Reflect and ICTs

Case study:
Matiabhata village - strong foundations for development

By Subrat Rout

The following is an exemplary case that came to our attention during the introductory visit to NIPDIT; although many such exemplary cases have emerged in various Reflect Circles. Every month, documentation of one or two such case studies will accompany the report for larger sharing. This is not just a case study but one grain of cooked rice from the entire ball that implies how strong a foundation has been laid in shape of the mobilization and organization of the poorest and marginalized sections in this district, despite the fact that many of the Reflect Circles are not functioning regularly and effectively. However, access to information by the poorest and marginalized sections are extremely limited in scope and by nature.

Organisation: NIPDIT Reflect circle: MATIABHATA
Participants present: 67 (32 Males and 35 Females)

After the detailed presentation of the Social Map and Resource Map (see below) of the village by four of the Reflect Participants (two women and two men) participants explained how they had conducted analytical discussions on micro-level planning and identified issues and the means to strategically address them.

The following are some of the major achievements triumphed by the Reflect Participants in Matiabhata village with their collective approach for taking on issues with the concerned authorities, not in a one-off approach but through a sustained struggle:

Before - marginalised from local governance:
Prior to the intervention of ActionAid through its Partner Organizations and before the Micro-Level-Planning was done, the poorest sections of the villagers had no faintest idea about local governance structures - the Palli-Sabha and the Gram-Sabha. Neither had they ever participated nor they knew anything about what happen there.

A few elite and influential section members used to decide everything on behalf of the village in association with the elected people's representatives to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI). All the decisions were usually taken in these meetings catering to the vested interests of the elite and influential sections in the respective villages. In order to validate the decisions taken by the elite sections as 'participatory', they used to just have thumb impressions of a few non-literate villagers on the dotted lines.

A new way of planning:
But once the MLP process was done and the analytical discussions were initiated in the Reflect Circles, participants came to know the roles and responsibilities of Palli-Sabha and Gram-sabha and the need and the relevance of their participation as their basic right. Accordingly, most Reflect participants started taking active roles in decision making processes in Palli-sabha and the Gram-Sabha and compelled them to accept the micro-level plans as the base official plan document for the development of the village.

Inevitably the apprehension was that there would be some backlash from the local elites as they find that the MLPs are being used by the poorest members of the community as the basis for serious transformation that may threaten the interests of the elite. Every attempt is being made at every level to ensure the involvement of the elite sections for a collective approach to ensure overall development of the village.

However, it appears that the age-old mind-set of the elite - making the poorest dependant on them for every small decision, financial and non-financial support and in return exploiting them physically, morally and financially - has not yet changed. This is the reason that despite continuous efforts, the elite, upper caste and influential sections prefer to keep themselves alienated from the collective decision making process in most villages. However, options are limited for them while it comes to Gram-Sabha and the MLP documents get passed as the official plan documents for the respective villages.

The preparation of Social Map and the Resource Map was the first time that the entire village had ever sat together (including even during their festivals). When asked who had participated in the preparation of the Maps along with the LokYojona (People's Planning) all of the circle participants raised their hands (see pictures, above).

This process brought all the villagers together and through the construction of a resource map (below right) all the villagers could identify natural resources in the village such as: uplands, downlands, forest lands, cultivable lands, grazing lands, barren lands, river or stream, small hills etc. That led to the mapping of the amount of resources available to different sections of the villagers and a well-being ranking through which identification of most poorest and marginalized sections was possible. Then they had the discussion in their Reflect Circles about how to use those resources judiciously for the economic betterment of the poorest and marginalized sections; accordingly they had incorporated the plan in MLP Document.

Moving to action:
After the MLP was passed as the base official plan document for the village by the Gram-Sabha, the government after regular persuasions and pressures from the Reflect Participants have released Thirty Lakhs of rupees to the village to undertake a Watershed Program.

Improving water and sanitation - a first priority:
In the Reflect Circle they decided that the first issue to be addressed is the problem of the drinking water. They also decided the locations for the installation of wells so that all households residing in different parts of the villages and hamlets could access water facilities. The next was step all the Reflect participants went to the Block Office to pledge their application before the Block Development Officer (BDO). Due to their forceful and insistent demands, the BDO had to sanction the wells for the village and the drinking water problem may have been sorted out by the Reflect Participants.

Besides the drinking water problem, there was a supply problem of water for bathing and other household activities. The demand was placed before the BDO by the Reflect participants collectively, and due to the delay in taking action by the BDO after repeated reminders, one day all the reflect participants sat on Dharana (Protest Demonstration) in front of the BDO Office and became rigid in their approach that unless their demand was fulfilled immediately they would not vacate the office. The BDO had no other options but to sanction a pond for the village, and immediately.

Basic services - basic rights:
Through the MLP process, and the identified issues thereby, the Reflect Participants came to realize the essence of health facilities in the village. Earlier there were neither any health delivery services by the government nor by any other agencies. Besides, they came to understand that the same village pond should not be used for the bathing of human beings and livestock. Also they came to understand the need of electricity provision for the village.

After discussing these issues, memorandums have been pledged before the concerned government authorities to make necessary arrangements for the village. Since the MLP document has the approval of the Gram-Sabha as the official plan document, neither the elected people's representatives nor the government officials can escape from fulfilling these demands of the people with lame excuses.

As a result of people's demand around 50% households in this village have become electrified. One Primary Health Centre has been approved by the government but is not yet started.

Self-help for poor women:
In order to organize the poorest women in the village and with an objective to set up Women Self-Help Groups (SHG) in the village, NIPDIT had adopted the approach of collecting a handful of rice from the women of every poorest household in the village to deal with emergencies. That was the beginning of SHG in the village, which has been functioning very effectively with regular monthly savings, bank transactions, micro-credit practices and the Grain Bank. At present, there are eight SHGs regularly functioning in the village comprising up to fifteen of the poorest women in each group. Through discussions in the SHGs, the women have started developing a sense of self-dignity and sensitization about gender equality in the decision making process is visible. Most of the women of the village have started participating in the decision-taking process in their home on par with their male counterparts. They also collectively and actively participate in the Village Decision making process.

The women members in the SHGs are also the members of the Reflect Circles and support distressed, destitute, widows, and extremely aged poor people and starving children in the village. This support they meet from collecting rice from the households of each member and utilizing some portion of the Gram Kosh (Village Corpus Fund). The decisions are taken in the Reflect Circle level on whom to support and how much to support.

Women renouncing injustice:
The main source of income of the women in this village is collecting Kendu leaves from the forest which are collected and paid for by the ranger or the forester. There was a case where the ranger had collected four months worth of leaves without paying a single rupee to any one of the women. Repeated appeals for payment were ignored, so all the village women got together and alked over 20 Km to the Block Head Quarter and demonstrated with a Gherao (encircling the entire office and not allowing any one to go outside) of the Forest Range Office. Without any other options, the Forester agreed to pay the wages. Later on it was found that the ranger and Forester ate up all the wages of four months meant for the Kendu-Leaves women as they had never expected that these non-literate village women would go for such a demonstration protest.

Another important achievement of this Reflect Circle is that the Reflect participants have been able to mobilize villagers to form a Village Forest Protection Committee. Forest Maffias used to cut trees illegally from the forest during night, however, after the formation of this Committee, and due to the vigilant monitoring by the group of villagers on rotation basis (Day and Night), the Village Forest is protected from illegal exploitation.

Testimonies of change:
Mrs. Sushila Bariha, the President of the Village Women's Forum and also a member of the Reflect Circle narrated her experiences of the operationalization of the MLP and achievements done through the Reflect processes. According to her, in Matiabhata Village there had been neither Upper Primary nor high school nor any village roads before the MLP process was adopted. Once the MLP was in place and there had been regular discussions on the issues identified, women of the village got together and decided to go to the BDO and approach him for the establishment of schools and a village road. Without taking the help of male counterparts the women members went to the BDO Office and pledged their memorandum before the BDO. After several rounds of discussions with the BDO, finally, schools were established in the village and a village Kachha road was constructed. However, the High School has been running by the initiative of the Panchayat and has not yet got the Government approval.

Another of the woman participants in the meeting who was sitting in an extreme corner and had remained quiet throughout the discussion opened up with these words:

Better information for Reflect groups - links to the ICT project:
It was also found that, under the initiation of NIPDIT, many government officials are visiting the village periodically and sensitizing the people on various government schemes. Although Animators had some information the field personnel of NIPDIT saw that they needed more information on different government schemes and programs along with other information relevant to enabling Reflect participants to assert their basic rights. The Project Coordinator of NIPDIT, Mr. Antarjami Sahoo had a comprehensive analysis about the strengths and areas of improvements of each of the Animator in all their Reflect Circles and not only in Matiabhata.

Regular and relevant flow of trustworthy information to the Reflect Participants is a basic need. Capacitating the Animators, Organizers and Reflect Participants for the access of information, control of information and management of information is a major challenge. However, upon a strongly laid foundation and with the positively mobilized, organized and sensitized poor and marginalized sections, the ultimate horizon does not seem too far to reach out. BUT, this needs day-in and day-out hard work to activate/ reactivate the Reflect Circles in most of the places, commitment to capacitate the activists at every level, networking and mutual sharing / learning with partner organizations and other agencies and above all to instil the conviction among the Reflect Participants that the final victory will be of theirs.