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Self-help groups dwindling away
Neha packs a punch |
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Green is the agenda of this party
RIMC cadets back from adventure trip
‘Garbage hatao’ protest
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Self-help groups dwindling away
Dehradun, April 10 Bank linkages primarily created to help groups access easy loans after a period of grading is proving to be detrimental in the longevity of the groups that fail to grasp long-term goals of shared activity and building upon a small-scale enterprise. Personal goals gain ascendancy over group goals, a major reason for the groups becoming inactive and defunct. So far, the aim to link these groups to banks as a low-cost option to mainstream delivery systems of financial services for the poor has been partly successful in the district. Borrowing heavily from Gramin Bank, a micro enterprise scheme pioneered by Nobel laureate Mohammmed Yunus for the poor, rural families, self-employment through small enterprises under the Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was started in April 1999 in Uttarakhand and the rest of the country. The aim of the scheme was to stop migration of rural youth from villages to towns and provide sustainable income to the rural poor with capacity-building activities. As of now, there are 832 self-help groups functioning in six blocks of Dehradun district. In Raipur, the number is 169, in Chakrata 2 76, Kalsi 199, Doiwala 317, Vikas Nagar 457 and Sahaspur 404. The total number of groups that have become defunct after their constitution in 1999 are Raipur-71, Chakrata-117, Kalsi-82, Doiwala-99, Vikas Nagar-230 and Sahaspur-139. Most groups are engaged in dairy farming as a majority of villagers are engaged in farming activities. “For want of any large-scale cluster-level activities in the district, the District Rural Development Authority had to rely on dairy farming, a popular activity in the district. So, 70 per cent of the groups have dairy farming as their core activity. The Vikas Nagar and Sahaspur groups are performing well. “Through these groups, women and men are encouraged to save and adopt thrift and credit practices and then become self-employed,” said Hemanti Gunjiyal, project director, DRDA. The members after forming groups can practise internal lending, thereby sharpening their business acumen. The groups have well-defined rules/bylaws, hold regular meetings and maintain records of savings and credit. The members are eligible for a cash credit limit. Under the plan, a group is given Rs 10,000 per member and a maximum of Rs 1.25 lakh, while Rs 25,000 in the form of government/bank loan is made available as revolving fund after six months. “Upon qualifying the second grading, bank financing for the economic activity indicated by the groups is facilitated. “ This encourages backward-forward linkages and also paves the way for fund utilisation by banks. “Slowly, the group proceeds from consumption to production and becomes its own master,” explained chief development officer SC Badoni. While the groups comprise men and women, the DRDA authorities say that experience shows that women are more capable of returning loans than men and more driven towards family needs, rather than their own. In Bajawala village of Doiwala, a 15-member women group has managed to bring about a qualitative change in their lives. They have adopted modern diary farming activities. “The earnings through dairy farming are being utilised for giving good and quality education to our children. Our family members and even villagers accord us respect. We have benefited from the credit and training facilitated by the DRDA. Each member earns between Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 per month. From a loan of Rs 12,50,000, as much as Rs 1,19,000 has been paid back,” said Neelam Devi president of the group. The 15-member group that took the first tentative step by opening savings accounts at the local PNB bank in 2001 aims high and plans to broaden the sphere of its activities. Despite a few successes, officials say the situation can improve dramatically if there is a ceiling on the number of these groups, say 100 groups in five years. Monitoring carried out by gram panchayat officers has been faulty as most are ill-equipped for the task. To make self-help groups a success, the programmes need to concentrate on group viability and its strengths. A new situation is emerging with groups getting defunct no sooner as these are formed. “Besides, it is now clear that social empowerment does not always pave way for economic empowerment,” said Chhaya Kunwar, programme coordinator, Himalayan Action Research Centre (HARC).
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Neha packs a punch
Dehradun, April 10 but took to boxing two year back after coming in contact with Durga Thapa, a boxing coach and first international women judge from the state. Her interaction with Thapa inspired her to take up the sport. “This is my first medal at a major championship. Earlier, I had competed at a state championship last year. I felt confident enough to compete at the national championship this time, and winning a medal has certainly encouraged me to go for more medals and aim higher,” said Neha. “My semi-final bout will remain in my memory. I knocked out a contestant from Uttar Pradesh, Sandhaya, in the second round. “But I could not give my best in the finals and I lost to a girl from Punjab. Now I am focusing on giving my 100 per cent in every fight and am working on my technique.” Neha aspires to become a software engineer. She said she had developed an undying love for the game and would not part with it “at any point of my life.” “I have great parental support. My parents inspire me to attain new heights. ,” said Nehra. Her coach Thapa feels that Neha has a bright future ahead. “All she needs to do is to focus on her technique and movement in the ring. She is sure to do her state proud,” she adds with unmistakable fondness for her protege. Fourteen-year-old Neha is a Class IX student of HIlton School, Dehradun.
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Green is the agenda of this party
Dehradun, April 10 Drawing its strength from the ‘shilpkar’ community, comprising unprivileged sections, the Mool Niwasey Samaj Party has laid special emphasis on protection of forest wealth and wildlife in its agenda. The party president, who is also a candidate from Tehri constituency, Jauhari Lal Suman, said while the state government has come up with an Anti-slaughter Act for domestic animals such as cows, the wildlife was still neglected. Interestingly, while both the mainstream parties, Congress and BJP, have time and again been seeking relaxation in forest and wildlife laws, Mool Niwasey Samaj Party pro-forest and wildlife agenda seems to be against a popular opinion that has repeatedly sought a check on harassment of the people in the name of protection of forests and wildlife. The party is seeking stricter laws in this regard. Amid growing incidents of wild animals venturing into human settlements and killing villagers in Uttarakhand, there has been a public outcry against forest laws that are a deterrent in acting against wild animals, particularly elephants and leopards. Congress leader Harish Rawat, BJP leader Satish Lakhera and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal leader Virendra Mohan Uttarakhandi have also been insisting that any protection of state’s forest and wildlife should not come at the cost of villagers. The Mool Niwasey Samaj Party, which has decided to contest from three seats, apart from protection of forest wealth and wildlife has also put up other concerns of the ‘shilpkar’ community. Putting forward other items on the agenda, Suman said Tehri dam oustees status should be accorded to landless ‘shilpkars’; Thauldar Development Block should be declared backward area; and misuse of funds meant for scheduled caste sub-plan should be checked. Meanwhile, Suman informed that Ravindra Dhiman and Vijay Kumar Puri would be contesting from Haridwar and Pauri parliamentary seats.
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RIMC cadets back from adventure trip
Dehradun, April 10 The cadets were accompanied by Sanjay, Neelam Kaushik and HN Tripathi and the trip, which began on March 29, concluded on April 2. It took them six hours to reach the camping site. On reaching there, they found that the site was littered and covered with stones. Despite being tired after a long journey, their first task was to clean up the surroundings and make it suitable for camping. Sanjay, an awardee of GOC-in-C Commendation Card for Mountaineering and a member of many expeditions, briefed them about the basic techniques of camping. Most cadets were delighted as it was their first experience of staying in a tent in the wild surrounded by Deodar trees. Later, they visited Koti village, another developed village of Garhwal region, where the cadets got to interact with the villagers. They learnt about the various handicraft items made by the local people which included woollen threads, jackets and shawls and appreciated the talent of the local people. They also visited the village school in which the number of girls is more than boys. Later, the cadets visited Makktad village. The most exhilarating part of the trip was the trek to Deovan, which is the highest point there and is situated 9,232 feet above the ground level. Led by Ratan Singh Chauhan, a local guide, cadets trekked a total of 22 km uphill and back. The boys saw birds like Himalayan woodpeckers, white-collared blackbirds and green-backed tit which they had only seen in books. The next trek was to the ancient Hanol Mandir and the Tyuni village market, which is the biggest market in the area. On the last day, the cadets ensured that they left the place unpolluted. They cleaned it up and made it appear better than before. On their way back to school, they stopped at the Ashokan Rock Edict which depicts the Buddhist ideology.
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‘Garbage hatao’ protest
Haridwar, April 9 Vipin Bhatnagar, a resident near Railway crossing, suggests of having a proper bin so as the garbage doesn’t spill all over. “We have umpteenth time complained that a special permanent bin should be kept here so as that the garbage doesn’t remain open,” said Bhatnagar. Ward member of the area Rajesh Kumar Prajapati said the ongoing brawl in the municipality and the strike by palika workers had aggravated the situation but soon the garbage will be cleaned. The area residents complained that the pile of garbage was not cleaned from last three weeks. “The area has become a ideal place for breeding of mosquitoes. Nobody has even thought of spraying insecticide to control the menace,” said Raju Thakur. Despite repeated attempts MC chairman couldn’t be contacted for comments.
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Created to provide sustainable income to the rural poor while building upon their potential entrepreneurial activities, Self-Help Groups (SHGS) in six blocks of Dehradun district have become excessively target-driven, failing to accomplish the goals of micro enterprise.
Dehradun, April 10
