farm Producer Organisation Programme (OFPOs), which we have established Common Facility Center (CFC) in block Dirba of district Sangrur. The objective of the Cluster promotes Phulkari Handicrafts and making significant contribution to the said programme, the we have proposed Cluster with 300 beneficiaries. The aim of the cluster is to ensure better income for the members through skill up gradation, procurement & supply of raw materials (Yarn, Needles, Sua etc) and aggregation & marketing of products. Under this proposed cluster many villages will be covered in Dirba block of Sangrur district.