The villagers are stirring… are development actors reacting?

DAY 22 of the WALK FOR MEANINGFUL LIFE

 

1/3^rd of the way through the Padayatra, we stopped to reflect… we have been promoting social action.. the poor taking charge of their lives.. the response of people to the Padayatris  has been astounding… we kept getting feelers that there was social movement… we decided to investigate and follow-up… a team detached itself from the Padayatra and started visiting villages that had been reached by the Padayatra in the first 15 days… trying to see whether any action has happened… this is what we have found in the first 3 days… this is only a snapshot…

 

• Women have filed a petition in the police station asking for prohibition (already reported)
• Youth in three villages have vowed to reduce consumption of ghutka and other forms of tobacco
• Villagers have started libraries.
• Groups of villagers have visited Ralegaonshindi and Hivre Bazaar to understand how a village develops itself through social action.
• Villagers living on the edge of a sanctuary have started a dialogue with the forest department to resumption of their right of access to Non Timber Forest Produce.
• A group of villagers have decided to use the Right to Information Act to understand irregularities and malpractices in the implementation of EGS in their village.
• Village Education Committees in 4 villages have decided to understand their functions better and hold the teachers accountable.
• One grampanchayat has asked us for help in developing a village level drought mitigation micro-plan.. they claim that they will try and raise resources internally and through government funds!

 

People are reacting positively… by and large there is no evidence of the apathy and dependence on ‘mai-baap’ sarkar that all of us have been taking for granted… the signs are encouraging… these reactions, to our mind, carry an important message for all development actors – NGOs, government and aid agencies…. … if people are convinced of the sincerity and honesty of the message givers, they are willing to take the first step, many steps for their own development. We feel that it is now upto us, development actors, to pick up the gauntlet… can we run with this challenge that people are throwing us?

 

The Padayatra has attracted a number of eminent people in the development field. The interactions between these persons and the villagers have been an enriching experience for both. Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Chairperson of Stree Aadhar Kendra and a Member of Legislative Council of Maharashtra has announced a grant of Rs. 5 lacs from her Fund for Local Area Development. This amount is to be used to develop a Local Resource Centre that will address the information needs of villages in Latur district.

 

One of the objectives of the Padayatra was to connect rural India with Urban India… the poor with the well-to-do… some urban based people are already walking.. a large mass remains untouched… a social action has been planned for them as well…. more of that in the next sit rep….

 

The MAHARASHTRA VIKAS NIDHI (MAHARASHTRA DEVELOPMENT FUND) has not seen much movement after the initial flurry… it (and the poor people) awaits contributions from all of you… Watch this space for further updates. Do also watch the blog at www.greenearthconsulting.org/padayatraprogress.htm. A number of the CSOs participating in the Padayatra are partners of the Poorest Area Civil Society (PACS) programme. Stories and updates of the Padayatra are available at the  PACS website www.empowerpoor.org

 

Makarand Sahasrabuddhe

grnearth@vsnl.com, 020-25466103, 09422521703

Dushkaal Hatawu : Manoos Jagawu

(Eradicate Drought : Save Humanity)

January 23, 2006