| Overview : MEDEP has successfully completed its First Phase (1998-2003) as piloting, Second Phase (2004-2008) as district expansion, and Third Phase (2009 – 2013) as district expansion and internalization into Government systems. The first phase as piloting in ten districts with main funding of UNDP and a small grant of Australian Embassy was successful in poverty alleviation of target group families using micro-enterprise as the instrument of poverty alleviation which later resulted into a Micro-Enterprise Development (MED) model. Keeping in view of the success of the Project during the first phase government and UNDP decided and replicated this model in additional 15 districts during the second phase wherein development partners such as DfID, the then AusAID and NZAID mobilized their resources through UNDP to support the Project. During the third phase significant results were not only effective Project service delivery but also in policy implications such as Micro-Enterprise Policy 2007, Industrial Policy 2010 (which included Micro-Enterprise Policy 2007 as a section) Micro-Finance Policy 2007, Community Forest Users Group Guidelines, other Guidelines of Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Agri-business Policy, etc. These policies and Guidelines were micro-enterprise friendly and government for the first time included Micro-Enterprise as priority programme in the Eleventh Three Year Plan (2007/08-2009/10) with programmes, target and budgets. However, it was in 2009/10 the programmes, budgets and targets were included in the Budget Speech. Thereafter government continue to programmes and budget on micro-enterprise development to include in the consecutive periodic plans such as Twelfth Plan (2010/11-2012/13), Thirteenth Plan (2013/14-2015/16) and current Fourteenth Plan (2016/17-2018/19). The internalization and institutionalization process of MED model into government system formally started only after Micro-Enterprise Development for Poverty Alleviation (MEDPA, 2013/14-2017/18) begun as a five year strategic and “flagship programme” which was approved by cabinet meeting in 2013. According to this strategic plan, the government has replicated MED model in all 75 districts in the current Fiscal Year 2017/18. MEDEP IV started from August 2013 and will be implemented until July 2018 overlapping the MEDPA Strategic Plan period. The fourth phase of the Project is geared to institutionalise MED Model into MEDPA. |
