Monday, April 30, 2012

This Jharkhand farmer spent 14 years digging a 'pond'

Dumka, Apr 29 (ANI): Need is the mother of all inventions, says the old proverb. Today's transformed world has evolved new experiences that modify the old adages too: Denial is the new mother of all inventions. And sixty five-year old Shayamal Chaudhary of Jharkhand proved it right by single-handedly digging a pond in his village with fourteen years of dedicated effort.

A farmer from Vishnu Pur of Kurua village, Sukhjora Panchayat, Shyamal Chaudhary, requested the Block Development Officer to have a pond dug that would fulfil the irrigation requirements of the fields. After filing several applications and visiting the officer many a times, a determined Shayamal lost neither courage nor his farming skills. Instead, he took this denial as a challenge and started digging a pond on his own land.fter fourteen years of continuous hard work, he not only created a pond but gifted it to the community that was going through hard times in the absence of irrigation related facilities.


Here is a person who is an inspiration in an agricultural country like India. He also reminds us of Late Dashrath Manjhi, the mountain man who independently brought down a 360-ft long, 25-ft high hill and created a 16-ft wide pass in place of an almost impenetrable space.


His twenty two years of hard work was inspired by his love, his wife, and got him international acclaim. The Government of Bihar not only awarded his efforts but also gave him a state burial out of respect. Dashrath Manjhi has made a place for himself in history. However, with Shyamal Chaudhary, destiny has played the game of irony as he has not been able to even garner the attention of his neighbouring villages, leave alone the state and the country.


Fourteen years of his life were committed to bringing a change in the lives of the farmers for which he demanded nothing. When Shyamal, a Class Eight dropout, started out, many people taunted him. He simply ignored them and remained focussed on his objective. "I never asked for help," says the farmer who started digging the pond in 1997 and completed it in 2011. The pond, 100x100 metres long and 22 feet deep, now benefits numerous villages in the vicinity: Kuruvaa, Petsar, Margadi,Beltikari, Vishnupur and Baiganthara to name a few.


On his nine bigha of land, Chaudhary produces a variety of vegetables and fruits like potatoes, onions, bananas and mangoes. He then started fish farming in the pond. The increased income is enough for the survival of his four daughters and a son. Quite happy with outcome of his efforts, Chaudhary feels that his life is blessed as the farmers now have a year-long solution to their irrigation woes.


Chaudhary asked the government department to help with a retaining wall and a pump set and pipes for irrigation, but all of his demands have fallen on deaf ears. The Officers did not pay heed, despite being aware of his remarkable achievement. Undeterred, he tried to access the Agriculture Minister Satyanand Jha, which has not produced any positive outcome so far.
When, on the one hand, India's farmers are committing suicides, a few like Chaudhary are willing to find a solution.


The Charkha Development Communication network feels that such successful farmers should be encouraged by the government, which at the moment is woefully not the case in Jharkhand. Chaudhary is nevertheless moving ahead, ready to help his fellow farmers, irrespective of the attitude of the state government towards him.


Like Dashrath Manjhi, Chaudhary is living up to his ideals. He not only interacts with the farmers but encourages them to understand their real strength. Shyamal is delighted to see farmers around him respond to his effort. This is his real award. By Shailendra Sinha (ANI)


Friday, April 27, 2012

Partnership with Panchyat: Rozgar Dhaba Part of Panchyat@LIFE project Ajmer


LIFE project at Ajmer has crossed another landmark in establishing linkages with PRI. In Ajmer LIFE project  4 villages we have Village Information Centers (VICs) in the form of Rozgar Dhaba to facilitate information dissemination on government schemes and work as a bridge between the local employer and unemployed villages, it also promote sustainable agriculture through capacity building and tie-ups with KVK-Ajmer.

Rozgar Dhaba as the part of Panchyat
Now out of four Rozgar Dhaba’s one Rozgar Dhaba is now become the part of Naulakha Panchyat (one of the project Panchayat), Panchayat has officially approved and given space ( a Panchayat School old building) for the Rozgar Dhaba Center to operate and assist in the various activities of Panchayat, especially in terms of generating awareness on government schemes. Now at Naulakha Rozgar Dhaba on an average 50-60 people walk-in for getting information on various schemes and accessing information through news paper and television.  Panchayat also feel Rozgar Dhaba as one of the better option, where not only information on government schemes, but also counseling and assistance is being provided by the Rozgar Dhaba. Now our field animators along with village volunteers are providing services at  Naulkha Rozgar Dhaba.

Also to encourage ownership of the Rozgar Dhaba amongst the community, for all the four Rozgar Dhaba’s , LIFE project team at Ajmer has developed a MoU with Kissan Club of the concerned villages for the management of Rozgar Dhaba.

You can watch Rozgar Dhaba on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4aAvx5cY00 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Field visit to LIFE project village at Ajmer on 24th/ & 25th April 2012

Visit of LIFE project villages  by Caritas India gender expert ( Ms. Shimray) and Caritas India project Officer to learn the progress of project from gender lens. Visit has been to five project villages-Devliya, Nepoli, Kesarpura, Naulakha and Gudda. Visit focus on interaction with the CBOs ( farmers club, SHGs and youth groups), interaction with individual women farmers, visit to Rozgar Dhabas ( information centers), visit to SHGs production units ( for enterprise development) and  discussion with those who have been facilitated by LIFE project team to avail government schemes.













Micro-plan workshop
For the staff of LIFE & HARIT PRAYAS
At SJVS-Banswara
18th-22nd April 2012

1. Context
A 5 days micro-plan workshop has been facilitated by Caritas India at Banswara for the LIFE (SJVS-Banswara), HARIT PRAYAS (Sagar, Satna & Jhansi), NRM project (Sagar) and IDEA (Banswara) project staff with two basic objectives as:


  • To enhance the knowledge and hand on experience of the HARIT PRAYAS project staff on micro-planning.

  • Community mobilization for micro-planning to present and make it approve with different stakeholders ( including PRI, NABARD, KVK, district administration and district NREGA)

2. Process adopted:

2.1 Modules covered in the workshop
The workshop has covered 4 basic modules of micro-planning (designed prior to the workshop in consultation with the participants):

•Basics of micro-planning (includes understanding of Why, What, when, with whom of micro-planning)
•In field exercise on micro-planning with local field staff and community (includes ‘how’ part of micro-planning)
•Micro-plan in per se with strengthening PRI (stake holder analysis)         
•Gender in micro-plan (strengthening gender equity, gender balance and gender equality)

2.2 Day-wise work done

1st day: understanding the basic theory and exercises in relation with micro-planning. Key exercises involved developing socio-resource mapping, timeline, causal analysis, transect walk, FGD, individual interactions, and meeting with PRIs.


2nd & 3rd day: In field (facilitating community to developing micro-plan). In total we were 21 participants, divided in to 5 teams (each team has one field staff from SJVS Banswara as a team leader to lead the team).

At the end of the day in each and every village (where we were facilitating the micro-planning) we have presented the findings to the community members at Panchyat/anaganwadi or at school. On an average 50-60 community members have attended the presentation.

It’s the motivation of our team that with 46 degree Celsius temperature at Banswara whole day we have worked in the field.

4th day: Back from the field (few community members also joined us) and we have analyzed the micro-plan in 4 basic steps as:

  • Identifying key problem
  • Identifying available resources
  • Strengthening solutions from the community
  • Involvement of different stakeholders (stakeholder analysis) to address to problems identified. (In general most of the micro-plans get submitted to the Panchayat without considering that Panchayat would be able to address all those issues or not? Considering this we have facilitated community to develop micro-plans based on the need and support from the different stakeholders for the village development)

5th day: Back to the community and along with them meeting with the PRI members, KVK head and agriculture department and presentation & submission of the micro-plans to them for the approval and follow-up of the same.

The “teeth” of the process, the community scorecard process is basically a structured conversation between the frontline service providers and the users of that service to understand and address gaps in service delivery. The users decide on indicators to assess the service delivery and then both the users and the service providers assess delivery against these indicators. Once the micro-planning get completed, both groups come together in face-to-face meeting to discuss gaps in the scoring and jointly devise solutions. This prioritizes constructive conversation rather than confrontation but without diffusing the real problems that the community and frontline service providers face



3. What is so special about the workshop?
The workshop on micro-planning is an activity of LIFE project at SJVS-Banswara (for which Director SJVS-Banswara has requested Caritas India to facilitate the workshop), where space has been developed that project staffs from other dioceses and other projects could also be the part of workshop to enhance the hand on practice on micro-planning and cross learning amongst the staff from different projects and partners.

4. Key outcomes:
  • All the 20 participants of the workshop have clear cut understanding on micro-planning and could facilitate micro-planning exercises in their respective project villages.
  • Community members in the LIFE project villages have understood the concept of planning and bridging the gap through available resources and demanding (in systematic way) new resources (based on the need and priority).
  • 10 micro-plans have been developed by community in 10 LIFE project villages and 9 have been submitted by CBO members to concerned Panchayat, NABARD, KVK and agriculture department for the approval.
  • A local media channel has also covered the process of developing micro-planning.


Monday, April 23, 2012

Gender workshop with LIFE project staff@RCDSSS Ajmer

Clarifying gender aspects:



Gender workshop and monitoring visit with LIFE project@Ajmer

                         
Reaching on 23rd /04/2012: Morning (Mr. Vinod Pandey & Ms. Shimary)

Leaving on 26th/04/2012: Evening for Delhi

Date
Plan
Remarks
23/04/2012-( 9.20-9.30 am)



23/04/2012 ( 9.30-10.00 am)






23/04/2012 ( 10.00-5.00 pm)

Interaction with the director and brief discussion on the overall visit plan

A brief presentation by RCDSSS-Ajmer team on LIFE project and gender inclusion.




Workshop on “gender aspect” in LIFE project from the angel of Result and change based management






By LIFE project team






Ms. Shimray ( Gender expert, Caritas India) & Mr. Vinod Pandey would be facilitating the same


* All LIFE project staff including ( Field animator, placement coordinator, documentation officer and project coordinator must attend the workshop) & if possible one or two community members from project villages. APART FROM LIFE PROJECT , OTHER project staff could also join the woprkshop.
24/04/2012 ( probably would leave for field visit by 7-30 or 8.am)

Field visit to LIFE project villages, involve interaction with SHG production unit ( in one village), meeting with farmers club (in one village-probably to that farmer club who has any meeting on 24th). Two villages

(probably would leave for field visit by 7-30 or 8.am)

Field visit to LIFE project villages , involve interaction with people at Rozgar Dhaba & interaction with mahila mandals ( from two villages) , interaction with youth club members & if possible interaction with PRI members : three villages)

26th/04/2012
Sharing the analysis of findings ( from gender & result perspective) and developing the plan for the follow-up

Monday, April 16, 2012

WORK-SHOP ON
MICRO-PLANNING
At Banswara
FOR LIFE & HARIT PRAYS PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS


1. Purpose of the workshop
To enhance the knowledge and hand on experience of the HARIT PRAYAS project staff on micro-planning.



2. Modules in the workshop
The workshop would have 4 basic modules:

  • Basics of micro-plan
  • In field exercise on micro-planning with local field staff and community
  • Micro-plan in per se with strengthening PRI
  • Gender in micro-plan


3. Date’s for the workshop
18th April-21st April 2012


4. Place of workshop
SJVS-Banswara
Thikaria, Near St. Paul school
Contact no: Fr. Marcus: 9413625655, 02962257568
Mr. Chandrapal: 09929410788


5. Who could be the participants?
Two (2) participants including coordinator and or field supervisor and cluster coordinator. Sleeper class/bus travel would be paid on actual basis.  Who so ever would come with preparation and must learn the things and able to deliver the same to his/her project villages. If organization wants to send other participants ( apart from HARIT PRAYAS or more than 2), organization has to take the cost of traveling, food & lodging.

 6. Day wise-plan schedule

Day/Date
Plan
Expected outcome
1st Day: Wednesday, 18th/04/2012
Class room session:
  • Concept clarity on micro-plan
  • Tool development for micro-plan
  • Knowing RRA & PLAM ( Participatory Learning Appraisal Methods)
  • Selection of villages
  • Group formation

Clarity on micro-plan and procedure conducting the same
2nd & 3rd  Day: Thursday & Friday,
19th & 20th  /04/2012
Conducting micro-plan exercise in LIFE project villages with community. This would involve village stay and at the end sharing of finding with the village community.
Participants have confidence to facilitate micro-plan exercise in their respective project villages.
4th Day: Saturday
Analysis of Micro-plan process
SWOT ( Strength Weakness Opportunity & Threat) analysis of the overall exercise



7. What preparation is required by the participants before coming for the workshop?

  • Read the attached documents on micro-planning ( with this concept paper)
  •  Basic clarity on RRA/PRA
  • Initial queries on micro-planning
  • Able to stay in village for couple of days
  • Come out with own note pads and pen


Sunday, April 15, 2012

Rajasthan Budget 2012-13 Live Highlights

Rajasthan Budget for year 2012-2013 is presented today, 26th March 2012 from 11 am Onwards by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Hon. Ashok Gehlot in the Assembly of Rajasthan. For More Rajasthan News & Rajasthan Budget 2012-13 Live Highlights

Rajasthan Budget 2012-13 Highlights:

*Special emphasis on Power, Road and energy sector.
* Financial ads for Minority students of IIT/IIM and student preparing for such courses.

*2600 KM Roads will be widen in 2 years in state.

*State completed 150 MW Solar energy plan.

*450 Crore for Nagaur Lift canal.

*20 Crore for Rajiv Gandhi Tribal University, Udaipur.

* More powers to Panchayati Raj, one computer to each panchayats in State.

*New Wind Energy Policy.

*Laptops for 10th and 12th students in prize for good performance.

*10% increase in pay of Aanganwadi workers.

* 20000 New teachers recruitment in Rajasthan during year 2012-13.

* New post for asst. agriculture officers in coming year.

* Financial help for rural homes.

* 20 New ITI Colleges.

* Berojgari Bhatta for Graduates.

* Universities in Bharatpur, Sikar and Alwar.

* Shekhawati University establishment soon in state.

* 10 Crore for new Journalism University in Jaipur

* 10 Times increase of Prize Money for various sports.

*  1.5 Crore aid for IIT Jodhpur in Budget 2012-13.

* 1 Crore aids for each New Colleges in state.

* 750 New post in IT Fields.

* Chief Minister Urban BPL yojna announced.

* 3000 New health centers in next 2 years.

* 1000 Jobs in Health sector in 2012-13.

* LED Road lights on streets to save power.

* Bhilwara, Bundi and alwar to get water from Chambal river.

* 25% increase in wage of "Vidhyarthi Mitra"
* IIIT Kota to get 100 Acre land from govt.

* Coaching centers for RPSC Exams preprations.

* SC Girls hostel in Alwar, Bharatpur, kota and bara.

* Jaipur Metro Phase-I will completes in June 2013.

* Sardar Patel Police and security University in Jodhpur.

* Pension for handicapped people.

* Four new police stations in NCR Region.

* 30000 New Police Jobs in year 2012-13.

* Digital signature cards for patwaris.

* 800 new patwar mandal, New partwari recruitment as per requirements.

* 10 Crore for Building repairs. 

* Petrol will be cheaper by Rs. 1.3, vAT on pertrol reduced to 26% from 28%.

* Two Wheeler will be cheaper, VAT on upto 125 CC reduced to 4% from 8%.

* VAT reduced on Sunglasses, tripal, tent, handicraft, carrybags, ATM, Solar equipment and automobiles body parts.

* Home prises to rise, Land DLC rates increased by 10%.
* VAT increased on tobacos.

* 24 New Tehsils, 33 Sub-tehsils annouced in Budget 2012: 24 New tehsils are Taled(Bundi), Riwanbadi(Alwar), Neemrana, Raini(Alwar), Malsisar, Surajgarh(Jhunjhunu), Dhond,Khandela (Sikar), Bawdi,Bap,Peepad shahar, Balesar(Jodhpur), Jaswantpura,Chitwana(Jalore), Rani(Pali), Badgaon(Udaipur), Choti sarwan, Aandpuri, sajjangarh(Banswara), Bhupalsagar(Chittorgarh), Bichiwara(Dungarpur), Nangalrajavtan(Dausa), Bhusawar(Bharatpur), Wajirpur(Sawaimadhopur).



Friday, April 13, 2012

Strengthening community to avail government schemes!

Government welfare schemes are one of the vital options for sustainable livelihood, but sad part is that because of unawareness and highly rooted corruption in the government machinery, poor villagers are denied of getting the benefits. We could understand the importance of government welfare schemes by knowing who has received and how it has changed their life as:

…Sita at Kajalpada (Banswara) has shelter to secure her family in rain

Sita ( from Kajalpada villages, LIFE project village, Banswara) , with the effort and guidance from  our field animator ( Ms. Priya) has received amount for constructing house under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) and she has constructed the same; now also planning to construct toilet & bathroom,  when we have asked to her, that if this house would not be with her what would be her situation? She has only reply  that she and her family has to worried about where we would stay during rain! Any ways She is happy now and it can be easily observed when someone interacts with her and she has smile on her face.  In case of Sita our LIFE team at Banswara worked as:
“We did application of monitoring tools last year in March-April 2011 and we have identified the target community and listed out those who all are deprived of the benefits of govt. welfare schemes and our LIFE team has started working with those (considering the eligibility criteria). In case of Sita our LIFE project field coordinator ( Ms. Priya) has worked extensively to guide her family on the scheme and make them to apply for the IAY, initially there were hurdles like sanctioning it from Panchayat...and for the same not only for sita like her others who all are eligible for IAY in Mundadi & Kajalpad LIFE project villages have submitted written complain application for the delay ( it was not RTI) and continuously approached the Panchayat, adding to this we have organized village level training programmes to those who all are our target community for IAY..and this all effort finally reaped in to 6 IAY for our target community in Mundadi , Nathpura and Kajalpada, Sita is one of them!” Second the utmost important thing....these are the first IAY in kajalpad and mundadi in last 10 years as its not easy to get and the process is quite complicated and takes time. In case of Sita it has taken 6 months.....




…Pratapi of Luxamipur ( Ajmer) has shelter….and security for food!
Pratapi wife of late Ghasi has no idea about her age, but village people said that she has crossed 80 years. Now she is not able to see properly, but somewhere she is happy!...Pratapi is from Luxamipura village (Mavashiya Panchayat, Shrinagar block, Ajmer, Rajasthan) and live in a small mud house along with his disabled son Ranga. This family is one of the targeted family of the LIFE project in Luxamipura as they marginalized farmer with mere 3 bigha of land that too rain-fed. To strengthen the livelihood option of the Pratapi family LIFE team has intervene with the family to make her aware about different government social security schemes like old-age pension, disability pension , Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) and make the family to apply for all said schemes. Pratapi and her son has applied through the LIFE project intervention and now they have received amount to construct house under IAY, also Pratapi son disability pension has started as monthly Rs. 500 and Pratapi old age pension is also in pipeline. Now Pratapi is happy…she is sharing that last night it was heavy rain, and we were not able to cover our self in this tent shared mud house, now within few months our own house would be there and we would get the shelter to save our self from rain and other calamities…also with the Ranga pension amount now there is some support for their food security…..Pratapi is thankful to LIFE project and its staff…

“If we change both these situations, we could probably able to see unhappy face of Sita, and surviving with her family in rain without any roof…engaged in amazing her family, try to earn and built home…it must take around 4-5 years…keeping money for house construction would probably lead to less consumption of food, poor clothing for children, tension in family and might be in debt! Where as Pratapi  and her son Ranga might have lost the hope for the life!”

This is the importance of government schemes, which secure the life of community in many ways some where it generates happiness with better survival, somewhere it generates life with dignity!

In total 598 target families have received benefit from the government welfare schemes with the efoort of LIFE project team. Effort of LIFE project team is in the form of the following:

  • Generating awareness amongst the target community on various government schemes through training, rallies and personal interaction. This has helped the community to know about the schemes.

  • Sharing the information on government schemes in CBO meetings, and through Rozgar Dhaba centers.

  • Organizing small-small workshop with the community on social security schemes.

  • Facilitating interface with PRI and other various departments with community so that there would be “know-how” happen between the departments and community.

  • Strengthening linkages with the PRI and other government department


  • Providing assistance to the target community in filling up the application form and required documents to justify eligibility.

We could see the status of major welfare schemes, for which LIFE project team has supported community as:

Major social security schemes
RCDSSS-Ajmer  facilitated the no. of community members
SJVS-Banswara  facilitated the no. of community members
Indira Awas Yojana ( IAY)
7
28
Widow pension
24
16
Old-age pension
34
5