National Project Implementation Plan - NVBDCP

Project Steering Committee: A steering committee is being proposed to ensure
that there is regular review, discussion and action on project implementation
involving both the central and the state levels. In several projects, often actions
required at the central level get delayed, e.g., important procurement, and the
states watch helplessly while implementation suffers. Similarly often the states
do not have clarity on some project activities and neglect their implementation.
The Project Steering Committee will be chaired by the Joint Secretary, MOHFW,
representative from NRHM and have the following members: Director; Joint
Director, Deputy Director malaria and Deputy Director, kala-azar from the
NVBDCP; Regional Directors for the concerned states; and Programme Officers,
NVBDCP from the five states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. WHO, GFATM, the World Bank and IDA will
participate in the meetings as observers. The Steering Committee will meet
quarterly to discuss specific agenda to be circulated two weeks in advance;
similarly minutes of the meetings will be prepared and circulated within two
weeks after the meeting. The Steering Committee will help keeping project
implementation on track by reviewing and ensuring that all key actions, at
central and state levels, get taken and any constraints that impede progress are
addressed. It will also provide policy support and administrative approvals for
state plans and for key program decisions. The Joint Secretary will have overall
coordination responsibility in the MOHFW, to be supported by Director level
Officer, MOH; Joint Director, NVBDCP will be the Member Secretary of the Project
Steering Committee.
NVBDCP is being strengthened for implementation of this project by (i) GFTAM
providing consultants and support staff for malaria control; WHO providing six
consultants to address kala-azar; and the project itself supporting ten
consultants at the central level and over 100 staff/consultants in procurement,
financial management, environment, training, supervision, etc. at the state,
district and sub-district levels. These consultants will be in position in time for
startup in the initial project districts and for other districts at the time of review
of the districts readiness criteria. NVBDCP will also contract with national NGO’s
and other technical agencies to strengthen capacities for supporting
decentralized programming, community monitoring, and other implementation
needs.
Regional-level: The MOHFW’s 17 Regional Offices for Health and Family Welfare,
located in 17 States, will also play a role in project implementation. These
regional offices support the NVBDCP. They conduct entomological studies in
collaboration with the States, drug resistance studies, cross-checking of blood
slides for quality control, capacity building at the state level, and monitoring and
supervision. The National Institute for Malaria Research under the Indian Council
for Medical Research has field stations in 9 States and supports the malaria
control program through operational and applied field studies.
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