Soochna Ka Adhika (RTI) through HARIT PRAYAS VIC

Capacity building of community members ( especially Dalits) on Grievance redressal mechanism (for getting their due entitlements) is one of the most important components of Project HARIT PRAYAS.The objective is to make the community members aware of existing grievance redressal mechanism of Government of India and the state Government, which is meant for people’s welfare.

With HARIT PRAYAS continuous approach for working for the betterment of SC community  in 18 months HARIT PRAYAS has not only empowered SC community to demand their rights but have also given an identity  with dignity to  SC community in the region like Bundelkhand.

The said change is seems to easy to read but it could be considered as the biggest change by HARIT PRAYAS because in the Bundelkhand region  and especially in 20 villages of HARIT PRAYAS in Jhansi baseline report said that before the implementation of the project hardly there were anyone from the community who used to demand for their right and in case of SC community it was complete zero! For SCs demanding right was quite far, they were even not aware about what are their rights? Its the HARIT PRAYAS intervention in the region ( (in 20 villages of  BABINA Block in Jhansi) where CBOs in the form of  farmers club & Mahila Mandals have formed ( with mixed community group-sitting together at common places), on n average daily workshops have been organized by the HARIT PRAYAS Jhansi team ( especially with SC community), interface has been promted with PRI and other institutions and confidence of the community has built with being the friend with them. This all has changed the environment and today SC community is not the apart from the society it’s the integral part of the society ( not only physically, but socially too)!

Follow up report: Grievance redressal mechanism

June 15, 2012

As per the baseline survey report of Project HARIT PRAYAS target community members of 20 villages of Babina block were hardly aware of ‘Jan Suvidha Kendra’ www.jhansi.nic.in/jjsk.htm

The urban population in Jhansi does use this grievance redressal system frequently but till now it has not been used by the rural community. In our project area people do complain about bureaucrats’ apathy, red-tapism of Bank officials, Block level officers etc.

The IEC material on Government schemes had been published last year under the project. The cluster coordinators and field coordinator ensured that people do read the IEC material and use it as per their need. In that IEC material the phone numbers of Jan Suvidha Kendra was also given by JCSS team of HARIT PRAYAS.

Ramlal, the 28 years old youth of Rajapur village, who belongs to SC community, went to Sarva U.P Grameen Bank, Raksha branch, for getting his bank account opened. But despite of submitting all the required documents the bank officials did not open his bank account. He tried to know the reason that why his account is not being opened, but in vain.

Later on he made a phone call to Jan Suvidha Kendra and lodged his complaint on 18^th January, 2012. The complain number was 45116. He followed all the instruction given to him by the Grievance Redressal Authorities and finally the bank officials requested him to come to the bank and to collect his passbook. On May 7, 2012 Ramlal received acknowledgement letter w.r.t to redressal of his complain.

During interaction with Ramlal, one can notice the confidence he has gained after this whole episode. Now he motivates other community members to lodge heir complains at Jhansi Jan Suvidha Kendra. He asks, “If we don’t fight for our right then who will?” Ramlal is also an active member of Adarsh Kisan Club, Rajapur. He will be source of inspiration for other community members also.

The way forward

Team JCSS will be spreading this story in all 20 villages, among the poor and marginalized section of society. The Xerox copy of the case study and letters will be shown to the community members and they will be motivated for using government’s grievance redressal mechanism.