Forthcoming visits by Caritas India project officer (Mr. Vinod Pandey)

9^th-13^th May 2011 : SSSS-Satna: Training on analyzing baseline report & visit to HARIT PRAYAS project villages

15^th-17^th May 2011: MVSS-Sagar: Training on analyzing baseline report & visit to HARIT PRAYAS project villages

18^th-20^th May 2011: JCSS-Jhansi: Training on analyzing baseline report & visit to HARIT PRAYAS project villages

Joint meeting of HARIT PRAYAS partners

29^th-31^st May 2011: HARIT PRAYAS project partner’s joint meeting at XIDAS-Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)

HARIT PRAYAS at Sagar getting support from Panchayats!

In concern with support from the Panchayats in HARIT PRAYAS project village, baseline survey and project awareness camps in the project villages have shown its impact in the form of support from concerned project block and Panchayats.

Two Panchayats  (Samnapur Kala & Kadta Panchyat-both these are HARIT PRAYAS project Panchayat) at Sagar have given written communication for the support of the HARIT PRAYAS project.

Now the team at Sagar is also participating in Gram Sabha meetings along with the community members and also being the part of discussion. An effort is also taken by the team to include discussion on FRA at Panchayat level.

Important Link-for HARIT PRAYAS project

http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/index.html

This link of Tamilnadu Agriculture University portal, would give you all the information related with the agriculture & allied activities and government schemes. Quite useful for the HARIT PRAYAS project

Minimum support price from the government for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) — including produce (HARIT PRAYAS project partners could think on it!)

Minimum support price from the government

 for

Minor Forest Produce (MFP) — including produce

(HARIT PRAYAS project partners could think on it!)

India's poorest, the tribals, can now expect minimum support price from the government for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) — including produce. The Centre is expected to announce minimum support prices for 12 types of MFP for state governments to follow, and a mechanism to ensure that even non-profitable produce is procured. These are bamboo (declared MFP recently), tendu leaves, mahua flower and seed, sal leaf and seed, chironjee, wild honey, tamarind, myrobalan, gums and gum karanj.

The decision was taken at a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently. “The consensus view has emerged,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh said, in a letter to Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia this week.

Ramesh said it was decided the state governments would have to give higher MSP than the Centre. A committee headed by T Haque of the panchayati raj ministry will decide on the MSP for each MFP that could range between R500 and R2,000 per kg.

"Tribals in the North-East get five to ten paisa for a tendu leaf," said Nandan Saxena, who made a documentary on exploitation of tribals resulting from unfair price for MFP. Over 10 crore people are said to be dependent on MFP for livelihood, but they have to sell their collection at throwaway prices.

The government has also decided that monopoly of any agency in procuring MFP, including state agencies, will be removed. “A level-playing field for all will have to be provided to ensure tribals get maximum money for forest products they collect,” a plan panel official said.

The Centre will also tell states they will have to improve the marketing and distribution network. Another decision taken was that gram sabhas should be involved in management and regeneration of MFP.

"Forest regeneration plans should be prepared in consultation with the gram sabhas," Ramesh said, adding the issue has already been discussed with member secretary Planning Commission Sudha Pillai.

The government will also be preparing a plan to set up MFP processing units

at the local levels with the help of gram sabhas.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Forest-produce-may-get-MSP-cover/Article1-686215.aspx

Rupee 1 Vs 12...story of Ghamandi

The old man seen in this picture is a making broom at Sekhar village (Nayakahdeia Panchayat, BABINA block, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh). His name is Ghamandi, 55 years old. He has received a piece of barren land from Government, which is of no use (because of infertility and non-strategic location). Now he is forced to quit agriculture and to ensure livelihood he and his family get involved in broom making, with available local resources. He sells one broom at Rs. 1.oo  to the contractors and further on contractors sells the same broom to the market at around 12 rupees. In a day Ghamandi and his family able to make around 20 brooms and are able to earn around Rs.20 in a day.

When JCSS team talked to him about project HARIT PRAYAS he expressed his pessimism and said no project can help him and his family out of this cycle of poverty. But after few interactions on regular basis, he has expressed that it would be better if there would some mechanism where in he, his family and others like him in the village would get the better price for the broom making.

In the village around 25-30 families involved in broom making with locally available resources and there could be possibility of Common Livelihood Group, but the concern should come out not only from Ghamandii, but other people who involved in it!

JCSS-HARIT PRAYAS team is working on it…hope for some positive changes in the lives of people like Ghamandi!

Know about: Kisan Credit Card (KCC)/Farmers Credit Card

Kisan Credit Cards  (KCC)

Kisan Credit Cards were started by the Government of India, RBI (Reserve Bank of India), and NABARD (National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development) in 1998-99 to help farmers access timely and adequate credit.The Kisan Credit Care allows farmers to have cash credit facilities without going through the credit screening processes repeatedly. Repayment can be rescheduled if there is a bad crop season, and extensions are offered for up to 4 years. The card is valid for 3 years and subject to annual renewals. Banks in India that lend for agricultural purposes usually offer the KCC. Withdrawals are made using slips, cards, and a passbook.

Extent of Exposure

As per scale of finance specific to the crop and KCC norms. Int rate is around 7% (SI).

Tenure

The card would be valid for 5 years, of which crop loan and working capital components has to be renewed annually. Kisan Credit Card Scheme: Himachal Pradesh

Details of Kisan Credit Card Scheme

Name of the Scheme:  Kisan Credit Card Scheme  (KCC)

Sponsored by : State Government

Funding Pattern: Rs. 50000/- for Rabi Crops. Rs. 50000/- for Kharif Crops. Ministry/Department State Government PSU Description 1 Maximum Limits Rs. 50000/- for Rabi Crops. Rs. 50000/- for Kharif Crops.

Eligibility:  Individual farmer / Society.

Purposes :Agriculture.

Repayment period:  Kharif 31 January Rabi 31 July.

Collateral Security Charge on land in case loan is above Rs. 10000/- and two sureties if loan is below Rs. 10000/-. 6 Margin Stipulation As per nature of the loan Beneficiaries Individual,Community, Benefits Benefit Type Loan, Eligibility criteria Individual / Society.

How to Avail?

Approach to the State Headquarters and Branch Manager at District Level Branches Validity of the Scheme Introduced On 31 / 03 / 2006 Valid Up to 31 / 03 / 2012

source: NABARD OFFICIAL WEBSITE

HARIT PRAYAS project-getting support from Panchyats

HARIT PRAYAS project is moving with establishing the concept of networking and liasioning at grassroot especially with the Panchyats in concern with the same HARIT PRAYAS Team  at JCSS-Jhansi has made a successful attempt in this direction.  Ms. Meena Devi (who belongs to SC community) has been elected as the village pradhan of village Gudha, Block- Babina, Jhansi, U.P ,has given a written communication for the full fledged support of Panchayat to HARIT PRAYAS project and welcome this project in village Matth (of Matth Panchyat).   

 

HARIT PRAYAS project 1st quarterly review

HARIT PRAYAS 1st quarterly review has organized at JCSS-Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) from 7th-8th April 2011, where in representatives from the three partners organizations-SSSS-Satna, MVSS-Sagar & JCSS-Jhansi , Caritas India, and XIDAS-Jabalpur have participated and shared the progress of the project in last three months. In the two day review meeting first day was the field visit to the HARIT PRAYAS project villages in Jhansi and 2nd day was in-house presentation and discussion. Also the HARIT PRAYAS project has developed in the three stages as:

1st year it would be as project
2nd year it would be mission
And 3rd year on wards it would be as the movement!

HARIT PRAYAS Baseline survey-In News.....

The recent baseline survey of HARIT PRAYAS project has weel received by the community and the other stakeholders. It has been covered by the local media. News coverings -appriciate the process of baseline in Jhansi!