Livelihoods in rural India covering 70% of population are subjected to vagaries of climate and disasters. Without building resilience in them it is always a first step and not higher step in their path of development. In spite of years of hard work it continues to be a hardship ridden life. Rural India was the source of civilisational growth and it has to regain its prime place in the nation building and placing India on the top in the comity of nations in the world. In today's climate vagaries and disaster prone world, it is not enough to develop livelihoods but it is also essential to make them sustainable by continuous attempts to make them resilient. Higher educational institutions in the country have an important role in formulating and building curriculum for promoting continuous student and institutional engagement in study, research and improvement of the resilience of rural livelihoods and rural critical infrastructure. Established in 1995 by the Government of India under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, the MGNCRE, founded by the Late Prime Minister Shri P V Narasimha Rao, seeks to usher in rural change and inclusive growth as a catalyst organization.
The MGNCRE interfaces with rural institutes of higher learning like Rural Universities, Rural Development Institutes, National Rural Livelihoods Mission and State Livelihood Action Units.
Human Resource Development is our operational framework and Human Development is the goal. Sab Ka Sath Sab Ka Vikas would be the guiding philosophy and strategy of MGNCRE, as enunciated by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.
Development of higher education curriculum addressing the needs of backward rural areas and their representative higher educational institutions, boosting the flagship social and rural development programmes with focus on education, skill development, employment, livelihoods and Swacch Bharat comprise the core initiatives.
The MGNCRE seeks to strengthen the rural higher education curriculum and the faculty members transacting it. Empowerment of the functionaries will be a well designed corollary.
Capacity building and professionalization of Rural Institutes, skill development, entrepreneurship, livelihoods, community initiatives, creativity of local groups and proactive development action constitute the core content of MGNCRE research and interventions.
The curriculum development programmes of MGNCRE mainly include Workshops and Round table discussions.
As part of its proactive and continuing Research and Training endeavour, the MGNCRE has to date initiated Research Projects in different parts of the country. Between 1995-2016, 115 such projects have been completed and appraised by the specialists.
The MGNCRE's governance structure includes the Council and the Governing Body, that are supported by specially constituted committees for planning and monitoring.
The Chairperson,The Member Secretary and
a small team of research staff, consultants and administrators offer support services.