October 2019 - Volume 11 Issue 10 Rs 20

An education programme helps i n s i d e tribal children learn better Children in remote tribal villages in Odisha find learning difficult – they don’t understand Odia easily and teachers remain absent. Now, thanks to Tata Trusts and local partners, Sikhyasandhan, Jagruti and Karrtabya, and a study conducted by them to assess the reason for the low level of learning ability among tribal students at the primary level, teaching-learning material and pedagogy have been specially prepared. Local youth are also trained to help children learn better Environment or civic issues, he lets actions Rakhi Ghosh, from Kalahandi and Rayagada, Odisha speak out loud 2 ityanand Majhi, a Class reasons for the poor academic 4 student of Kumarkani performance of the students NPrimary School of here. Rampur Block in Odisha’s To try and understand the Kalahandi District, while once ground situation in five blocks reading out a stanza from his in three tribal-dominated dis- Odia text book, stopped at the tricts – Rayagada, Kalahandi and farmers reap word belabhumi (sea shore) and Kandhamal – Tata Trusts and its benefits of expert advice could not continue and complete local partners, Sikhyasandhan, to boost yield, income 3 his reading. His class teacher, Jagruti and Karrtabya, as a part without understanding his of their education programme, difficulty, scolded him in front conducted a study to assess the How wetlands are of the other students. reason for the low level of learn- shrinking due to Hailing from a small village ing ability among tribal students urbanisation: study 4 surrounded by hills in Rampur at the primary level so that the Block (ranked one of the low- right learning methods could be Children being taught using different flash cards. est in the development indicator implemented. index of the state), Nityananda “We did the study before keeping the academically disad- easily solve the arithmetic (prob- had never visited an area in the implementing our education vantaged children in mind. The lems) from my class text book plains; so, creating an image of a programme in 2015. There were education volunteers, mostly which was earlier difficult for sea shore for him was not easy. It many issues that came up and the youth from local areas, are also me,” says Sabitri, who is now in is a problem many students who major problem was that students trained to improve the learning Class 5. reside in remote tribal hamlets were not able to understand the ability of the students. “We also Explains education volunteer The mentally challenged in the southern parts of Odisha’s language, besides regular absen- imparted training to assistant Bijay Mallick: “When I joined, are, sadly, a forgotten lot tribal dominated districts have – teeism of teachers. So, our first teachers (sikhya sahayaks) to students of Class 5 were not in the villages 5 they really have no idea how the focus was preparing two sets of prepare teaching-learning mate- even able to recognise letters rest of the world looks like. work books – Ganita Pedi (box rials that would help them to and numbers. After attending Women take up organic Apart from finding difficulty of arithmetic) and Bhasa Duniya teach students in a joyful man- regular remedial classes, stu- farming, prove men with the language and coping (world of language). In these ner,” Sunderray points out. dents picked up and improve- with words like belabhumi in workbooks we have assembled Sabitri Karasika and Vidya ment was seen in their learning wrong 6 their text book, the other prob- 300-400 locally spoken words Takri were among other six stu- level. Today, each and every lem students face is the regular so that children can easily relate dents from Village Pajibali in student of the primary school is absence of teachers. There is with them,” says Pradeepta Sun- Muniguda Block of Rayagada able to read, write and calculate, usually just one assistant teacher derray, programme officer, Edu- District whose parents enrolled appropriate to their age.” for all students from Class 1 to cation, Tata Trusts. them in a nearby residential The villagers support the 5. The lack of interest among However, the work does not school. Reason: due to the regu- education volunteer. They feel teachers to teach tribal students end here. Innovative teaching- lar teacher being absent, students due to remedial classes the stu- and the dilapidated condition learning materials and pedagogy of village primary school were dents have no fear for studies. of school buildings are other have been specially prepared, poor in arithmetic and language “The remedial classes helped to skills. But the past three years, improve their understanding and enrollment in the primary school they are now performing well in Farmers reap rewards as has not only increased, but also the examinations,” Mallick says. silk farming takes off 7 age-appropriate learning ability It was also not easy for the has improved. education volunteer to teach all “My parents had enrolled me the students through teaching- in a residential school in Raya- learning materials. He divides gada but I could not cope up the students into three different with the studies as my founda- learning levels – high, medium tion was not clear. When my and low. Once the students find parents saw the teaching meth- it easier to learn, attendance ods of remedial classes in the improves. Today, every morning village primary school by our and evening, students reach their Why go to court when Photos: RG new education volunteer, they school; the education volunteer you can resolve disputes re-enrolled my name here and Education volunteer Bijay Mallick teaching primary school students, amicably? 8 using teacher-learning material. now I am confident that I can (Continued on page 2) 2 October 2019

Focus Environment or civic issues, he lets actions speak out loud Astal Anthony Tania, 16, is a resident of Uttan Village in Thane district, . At a young age, he had already made a mark in his village. Three years ago, he led an initiative where over 100 tree saplings in Uttan were planted. There was no looking back – he has brought other pressing issues to the fore Urvashi Sarkar, Thane, Maharashtra stal Anthony Tania listened. We started participat- environmental issues that the from other states work in tea recalls the circumstances ing in street plays on cleanliness community faces. shops and small hotels. These Athat led to the tree of the sea coast, child marriage, The children of the parliament children should be in school,” plantation initiative, “In school, and communal harmony. We have met their local MLA and he asserts. There are four com- we learned about the harmful also held interactions with local discussed concerns of cleanliness mittees in the children’s parlia- effects of global warming. Our ministers,” Astal says. of the coast, creeks and hospi- ment: education, health, finance teachers told us that children The parliament intends to take tals. During the meetings, they and environment. Astal, being could contribute toward the more collective action. Astal is take necessary photos and data, the oldest, leads the parliament environment by planting concerned about the dumping if available, to strengthen their and its committees. saplings. My father too informed ground in Uttan where garbage demands. The MLA has prom- “I have always been interested me that the government would from neighbouring villages and ised the children tankers for water in extracurricular activities at provide tree saplings to anyone Mumbai city is being dumped. supply. The parliament also vis- school and church activities,” who wanted them.” “When the rains come, the ited a hospital to check if essential Astal says when asked about

The teenager lives in an area garbage is carried along and medicines and vaccines were in his civic awareness. His par- Photo: US where pollution of the sea coast spreads all over. This brings stock. ‘Awareness picnics’ have ents encourage his endeavours. and dumping of waste have diseases and foul smell. People been conducted at the police sta- “They are happy with my par- Astal Anthony Tania. caused serious environmental also dump garbage in the creek tion and post office, and knowl- ticipation in state and national capital city started the newspaper and health issues such as den- and when the creek water meets edge sessions on the Constitution level events on child rights. I am in September 2003 to ensure their gue and malaria. Aston and the sea, it affects the fish. The of have also been held. also more confident now.” voices would not go unheard. He other children discussed about polluted water has caused the Astal is eager about the forth- Though Astal Anthony Tania too, wants to start a newspaper the menace of pollution at Bal death of fish in great numbers coming activities, too. The par- wants to be a genetic engineer, for children, complete with a Sansad, the children’s parlia- because of which the fish catch liament plans to do a survey of he is inspired by an initiative of team of reporters and editors. < ment in Uttan, of which he is a has also declined significantly,” literacy levels in Uttan. “Child street children in Delhi who runs member. the 16-year-old says, demon- labour is prevalent in this area a newspaper called Balaknama. (Courtesy: Charkha Features) It was in the course of the dis- strating his understanding of and we see that migrant children A group of street children in the cussions when Astal put forth a proposal for planting trees on June 5, 2016 to the parliament to celebrate World Environment Day. The parliament consisted An education programme helps tribal children... of 30 children. There was a con- sensus among the members of (Continued from page 1) the parliament to go ahead with the tree plantation drive. After teaches them by using different area.“But while conducting such enlisting their names for the teaching-learning materials and a study, they should also include drive, Astal wrote a letter to the clears their doubts. other aspects of falling of learn- government authorities with the In tribal-dominated villages, ing levels in state run primary help of his father, and requested the major hindrance for students schools,” says Pradhan. for tree saplings. The request is language. Teachers who belong Says Aswini Kumar Majhi, was granted. to the coastal belts and are posted education volunteer at the Soon, trucks arrived in Utan, in such villages teach students in Kumarkani Primary School in bearing 150 saplings. The chil- the Odia language, which is dif- Rampur Block in Kalahandi dren’s parliament met in the ficult for them to follow. The edu- District: “In 2015 when I joined, evening and decided to plant the cation volunteers emphasise on though the enrollment num- saplings the next day at a church the need to teach in the local tribal ber of this primary school was language so that students can between 70 and 75, only 20-25 in Uttan and surrounding areas. An education volunteer pictured with his students. Some samplings were still left, understand and interact easily. students were attending regu- and these were distributed to the “It is important to teach tribal larly. As their mother tongue is arithmetic more than language for students to improve their children so that they could plant students in their mother tongue. Kui (a tribal dialect) they have because arithmetic has more age-appropriate learning ability. near their homes. The tribal students do not feel an alien feeling for the Odia lan- teaching-learning materials. Sanjeev Kumar Naik, block Astal feels very proud of the comfortable with Odia language guage. Thus, they developed a Kabisurya Nayak, a father, education officer of Lanjigarht, plantation drive that Bal Sansad and take less interest in stud- fear for studies that resulted in says, “I have seen improvement in praises the work of education had organised because out of the ies. This is another reason of low learning levels.” my daughter. When the education volunteers. “Just three years 150 tree saplings, 80-90 of them drop out of tribal students from Tribal students regularly attend- volunteer started remedial classes, back, learning level of students have survived. For him, plant- schools,” says Anil Pradhan, ing remedial classes have devel- my daughter was then studying in were not up to the mark, but now ing the saplings meant moving secretary, Shikshasandhan, and oped interest in arithmetic. “We Class 1 and she enjoyed this joy- the scenario looks to be improv- a step ahead from just discuss- state convener, RTE Forum. teach them arithmetic through a ful learning method and picked ing. Through remedial classes, ing problems to taking remedial The Annual Status Educa- joyful method and use different up very quickly. Though she education and learning levels of actions. The children’s parlia- tion Report 2017 reveals that in kinds of teaching-learning mate- takes more interest in arithmetic, children have improved. Besides, ment, formed in July 2015 with Odisha, 4.6 per cent of teenagers rials to erase fear for math. After her language is better than ours.” school management committees help from the Centre for Social between the age group of 14 and two years of regular teaching, now The state government has have understood their roles and Action (CSA), and started its 18 are not able to do even basic the students of Class 5 are able to taken steps to appoint another responsibilities. They are raising activities by holding discussions reading of the courses in Class II teach younger students of their Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyan teacher voice if there is any absenteeism on child rights and local issues. in their own regional language. school,” says Sadan Naik, educa- where schools in remote villages of teachers or any other issues “In the course of just one year, While 43.5 per cent children tion volunteer, Talajhapi Primary are running with single teachers. related to mid-day meals.” < the parliament became stronger are able to do division, 56.5 per School in Rampur Block. Most The government has also started because we no longer just sat and cent are poor in the particular of the students agree they like Ujjala and Utthana programmes October 2019 3 Farmers reap benefits of expert advice, manage to boost yield and income Around 800 farmers in 11 villages in Bhor and Velhe cluster in Pune District are using their new farming skills and knowledge to increase agricultural production and income. Here’s how

Swapna Majumdar, Pune, Maharashtra hen farmer Shivaji crop, better variety of seeds and, opportunities accordingly. The programme chief, BAIF. Modern Shinde first planted using better farming technology study revealed that farmers here techniques of rice plantation were Wash gourd in a small and water management tech- were mostly small, with mini- taught, like the distance to be main- part of his field in Surwad niques are proving to be a boon mal education and had reduced tained between plants and rows, Village in Velhe cluster in Pune in an area where hilly topography the soil fertility due to excessive as well as urea deep placement District, he was both anxious and water scarcity make worse fertiliser usage. technology suited for smallholder and excited. Since he had never the vulnerability of farmers. Farmers had no awareness farmer agriculture production grown anything else but rice, “I was not aware that lady’s fin- about integrated water man- systems, to manage soil nutrient Shinde was anxious. This was ger required a measured quantity agement or about maintenance and crop disease. “Farmers were the first time he was growing of water and that flooding was of soil fertility and its role in also taken for exposure visits to vegetables in the interim period leading to fungus and aeration. improving productivity. Neither other districts so that they could before the next rice season. He It was only after learning about did they have any knowledge see the benefits on ground. Once was also excited at the prospect drip irrigation that I understood about integrated pest manage- they were convinced, 300 farm- Farmer Shivaji Shinde. of increasing his income as it that by controlling the watering I ment or managing pest damage ers were trained in the new tech- would help him repay his loans. could improve the porosity of the by the most economical means. niques,” discloses Pankaj Katte, mono-cropping and initiated crop After 90 days, when the first soil, thus boosting production. I Several meetings were held with BAIF project manager. rotation,” points out Sunil Cha- crop of ash gourd was ready for now save water and labour. I am the farmers to explain how produc- Within a year, in 2018, the van, agricultural expert, BAIF. harvest, Shinde’s nervousness really happy that I adopted this tion and incomes could increase rice yield increased from 1328 The success of the interven- turned to joy. So good was the new technique,” says Bodke. if these practices were adopted. kg/hectare to 1800 kg/hectare, tion is also due to the market yield that it earned him a net profit However, it wasn’t easy con- Having found that almost all farm- giving the 300 farmers grow- linkages provided and shared- of Rs 37000. He has now planted vincing the farmers in the begin- ers grew the traditional Indrayani, ing Phule Samruddhi, a 140 per costing strategy. “We help with the entire field with ash gourd. ning. Two years ago, in 2017, a variety of paddy that was more cent rise in incomes, according the equipment, seeds, training Shinde no longer has to depend when CybageAsha, the Pune- prone to pests and diseases, Cyba- to project records. The number of and linkages. The farmer has to on one crop to survive. Even if the based charitable trust and philan- geAsha and BAIF introduced farmers opting to grow vegetables chip in with costs of labour, fer- rainfall is poor and his rice produc- thropic arm of Cybage Software, Phule Samruddhi, a hybrid version increased from 15 to 350 after tilisers and pesticides, and water tion goes down, he can now rely began working here in partner- of the same rice variety developed doing so brought an additional tanker needed for drip irrigation. on ash gourd to boost his income. ship with the BAIF Institute for by Maharashtra’s famous MPKV income of at least Rs 35000. This way, they are invested in In nearby Sonde Mathana Vil- Sustainable Livelihoods and Rahuri University. Now, the villages are growing the process. This partnership lage, farmer Shantaram Bodke Development, farmers were not “This would lead to a 25-30 vegetables never sown before, makes the process sustainable has also learnt a new lesson. He ready to give up their agricultural per cent more yield than the other like cucumber, chillies, ridge and brings the smile back on wasn’t aware that his practice of practices. They didn’t believe variety. Also, it was best suited for gourd, bitter gourd, brinjal, cap- their faces,” says Nathani. < flooding the lady’s finger seed- that there were ways to improve the climate and was disease resis- sicum and coriander. “More (Courtesy: The Hindu BusinessLine) lings growing in his field was their yield and incomes. tant,” says Pradip Khose, joint importantly, it has prevented counterproductive. Instead of “We were aware of rural dis- increasing production, the over- tress and that many farmers were watering led to fungus. Conse- migrating to cities in search of quently, many of the seedlings better incomes. So, we wanted shrivelled up and died. After he to make a difference through our Bringing the best out of waste was introduced to drip irrigation integrated livelihood develop- technology (where the quantity ment programme. Considering Jyoti Singh, New Delhi of water can be controlled), there the climate conditions and the were fewer weeds, which reduced fact that the majority of farmers Water recycling is as important as water conservation. For recycling drainage water and labour costs. Importantly, the here grew rice, we had to ensure making it useful for daily use, the second phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage production of lady’s finger at sustainable development, liveli- streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) program was jointly launched by Minister for Science Bodke’s field went up from 50 kg hoods and incomes even during &Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan and King Willem-Alexander and Queen to 70 kg. He managed 17 harvests the off season. This could only Maxima of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. and earned a profit of Rs 40000 at be done through modern agri- The project, initiated in July 2017, aims at demonstrating a novel waste water management the end of three months. culture practices and income- approach that will produce clean water which can be reused for various purposes. The pilot It is not just Shinde and Bodke generating activities,” says Ritu scale modular plant upon commissioning will treat 10000 liters of sewage water per day. who have benefited. Around 800 Nathani, head, CybageAsha. This pilot scale facility will employ multiple technologies so that the data generated becomes farmers in 11 villages in Bhor and So, a study was conducted to a tool-box of treatment technologies for replication in Delhi and elsewhere where similar Velhe cluster in Pune district are check the soil fertility and the drains exist. The rationale is that the mixing and matching of technologies from this tool- using their new farming skills and socio-economic condition of box will depend on the quantity (flow rate) and quality (pollutant load) of drain water, land knowledge to increase agricul- the farmers in Bhor and Velhe availability, site accessibility as well as topography. tural production and income. The to enable identification of prob- Wetlab, a design challenge jointly supported by DBT-BIRAC and Netherlands Enterprise option of growing an additional lems and then design livelihood Agency is also being demonstrated. The intent of Wetlab is focused on making best ideas becoming an input for the realisation of the Water Experience Center that may further lead to turning the project site into an attractive center for education and technology demonstration for students, young professionals and creating opportunities for startups. In the first phase after selection process on both sides, the project had been finalised for setting up a demonstration plant for cleaning the Barapullah drain. Barapullah is a 12.5 km long drain responsible for about 30 per cent of pollution in the Yamuna river, collecting mainly domestic sewage and waste from small industry. The call supports high quality research and development programmes aiming at ‘new’ wastewater management to ensure good quality fresh water free of risk-causing contaminants and promote productive, safe reuse of water, thereby enhancing human and environmental health conditions. The LOTUS-HR project is jointly supported by Department of Biotechnology and Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. <

Photos: SM (Courtesy: India Science Wire) Farmers in Bhor and Velhe now grow more than one crop. 4 October 2019 How wetlands are shrinking due to urbanisation: study Wetlands are an integral part of the fragile ecosystem in the North Western Himalayas. Jammu and Kashmir has several wetlands but those located close to urban areas are showing signs of deterioration due to land use change, a new study has revealed Dinesh C. Sharma, New Delhi

arkara, a semi-urban soil loss in its catchment using a wetland located on the method called Revised Universal Noutskirts of Srinagar, has Soil Loss Equation in GIS. The shrunk a great deal in the past half a analysis showed decline in soil century. The area under agriculture erosion in the catchment area from has decreased by 78 per cent — 106 tonnes in 1965 to 62 tonnes in from 22.63 square kilometers in 2016. This reduction is attributed 1965 to 5 square kilometers in to barren lands and agriculture 2016. The decrease in agriculture being taken over by built-up area. area is mainly due to a rise in built “The reckless urbanisation up area which has gone up by 28 both within Narkara and its times in the past five decades. catchment not only affects the The analysis of land cover hydrology and ecology of this data from 2016 shows that the important semi-urban wetland catchment of Narkara wetland but also increases vulnerability of is now predominantly an urban people to flooding in this part of Photos: DS setting with built-up areas cov- Himalaya because wetlands act ering 37.12 per cent of the total as natural sponges and flood pro- catchment area. The pace of tection system,” points out Irfan urbanisation has been more pro- Rashid, assistant professor in the Change in land use in Narkara wetland between 2003 and 2019. nounced after 1980, according Department of Earth Sciences at to the study done by researchers the University of Kashmir, speak- “Wetland areas across Kashmir The lack of a comprehensive wetland is a breeding ground for from the University of Kashmir. ing to India Science Wire. have been reported to be shrink- wetland conservation policy water fowl species that migrate The researchers used very high The gradual squeezing of wet- ing primarily due to unplanned has turned wetland areas into from Russia and Central Asia resolution satellite data (3 metre) lands is affecting their buffering land system changes affecting the concrete jungle mainly due to during winters. to assess the changes occurring capacity to withhold flood waters buffering capacity of these eco- encroachments,” Rashid says. The study was done by Sheikh in the wetland over different time and storm water runoff. This was logically and socio-economically The catchment of Narkara Aneaus and Irfan Rashid, Geoin- periods. The observations were seen during the 2014 floods when important systems to withhold is predominantly a semi-urban formatics Program, Department then validated through ‘ground residential areas in the outskirts flood waters. It is amply clear setting with settlements, agri- of Earth Sciences, University of truth’ surveys. They also analysed of Srinagar, which used to be tra- from land use analysis that expan- cultural fields and table lands Kashmir. < the impact of land use change on ditional floodplains, were inun- sion of built-up areas has resulted locally called karewas which are health of the wetland by estimating dated for more than three weeks. in shrinkage of agriculture fields. barren denuded landscapes. The (Courtesy: India Science Wire)

A success story with harvesting rainwater Once, people in a village in West Bengal suffered from hunger, water scarcity and poverty. They changed their lives by employing one strategy – harvesting rainwater. It took only four years to transform a tragic story of want and hunger into one of happiness and prosperity

Shoma A. Chatterji, Kolkata

The story began at least two years before the West Bengal Pollution Control Board’s workshop on water conservation and rainwater harvesting held on January 16 in 2004. In the absence of any legislation in the state on rainwater harvesting, as is present in , the only solution to poverty resulting from water scarcity lay in the hands of the people. A visit to Bhalki Village, 165 km from Calcutta, very close to the Burdwan-Birbhum border, reveals a fairy tale. Until four years ago, the inhabitants were forced to live on the borders of starvation because crops failed. Why did the crops fail in an area popularly known as the granary of West Bengal? Not because there was no rain (the seasonal rain amounted to an average of 1500 mm), but because there was no way the rainwater could be stopped from flowing down the sloping tabletop land into the Ajoy River. Little rainwater, if any, seeped into the soil to keep it ready for tilling. Hundreds of acres lay bone-dry for years with no solution in sight. During the monsoon, a fair amount of rainfall is received in almost all parts of West Bengal. However, it is found that no measures are usually taken for utilising the resources, particularly in dry districts like Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia. Most of the rainwater finds its way to drains and nullahs as run-off. NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) was looking for a place to explore the possibilities of rainwater harvesting in West Bengal. At the time, Burdwan Zilla Parishad, thanks to the effort of Nabakumar Barman, then block development officer of the area, chose Bhalki for the experiment. They received assistance from the Bhalki Jala Bibhajika Prakalpa and, along with Ausgram II Panchayat Samitee, began the project in 2002. Since the villagers were rather sceptical of the project, the organisers began with a series of awareness-raising projects. These included group meetings, video shows, door-to-door campaigns and orientation programmes, backed by three pre-conditions to ensure the success of the project. These three pre-conditions were compulsory shramdaan (labour) by the villagers for a few days, a total ban on tree felling, and a total ban on free grazing. After initial reservations, the villagers got so deeply involved in the project that they formed self-help groups of their own. The groups divided different project jobs among themselves. Each group was represented by a leader of sorts at the ‘watershed’ committee, thus ensuring the participation of every family member in the project. They started preparing the land for rainwater harvesting. The hard soil was dug, low mud walls were erected to function as miniature dams, shallow tunnels were carved to channel rushing rainwater into the ponds they had dug. The next monsoon saw a different story unfold – one of progress and prosperity – much of the once-barren, red land was covered with plantations. Today, the land price in the area has shot up. The ponds are filled with fish. A plantation consisting of 70000 Sonajhuri trees have reduced temperatures. Horticultural gardens flush with fruit and vegetables border the ponds. Surplus vegetables are sold in the cities for a profit. Medicinal plants are also being grown along with rice cultivation in the low lands and a dense Akashmoni plantation will in another eight years change the colour of green to gold. < October 2019 5 The mentally challenged are, sadly, a forgotten lot in the villages Filthy with matted hair. Famished, looking for food in the garbage. A homeless wanderer. A ‘mad man’. People pass by without a second glance. Few have the time or the compassion to get involved. But a few do care; they search for help for this almost inhuman person, and they make a call to Udavum Karangal – an organisation that rescues homeless people

Dorothy Joseph, Chennai ver the past 35 years, Karangal boys”, is as dynamic at its centres in as the founder, S. Vidyaakar. OChennai, Coimbatore, He asked some pertinent ques- Thiruvannamalai and Madurai, tions: “Why can’t we prevent Udavum Karangal, founded by the mentally ill from wandering S. Vidyaakar, has rescued more on the streets? Can we help the than 1000 wandering men and families to look after the ones women. Some cannot wander; affected by mental illness?” they are emaciated or in chains. Thus, Parivartan, a unit of Uda- Often, the rescued women vum Karangal, was born in 2012 are pregnant. Udavum Karangal to take psychiatric treatment to goes all the way in rehabilitat- the doorstep of the rural poor in ing and giving a life of dignity the districts of Coimbatore. to the deeply scarred individu- Seventy per cent of India’s als. Apart from food, shelter and population lives in rural areas psychiatric treatment, a lot of with absolutely no help to cope effort is taken to trace the fami- with mental illness. Superstition lies of recovered patients and and stigma add to their woes. Kumar, a patient found chained Vidyaakar with the women of KarunaiIllam, Maduravoyal who were bring about a reunion. An amaz- Ratan and his team of dedi- by his family, was rescued and all rescued and rehabilitated. ing fact is that patients from dis- cated social workers’ first aim then rehabilitated at Udavum tant parts of India, sometimes was to create awareness about Karangal, Thiruvannamalai. foreigners, have been rescued mental illness. They carried and reunited with their families. the message that mental illness About 500 mentally ill men is treatable. This message was weather and steep hills and the and women enjoy a permanent taken not only to the villages but close-knit tribal communities home in Udavum Karangal. also to teachers and students in were suspicious of outsiders. They contribute by looking after schools. But one or two successful cases others, cooking and cleaning. The Parivartan Team set out convinced the people, and the The children born to rescued to work in a systematic way. team gained their trust. mentally ill women have become A survey of the villages was From 2012-2019, in the rural part of the Udavum Karangal done. They found the ‘hidden areas of Coimbatore, 806 men- family, enjoying the benefits of people’ behind locked doors tally ill people have benefitted any normal child. and some in chains. After the from Parivartan. In the tribal About 7 per cent of India’s survey and awareness camps, areas of Nilgiris, from 2015 to population, that is 95 million, psychiatric treatment camps 2019, the number of beneficia- is affected by severe mental are held. Psychiatric consulta- ries is 379. illness. One fourth of them are tion, counseling and free medi- Most of the rehabilitated were In Coonoor, an awareness camp at a tea estate. homeless. The plight of the cine are given. The success of supported to go back to their homeless, mentally ill people Parivartan can be attributed original work, for example, cannot be described in words. to the hard work of the team, tailoring, house work, looking Often, they are put on trucks that free transport to the patient after their cattle, etc. They are ply from the extreme corners of and family to attend the camps, able to earn a living and support India, and for a fee, they are put free medicine and above all their families. This building up down in any god-forsaken place. the home visits. The team vis- of self-esteem and dignity is the The women are raped, and both its each family to monitor the best therapy. men and women become victims medication and progress. Recently, Parivartan distrib- of human trafficking for body Encouraged by the success in uted 50 pairs of goats to recov- parts. Starvation and harshness the villages of Coimbatore, Ratan ered patients. They can earn of nature – rain, heat and cold and his team began Parivartan II a living by selling the kids. add to their misery. in the tribal areas in Coonoor. Grazing the goats involves no A team member of Parivartan A patient who has recovered now Ratan Vidyaakar, proud to call It was a bigger challenge here: expenditure, as there is plenty counselling women in Coonoor does tailoring. himself “one of the Udavum lack of basic facilities, inclement of grass. Looking after animals on mental illness. is again a great therapy bringing happiness and healing to these shepherds. Visiting the families regularly has familiarised the team with the life of the villagers, their needs and problems. So, Pari- vartan guides them in coping with other physical ailments, in the education of their children, etc. Ratan and his team respond to their needs in various ways: Some of those rehabilitated were given a pair of goats for their by distributing stationery, blan- livelihood. kets and mats to the elderly, People in the villages, espe- Ratan Vidyaakar, Udavum Photos: DJ and finding schools for special cially the mentally ill among Karangal, Coimbatore. < The Parivartan team donates mats, woollen blankets and stationary children. them, are a forgotten lot. If you to the residents of Coonoor villages. wish to help, you can contact 6 October 2019 Women take up organic farming, prove men wrong Malan Raut, Anjali Masurkar, Vaishali Ghuge and Mangal Waghmare ‘are brave women farmers heralding a silent but significant change on the ground in Maharashtra’s drought-hit Marathwada Region Radheshyam Jadhav, from the Marathwada Region “ ou cannot fight drought that required less water and to convince men that women can and destiny. When men no fertiliser. The women had a do a better job. Today, women Ycan’t do anything what very clear objective: they didn’t cultivate for family and also for are you going to achieve,” was want to cultivate for the market, the market,” says Anjali, who is the question Malan Raut faced but for survival. Malan’s family playing an active role in galva- from family members when she members first opposed and then nising women to join self-help insisted on cultivating a patch of ignored her and then decided to groups. family land. leave her to her fate. But today Sitting in her lush green farm Photo: RJ Anjali Masurkar ruffled many she is the lead player in farming in Andur Village of Osmanabad feathers when she dared cross the wheat, jowar, onion, soya and District, Vaishali Ghuge remem- Farmers from Latur have become masters of their own destiny. threshold of her husband’s home, vegetables in her 32 guntha land. bers the day that changed her life. ignoring the tradition of ghungat “But one must not completely “After every few years, there is group of women who added her in the region, but at the same (wearing a veil) to join a self- depend on agriculture. I have a drought and people migrate to their self-help group. “I also time thousands of women are help group and take up farming. poultry and even if the crop fails, to cities. A few years ago, I produce organic fertiliser, which working to combat drought and Vaishali Ghuge was all alone I am able to sustain my family,” was travelling and I saw a fam- has good demand,” she says poverty,” says Vikas Kamble in her struggle to cultivate the Malan says. Adds her husband ily where young children were proudly, showing off her newly- of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, a land with meagre water, while Sambhaji: “Like other men, I crying, hugging their parents built house. local NGO working with women Mangal Waghmare was ridiculed always believed that farming who were migrating to the city NGOs and government agen- farmers. < by her family and villagers when is a man’s job, but my wife has leaving the kids with relatives. cies have played the role of she claimed that farming could proved me wrong.” Drought inflicts tragedies,” she facilitators, while the women (Courtesy: The Hindu BusinessLine) be a beneficial venture. “There are many women like says with tears in her eyes. themselves are a driving force These brave women farmers Malan, who have taken up farm- Vaishali started cultivat- to bring about change. “There is are heralding a silent but sig- ing. In villages, it was not easy ing vegetables and then met a rising number of farmer suicides nificant change on the ground in Maharashtra’s drought-hit Mar- athwada Region. Malan, Anjali, Vaishali, Mangal and hundreds like them have developed oases in their parched villages by Green Revolution must evolve, refocus on using traditional techniques and organic farming and by creating parallel sources of income such strengthening climate-science, innovation as poultry, goat rearing, dairy etc so that their families survive, MSSRF even in a drought. Mangal Waghmare from Latur The Green Revolution that transformed agricultural production in Asia-Pacific, the world’s largest region, is alive and well but explains the silent change that is must retool to embrace climate-sensitive innovations and technologies to sustainably meet the increasingly complex demands of taking place in Marathwada. She a nutrient-deficient world, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has said. says that women have realised The call was made during a special meeting to commemorate 30 years of development achievement of the M.S. Swaminathan that men run after cash crops Research Foundation under the outstanding leadership of its mentor and visionary, M.S. Swaminathan, a trailblazing scientist such as cotton and sugarcane that spent decades applying scientific research to tackle hunger, malnutrition and poverty. and are interested in farming Swaminathan was one of the founders of the Green Revolution, but also a visionary who embraced the important concept of when abundant water is avail- sustainable development before most – lecturing on the importance for sustainable agriculture as far back as the late 1960s. able. Women step into farming “The world, and indeed this Asia-Pacific Region, has learned a lot due to Dr Swaminathan and the work conducted by the when there is little water and research foundation in his name. We have much to be grateful for as food production increased through the decades and hunger little money to cultivate. and poverty had been in retreat,” said Kundhavi Kadiresan, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Asia A few years ago, Malan Raut and the Pacific. “To feed a burgeoning global population with nutritious food we have to consider the symbiotic relationships and her family struggled for sur- between agriculture, biodiversity and climate change. We have to look at the enabling factors of science, technology and vival like others in the region. innovation, of synergies and efficiencies through partnerships and investment, and of empowering women and youth to increase “Village women used to discuss the viability of farming.” what we can do to save our fam- While the Green Revolution was fundamental in increasing food production, it also relied heavily on mono-cropping and the ilies from drought. We realised extensive use and, in many cases, overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides which, over time, degraded soil, polluted water that we have to cultivate at least and undermined biodiversity. for our own livelihood. This In order to sustainably increase food production, while streamlining food systems, FAO has called for greater deployment, is how it started,” recalls the and a scaling-up, of accessible digital and data-intensive technologies to be readily available to small-scale farmers, fishers and woman farmer from Nagarsoga foresters. Under sustainable agriculture, the only input to use intensively would be data, while minimising the use of physical Village in Latur District. inputs (fertiliser, chemicals, or water) while using proven techniques such as intercropping, crop rotation, low-tillage and The Economic Survey 2017-18 integrated pest management. observed that with rural to urban There are many examples already, from the use of on-farm sensors for real-time management of crop and livestock systems, to migration by men growing, the the mapping of soil nutrition status which allows for more targeted and effective nutrient management practices. Using wireless agriculture sector is witnessing sensors to monitor environmental conditions such as soil moisture, allowing for more efficient water use and using digital ‘feminisation’. More and more technology to monitor the weather and provide early warning services are important resilience-boosting tools. women are taking on multiple “The global trends of a growing inequality, shifting demographics, increasing urbanisation and changing climate have roles as cultivators, entrepre- created a global challenge. We have to increase food production while protecting the environment from biodiversity loss and neurs and labourers. climate change. ” said Kadiresan “We are glad to join hands with the Swaminathan Foundation and move towards a healthier, Malan and other women turned more equitable, sustainable and climate resilient future,” she said. < to organic farming and started cultivating indigenous variet- (From a syndicated feed) ies of vegetable and foodgrains October 2019 7

A Journal of Press Institute of India Farmers reap rich dividends Research Institute for Newspaper Development Second Main Road, Taramani CPT Campus, Chennai 600 113 Tel: 044-2254 2344 Telefax: 044-2254 2323 www.pressinstitute.in as silk farming takes off Director & Editor Sashi Nair A subsidised sericulture scheme has helped uplift the hardworking women farmers of Himachal Pradesh. [email protected] The scheme means extra money in hand and a hope to generate more income as the government Assistant Editor explores new areas to expand sericulture to give a boost to the marginal farmer Susan Philip Assistant Manager Sarita Brara, Solan, Himachal Pradesh & Editorial Coordinator R. Suseela ive years ago, Manorama, [email protected] wife of a daily wage labourer, came to know Senior Manager - Accounts F & Administration about a scheme to earn money by developing silkworm larvae into N. Subramanian cocoons. Eager for extra income [email protected] to provide for the education of her three children, Manorama, Design and Layout who hails from Batal Village in P. Dhanasekar Kunihar Block of Solan District Advertising in Himachal Pradesh, took up R. Geetha the challenge. Manorama had to pay 10 per Despatch cent of the cost of a breeding iron B. Rajendran stand for rearing silkworm larvae and keep vigil till they developed The Press Institute of India does not take into cocoons, a process that takes responsibility for returning unsolicited 20 days to a month, depending on material. It may not always be possible the breed of the silkworm and the Women farmers are given tips on planting the mulberry saplings. to reply to senders of unsolicited material. Opinions expressed in this prevailing temperature. Today, she publication do not necessarily reflect is able to earn around Rs 15000 by shed built at a cost of Rs 1.2 lakh At present, barring a few women rears the seeds (eggs) into larvae the views of the editor or publisher. breeding silkworms twice a year. (90 per cent of the cost will be like Manorama, most women in and then gives it to the identified Fresh from a five-day train- borne by the government). This the village pay Rs 500 to Rs 1000 farmers.” Every effort has been taken to assure ing in sericulture in Nalagarh means that they will have more to get mulberry foliage from oth- Door-to-door agents are that the accuracy of information recently under the beneficiary space to rear silkworms and the ers in the village as they do not deployed for disinfection before contained in this publication is based empowerment programme, process will not be confined to get enough from their own plants. the larvae are provided, para on reliable sources. All trademarks Manorama is looking forward the rearing stand that has to be Champa, who is also a ward mem- workers monitor the proper and trade names mentioned in this magazine belong to their respective to increase her earnings in the kept inside the house. ber of Batal Panchayat, says it is growth of the larvae and the owners. In case of error editor/ coming years. “We were given The enterprising women, difficult to feed the larvae for 20 cleanliness being maintained at publisher shall not be liable for any tips on how to properly plant the including Manorama, are also to 30 days from the few mulberry the beneficiary houses. loss or prejudice caused to the reader. mulberry saplings so that they do getting 300 mulberry saplings plants she has. But, with the onset The beneficiaries are selected The publisher reserves the copyright with the help of panchayati raj of the materials published in the not dry up, when to use manure, during the rainy season (200 of monsoon and the fresh set of magazine. No part of the articles or and how to rear the larvae for have already been provided to plants provided to them, Champa institutions and through hold- photographs can be reproduced without getting good-quality cocoons.” each one of them). “As of now, and others have reason to be ing awareness camps, especially the prior permission of the publisher. At present, ten women in I just have about 50 mulberry optimistic. in areas where mulberry trees All disputes will be subjected to the this tiny village near Arki are plants for rearing the larvae. Kanta too is looking forward already grow. The cocoons are jurisdiction of Chennai only. engaged in sericulture under a Once these 300 plants start to having a shed of her own and graded into three categories. highly-subsidised government growing foliage, and with a more plants. With just three big- Last year, dried cocoons fetched Advertisement Tariff scheme. Five of them, who fall huge shed to breed these larvae, has of land, Kanta has to work as the beneficiaries an average I am sure I will be able to raise a farm hand to earn a living. Her price of Rs 850 per kg. under Scheduled Caste category, Full Page: B&W: Rs. 5,000 are going to get a 15 by 20 feet my income substantially.” husband takes up odd jobs on a In Dehra division of Kangra day-to-day basis. District, some farmers have Colour: Rs. 10,000 “The government scheme is been able to earn as much as Rs 100 per cent for women, meant to 2-2.5 lakh annually. The average Half Page: B&W: Rs. 3,000 provide some additional income income generated annually is in Colour: Rs. 5,000 to farmers living on the margins.” the range of Rs 15000-18000 per The work does not require any beneficiary. (Plus 5% GST) special skill and family members The scheme is becoming too can help. Moreover, it does popular day by day. In Solan Mechanical Details not interfere with the farmer’s District, in 2012-13, there were daily agriculture routine, says 37 farmers; today 585 are part Bleed : 254 mm x 355 mm

Photo: SB Baldev Chauhan, deputy director, of the income-generating pro- The beneficiaries are selected with the help of panchayat raj HP Industries (Sericulture). gramme, all of them women. Material can be sent by email to institutions and through awareness camps, especially in areas Under the highly subsidised Chauhan says that so far, more [email protected] or by where mulberry trees already grow. scheme, besides the rearing than 10480 farmers in the state CD to our address given above stand, the beneficiaries get larvae (mainly women) have benefited at a nominal price, disinfectants from the initiative that has gen- free of cost, bed cleaning nets erated an annual income of Rs Annual Subscription and spray pumps, as cleanli- 10 crore for them, with hardly 12 Issues Rs. 240 ness is paramount for the proper any investment. Mulberry trees 36 Issues Rs. 680 growth of the silkworms. Bed were traditionally grown in Please note that the cheque or disinfectant kits are given to the Bilaspur District but now seri- demand draft or at par cheque beneficiaries to safeguard against culture activities have spread to payable in Chennai, for the diseases. 10 districts of the state, includ- subscription amount should “We buy the silkworm seeds ing the latest, Kinnaur. < be drawn in the name of Press (eggs) at the rate of Rs 700 per Institute of India ONLY ounce but charge a nominal Rs 80 (Courtesy: The Hindu BusinessLine) and NOT in the name of the Last year, dried cocoons fetched the beneficiaries of the sericulture from the farmers. The department Grassroots. scheme an average price of Rs 850 per kg.

Published by Sashi Nair on behalf of The Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development, RIND Premises, Second Main Road, Taramani CPT Campus, Chennai 600 113 and printed by V. Manivannan at R.V. Printers, No.1, 127 Lattice Bridge Road, Adayar, Chennai 600 020. Editor: Sashi Nair 8 Registered with The Registrar of Newspapers for India under TNENG/2009/27557 Why go to court when you can resolve disputes amicably? Neen Panchayat in Shimla District shows how disputes can be resolved without moving court. You find women empowerment come to the fore here, as they tackle various issues – exploitation of women, education, health, social issues, bank linkages and poverty

Sarita Brara, Shimla n May this year, garbage Cases that come before the villages and there is less scope was dumped by a hotel Neen Panchayat are few and far for fraud and manoeuvring. Iat the road head of Neen between and the effort is to reach One of the cases that came Gram Panchayat near the tourist a compromise, says the panchayat before the Neen Panchayat two resort of Naldehra in Shimla pradhan (head), Asha. The cases months back involved friction District. The Neen Panchayat usually involve fights between between a couple, says Asha. A immediately called a meeting couples, minor scuffles, disputes woman visited her parents without and discussed the issue. The over passage between neigh- informing her husband, follow- hotel staff was summoned and a bours, a case or two of violent ing a row. The husband filed an fine of Rs 501 was imposed on behaviour or straying of cattle. application before the panchayat, the owners of the hotel. The village panchayats have wanting separation from his wife The panchayat also wanted to been given judicial powers over the issue. The couple was

lodge an FIR against the hotel. to handle minor civil, crimi- summoned by the panchayat and Photo: SB But the issue was resolved with nal cases referred to them by counselled by the pradhan that Troubleshooter Asha Pradhan along with other women. the hotel promising not to dump the revenue courts. The rival the issue did not warrant a break garbage in future and offering to parties plead their own case, in relationship. Ultimately, the to allow a neighbour use of a India for about three years. The pay for hoardings on sanitation and not through lawyers. The fight was sorted out and now the path that happened to fall in his endeavour of the panchayat is to and cleanliness. Panchayati Act provides for dis- couple lives happily, says Asha. domain. The neighbour made settle cases through counselling Situated in the midst of the posal of cases at the panchayat The cases that take time usu- a complaint about this to the or compromise so that nobody pines and lush green, terraced level so that the villagers do not ally involve the use of hill pas- panchayat. When both parties has to move courts. fields of maize and seasonal veg- have to waste their time, money sages or paths that come under were adamant, the panchayat Asha says that if a case involves etables, Neen Gram Panchayat and energy in litigation, and are the property of a family. Many a had to forward the case to the a woman, the effort is to resolve is one of the most peaceful of not exploited by lawyers. time, the pradhan’s tenure is over police. Later, however, a com- it through the Sundaram Mahila panchayats where people live The panchayats are sup- before it is amicably resolved promise was reached and the Gram Sangathan they have in harmony. But with over 380 posed to resolve the cases in and the case lingers on till the police complaint withdrawn. formed involving 13 SHGs in the families living across nine reve- three months. Their decisions new panchayat head takes over. A double MA in political sci- gram panchayats. The women nue villages that come under this are considered ‘just’ because In one such case, a person ence and Hindi, Asha also has the organisation has formed seven gram panchayat, some minor people generally know about in Palog Village under the experience of working with the committees on aspects such as incidents are bound to happen. the offences committed in the Neen Gram Panchayat refused Association for Social Health in sexual exploitation of women, education, health, social issues, bank linkages and poverty. Fresh from a two-day training on judicial functions and pow- She spearheaded the movement for ‘gender ers, Asha says that she will try to see how issues can be resolved with the help of these commit- and equity’, empowered women tees before they even come before the panchayat. They have As a tribute to the late Jaya Arunachalaman, a renowned Indian social worker and the founder of Working Women’s Forum, already successfully handled one a non-governmental organisation, a seminar was delivered by Nandini Azad, her daughter, at the MS Swaminathan Research such case in the past. This was Foundation recently. Prof Swaminathan, founder, MSSRF said the only tribute that one could pay for such a great icon who had of a suspicious husband who worked for the empowerment of poor women was by continuing her work. kept following his wife around, Here is a summary of what Nandini Azad, a senior women leader in the cooperative movement at the national, regional and thus neglecting the children and international levels, said: his work in the fields. As the Club of Rome was seized by the ‘zero growth’ phenomenon in the early 1970s, the need for bottom-up development This was when the Sangathan of the poor, women and vulnerable emerged changing international development thinking to the era of “growth with equity”. stepped in. Asha, who is also At the same time, the first World Conference on Women took place in 1975, Jaya Arunachalam emerged from this decade secretary of the Sangathan, said organising poor women in the informal sector. Countering the pillars of caste, class and gender Jaya Arunachalam spearheaded the women members counselled the movement for “gender and equity”, initiating the Working Women’s Forum in 1978 and the Indian Cooperative Network the husband over three rounds, for Women in 1981. The rest is history in the annals of the International Women’s Movement. bringing him around to his folly, Jaya Arunachalam’s work based on practical and sustainable solutions for poor women was based on an alternate development with happy results. conceptualising productive, reproductive and community management roles of poor women in a holistic fashion. The realisation According to additional direc- being that a counter-culture was essential to turn the pillars of caste, class and gender discrimination; that is, countering tor, HP Panchayati Raj, Kewal structural poverty and changing the nature of social relations to empower women. Without which economic empowerment or Sharma, thematic training is access to credit would have been insufficient or inadequate. organised from time to time but Voluntary women’s credit groups for community development were used for social transformation through health care or the fresh training such as the one credit as a means. According to Jaya Arunachalam, “Credit is a means to promote transformation amongst women from their Asha underwent has been under- socially backward situation. Through demonstrations in villages, lobbying with local panchayats or local government or petition taken in the wake of huge pen- to national/ international governments, the agenda of poor women was advocated and campaigned with policy-makers, dency of cases in the panchayats. implementers. Particularly, the current mainstream model in South Asia with its largely welfare and top-down approach, often Sharma says that it was brought did not allow the empowerment of women.” to the notice of the department Turning the pillars of patriarchy, Jaya Arunachalam initiated a counter culture wherein poor women isolated within four walls that over 4000 cases were pend- and with the multi-fold disabilities could weave together a new paradigm of gender and equity. Advocating to international and ing before panchayats across the national governments that unless poor women participated through self-help and participatory action at various levels of governance state, some for as long as 8-10 economic, social, political, democracy still remained inadequate. She has also demonstrated a unique voluntary effort of a vast mass years. This, he says, defeats the of poor women (the target group) to policy makers and designers that given an opportunity, the society of vulnerable poor women very purpose of giving judicial could be motivated to participate actively in the mainstream institutions (banks, hospitals, municipalities, police stations) of society. powers to the panchayats, which Her greatest achievement was giving a new lease of life and confidence to lakhs of petty women traders whose existence till is for early, transparent and easy Working Women’s Forum was initiated one of darkness due to lack of credit, exploitation, ignorance and servitude. < disposal of cases. <

(Courtesy: mssrf) (Courtesy: The Hindu BusinessLine)