The Government of India has been working to make its fertilizer subsidy program more efficient, transparent, and targeted. To support this effort, MSC provided technical assistance to the Department of Fertilizers to redesign the subsidy mechanism through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) and improve fertilizer use efficiency across the country. The reforms sought to curb leakages, rationalize usage, and improve targeting to support both fiscal sustainability and soil health.
MSC conceptualized and designed the DBT system in the fertilizer subsidy program. We led the pre-pilot in two districts of Andhra Pradesh, followed by implementation support for a larger pilot in 14 districts and the eventual national rollout. At each stage, we conducted rapid and concurrent evaluations to guide program refinement. Our recommendations helped the government reduce leakages and improve monitoring. We also proposed key improvements, such as bringing urea under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme, building a farmer database, introducing fertilizer entitlements, and piloting Direct Cash Transfers (DCT) to farmers. MSC designed the DCT pilot and assessed the digital readiness of states for its rollout.
To complement these efforts, MSC evaluated the Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme through a nationwide study in 2018. We suggested establishing decentralized, real-time testing facilities with active farmer engagement. We also assessed the impact of Neem Coated Urea (NCU) and changes in urea packaging on fertilizer consumption patterns.
MSC’s work helped the government save approximately USD 2.2 billion by March 2022, largely due to reduced diversion and overuse, amounting to 15 million metric tons of fertilizer. The interventions also contributed to a reduction of urea use per hectare by 8%, signaling progress toward more balanced fertilizer usage and improved soil health.
The Gates Foundation commissioned the project.
This program was conceptualized under SIDBI’s C2D2E (Conductor to Driver to Entrepreneur) initiative, aligned with the ‘Dreams Through Women in E-mobility’ vision. The program aimed to promote gender inclusivity in traditionally male-dominated transport services. It created dignified livelihood opportunities for women and strengthened institutional capacity for gender- responsive practices.
MSC partnered with Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) to design and implement targeted training and support systems for women in Odisha’s public transport sector. The intervention focused on building the capabilities of female guides working in CRUT’s electric bus fleet through customized training modules covering communication, customer service, conflict resolution, grievance resolution, technical skills, and gender sensitization. In addition to training 242 female guides across four cities—Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela, and Bhubaneshwar, we also trained over 113 male staff and depot teams to promote a safer and more inclusive work environment.
MSC developed a comprehensive knowledge base and toolkit for CRUT staff to continue training and embed gender-sensitive practices independently. The team further provided operational, administrative, and HR recommendations to strengthen CRUT’s internal systems and foster long- term inclusivity.
The initiative enhanced the skills and confidence of female guides to enable their sustained participation in the public bus system. It improved the commuter experience through better customer engagement and gender-sensitive service thus fostering workplace inclusion at all levels. The program also laid the foundation for future interventions, such as the inclusion of female bus drivers and expanded last-mile connectivity solutions.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Capital Region Urban Transportation (CRUT) commissioned the project.
The ‘Strengthening employment generation and skill development’ initiative was launched to support India’s response to large-scale employment losses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To develop a strategic roadmap for job creation, the Government of India constituted a Working Group of Ministers (WGoM) on Employment and Skill Development. MSC served as the secretariat to the WGoM and worked closely with the government and 18 sectoral experts to drive the initiative forward.
MSC provided comprehensive secretarial and advisory support to the WGoM. It helped coordinate consultations with key stakeholders, combining sectoral insights, and applied a structured framework to assess the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and time horizon of employment generation strategies. We ensured that the recommended strategies were gender-intentional and transformative. We particularly focused on increasing women’s participation in the workforce. The team facilitated discussions across line ministries and supported the finalization of a consolidated national action plan to inform government decision-making.
The initiative delivered a high-impact employment strategy with the potential to generate approximately 170 million jobs over five years. It proposed structural reforms that could positively affect more than 600 million women by addressing barriers to female labor-force participation. The strategy also projected investments of USD 170 billion from the private sector and USD 27 billion from the government. Covering 18 high-priority sectors and themes, the project laid the foundation for innovative institutional ideas, such as the establishment of a National Employment Fund. The final action plan was widely discussed with concerned ministries and positioned as a key policy input to boost employment across India.
The Gates Foundation and the Government of India commissioned the project.
The Swavalambini initiative was launched under the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and NITI Aayog to strengthen women-led development in India. The program intended to shift the narrative from women as scheme beneficiaries to women as leaders and entrepreneurs by building structured pathways to entrepreneurship within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
MSC helped MSDE conceptualize, design, and implement the Swavalambini programme across multiple states. We developed a structured, stage-wise journey for aspiring women entrepreneurs and delivered key interventions, including the Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) and the Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WEDP). It covered areas such as business planning, finance, compliance, and marketing. The team also facilitated Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) to build mentoring capacities within HEIs, while it also provided structured mentorship and handheld support to guide participants from ideation to enterprise.
As part of the initiative, MSC designed and managed business plan competitions to identify high-potential ideas, developed monitoring and evaluation tools, and worked closely with ecosystem partners to enable national-level implementation. Through these efforts, the programme established institutional mechanisms that support women entrepreneurs within HEIs and beyond.
The initiative trained 900+ women across 10+ HEIs in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and several Northeastern regions. Of these, 300 women were selected for intensive support through WEDP, with 10% expected to launch enterprises. The program enhanced institutional capacity for long-term mentoring and created a supportive, women-led entrepreneurial ecosystem within higher education. It also facilitated access to seed funding and recognition through a NITI Aayog-led reward initiative, to contribute meaningfully to India’s broader women-led development agenda.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and NITI Aayog commissioned the project.
The Swarambh initiative was launched under the Sewapuri Gram Panchayat Saturation Abhiyan, a model block development program spearheaded by the Prime Minister’s office and NITI Aayog. Implemented in the Sewapuri block of Varanasi district, the initiative sought to address the growing demand for digital and entrepreneurial skills among rural youth. It equipped college students, especially young women, with the capabilities needed to thrive in India’s evolving digital and gig economy.
MSC, in partnership with Medha (an NGO), supported the end-to-end design and implementation of the Swarambh programme. The intervention followed a three-phased delivery model, comprising orientation and training, one-on-one mentorship, and hands-on live projects. The curriculum emphasized real-world skill-building in areas such as digital freelancing, photography, handicrafts, and baking. With the support of local administration and multiple central and state departments, MSC successfully executed the programme across three cohorts and reached more than 75 students.
The initiative fostered entrepreneurial mindsets and built a cadre of self-reliant, digitally skilled youth ready to participate in the informal economy. It created income-generating opportunities through gig and freelance work and strengthened networks of collaboration among participants to sustain long-term engagement. By promoting localized economic development and sustainable livelihoods, the programme contributed to national development priorities. Swarambh also demonstrated a scalable and replicable model for rural youth empowerment across India.
NITI Aayog commissioned the project.
Reliance Foundation, in partnership with MSC, launched a one-year initiative to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacity of 100–120 rural women kirana entrepreneurs (RWKEs) across three districts of Madhya Pradesh. These women, often operating in low-resource and tribal regions, face persistent barriers in accessing markets, finance, and digital tools. The project was designed to address these challenges by enhancing their business skills, resilience, and access to essential services.
MSC led the end-to-end execution of the initiative through a structured and participatory model. The engagement began with the mobilization and selection of RWKEs, with a focus on aspirational and tribal areas. We then conducted tailored needs assessments to understand the specific constraints faced by the entrepreneurs and designed a contextualized training curriculum to emphasize entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital enablement, and leadership. The program further delivered capacity-building workshops reinforced through continuous mentoring. A key component of the initiative is the “pitch your business plan” event, in which selected RWKEs present their business proposals to a jury. Winners receive seed funding from Reliance Foundation to grow their businesses. MSC also provided post-training handholding, including exposure visits to successful enterprises and support for market linkages through local ecosystem actors.
This project is expected to significantly improve the RWKEs’ access to finance, markets, and technology, enabling them to transition into more sustainable and growth-oriented businesses. The intervention will result in a replicable training framework suitable for similar rural contexts and generate actionable insights to inform future programs targeting women-led microenterprises in low-income and tribal regions.
Reliance Foundation, in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), commissioned the project.
