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The Jharkhand Opportunities for Harnessing Rural Growth (JOHAR) project — an integrated rural livelihoods initiative implemented by the government of Jharkhand through JSLPS under the Rural Development Department — formally concluded in June 2024 after a seven-year term.
Recognised early as a “Lighthouse Project” during the 2022 Tri-Partite Portfolio Review Meeting of the Ministry of Finance, JOHAR went on to become one of India’s most closely watched rural transformation models.
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Funded with 70 per cent credit assistance from the World Bank and 30 per cent contribution by the state government, JOHAR had a total outlay of ₹833.34 crore. Implemented across 68 blocks in 17 districts (excluding Garhwa, Chatra, Koderma, Jamtara, Deoghar, Godda, and Sahebganj), the project mainstreamed approximately 2.25 lakh rural producer households — predominantly Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women-headed — into formal value chains and market ecosystems.
JOHAR outperformed on all four Project Development Objective (PDO) indicators and exceeded 14 of the 17 Intermediate Result Indicators (IRI). The project achieved a 35 per cent increase in real average annual income against the target of 30 per cent. Over 2 lakh farmers accessed assets or services, and 1.43 lakh SC/ST households and over 70,000 women were brought into structured producer collectives.
A total of 3,922 Producer Groups (PGs) were formed, encompassing 2,24,286 households. These groups were linked to 21 registered Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), which mobilised ₹14 crore in share capital and generated a cumulative turnover of ₹205 crore. Monthly transactions crossed ₹2 crore, with 90 per cent of FPOs assessed as viable by the World Bank. Thirteen FPOs received ₹3.5 crore in working capital credit and adopted digital payment systems.
Thirty-five Rural Business Hubs and 28 Livestock Service Centres supported enterprise activities, while 39 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) handled 14,000 equipment rental orders generating ₹1.4 crore in business.
In irrigation, 1,131 Solar Lift Irrigation (LI) schemes were commissioned, irrigating 6,648 hectares. Additionally, 1,309 portable 1HP solar pumps extended irrigation to another 2,618 hectares. Water User Groups (WUGs) were formed to maintain these systems, collecting ₹48 lakh in contributions.
For high-value agriculture (HVA), 554 polyhouse nurseries produced 2.5 crore soilless seedlings. Livestock interventions supported over 91,000 households, with 500 households engaged in broiler farming and 458 in layer farming. Daily egg production scaled to 1 lakh across Basia (Gumla) and Chas (Bokaro). Fisheries covered 8,729 water bodies, with 17 Reservoir Pen Culture (RPC) systems established.
The Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) segment supported 48,401 households across 51 blocks. Lac cultivation alone generated ₹15 crore, while lemongrass farming reclaimed 2,632 acres of fallow land, supporting 16,000 households with ₹10.4 crore in business.
The project also piloted branding and value addition in mango and tamarind, and introduced rice transplanters. A cadre of 16,775 trained community professionals supported field delivery and financial services.
Over its final three Implementation Support Missions (ISM)—in December 2022, June 2023, and December 2023—the World Bank upgraded JOHAR’s implementation status from “Moderately Unsatisfactory” to “Satisfactory”.
For its consistent performance, JOHAR was honoured with the World Bank South Asia Vice President’s Award 2025. Additionally, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) produced a documentary on JOHAR’s model and outcomes, now being screened globally in all six official UN languages during June–July 2025.
From income security to digital linkages, from SC/ST representation to climate-smart agriculture, JOHAR stands out as a replicable model for inclusive rural development—proving that with the right design and institutional support, communities once at the margins can move decisively into the economic mainstream.
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