HARIT PRAYAS
contributing for the development of Bundelkhand region
When
we have started the concept of HARIT PRAYAS in 2010 ( at that time initially it
was called as the Bundelkhand project) we have initiated it with the motive of
development of Bundelkhand region. Today after 18 months of the project
implementation, when we look in back in to the mirror of Bundelkhand we must have to answer that -do HARIT
PRAYAS able to contribute for the development
of the Bundelkhand region and that too mainly for the development of
deprived community ( SC/ST & marginalised and landless OBC) in the Bundelkhand region ? let’s see how far
HARIT PRAYAS is able to contribute for the development of deprived communities in the Bundelkhand
region….
Over all with HARIT PRAYAS we are able to contribute for the .09%
development ( in terms of better NREGA implementation, availability of
government schemes for the eligible target community, promotion of sustainable
agriculture and farmers and women collectiveness and mitigating migration) in
the entire Bunelkhand region in last 18 months ; hopefully by the end of the HARIT
PRAYAS in 2013 the contribution of HARIT PRAYAS in the development of
Bundelkhand would be more than...
…Sustaining agriculture in the Bundelkhand region
Considering
the frequent drought, water scarcity, rain fed agriculture and high input cost
in agriculture in the Bundelkhand region, with HARIT PRAYAS we are able reduce
the input cost in agriculture by 88-90% where as able to increase the
production by 15-20% and all this is through sustainable agriculture means of
cultivation and with locally available resources. Today more than 200+ villages
get influenced in the entire region by the impact of sustainable agriculture.
Probably the HARIT PRAYAS project villages are the first in the region which
are able to generate this much of impact on sustainable agriculture. Approx 200 acre of land in HARIT PRAYAS
project villages is where 100% organic cultivation (but not yet organically certified)
practice is on.
…reducing farmers suicide in Bundelkhand region
It
is also worth to notice that there has been no farmer’s suicide in the HARIT
PRAYAS implementation villages in last 18 months in compare to recent count of
3262 (approx)[1]
farmers suicide in the Bundelkhand region.
…ensuring food security in the Bundelkhand region
With
the HARIT PRAYAS approach we have not only focused on the input cost but also
focus on how the community would move for cultivating the food grains rather
than only the cash crops like soyabean ( but it does not mean that we are
de-promoting Soyabean in the region, our only concern is food grains must be
given priority in compare to the cash crops. Also its is interesting to see the
change that Soyabean arrived in 1995-2000 and since then every year the % of
soybean cultivation is increasing where as the % of staple food maize and wheat
is decreasing. With HARIT PRAYAS
approach not only the production has increased but also the % of food grain
grown on the land has also increased by 20%. Also with this calorie per day
intake for an adult in the HARIT PRAYAS project villages has increased from
1090 to 2426 cal per day.
...Breaking caste barriers in the Bundelkhand region
Bundelkhand
is a highly caste dominated region, where still there big gap between the upper
caste and lower caste and hardly they sit together and hardly people from SC/ST
community are able to take the decisions at community level, with HARIT PRAYAS
we have created community based and manged institutions in the form of Farmers
club, where both SC /ST and general Caste people sit together at equal level ,
have equal right of taking decisions and are taking decisions and working for
the betterment of the region. Our one
of the farmers club in Chamaruwa (Jhansi) , where before HARIT PRAYAS
implementation there was high dominance of general caste ( Rajputs), but with
the initiation of HARIT PRAYAS and formation of farmers club, where both SC and
Rajputs are the members sit together, take unanimous decisions and contribute
for the better agriculture growth the in
village.
…veil system for women almost out in Bundelkhand region
With
the effort of HARIT PRAYAS we are able to remove this veil system with80% of the
target community in the project villages of HARIT PRAYAS and now women are
participating in the community level meetings like Gram Sabha. Participation of
women in gram Sabha in the HARIT PRAYAS project villages is 14% ( from Mahila
Mandals). Also now women get united in the form of Mahila Mandal and are
engaged in enterprise development (in the form of agarbatti[2]
making), saving & credit and financial transactions to banks (by
themselves).This all has given an empowerment to the women in the Bundelkhand
region and now their head is up rather than down and are enjoying the freedom
of growth.
…Entitlements of community are secured
It
is worth to notice and see that 44 Panchayats under HARIT PRAYAS are
functioning well and community is getting benefits from the concerned Panchayats.
Implementation
of NREGA, was seems to be difficult nut to break in the Bundelkhand region
because of high level of corruption and politics involved in it. But with HARIT
PRAYAS 100% of the target community in the project villages are availing the
benefits of the NREGA. Average working days in the project villages has gone up
to 65 working days in a year in compare to 21 ( average working days in
Bundelkhand region) working days in a year. Now 100% the target community in the
HARIT PRAYAS villages have the job cards and that is their own custody, which
in turn has created impact on reduction of corruption in terms of misuse of job
cards by PRI members/Mait[3]
.
With
675 eligible families taking benefits of the welfare schemes in the HARIT
PRAYAS project villages have generated an awareness and movement in the region
amongst the community members of other villages ( other than HARIT PRAYAS
villages) to get the knowledge of the schemes and get the benefits of the same.
…Reduced unsafe migration
Considering the concern of unsafe migration
from the Bundelkhad region , with HARIT PRAYAS we are able to reduce the
migration from the villages by up to 16% of the total HHs used to migrate
before the implementation of HARIT PRAYAS. Now community members from the HARIT
PRAYAS villages have sustainable and locally available source of livelihood in
the form of access to entitlements & low input cost based agriculture for
their better survival.
…making the development process and impact visible
With
HARIT PRAYAS we have initiated the India
…advocating for policy change!
Sanjha
Samvad[1]
network of partners of HARIT PRAYAS , LIFE ( Rajasthan) and other 70 National
and international organisation has worked on the proposed National Food
Security bill[2]
and based on the field experience has drafted and submitted[3]
an amended proposed bill to the PMO ( Prim minister Office , New Delhi).
In
the words of a farmer from HARIT PRAYAS Majhota village HARIT PPRAYAS ek
badllaw lane ka andolan hein jo bundelkhand ko pchadepan se bahar nikakar vikas
ke raste par la raha hein…ye hamare bharat ka bhi swaroop badal raha hein….
Means HARIT PRAYAS is a movement which pull up the Bundelkhand region on
development path from the trap of underdevelopment and it is also contributing
for changing the development face of India
No comments:
Post a Comment