MLC site visit Summer 2011

by Rajarshi Mukherjee

2011/09/11

Highlights

• Right to Information • Re-excavation of Dried Up Wells • Pre-Primary Education • Goat Farm • Visit to Gram Panchayat

Mandra Lions Club:Brief Introduction

• Mandra Lions Club (MLC) originally established in 1975 and registered as a society in 1985 respectively; in Mandra village located in the district of Hoogly, West Bengal, India and later the organisation also opened a new chapter in 1992 in the district of Purulia as another Project office

• Since its inception, MLC has decided to work for the rural poor & marginalized section of communities especially the tribal people in Purulia and other districts in West Bengal and right now it has been implementing programmes in six districts of West Bengal, namely Purulia, Murshidabad, Maldah, Birbhum, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur.

• MLC mainly works in the following blocks –Jhalda I,Jhalda II and Baghmundi. These are mainly home to tribal populations

NREGA: Encounter with the BDO

• 51 families in the village.• According to NREGA each family should be issued a job-card and provided

100 days minimum of job.• On not getting work assignments after 15 days of application for job, the

villagers repeatedly went to the Panchayat Office.• The BDO summoned last December in a Village meeting.• Here they accused of refusing jobs. The BDO kept on repeating the word

“refuse” which no one understood.• According to elderly women from the village who came in the particularly

cold weather, they were particularly distraught by the BDO’s behavior.• A MLC volunteer who was present there was asked to leave by the BDO

and MLC was blamed of interfering in the matter without being asked for.• Active involvement of MLC and RTI.• Eventually they are getting share of job allocation at regular interval and

within stipulated radius of 5 km from home.

BPL List

• Most of the people from the 51 families who are supposed to be on the BPL list are not yet there.

• Apparently, many people are reaping benefits of being in the BPL list, in spite of not being eligible.

• The Panchayat when contacted, told some of the old women (+65) to just go and cut wood in the forest.

• Possibility of RTI.

Leaf Stitching :SHG

• Around 15 women from Bareria Village were promised training and subsequent job opportunities by a personnel from SHG.

• They were initially provided with few weeks training. • They for promised a amount of money for this training and further

promise was made about providing them with machines to carry out leaf stitching at home.

• However they are yet to receive such payment or machines • When they contacted the organization, the personnel in question

was said to be away. • There has been no news from that person since then. • Volunteers of MLC have already gone there but to no avail yet. • Possibility of follow up RTI.

Other Discussions

• Currently answers to RTI applications are usually being received within a month. There are even cases where answers have been obtained within 1-2 weeks.

• Had a discussion with MLC volunteers about filing RTI’s.• They told me, informally, that they have observed 3 basi

c structures in RTI’s General Information Based. Action Oriented Policy Making

• Volunteers from Mukti were supposed to visit MLC for training regarding RTI implementation.

• Background

Purulia Pumped Storage Project:The Purulia Pumped Storage Project of West Bengal State located in Ajodhya Hills in Bagmundi village of Purulia district was commissioned in February 2008 and was dedicated to the nation by the Buddhadeb Bhattercharjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal on 6th April 2008. The project cost of Rs 2,953 crore is funded as a loan assistance from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The entire Power house was constructed under the hills, by gauging out the rocky hills of Purulia , with access through a kilometer long tunnel.

The project involves construction of two reservoirs with rock-fill dams comprising of central clay core, rock crushing ground, cement mixing plant, staff quarters, service roads and disposal ground, which in turn claimed a huge amount of forest and agricultural land. On the other hand stream impoundment for filling the reservoirs created water scarcity in the canal fed agricultural land of the downstream villages.

The result of massive deforestation was complete lack of monsoon rain .

Baghmundi had the first monsoon rain after 3 years this May.

Considering that agriculture is the main livelihood of people in this area , this was a major concern.

Other effects include massive land erosion, affection of animal community due to land alteration.

A study of the effects I think can be found in Environmental Impact Study of a Pumped Storage Project on Hilly Tract of Purulia, - A Remote Sensing GIS Analysis.

(http://www.a-a-r-s.org/acrs/proceeding/ACRS2008/Papers/TS%209.1.pdf )

Re-excavation of Dried Up Wells

A Report

Purulia worst-affected by Bengal drought Press Trust Of India Burdwan , August 21, 2010 First Published: 16:52 IST(21/8/2010) Last Updated: 16:58 IST(21/8/2010)

• West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday said Purulia is the worst affected among the drought-hit districts of the state. "With agricultural production falling down to 6.5 per cent, Purulia is most affected by the drought. In Birbhum, Bankura, Hoogly and Burdwan, the productio n has fallen down to 30, 33, 74 and 77 per cent respectively," he told reporters in Burdwan after a meeting with district officials.

An Excerpt From MLC Report• Not only this year but also since last 3 years the people of the

Baghmundi Block and other surrounding block also suffered due to severe drought which causes health hazards and water borne disease for consuming unsafe drinking water, lack of proper cleanliness of utensils, skin disease for no bathing.

• There is less rainfall for which the people are badly affected for want of drinking water. All the Drinking wells, ponds are totally dried.

• Now a good portion of people are suffering from water borne diseases and stomach problem, dysentery etc.

• Due to less rain the agriculture also badly affected. Last year the farmers could not cultivate paddy (Paddy is the only single crop cultivated by the farmers during rainy season) for which the income level of wage earners has totally blocked.

• Farmers have lost their capital to invest again and the rest saving amount is consumed for life saving food.

Few pictures of existing ponds in the block .

Current Pictures from Well Re-Excavation Sites

Srabondi Mahabir Mandir Para

Srabondi Uttor Para

Srabondi Dompara

Kudlung Harimandir

Namopara Harijon (Untouchables)

Pre-primary Education• Mandra is running Pre-Primary Education for the children- in the age

group of two and half to five years-in the districts of Purulia and Murshidabad of West Bengal, India. There are 18 Pre-primary education centres in Purulia district .

• I had a chance to visit 4 of them: Baghmundi Alok-kendro,Ghorbandha Alok-kendro,Sindri Alok-kendro,Rangrati Alok-kendro.

• Primary school teachers seem to prefer students from here over ICDS schools.

• Ample enthusiasm among students and parents and regular interaction with teachers.

• Did not have a chance to visit the Santhali schools on the hills, which have education in local language.

• Provided report to Asha Cornell chapter.

Goat Farm• The Goat farm was started as a way of sustaining Malaria Control Center

based on the money generated from the goat farm and also generating work opportunities .

• The project is in its third year.

• Last year there was a major pox outbreak in the farm resulting in the loss of many newborns and subsequent infertility.

• Got a chance to speak to the block Veterinary surgeon , who informed that this was a major outbreak all over Baghmundi block and also in some neighboring blocks.

• They have started building a rehab center which was recommended by the Veterinary surgeon for proper quarantine of affected animals in order to save the rest.

• AID Morgan town has been funding this project so far. However, they have refused to further support this after stipulated 3 years in the original project proposal.

Visit to Village Panchayat