DAY 1 of the WALK FOR MEANINGFUL LIFE
Dushkaal Hatawu :
Manoos Jagawu
(Eradicate Drought : Save Humanity)
January 01, to February 28, 2006
At the break of dawn on the 1st of January 2006 the Padayatra
for drought eradication was launched in the village Kasari in the Ashti tehsil
of Beed district in Maharashtra. Over 200 people started the Padayatra in the
presence of Rajendrasinghji who has come to Maharashtra only to participate in
the Padayatra and contribute to the war on drought. Other prominent social
activists including Dr. Rajanikant Arole, Dr. Dwarkadas Lohia have joined the
Padayatra on the first day. While passing through Ashti over 1000 people,
including the local MLA, welcomed the Padayatris.
The
Padayatra is a first step in ensuring that people can lead a meaningful life.
The Padayatra is being organized so as to get closer to people and understand
the issues that govern their lives. The Padayatra will wend its way through 56
villages across 9 districts before ending at Gandhiji’s Ashram at Sewagram. On
the 1st of March the Padayatris will proceed to Dikashabhoomi at
Nagpur where they will take an oath to eradicate drought from lives of the
people.
In the
backdrop of the Padayatra five teams of experienced social development
professionals are undertaking assessments on the issues that people face. They
are living in the villages with the people and investigating areas like
livelihoods, water, children, women, the aged, education, agriculture etc. They have started reporting back some of the
more dismal tales.
The Padayatra has reached the village
Dhangarjawalka in Beed district today. The assessment team has identified
significant malpractice in the Employment Guarantee Scheme works that are going
on in the village. Workers are being exploited, their wages not paid, no
measurements being taken, no musters maintained and no facilities provided. The
Sarpanch is part of the exploiters. Coming on the backdrop of the Maharashtra
Government’s decision to reduce the number of days under the EGS from the all
tear round to a maximum of 100 pr person, this situation is alarming. A back up
team has taken up the issue and is meeting the Tehsildar with details today.
In the neighbouring village of
Shikharwadi 350 of the 500 people living there, most of them farmers, have
migrated in search of work. The very old are in charge of looking after the
very young for this 4 month period.
The
Dushkaal Hatawu : Manoos Jagawu forum has announced the formation of the MAHARASHTRA VIKAS NIDHI (MAHARASHTRA DEVELOPMENT FUND).
The Maharashtra Vikas Nidhi will collect funds from a cross section of people
and institutions. Funds thus collected will be used for drought eradication
work. The trustees of the fund will be eminent people from the social
development field in Maharashtra. They will report back to the members of the
public through quarterly reports, technical and financial. The legal processes
of formation are underway. You are all invited to participate and contribute
towards the fund.
We will
strive to keep you abreast of the developments. Watch this space for further
updates. Also watch the blog at www.greenearthconsulting.org/padayatra.htm
Makarand Sahasrabuddhe
grnearth@vsnl.com, 020-25466103,
09422521703
On behalf
of Dushkaal Hatawu : Manoos Jagawu
January 02,
2006