Nukkad natak to NREGA!

To strengthen the awareness amongst the community on NREGA and its different components; SJVS-Banswara team  has adopted the unique strategy for this in the form of Nukkad natak on different discrepancies in NREGA and how to avail the better services under NREGA.

Initially team was bit confuse how to generate mass level awareness amongst the community, as they have adopted different strategies like interaction with individuals, organising small meeting with farmers  in the project villages, but nothing has worked well in terms of people’s awareness for NREGA.

Team was not able to click the IDEA to generate mass level awareness and finally with Ms. Premalata ( field animator LIFE project) has given an idea to organise nukkad nataks on NREGA in all the project villages. She has explained that village people like entertainment and entertainment could be one of the best way to make large community gather and to seed the concept of availing services of NREGA through panchyats. Rest of the team members initially denied this idea accentuating on who will do street play/nukkad natak? Again Premlata has shared that it would be better if we people would do the role play and it will make community to attract how the people from their own villages are going to perform…something for their entertainment……with hours of discussion and thinking finally team members agreed to do the nukkad natak and to play different roles in it to generate awareness amongst the community  on NREGA!

With the support from Mr. Vijay and Fr. Marcus team has drafted the script of nukkad natak and did few rehearsals for it.

Later on team realise that it would be better if the nukkad natak would be properly performed with proper costumes and make up for better impact and to attract community. Team has purchased items from the market and has designed dress themselves as the need and demand of the script.

With full preparation and number rehearsals team has performed nukkad nataks in LIFE project village-Ambapada  on NREGA as the core issue!  Team has never expected the crowd of 500+ for this nukkad natak and this has given the high moral to the team and team has performed nukkad natak in other villages also….

The result of this nukkad natak has really coming out as positive step with 17 target families applied and received job card and now people are raising voice in panchyats saying if the per day wage under NREGA is 119 rupees in Rajasthan why still they are receiving 85-90 rupees?

Greenman…..Viajy Katra!

Vijay Katra, aged 37 years work as the Field animator in LIFE project in SJVS-Banswara team! Few years back he has worked with the SJVS-Banswara team in one of the CRS project and after that for three years he has just played the role of volunteer in his village Gadlee to motivate community on government schemes.

When LIFE project has initiated in the Banswara, he has approached the SJVS to offer his services to the community through LIFE project and on the basis of his qualification and experience SJVS has appointed him as the field animator…

Few months back , when the core theme of agriculture has changed in the LIFE  project from agriculture to sustainable agriculture…Vijay has shown interest not only in learning the techniques of sustainable agriculture, but also in imparting the knowledge and skill of sustainable agriculture to the community members.

With the support from Caritas India, Vijay has been sent  for an exposure and training to the CESSS-Amravati to acquire knowledge and skill on sustainable agriculture and perfectly he has learnt the concepts at CESSS-Amravati….

He has back from the CESSS-Amravati and the first thing he has done is shared his knowledge and skills to his rest of the team members…and have establish a small practical unit for organic cultivation in the SJVS-Banswara campus.

To impart the knowledge of organic cultivation to the community, Vijay has adopted the unique technique, where in he is making organic volunteers in the LIFE project villages. He is providing training on sustainable agriculture to the youths of the project villages and motivating them to adopt the organic cultivation as the means of livelihood. Its really interesting to listen him, when he is motivating the youths…he starts his communication with...how synthetic fertilisers based agriculture is not only affecting the health of human being , also affecting the soil health!

…now with LIFE project...Vijay is changing the overall scenario of agriculture …in the form of organic cultivation!

Serving community in flood situation!

Its flood like situation in LIFE project villages of Banswara ( Rajasthan), but still SJVS Banswara LIFE team is working and reaching to the target community!

‘NREGA work must go on during farm season’-NEWS

Hindustan Times, 3^rd August 2011: The ministry of rural development has written to all the states warning them not to go slow or suspend works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act at any point of time in the year. The communication reminding the provisions of the right to work Act comes in the wake of reports that some states are going slow in execution of works under the UPA's flagship social sector programme, during peak farming seasons.

"It has come to our notice that some states are going slow or have not been taking up new works under the same during kharif season. There is no provision of any suspension in NREGA entitlement in any season. Not providing work would tantamount to a penal offence and is also liable for compensation," the ministry letter to the state secretaries said.

"New works will continue to be taken up as per the demand generated," the letter adds.

The MGNREGA provides every rural household with 100 days of unskilled manual work in a financial year.

Though initiated as a programme to ensure livelihood in lean farm seasons, the scheme is facing protest from the farming community complaining of labour scarcity and steep hike in farm wages following the Act.

The department of rural development —  which implements the R40, 000 crore annual budget programme — had received several representations from the states and farmers bodies to tune the programme according to farming needs.

The concern also led the agriculture ministry to write to the rural ministry asking for suspension of NREGA works during peak farming seasons of sowing, transplantation and harvesting — to facilitate supply of labour. HT reported about the letter and the NREGA vs. agriculture debate on July 14.

"We have also communicated to the agriculture ministry that the Act does not allow such suspensions. NREGA is a legal entitlement and we cannot say no to a person coming to us for work," a ministry official said.

MY QUESTION: IS THIS REALLY GOING TO SERVE FARMERS DURING OFF SEASON, WHEN REALLY THEY DON’T HAVE WORK! AND TO DO NREGA WORK FARMER CAN NOT LEAVE HIS MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME I.E. AGRICULTURE!

Regards

Vinod Pandey

What is certified seeds?

RECRUITMENT for Project Manager- Livelihood (Kujraho-Madhya Pradesh)

SSSS (Samritans)-Satna is one of the leading non-profit organization working in the Madhya Pradesh  region for the upliftment of the deprived community. It works in the area of community development, human trafficking, women empowerment, Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Livelihood.

At present SSSS-Satna needs a young dynamic and highly active Project Manager for a new innovative project on Livelihood-HARIT PRAYAS. HARIT PRAYAS project is being supported by the Caritas India and is being implemented by the SSSS-Satna in 20 villages of the Chatarpur district (near Khajuraho). It’s a new innovative project involved field work, office work, research work and different trainings. The same project is also being implemented in Jhansi and Sagar.

Name of the Post: Project Manager

Location: Kujraho (Madhya Pradesh), Our cluster office is near by Khjuraho Temples

Functional Area: Programme Management

Qualification & experience :

• Post Graduate in Rural Management, Rural Development, Social Work from a reputed institution
• Experience in the area of community development especially in sustainable agricultural and government schemes (NREGS) activities through CBOs.
• Experience in the area of government Liasioning
• Effective verbal and written communications skills in English, including computing skills.
• Ability to undertake unaccompanied travel in interior rural areas.

Responsibilities

§         Set overall directions/strategies of the project

§         Regular follow up on implementation and participatory monitoring of the project to attain desirable outputs.

§         Regular liaison with CARITAS for reporting and guidance. Implementation of overall plans within the district specific context and proper monitoring and reporting.

§         Extensive field visits to support direct actions field area.

Liaison with district administration for effective policy advocacy

§         Undertake capacity building initiatives at the grassroots for effective learning and support. Planning and conducting trainings.

§         Prepare best management of capacity building inputs through participatory monitoring and documentation.

§         Review the progress of activities at cluster of villages

§         Develop strategy for intervening with the marginalised sections of the village and provide handholding support to women/ dalit members as per needs.

§         Documentation of capacity building experiences for replication. Ensure timely completion of the activities and proper documentation

Providing access to information to Panchayat and Gram Sabha members

Salary and other benefits: 14000/-pm plus travel allowance, trainings and opportunity to be the part of innovative project.

How to apply: Interested candidates (both male and female) can send their CV along by 15th August  2011 with the covering letter and a page note (not more than 200 words) on ‘Importance of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in better management of MGNREGA & FRA ’

You can send the CV along with covering letter to  vinodnmtt@gmail.com & samaritans.sss@gmail.com to know more about the project you can also log on to www.haritprayas.blogspot.com

Interview date : 17/08/2011 time 10.00 am at

SSSS-Satna, Pateri, Mahadeva PO

Satna MP 485002

Ph-07672230098

Portal for government schemes

Indian Government, at all levels, announces Welfare Schemes for a cross section of the society from time to time. These Schemes could be either Central, State specific or a Joint collaboration between the Centre and the States.  Please find the link below to access all most all the government schemes in this section, government have attempted to provide you with easy and single point access to information about several welfare schemes of the Government and their various aspects including eligible beneficiaries, types of benefits, scheme details etc.

http://india.gov.in/govt/schemes.php