Panchayat Gram Sabha: The Panchayat is accountable to the Gram A Gram Sabha in Village Kodli Sabha at the Panchayat level. Apart from conducting the beneficiary On a sunny afternoon in December 2003, selection for the implementation of the different schemes, the Gram the general body -comprising nearly 1000 people- of village Kodli, situated in the semi Panchayat is to present the audited accounts to the Gram Sabha of the arid tracts of Northern in different villages twice in a year. Convergence, Linkages and were discussing how to mobilize contribution for watershed treatments on common lands. Cooperation and Collaboration between the Gram Collaboration among “Who will pay the contribution for the Panchayat and the VDS treatment on the village uplands? That land is the common property of the entire village,” said Deshmukh, the village leader. “If it Although the Gram Panchayat has the was a treatment on the private property, the individual farmer could pay the contribution Institutions through as he/she is the direct beneficiary. Here no one is a direct beneficiary. Who will pay the legal right to call a Gram Sabha, it is in mandatory contribution for the watershed treatments? How do we resolve this issue?” the VDS general body meetings where Gram Sabhas “The treatment in the commons will benefit the entire village. Any water conservation the true spirit of the Gram Sabhas was effort will lead to the recharge in the plots in the lower reaches. Also the drinking water wells in the village will get recharged. As all are getting the benefit, all should pay first noticed. The participation, (Village Level General Body Meetings) equally!” said Khatal Saab, a progressive farmer. transparency and the questioning that is “But not all people have land! The landless are not benefiting as much from the project usual business in the VDS general as the farmers on whose land the work is being done,” said Gauribi, a landless laborer. “As landless do not gain anything, why should we pay the contribution? Also,bodies was earlier missing in the Gram Sabhas. Subsequently, with better there are farmers in the village whose land does not fall in the watershed boundary.linkages between the Gram Panchayat and VDS- the graduation of Why should they pay the contribution?” members from the VDS to the Gram Panchayat, the Gram Panchayat Numerous other dimensions surrounding the issue were discussed openly. Finally, after long deliberations, there was a consensus that the contribution for the treatmentworking closely with the VDS Governing Council, the difference between on the private land will be raised to 30% instead of the prevailing 25% while nothe Gram Panchayat constituted Gram Sabhas and VDS general body contribution will be collected for treatments planned on the common lands, the extra 5% being a commitment towards community contribution to the common land treatments.meetings has reduced. There are examples emerging of the two institutions Such village general body meetings locally called Gram Sabhas, are usually held forworking in synergy. Recently, the two institutions have placed their agendas arriving at a consensus on issues that are of common interest to the entire village. Inin a common Gram Sabha. The Panchayat members attended a Gram the case of village Kodli, the Gram Sabhas have become a convergence point for bringing together institutions involved in the implementation of various programs. Sabha called by the VDS governing council. The panchayat members placed an agenda for the meeting and the distribution of different kinds of ration cards based on the economic status of the beneficiary was done in a highly transparent manner in this Gram Sabha. This bodies well for the future when the project is in its withdrawal stages.

Learnings differences in the process of conduct of ✽ Enhanced organizational capacities of the community in the VDS transferred to the Gram Sabhas called by the two the larger Panchayat system

institutions. ✽ Integration of institutions for mainstreaming of development activities with in VDS Gram sabha: The constitution of CBOs for sustainability of activities undertaken as part of various programs An experience shared at the governing council of the VDS, the ✽ Common platform created in the form of gram sabha for involving all the Capitalization of Experiences: sanctioning of the plot wise microplans members of the community in decision-making processes especially during the selection of beneficiaries for development programs for the watershed treatments, the selection of beneficiaries for the different Water, Land and People in India activities, arriving at consensus for addressing common issues like wage ✽ Discussions in the Gram Sabhas on the plan, progress and other project fixation, deciding on local contribution on common and private lands, etc. related issues openly ensured that information and decision making on all aspects including finances was in the public domain are all done collectively by the village community in a Gram Sabha. ✽ The different social groups in village Kodli began to come together and think together as a community. Change towards integration M Y R A D A

In Kodli, for the conduct of the VDS Gram Sabha, the VDS requests the Kodli Gram For details of Capitalization of Experiences process contact : Panchayat for providing the services of the “official information disseminator” (locally India : [email protected] Switzerland : [email protected] called Tom-Tom). This arrangement provides legitimacy to the VDS general body meeting and elevates its status to that equivalent to a Gram Sabha. M Y R A D A ISPWD-K Chincholli Project, KODLI - Post, Chincholli Tq, Dt, Karnataka, INDIA Phones : 08475 - 292002, E-mail : [email protected] Background and transparent functioning has been able costs through service charges by operation on a not-for-profit principle. CMRC governing body consists of 15 women representing SHGs from Indo Swiss Participative Watershed to establish its own identity as a strong different villages. Development Project Karnataka (ISPWDK) village based institution and has established started in 1995 in five districts of Karnataka viz. strong linkages on its own. Bidar, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Koppal and The VDS for effective functioning delegates Linkages between institutions Chikmagalur. It was initiated as a bilateral project responsibilities of implementation to The linkages between the SHGs, VDS, in collaboration with Government of Karnataka (GoK) and 5 NGO different sub- committees constituted for CMRC and VDS constituted committees partners. The project entails a multi partnership set-up with community- different purposes like the watershed What is VDS? work on a principle of delegation of based organisations as the main stakeholders at village level. management committee (for the ✽ Village-based responsibility. There are clear reporting systems to the respective agency on the Initially the implementation of the project was largely through government implementation of watershed works), ✽ Full representation of the village stipulated frequency, which is usually line agencies - with NGO partners providing capacity building. But slowly livelihood committee (for the livelihood activities), etc. The sub-committees, ✽ Elected Committee (the monthly. The Gram Panchayat and its sub people controlled institutions called Village Development Societies (VDS) Governing Council) comprising of resource persons drawn from committees also have well defined role and responsibilities. evolved from the learnings gained during the implementation. The VDS ✽ Focus beyond watershed different social groups in the village, report are expected to complement the larger local government administrative ✽ Permanent In Kodli VDS Governing council, there is a regular position of the Gram unit of the Gram Panchayat, in terms of promoting democratic principles to the Governing council of the VDS on a ✽ Legally established Panchayat member as an ex-officio member. After the recent elections, a monthly basis. The VDS Governing council (registered under Societies and strengthening local competencies. This case study provides an insight Registration Act, 1960) few VDS governing council members have been elected to the Gram into the convergence of the VDS with the larger governing body called reports its progress to the Gram Sabha once Panchyat. This has helped establish synergies between the working of the ✽ Financially empowered Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) in a village called Kodli in in six months. two bodies. The Kodli Gram Panchyat delegated the task of the selection of Karnataka State. The non-government organization called MYRADA of the beneficiaries for the housing schemes sanctioned under the facilitated the process. Women Self Help Groups/ Self Affinity Groups Government schemes to the respective VDS governing council, which in The village level women’s savings and thrift turn completed the process through community consensus in the Gram Village level Institutions groups are commonly called women self Sabha. Effective village level bodies like the VDS can be recognized as help groups (SHGs). Most of the women legitimate sub committees of the Gram Panchayat. Gram Panchayat members in the VDS governing council The Gram Panchayat (GP) is a constitutionally mandated body for local Developmental are members from the SHGs. In village Activities governance. It is the lowest unit of elected government in India, covering Kodli, there are 50 SHGs formed by between 5 to 7 villages depending on population. Recent legislations of different agencies. A self-help group consists of 10 to 20 members. The the Central and State Governments have provided the Gram Panchayat Gram panchayat SHGs have played an important role in strengthening the institutional base with greater powers and a larger mandate to implement many schemes in Kodli. SHGs were formed even before the formation of the VDS. and programmes of the Central and State Government. The Gram The good practices from the SHGs were incorporated in the formation Gram Sabha panchayat members are elected from the respective villages and hamlets. VDS (People CMRC SHGs/SAGs and functioning of the VDS. The SHGs played an important role in Watershed The Gram Panchayat is accountable to the Gram Sabha of the Panchayat disseminating information about watershed treatments to all in the initial Managenent Centered) consisting of all eligible voters in the villages. stages of the project. Livelihood Activities Village Development Society Community Managed Resource Centre The concept of VDS arose out of the Gram Sabhas in Kodli: A convergence platform for These 50 SHGs in Kodli have come community decision making experiences in the first phase of ISPWDK. together to promote an informal institution The VDS was initially formed exclusively called Community Managed Resource Gram Sabha is a village level general body meeting. Both the VDS and the to undertake the watershed development Centre (CMRC) that will provide financial, Gram Panchyat are accountable to the Gram Sabha at different levels and activities under the project but now it legal and health related services to the for different purposes. Both institutions call on the majority of the same encompasses overall development of the SHGs. The CMRC is expected to cover set of individuals in a village for collective decision making at more or less village. The VDS on the strength of its work the same frequency (twice in a year) but at a different periodicity. There are