ipp331 v1 madhya pradesh district poverty initiatives ......madhya pradesh district poverty...

Social Assessment

________________________________________________________________________ Madhya Pradesh District Poverty Initiatives Project –II for official use only

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Madhya Pradesh District Poverty Initiatives Project-II

Dated: 21.12.2008

Prepared by: State Project Support Unit-MPDPIP

Panchayat and Rural Development Department Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal

List of AbbreviationsA/V – Audio Visual AAY – Antyodaya Ann Yojna ANC – Ante Natal Checkups ANM – Auxiliary Nurse Midwife BPL – Below Poverty Line CBO – Community Based Organization CC Road – Cement Concrete Road CEO – Chief Executive Officers CEO-JP - Chief Executive Officers – Janpad Panchayat CEO-ZP - Chief Executive Officers – Zila Panchayat CHC – Community Health Center CIG – Common Interest Group Deptt.- Department DPSU – District Project Support Unit DRDA – District Rural Development Agency EAS – Employment Assurance Scheme EC – Executive Committee EPVG – Extremely Poor and Vulnerable Group

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FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization FGD – Focused Group Discussion GB – General Body GDP – Gross Domestic Product GEN - General GoMP – Government of Madhya Pradesh HDI – Human Development Index HH – House Hold HQ – Head Quarters IAY – Indira Awaas Yojna ICDS – Integrated Child Development Scheme IEC – Information Education and Communication IFAD – International Fund for Agriculture Development IMR – Infant Mortality Rate IRDP – Integrated Rural Development Program IT – Information Technology JFM – Joint Forest Management JRY – Jawahar Rozgar Yojna KCC – Kisan Credit Card Kg - Kilogram Km, KM - Kilometers M&E – Monitoring and Evaluation M&L – Monitoring and Learning MADA – Modified Area development Approach MDM – Mid-Day- Meal MFF – Microfinance Federation MFI – Micro Finance Institution MMR – Maternal Mortality Rate MP – Madhya Pradesh MP DPIP – Madhya Pradesh District Poverty Initiatives Project MP HDR – Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report MPRLP – Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihood Project NABARD – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NFBS – National Family Benefit Scheme NGO – Non-Government Organization NH – National Highway NOAP – National Old Age Pension NREGS – National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme NRHM – National Rural Health Mission NSDP – Net State Domestic Product NSS – National Sample Survey NTFP – Non-Timber Forest Produce OBC – Other Backward Class P&RD – Panchayat and Rural Development PDS – Public Distribution System PFT – Project Facilitation Team PHC – Primary Health Center PHED – Public Health and Engineering Department PMGSY – Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna PRA – Participatory Rural Appraisal

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PRI – Panchyati Raj Institution PTG – Primitive Tribal Group RCH – Reproductive and Child Health RGWM – Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Mission RLEGP – Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Program RRB – Regional Rural Bank SC – Scheduled Caste SDP – State Domestic Product SEZ – Special Economic Zone SGDP – State Gross Domestic Product SGRY- Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna SGSY- Swarnajayanti Grameen Swarozgar Yojna SHC – Sub-Health Center SHG – Self Help Group SHG LP – Self Help Group Livelihood Plan SPSU – State Project Support Unit SSA – Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ST – Scheduled Tribe TDP – Tribal Development Plan TSC – Total Sanitation Campaign TSP – Tribal Sub-Plan TV – Tele Vision UNDP – United Nations Development Program VDC – Village Development Committee VRP – Village Resource Person WCD –Watershed development Committee WDC – Women and Child Development Department

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List of AnnexuresAnnexure 1: Number of villages in project districts Annexure 2: Details of BPL Families in DPIP Districts by social groups of BPL Survey Year 2002-03 Annexure 3 Gender and literacy by social group in the sample Annexure 4 Status of Malnourishment in sample district and state Annexure 5 Infant and Maternal deaths in Madhya Pradesh and sample districts Annexure 6 Gap in the primary health facilities in Madhya Pradesh Annexure 7: Type of dwellings in MP, Total, Rural, SCs in rural and STs in sample district and state Annexure 8: Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation in sample districts and the state Annexure 9: Poverty eradication program in MP Annexure 10. Comparative data highlighting Gender inequality in work and employment in the study area Annexure 11. Tribal Development in Madhya Pradesh Annexure 12 Tribal Communities in Madhya Pradesh : An Overview Annexure 12a List of notified Scheduled Tribes in MADHYA PRADESH as per Census of India 2001 Annexure 13: Number and Area of Operational Holdings of Scheduled Tribe in MP Annexure 14 Forestry and Tribal Annexure 14a District-wise extent of forest cover in sample districts of DPIP Annexure 14b List of NTFP and their local and Botanical names Annexure 15 Labor and Employment Annexure 16 Legal and Policy Framework for Tribal Communities in MP Annexure 17 Scheduled Tribes in DPIP Districts Annexure 18 Occupational profile of STs in DPIP districts Annexure 18a Work Participation rate of ST in different category of work in rural areas of the DPIP District Annexure 19Literacy Rates Annexure 20Shares of STs in Land Holding and Cultivated Land in DPIP Districts Annexure 21Land Ownership by Social categories in Sample Districts of operational holdings 2000 – 2001 Annexure 22 Tribal BPL Families in DPIP districts of MP Annexure 23 TSP / MADA / Clusters in DPIP Districts Annexure 24 Community Based Institutional Structure proposed under MPDPIP-II Annexure 25 Demographic Profile of the DPIP Districts and the state as per census 2001 Annexure 26 Livelihood Matrix village Chilwaha, Raisen Annexure 26 a Information of Institutions Annexure 27 The Gender related development idex of Madhya Pradesh 2001 Annexure 28: Socio-Economic Map, Village Bhilampur, Damoh Annexure 29 Socio-Economic Map, Village Dhonda, Damoh Annexure 30 Socio-Economic Map, Village Pateriamal, Damoh Annexure 31 Socio Economic Map, Village Chilwaha , Raisen Annexure 32 Socio Economic Map, Village Juniya, District Raisen

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The Madhya Pradesh DPIP II 1 Introduction The Bank has been supporting a limited number of poverty reduction projects in Madhya Pradesh over the last decade, most recently the MP-District Poverty Initiatives Project (MP-DPIP). This project covered over 2,900 villages spread over 14 districts (out of a total of 48 districts). Through a systematic process of wealth ranking, it has covered over 300,000 poor rural households organizing them into over 52,000 Common Interest Groups (CIGs), providing them with financial and technical assistance so as to improve their organizational capacity and maximize the utility of their productive assets. A recently conducted impact evaluation of the project showed that the project achieved significant results namely a) raised CIG household income by 53% on average; b) households growing two crops a year increased by 46%; and c) reduced distress migration to 14% from 30%. The other positive lessons from implementation of the MP-DPIP include excellent targeting of the intended poor, particularly women and lower caste households, empowered community groups, which are now sustainable through federating into producer companies/cooperatives, and leveraging resources directly through business linkages with public and private sectors. In this context, the Government has approached the Bank to continue support through a follow-on project which will scale-up the successful results from the first MP-DPIP. This is proposed to be done by adopting the methodologies and design features of the MP-DPIP, including: a participatory wealth ranking process to identify the very poor in rural areas; the formation of groups at the neighborhood level to take-up economic activities; and the federation of such groups and linking them to the private sector to reap the benefits of sustained markets. The GoMP has shown a strong commitment to adopt and scale-up the success of the MP-DPIP through a series of decisions at the state level that include: a) the adoption of a state rural development policy; b) the key design elements of community empowerment components, such as SHG formation and enhanced skill development for the rural poor; c) continued operations of the State-level autonomous Society called the MP Poverty Alleviation Initiatives Society as a special vehicle for implementing the proposed project; and d) appointment of the MP-DPIP Project Director as Project Coordinator and expanding the state-level team of development professionals for the proposed program. 2 Social Assessment District Poverty Initiatives Programme-I intervened in 2900 villages in 53 development blocks of 14 districts of the state. The project, prior to the beginning of the phase-I, underwent an extensive study to do the social assessment of the people residing in the target villages. The study was conducted in 55 villages of DPIP-I. The intensive study of each village enumerated the actual status of the livelihoods availability in the village, opportunities and gaps, the socio-cultural structure, poverty as perceived by the people, marginalisation, oppression, economic status and vulnerability etc. Only, since the study was conducted in the year 2000, a social assessment again was needed to verify and update the previous findings. 2.1 Objectives of the Social Assessment To develop an understanding about the strategy of social inclusion intervention for the proposed project through the following:

� Understand and document the resources, the social relationships, the caste and power structures and the people’s sense of well being and their perceived needs.

� Make a general understanding of poverty – its incidence, types, its extent and degree – with its manifestation, and situate it against the districts and the state.

� Understand the constraints and opportunities for livelihood promotion vis-à-vis the sectoral growth and emerging opportunities in the state.

2.2 Framework of Analysis

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The field based study was carried out in ten villages from the ten development blocks in four districts selected out of the 14 districts where the DPIP will work in its second phase as well. The village selection was based on its demographic and ethnic composition. This report is based on the collation and analysis of village reports of these sample villages. The focus of this report is on:

• identifying vulnerable/disadvantaged groups, • analysis of the livelihoods of the identified groups • understanding the causes and extent of their poverty and • Suggesting sustainable mechanisms for promoting their livelihoods.

Through this report an attempt has been made to provide a glimpse into the gamut and degree of poverty in project area prior to the actual implementation of DPIP phase -II. Finally this social assessment may help in developing an understanding about the strategy of intervention for the proposed District Poverty Initiatives Project in the 14 districts in phase - II with special emphasis on poor and the ultra poor i.e. the Schedule Tribes and Women residing in the project intervention area. 2.3 Methodology The over all process of social assessment has been done on the basis of secondary and primary data analysis and other studies as stated under: 2.3.1 Secondary data analysis: The report has substantially benefited from various secondary sources, in terms of data and information as well as in perspectives on poverty, livelihoods, tribal issues, social exclusion, gender and various development schemes and programs of the state and the private sector, including the civil society organizations. The report is also based on data, information and learning from the DPIP Phase 1. It has benefited from inputs and suggestions provided by the project staff that has been with the DPIP since its Phase 1 days. Data and information came, largely from the Census of 2001, the Madhya Pradesh Human Development Reports – 2002 and 2007, Economic Survey, 2007-08; Annual Reports of various departments and ministries, particularly the Tribal Development Department, SC & ST Welfare Department and the Panchayat & Rural Development Department of the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP). 2.3.2 Primary data analysis Primary data and information emerged from the participatory field exercises carried out in the ten sample villages from the 4 districts of the project area. The primary sources included, Observation Methodology, Participatory Rural appraisal and Questionnaire based House-Hold survey for the chosen sample. The village PRA process was initiated with a 2 day-schedule, beginning with the transect walk followed by general group discussions with villagers and focus group discussion (FGD) with the identified vulnerable group like ST, SC and OBC community members. The team also had a FGD with the women exclusively to identify gender issues. A village profile was prepared having social and resource map. It was ensured that the overall process is extremely participatory. The institutional/stakeholder analysis and livelihood analysis of the village were critical components of the study and analysis. Table: Tools used for data collection

Tool employed Key Information Transact Analysis To ascertain the configuration of the hamlets and the distribution of

the natural and the man made resources with respect to the different communities in the village.

Social and Resource Mapping

Caste wise distribution of the resources like irrigated and non-irrigated land, livestock, population, drinking water resources, water resources for irrigation, forest and number of households.

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Education, the general topography and settlement pattern of the village. Man made structures like schools, Anganwadi, etc.

Focused Group Discussions

To identify different economic groups in the village and to enumerate the characteristics and features of the groups. To ascertain the activities and enterprises that could be undertaken in the areas. To ascertain the state of health and to understand the status of women in the village and to gain an understanding of the gender related issues

Limited House Hold Survey

A questionnaire based limited household survey was also done to have the exact financial status, the resources, the assets and events of shocks and measures as adopted by them.

Institutional Analysis To assess the villagers’ perception of the services that they receive from various government and the non-government service providers and institutions.

Livelihood Analysis To identify the livelihood options available with the villages round the year.

Case Studies To obtain a deeper understanding of the economic life of the identified economic group that the household (of which the case study has been done) represents.

2.3.3 Consultations The social assessment of the poor and the vulnerable group would be insufficient or hypothetical, ignoring consultations with the stake holders. Therefore consultations at all levels was carried out, beginning form the target community itself, the PRIs and the local administration, various government departments and the NGOs actively involved in the rural development work so as to know their perception about poverty and possible solutions for sustainable livelihood. 2.4 Selection of the sample The District Poverty Initiatives Project-II is proposed in the same districts of phase –I and in the same development blocks only with extended coverage in the number of villages. Therefore for this social assessment, 4 districts out of same 14 project district were selected. Ten Villages were selected to update the social assessment, having 3 villages of DPIP-I and 7 new villages. The villages were selected on the basis of following two criteria: 2.5 Necessary condition: The village population have more then 30% combined population of ST and SC Each village was selected from different cluster or pocket within the district. 2.5.1 Optional condition: The Gender Ratio and female literacy in the Village is less then the state average

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3 Overview of the state and study area Madhya Pradesh is located between latitude 21°04'N and longitude 74°02' and 82°49' E, having a land area of 308,144 km. The State comprises of 9.38 per cent of India’s landmass and 60,385,118 million people (2001 census) with a growth rate of nearly two percent. The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes constitute a significant portion of the population of the State. The scheduled castes are 15.4 % while scheduled tribes are 20.3% of the total population. Around seventy-five percent of the population is rural. Agriculture accounts for over 78% of all employment, though the total contribution of forestry and agriculture to the State’s development product has declined from 56% in 1981 to around 35% presently. Madhya Pradesh is a medley of races and tribes, castes and communities. It includes primitive aborigines, as well as highly educated modern. They belong mainly to two racial groups. The people of northern area and Narmada Valley are mostly of the Aryan race, while a large portion of tribal people of south and east Madhya Pradesh. According to census of 2001, 91.1% follow Hindu religion while others are Muslim(6.40%), Jain(0.9%), Christians(0.30%), Buddhists(0.30%), and Sikhs(0.20%). Over 60 million people reside in Madhya Pradesh (MP) as per 2001 census, among whom 37.1 % are poor (head count ratio). In other words, 22 million people or 40 lakh families, live below poverty line, making MP one of the poorest states in India - per capita income in 2003-04, was mere Rs. 8,284 or Rs. 31 per day (less than $ 1/Day). State economy is in a low equilibrium, providing fewer opportunities for people to graduate out of poverty. 3.1 Multi-dimensional Aspects of Poverty: Social exclusion, literacy, health and basic amenities Madhya Pradesh has a very high concentration of the socially excluded and marginalized social groups of the scheduled tribes (STs) and the scheduled castes (SCs). The scheduled tribes constitute about 20.27 per cent of MP’s population (as against the all India average of 8 per cent), and the scheduled castes constitute nearly 15 per cent of the population (more or less at par with the national average). Thus, taken together, these socially excluded groups constitute close to 35 per cent of the state’s population. The BPL survey 2002-03 showed that out of the total 95.40 lakh families surveyed 40.8 lakh (43%) were found BPL. Out of the total BPL families the Schedule Caste families were 22% and the Scheduled Tribes were 35%. 3.1.1 Literacy: Education show significant group differences. Literacy rate of the SC and ST is 58.6 and 41.2 whereas the total crude literacy rate of Madhya Pradesh is 63.7. Similarly a gender gap is also evident in the literacy in social groups’ for instance female literacy in SC and ST is 43.3 and 28.4 whereas that of males is 72.3 and 53.5. Refer Annexure 3 for data on Gender and literacy by social group in the sample districts and state. As per the Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report (HDR), 2007 total percentage of illiterates in population 15 years and above in rural areas is 48.3%, total illiterate males are 31.5% and illiterate females is 66.5%. The total number of primary schools in MP is 81335 however the number of middle schools is quite low at 24293. 3.1.2 Health Status: Over 75.58 lakh or 50.09% children out of the total population in MP is malnourished. The high Infant Mortality Rate IMR in the state apparently signify the general level of poverty and poor performing health delivery system. The IMR in MP in 2004 was estimated 79, as against the national IMR of 58, the highest amongst all the states in the country. The Maternal Mortality Rate MMR for the state as per the National Family Health Survey - II was 498 and the latest data released by the Registrar General India for the year 2003 shows the MMR for MP as 379. 3.1.3 Basic amenities housing, access to drinking water and sanitation: The census 2001 indicates that of total number of households in MP 41.5% occupy a Pucca (permanent) accommodation, whereas in rural parts of MP only 31.2% Pucca accommodation is available.

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68.6% SCs and 78.6% STs residing in rural parts, have semi pucca (semi permanent) accommodations, refer annexure 7. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is minimum basic requirement of social human beings., only 61.6% households in rural MP have access to safe drinking water and shocking 8.9% households only, have access to sanitation (laterine) and as many as 18% households are deprived from both the facilities. Districts Damoh and Shivpuri are even below the state averages on both counts, refer annexure 8. 3.2 Poverty Eradication measures in Madhya Pradesh Given the poverty scenario, a number of poverty eradication measures have been initiated by the government, mostly central government supported programs. For improving the standard of living of the poor, state intervention in the form of implementing anti-poverty programs like DPIP, MPRLP (Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihood Program), Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS), Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and Mid-day Meal Scheme have been introduced. All the above schemes are aimed at improving the living conditions of the poor by directly involving the appropriate target groups. Refer annexure 9 that outlines some major schemes operated in the state to arrest poverty.

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i. Shivpuri ii. Raisen iii. Narsinghpur

iv. Damoh

4 Overview of the Selected Districts and the sample villages: 4.1 Shivpuri The district derives its name from the lord “Shiva”. It was earlier known by the name “Sipri”. District is famous for its “Madhav National Park” and rich flora and fauna. Located on NH-3 (Agra –Bombay national highway) at a 113 km from Gwalior and 98 kms from Guna .The golden quadrangle from Silchar to Porbandar four lane highways is covering three blocks i.e Pichhore, Karera and kolaras of the district which is supposed to open new horizons for economic development in future. Shivpuri has subtropical climate. There are four main rivers namely Parwati, Sindh, Kuno and Betwa which passes through the district. The Forest cover is around 3122sq.kms, which is around 32 %of the total geographical area. The industrial development in the district has been negligible and probably the reason that primary sector is the mainstay for livelihood. About 84% working population is engaged in primary sector only 15% in secondary sector and just 1% in the tertiary sector. The major occupation of this district is agriculture with 83.38% of workforce dependent on agriculture. The cultivated land area is 4910 sq. km. Rice, Jowar, Bajra, maize, wheat and barley are the main cereal crops. Gram & Tuar are the main pulses grown in the district, Sugarcane, Cardamom as spices; sesames and linseed are other crops. The total Geographical area is 10278 Sq.Kms having 8 Blocks with a total of 1301 inhabited villages. The approximate number of villages electrified is 1286. Sample villages Three villages namely Paragarh from block Karera, village Bagloan from block Pohari and village Chattisgarh from Narwar block were selected in Shivpuri district for the purpose of primary data collection through the process of Participatory Rural Appraisal. These villages are from the most backward area and represent different geographical regions. Villages Paragarh and Chattisgarh are based in the Bundelkhand region, whereas in village Bagloan the cultural impact of the adjoining district Rajasthan could be felt. Table: Location of the sample villages in Shivpuri:

Village Distance (KM) from Block HQ

Distance (KM) from the District HQ

Paragarh 32 62

Bagloan 25 56

Chattisgarh 18 60

4.2 Raisen Raisen district is situated in the heart of Madhya Pradesh. It is 45 Km. away from Bhopal on NH-86. Two National Highways NH-86 & NH-12 pass through the district. Raisen-Rahatgarh BOT road also passes through. District consists of 7 Block/ Tehsil and 1514 villages. Total Area of the district is 8466 sq.km, having a population of 1125154 (Male 598247 Female 526907) Gender Ratio - 884 / Thousand, Population Density - 133 Sqr. KM. Forest area - 3353.09 SqrKm. (39.67%), Literacy - 72.20% (Male 81.60% & Female 61.30%), Rural literacy - 70.80% (Male 80.60% & Female 59.60%) Rivers like Betwa, Narmada, Barna, Tendoni, Richhan flows from the district. The district has a total forest cover of 39.67%. There are two medium irrigation projects on Barna & Halali rivers that irrigate about 20000 hectares of land in the area. Agriculture is the main occupation of the district followed by animal husbandry, mining and construction labor. There are 28 stone mines

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and sand mine in the areas along Narmada river. Mandideep, Deewanganj and Pipalkhiria industrial area in the district provide employment to about 40000 persons. Sample villages Villages, Juniya and Chilwaha from Silwani and Sanchi Blocks were selected. Both the villages were non DPIP-I villages and represent different geographical regions with incidence of backwardness. Table: Location of the sample villages in Raisen



Juniya 4 40

Chilwaha 44 19

4.3 Narsinghpur Narsinghpur district is situated in the central part of Madhya Pradesh with Vindhyachal range in north and Satpura mountain ranges in the south. Lifeline of Madhya Pradesh river Narmada endows this area and flows from east to west. The region has been ruled by various dynasties in the ancient time. One of the great warriors of independence Rani Durgavati belongs from this region. In the 18th Century Jat Sardars constructed a huge temple, where Lord Narsimha (Lion God) is worshiped. Later on Narsinghpur developed as district headquarters. 45. Total Population of the district is 9.57 lakh (Male-5.01 lakh and Female-4.56 lakh). Total literacy is 66.05% (Male- 73% and Female- 58%). Population engaged in Primary Sector –79.8%, Secondary – 6.7%, Tertiary – 13.49%. District figure is given below:- 45. Situation of sampled villages: The team covered two villages – Gaurtala, a DPIP - I village and Panjara a non DPIP-I village. Table: Location of the sample villages in Narsinghpur

Village Distance (KM) from Block HQ Distance (KM) from the District HQ

Panjra 33 33

Gaurtala 20 55

4.4 Damoh District Damoh is situated in the Bundelkhand region. The total area of the district is 7306 sq. kms. and there are 1398 villages out of which 1205 are habitats. There are 7 blocks/ Janpad and 461 gram Panchayats. The district has 1124 electrified villages. As per the Census 2001, the total population of the district is 1083949 out of which 81% belong to rural area. The total ST population is 1.36 Lac which is 12.5% of the total population. Similarly SC population is 2.11 Lac that is 19.4% of the total population. Block Damoh has higher SC population whereas Block Tendulkehda has a higher ST population. Sex ratio and total literacy rate in the district are 905 and 46.27% respectively. District has three main rivers - Bayarma, Sunar and Kopara which are mainly used for irrigation purpose. The total agricultural land in district is 398678 hectares out of which 11746 is barren and 87611 hectares has dual crops. Total irrigated area is 35% of the total agricultural land. Main crops are Gram, Wheat, and Rice. Total kharif area in the district is around 90 thousand hectares of the total agricultural land. Block Jabera has maximum Kharif sowing area. On the other hand,

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Rabi area extends over 2.65 lac. hectares. There are 102 registered agricultural based societies in the district. The total Livestock population is 6.02 lakhs out of which 3.99 lakhs are Cows & Bulls and about 0.41 lakhs are Buffaloes. Damoh District also has approximately 70 mines of Mural, Sand Stone and Flag Stone. Situation of sampled villages Three villages from the district were selected for study. Village Dhonda and Pateriamal are from Tendukheda Block but from different village clusters and village Bhilampur from Damoh Block. Of the 3 villages Dhonda and Pateriamal were DPIP-I villages whereas Bhilampur was a non DPIP-I village. Table: Location of the sample villages in Damoh



Dhonda 30 45

Pateriamal 23 40

Bhilampur 13 13

4.5 The Human Development Index The HDI of the sampled districts as given below indicates that the 2 Districts Raisen and Narsinghpur are comparatively better ranked, whereas Damoh is some where in the middle. The district Shivpuri is the lowest ranked in terms of HDI and coincidently it is the home of the Primitive Tribal Groups – The Sahariyas. (Included as Scheduled Tribes) Table: The HDI for sample districts:

District HDI Parameter

Basis Damoh Narsinghpur Raisen Shivpuri

Literacy 0.549 0.740 0.667 0.533 Children expectancy in schools

1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 Education

Education 0.700 0.827 0.783 0.689 Life 0.484 0.531 0.505 0.372 Health Health 0.484 0.531 0.505 0.372 Adjusted per capita income

0.530 0.500 0.574 0.409 Income

Income 0.530 0.500 0.574 0.409 HDI 0.571 0.619 0.626 0.490 Rank 22 8 7 41

Source MPHDR, 2007

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Source Census 2001 All the villages selected by the study team were predominantly tribal. The gender ratio and

literacy depicts the weak social structure of the social groups in the villages and the incidence of poverty is high in all these villages.

Table: showing Demography and social status by social groups in the sample villages situated against the District and the state

Population % to Total Gender Ratio Literacy Area Total Male Female SC ST All SC ST Total Male Female

State 60348023

31443652 28904371 15.17 20.27

933 905 975 63.7 76.1 50.3

Shivpuri (Distt.)

1442000 776000 666000 18.78 11.19

858 854 945 58.9 74.1 40.8

Paragarh 874 519 355 20.59 43.47 904 854 1061 59.5 79 37.7 Bagloan 765 393 373 5.75 60.78 896 1200 890 37.8 56.8 15.3 Chhatisgarh 500 241 259 0.00 98.80 Na na Na na na na Raisen (Distt.)

1125154 598247 526907 16.37 15.74

881 871 932

72.2 81.6 61.3

Juniya 415 232 183 20.00 30.84 789 930 778 63.9 74.1 51.3 Chilwaha 1453 742 692 51.69 38.54 933 931 941 47.3 62.5 29.5 Narsinghpur (Distt.)

957646 501645 456001 16.14 13.17

909 908 955

77.7 86.1 68.5

Panjra 502 250 252 6.60 84.10 1008 1062 1019 84.5 81.4 81.8 Gaurtala 1089 544 545 11.40 45.30 1002 851 1071 61.9 80.3 44.3 Damoh (Distt.)

1083946 570229 513720 19.49 12.56

901 882 950

61.8 74.7 47.3

Pateriamall 576 297 279 9.20 83.16 927 1000 907 64.5 79.7 48.1 Dhonda 333 168 165 15.02 74.77 954 833 933 52.2 65.2 38.6 Bhilampur 630 326 304 1.11 63.02 927 1000 739 61.5 75.1 45.1

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i. Vulnerable Caste and Groups

ii. Caste hierarchy iii. Socio Cultural issuesiv. Livelihood Overviewv. Livelihood

Seasonality vi. Infrastructure and

access vii. Key indicators of

Poverty

viii. The Seven ‘D’s

5 Analysis The social assessment team selected 4 out of the 14 project districts and 10 villages to study and analyze the factors responsible for poverty. A detailed and intensive study of the overall socio-cultural fabric and economic situations of the poor people in these villages is done and the study. These districts and villages are representative of the geographical and socio-cultural diversity of the district where DPIP phase-I was implemented. 5.1 Vulnerable castes and groups The most Vulnerable groups are the scheduled castes, the scheduled tribes and the women headed households. The Other Backward Castes (OBCs) like - Telis, Nais, Dhivars, Vishwakarmas, Kachhis, Yadavs and Patels have some poor and ultra poor group but usually featured among the lesser vulnerable groups. The scheduled castes 5.1.1 Ahirwar The Ahirwar are the most numerous among the scheduled caste in the districts. They are followed by the Basods. The Ahirwars (traditionally leather workers & shoe-makers) were present in all the villages visited by the study team (except Chhatisgarh, which is a tribal village). The Ahirwar is a versatile community, and some of the Ahirwar households are even ‘rich’. But largely they are either small holding farmers or some of them make shoes. 5.1.2 Basods or Barars They are the most dispossessed community. They are landless and dependent largely on migration and worked as contract laborers in remote places, where they earned between Rs.70 to 90 every day for about 200 days in a year. During their stay in the villages they generally take up some batai or sharecropping such that they are able to produce about fifteen quintals of food grains; hence some of them keep bullocks for batai or share cropping. During this period, they also take up harvesting and sowing assignments from the richer peasants of the village or neighboring village. 5.2 Scheduled Tribes It is well established that the tribal communities as anywhere else in the country are among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. In various forms they face social adversity, oppression and economic hardships. They have to contend with unequal and insecure access to productive resources and share poor participation in governance. Tribal areas and communities largely remain underserved through public systems – both on account of supply (resources fail to reach the target or programs fail to bring long term change) and demand factors (poor ability to demand and elicit resources and services). Poor educational achievements, a vulnerable health status and a insecure livelihood base increasingly dependent on exploitative wage labor has kept these groups to the margins of development in Madhya Pradesh The social assessments have taken note of the presence of the tribal community as amongst the poorest communities in these districts. Mainly the STs, such as the Gonds, Rajgonds, Daroi, Hatoliya, and Sahariyas (also a PTG) live in the selected villages. This is the most vulnerable section of the poor in the district Shivpuri. The Antyoday Ann Yojna (AAY) provides 35 kg food grains (wheat, rice) @ Rs. 2 per Kg. through the PDS and this amount of food grain is substantial to run their livelihood. The level of literacy especially in STs is low in all the DPIP districts. Average literacy rates vary from a high of 64.4 percent in Narsimhapur district to a low of 29.1 percent in Chhatarpur. In fact the Sahariya (PTG) belt of Shivpuri and Guna has the lowest literacy rates among female. Only the district of Narsimhapur has female literacy more than 50 percent.

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Sahariyas the ST do the labor in the agriculture farm and in the sand stone mines. They hardly do the agriculture work on their own land despite of the fact that the MP government leased them 1-2 ha of land. Families which have a government land allotted are unable to cultivate as it is not demarcated by the Patwari as yet. And this a very serious issue as observed in the sample villages of Shivpuri and Raisen District. 5.3 Other backward castes (OBCs) The OBCs present in large numbers are Kachhis, Lodhis, Patels and Yadavs. Those OBCs who are in insignificant numbers are Nais, Vishwakarmas, Telis and Badhais in the sample villages. Dhimars are another significant OBC. They are said to occur in large numbers in some villages. Yadavs, Lodhis and Patels as well as Kachhis/Kushwahas are generally medium level (owning between 3 – 12 Ha. of land) farmers or peasants. Most of them have their own ploughs and bullocks. Dhimars and Vishwakarmas are small peasants possessing between 2 to 2 ½ Ha of land and are engaged in their traditional occupation of fishing (Dhimars) and iron-smith (Vishwakarmas). The Nais (barbers) are engaged in their generation old livelihood of hair dressing and shaving beards, besides, playing their traditional role of match making for marriages. 5.4 The women Shivpuri and Damoh districts represent a feudal past where the women of ex-ruling caste, i.e. the Thakurs or Rajput, still observe Purdah or Veil system. But the Rajput women have a literacy rate of about 35 percent, which is the highest among all castes. The Lodh, Patel and Yadav women as well as Brahmins also have comparable female literacy rate. However, in case of women belonging to the Thankur community, one found that they were very keen to take up income generating activities. The study team observed that because the these women were generally not allowed to go out in the fields unlike other peasant women, they had a lot of free time as compared to women belonging to other castes. Most of the women felt that they did not have any say in the household decisions. But their opinion for child rearing, food grains purchase, illness, household matters and festivities etc. were valued upto some extent. However, many women said that they had been physically assaulted by their spouses at least once in their life. The study team found that there were cases of TB among women from the Schedules Tribe Sahariya(PTG) in Shivpuri and women of Scheduled Caste in Damoh. Most women suffered from Leucorrhoea. It was observed that about 50% of the women were anemic and they had to take iron and liver extract injections at least once in their life. The incidence of poliomyelitis among women was also noted. The most vulnerable households in the villages were those, which were headed by women. Women headed households were those, who lost their male heads. Moreover, the study team found that the most vulnerable was the plight of those women who were left behind to look after their families and whose male members had to migrate for earning their livelihoods. Poverty, lack of support systems and lack of marketable skills compounded their misery. Most of these women belong to SC or ST groups. The case study below is one such live example of the plights of the women headed household.

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5.5 The caste hierarchy At the top of the brahminical caste ladder are the Brahmins. They are followed by the Thakurs. The Yadavs, Lodh-Rajputs, Patels or Kurmis, Kachhies and the Kushawahas are at the third rung. Next in the structure are Dhimars, Nais, Vishwakarmas, Kumhars and Badhais. At the fifth rung, from top or second from the bottom are the Scheduled caste - Ahirwars. The Basods or brars are placed at the very bottom of the ladder. The Scheduled Tribes (also known as Adivasi) are not a part of this caste-ladder. But they are treated as if they were at the rung of Ahirwars (SCs).

Brahmins (General) |Thakurs, banias |Lodhas, Yadavs, Patels, Gujar |

Case study

Bhago bai 35 lives in village Chhatisgarh, District Shivpuri. Bhago lives here along with her

5children the elder son being 14 year old and youngest daughter is 1.5 years old. Bhago bai lost

her husband Rajaram almost a year ago. Like most of the tribal, Rajaram, suffered from

tuberculosis, a gift of under nourishment, unhygienic conditions of living, smoking bidis and

above all stone mining which is the dreamed profession among the saharia tribes. The death of

her husbands left Bhago bai with the responsibility of feeding the family. She had to pay for the

treatment of her husband that drained all her monetary resources & rakam (jewelry). Bhago was

left with 0.5 Ha of un-irrigated land. During the Kharif season she gave this patch of land to the

‘Surpanch’ on the petty rent of Rs. 2000/- for the season for rest of the year she had to depend

on collection of wild herbs. (Jadi-booti) as her chance of getting wage based work (labour) was

very thin. This area lacks big farms. Therefore small and marginal farmers prefer to engage their

own family members in agricultural work so as to keep the input cost as low.

During rabi season the chances of getting labor further declines. Therefore tribal people migrates to

adjoining districts like Sheopur or Dabra where there is extensive network of rivers and their

canals resulting in fertile Land and better farming opportunities. There too Bhago and her kids

get work at medium farms only because big farmers employ harvesters. Bhago migrates along

with her children who have to miss their schools for at least one and a half months. Bhago is able

to get at least 3-4 wheat bags from ‘Panchmahal’ ( Dabra) where she migrates with Rs1200-2000

as cash in hand. Bhago’s total income from above mentioned sources hardly amounts to more

then Rs. 6000/- per year. This is highly insufficient to meet out her expenses. She wants to

repair the roof of her kachcha (temporary) house. She wants to get good treatment for her

extremely malnourished child, she wants to purchases some clothes for her self, she wants to

have the outstanding Rs. 5000/- which she couldn’t get out of her Rashtriya Pariwar Sahayta

Claim, she wants the benefits of ‘Kanyadan Yojna’ but had to marry her daughter at an early age

of 15-16 just because it was not at all safe to leave her at home or take her daughter along while

Bhago went to work out side or to forest.

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Kacchis, kushwahas, dhimars, Pals |Nais, vishwakarmas, telis |Kumhars, badhais |Ahirwars |

Scheduled Tribes i.e., Gonds and Kwandhars, Bheel, Daroi, Hatoliya, Rajgonds and Sahariya.

Basods

The caste wise community structure, influences and social interactions in the sampled villages is presented in the table below: Table: Community and caste structure in the villages

Village Community and caste structure Paragarh There are five communities in the village Gujjar, Pal, Lodhi,

Jatavs and STs Sahariya (also a PTG). The village is dominated by the Gujjar community

Bagloan There are three communities in the village Yadav, Kushwah and ST Sahariya (also a PTG) and village is dominated by Yadavs

Chhattisgarh The village is predominantely a ST community (Sahariya) except one Tomar family and despite of this most Sahariya families are in most vulnerable economic state.

Juniya The village is divided in 3 settlements. Predominately OBC having 27 families followed by 3 families of General category, 21 ST and 12 SC families

Chilwaha The village is divided in 3 settlements Chilwaha, Barkuai & Gerughati. Each settlement is further divided into hamlets ‘Tolas’. Chilwaha the main tola is dominated by the General and the OBC and the Barkui tola is Adivasi (ST) and Banjara (the nomadic community) based.

Panjra The village is divided in 5 settlements of tribal & non tribal community that does not affect their nicely interwoven socio - economic cultural fabric. More so, they look like a single community. Process of cultural assimilation through ages paved way to this unique situation.

Gaurtala Out of total 220 families 95 are Gond the scheduled tribe, 25 scheduled caste families, 69 Other Backward Classes families and remaining 31 are general category families. Power dynamics exhibit the dominance of non-tribal in different organization and institution such as PRI etc. Despite the visible difference the village people have learnt to live in harmony and peace.

5.6 Socio-Cultural Issues

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Village Paragarh and Baglon has mixed communities. The poor and the ultra poor families are facing marginalization as few rich and influential people of the village are power centers. In Bagloan village it was observed that the former Sarpanch (chairperson of the village panchayat1)was from the same village and the current one belonged to the nearby village even then the influence and domination of ex-Sarpanch and his family was clearly felt during FGDs. Most of the developmental activities were centered on the wish of the ‘Sarpanch’ and the common man had less or no say. Village Chhattisgarh was a homogeneous community village therefore social discrimination was least but the infrastructural backwardness and economic vulnerability was evident and could be correlated with the absence of a ‘Sarpanch’ from the same village. Scheduled Caste (SC) community was reported to attend marriages and ceremonies of organized by Scheduled Tribes, but the Scheduled Tribes ST do not attend any social and religious gatherings organized by the Scheduled Caste community. And even though belonging to the same tribe, the two sub-tribes (Gond and Hatoliya), do not intermingle socially at all, as witnessed in village Juniya in Raisen. In families of SC and ST communities, just like the other upper castes or richer communities, traditional customs like dowry, customary meals on death, child birth, expensive marriages etc were practiced and this require heavy expenditure due to which they always remain indebted. Child marriage was found quite prevalent both in SCs and STs’ as reported by people in Juniya and Chilwaha village of Raisen District. Due to this factor girls could not get proper education. Further, due to weaker economic condition in SC and the ST communities’ child labor was witnessed by the study team that was adversely affecting the education and health of such children. Scheduled Tribes (like Daroi, Bheel, Sahariya) - have strong traditions. They incur heavy expenditure on traditional customs from birth to death like Mrityu Bhoj (Death Feast), Child Birth, and Marriage etc. They don’t have dowry system. They believe in Magical Charms (called JADOO TONA, TANTRA MANTRA, and JHAD PHOONK in their local parlance). This is probably the reason why they do not come forward for taking the benefits of government schemes. In village Chilwaha, the STs Bheels were doing farming on encroached forest area. This society also practices the marriage of their boys (8-10 Years) with over aged (18-20) girl. In the tribes male and female are equal and remarriage of widows is practiced. The family head takes care of old men, handicapped and divorcee. They solve their problems through mutual understanding. They prepare local wine from Mahua Madhuca indica for selling and consumption both. Banjara Society - There is an arrangement of JATI PANCHAYAT (Community Meeting) in this society which is very effective in conflict resolution within the community. All decisions of panchayat are binding for all of them. In the Banjara society marriages are fixed during child birth. If anybody goes against this decision then there is a provision for punishment. The punishment of Jati Panchayat is very strict that no community member could ignore. The women dominate in these families. In the absence of men, the women take care of all family and agricultural activities. Difference in asset distribution between tribal and non tribal is visibly clear. Tribal traditionally thrive on forest and wage labor where as non tribal controls more productive asset such as quality land and other physical resources. Power dynamics also exhibit the dominance of non-tribal in different organization and institution such as PRI etc. Despite the visible difference the village people have learnt to live in harmony and peace. On the other hand people also reported that in ceremonies or death feast the whole village contributes in terms of grains etc a unique example witnessed by the study team in the Panjra Village of Narsinghpur District. 5.7 The livelihood Overview

1 Village assembly or meeting.

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Caste wise livelihood dynamic is in such a way Bramhin, Thakur, Yadav, Kushvaha, Dhakad, Lodhi, Sardaar and Rawat do the agriculture, Baniya and Soni do the trading and business, and Gujar rear up the cattle for milk and Paal keeps goat and sheep units and get them feed from forest. The Scheduled Tribe ‘Sahariya’ (PTG) does the labor in the agriculture farm and in sand stone mines. SCs like Ahirwaar work as farm laborers. 5.7.1 Agriculture and Animal Husbandry: Occupational profile as observed in all the villages is diversified. Mainly Agriculture and Wage labor followed by agriculture, animal husbandry, collecting NTFP, a few grocery shops, grain trading, ironsmith, driving and of course few examples of government employment especially in villages of Narsinghpur was seen. The rural economy of the identified clusters is predominantly land-based. Agriculture is the most important livelihood source in every village that was studied. The accessible fertile zones are almost exclusively owned by the dominant castes like the thakurs, the brahmins etc. There is a high level of inequity in distribution of land holdings. A large part of the population is totally landless and survives on earnings from daily wages under hostile living conditions, often subject to acute exploitation. Subsistence Agriculture: Household at the subsistence level does not buy chemical fertilizers and seeds for cultivation. Moreover, they do not have to buy or rent farm machinery or tractor for tilling their fields. They own wooden ploughs (with pointed irons) and bullocks or hire them at barter rates for ploughing. They utilize cattle and goats dung and droppings respectively for manuring their fields. For sowing purposes, they have to save their best grains, tubers and oil seeds from the preceding years’ crop. People at subsistence level generally grow only Kharif crop (or monsoon crops of June to October). For the rabi crops, a subsistence farmer prefers to buy water at barter rates, which is adjustable ex-post facto in terms of wheat, barley, gram, mustard, peas or vegetables. None the less, such instances of households belong to the subsistence livelihood group, people growing rabi crops on their own lands or on batai (share-cropped) are many. Their major constraint for growing rabi crop is lack of ground water for irrigation. By digging many more water tanks, water level could be raised and some surface water might be made available for irrigation. Many small and marginal farmers reported that the agri inputs like fertilizers, seeds etc at the right time and the reasonable price are not available to them. Another setback that the agriculture of these small and marginal farmers faces is the inappropriate pricing of their produce. If at all there is a surplus production that they would like to sell in the market there are so many constraints that act against getting an appropriate price. First of all the cost of transportation to the mandi or market, then even if on a given day the price is less, the produce could not be hold. Each passing day would bear an extra burden. And the uncertainties of the market could not be foreseen. In the field of animal husbandry, it was found that there were many dairy cattle – both cows and buffaloes. People involved in dairying business preferred to rear buffaloes. It was found that animal husbandry is an integral part of the economy mostly done by Gujjars many Ahirwars, Patels, Lodhis and Yadavs owned good quality of buffaloes, i.e. the Kundi breed of buffaloes, or Murrah breed of Buffalo. The poorer people owned goats and cows to meet the domestic milk needs. Some of them also sell milk. Some of the Basods are engaged in poultry and in pig rearing. The poor people generally raise non-descript breeds of cows. The benefit drawn out of cow rearing is three fold i.e., milk, dung and bullocks. Generally, aforesaid all three items are not for cash but are used for meeting domestic needs. But sometimes bullocks after construction are taken to cattle or bullock fair held in nearby places for selling at about Rs.3000 for a bullock. In a year, the milk of a cow (non-descript breed), provides about 20 kg. of Desi Ghee, this fetches about Rupees three thousand. Similarly, those households, which live at a subsistence level of livelihood, do not buy fodder or cattle feed from market. Their livestock graze on scrub lands and village pastures. The owners of livestock also cut grass from the field bunds or village common

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bunds, which they feed to their cattle and goats. Pregnant and lactating goats and cows are fed some grains and chaff along with grasses. These grains are generally produced by the owners themselves in their own land or share cropped land. 5.7.2 Problem analysis:

• Scarcity of Irrigation sources (water). Only 1% of subsistence farmers’ land had irrigation facilities for growing rabi crops.

• Not even 1% of the subsistence farmers adopt hybrid seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides

• Subsistence needs compel a farmer to accord top priority to food grains growing hence s/he can not shift to cash crops, like soyabean, urad, ground nut or vegetables.

• Lack of local markets/haats • Low marginal productivity of land • The subsistence farmers have only one percent of their cultivated land under dual

cropping. Gram (chana), barley and rapeseeds are some of the crops that they grow in Rabi. All other crops require multiple irrigation servicing. Even for gram, a farmer has to plough land during monsoons and keep it fallow for six months. Gram is sown only if there is one good rain in late October or in early November (the land is tilled 4-5 times and kept fallow for moisture conservation during monsoons). However, one significant thing one learnt about subsistence farming in sample villages was that the farmers adopted seed broadcasting technique for sowing all crops.

• Lack of People’s Institutions of credit, thrift and enterprise promotion. • The farmers get caught up in a vicious cycle of availing opportunities, within the

given constraints, which are albeit, subsistence, and potential sources of their úpward mobility in livelihood choices, fail to attract them.

• Large tracts of land lie in the hands of a very few. The agenda of an effective land redistribution scheme seems to be a politically sensitive issue and a distant dream.

• Total absence of production based non farm sub-sector with its backward and forward linkages. Besides, there is no sizable presence of small artisans like potters, shoe-makers, black smiths, etc.

Irrigation Villagers reported that the water table was quite low in Shivpuri as well as Narsinghpur District and thus un-successful (cost-wise) for bore well. The situation has not been explored so far in Bagloan village of Shivpuri. Village Chattisgarh has a cannal system running from Mohini Sagar dam and it also has a minor canal in the village but while social mapping it was evident that land adjacent to main canal belong to higher caste and well off people of village of Indergarh. Most of this land had dug well. On the contrary most of the agricultural land especially that of STs like Sahriya is placed in the non irrigated land area (especially during March) There is a rain fed stream (nallah) which originates from the adjacent hills in the west of the village and moves across the fields of most of poor and ultra poor land but there is no water retaining structure on it that’s why they are not able to harvest two crops. In Juniya & Chilwaha village of Raisen district it was seen that the fertile land of the village was with the General and the Other Backward Caste (OBC) community and they work on their own lands whereas the members of the SC and ST community have either infertile land or no land holding at all. In Juniya village, their main stay is on agricultural wage labor. Due to constant decline in the average size of the land holding the incidence of casual labor has also increased in the sample districts as could be seen from the table below: Table: Land Ownership by Social categories of operational holdings 2000 – 2001

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District Land share

Land & Ownership

Damoh Narsingpur Raisen Shivpuri State

Owners 75.5 79.3 77.4 68.9 67.2 Share of others

Land 87.7 82.5 84.2 77.2 71.7 Owners 14.0 10.0 11.5 20.0 12.4 Share of

SC Land 8.3 6.4 6.9 14.6 8.3 Owners 10.5 10.7 11.1 11.0 20.4 Share of ST

Land 8.8 10.8 8.7 8.0 19.8 1995-96 2.3 2.5 3.6 2.6 2.3

2001-02 2.0 2.3 3.0 2.3 2.2

Average size of landholding

Decline (1996-2002)

15.1 8.5 17.8 13.1 3.3

Source MPHDR, 2007 5.7.3 Agriculture Labor Labor (agriculture and non-agriculture) is the main activity for livelihood of the ultra poor that has no agricultural activity in their farms in 6 out of 12 month of the year. The census 2001 reveals that for the state as a whole, the STs constitute 24% of the main worker force. Occupational classification of main workers in Census 2001 reveals that Agriculture labor is the primary occupation for majority of tribal population. In 12 of the 14 DPIP districts, agriculture laborers outnumber cultivators. In Rewa, almost 80 percent of tribal main workers2 have been reported as agriculture labor. Only in 2 districts cultivators outnumber agriculture labor and the difference is small, refer annexure 18. 5.7.4 Wage Labor The quest for wage labor has guided the poor especially tribal to urban centers and regions of high agriculture production which provide opportunities for wage labor. Young women also migrate (though in lesser numbers) alongside adult men leaving behind the elderly and children in homesteads. Employment is available in agriculture, public works, and construction. The wage labor available is casual and completely determined by vagaries of market forces. Active participation by women in manual labor is a feature of rural societies everywhere. This is even more so for tribal society which is unhindered by caste taboos that place restrictions on women’s mobility for wage labor. It is common to find tribal women going out on their own for wage labor on public works and to towns. While men folk cut and gather fuelled, it is often the women who bring it into urban centers for sales Table: Worker Participation Rate of the ST in the sample districts and state

ST Workers participation Rate Area Dist / State Total Male Female Rural Urban

Share of ST to the state

Dam oh 50.0 53.9 45.8 50.6 32.7 1.1 Narsinghpur 50.4 55.8 44.7 51.4 34.8 1.0 Raisen 43.8 50.7 36.4 44.3 34.8 1.4 Shivpuri 48 50.2 45.6 48.6 32.3 1.3 State 50.5 53.2 47.6 51.5 34.9 N.A.

2 Census enumeration in India classifies workers into main workers and marginal workers. If a person has spent more than 180 days in an occupation, he is considered as a main worker engaged in that occupation.

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Source MPHDR, 2007 SC also has some communities falling under the category of vulnerable but they don’t migrate for wages during harvesting and they hardly collect the NTFP for their subsistence. Table: Worker Participation Rate of the SC in the sample districts and state

SC Workers participation Rate Area Dist / State Total Male Female Rural Urban

Share of SC to the state

Damoh 48.5 52.9 43.6 50.4 40.7 2.3 Narsinghpur 44.5 52.2 36.1 46.6 32.2 1.7 Raisen 39.9 48.7 27.9 40.4 30.0 2.0 Shivpuri 46.0 51.5 39.5 49.1 26.4 3.0 State 43.1 49.8 35.8 46.8 36.1 NA

Source MPHDR 2007 Livelihood is mainly dependent on agriculture and allied activities. Some poor families of Pal and Lodhis and mainly Sahariya, having some land, also give and take some portion or all of it on lease for agriculture purpose on 50-50% share basis. This system is also called Batiya.. 5.8 Migration Besides non-timber forest produce, the STs depended on agriculture as cultivators and agricultural labor. Members of about 80% of the households were found to be migrating every year for 2-3 months for earning wages at remote places. One interesting difference can be seen in the migration pattern of ST & SC is that the ST Sahariya migrate only up to the adjoining district with whole family just baring old and ailing members of community but SC and other community member migrate in the industrial areas for better wages and for longer duration. The STs like Bheels migrate to urban areas for wages like construction of building, road etc in addition to local agricultural wages. Their living standard is low due to insufficient employment availability at village level. Organized migration is not found. Some people do migrate to the jaggery production units after Deepawali festival in Narsinghpur district that indicates a hint of more opportunistic migration than any other village or district visited by the study team. 5.9 Labor in mines One of the livelihood options available to the people is doing labor in nearby mines. Over a period of time the growth in the number of mines had its positive and negative repercussion on the life of those depending on labor as their mainstay this includes the ST Sahariya (PTG) mostly. On one hand the labor in mining is much more rewarding i.e Rs 125 per day as compared to Rs 80 per day as agricultural labor in Shivpuri. On the other hand it also give a growth to alcoholism in men. The labor contactors usually called ‘mukkadams’ offer advances to the laborer giving encouragement to indebtedness. Tuberculosis was also deeply associated with the people working as labor in mines. 5.10 Wage rates: For most of the community people, especially tribal, working as laborer is their mainstay. Prevailing labor rate is very low. In Narsinghpur usually they get Rs 25/- to Rs 40/- working as agricultural labor which seems highly inadequate. Labor wages in Shivpuri were Rs 60-80 as agriculture labor and Rs 125 a day for working in the mines. Some stone crushers started few years back because of various road project offers Rs 50/- a day and Forest department offers Rs 60/- a day equally to men & women. But the community perceives a distinct advantage in their traditional & age- old agriculture labor segment. They are paid in food grains like kodo, sama, kutki of their choice. These lavish coarse grains are not available in the market because its production is not surplus production. Laborers charge less to the traditional employees because they know that they are there with them through the different times.

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5.11 Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) All the ST hamlets are located in the vicinity of forest. In a year, one month livelihood of STs is met out from NTFP collection. And during the harvesting time they migrate to other districts for better wages. The products that they get from the forest including Mahua, Tendu leaves and fuel wood fetch up to Rs. 2000 to Rs. 4000/- per annum. For tendu leaves they get Rs. 30 for every hundred stacks3 and for mahua flowers they get Rs. 5 per KG. Head loads of fuel wood are sold for Rs twenty-five to thirty five per head load during livelihood scarcity. NTFP is the integral part of ST community the Sahariyas as they collect forest produce from nearby forest. Some products are satawar, sankaholi ,gurmal, billaiya, bilaro, gothra, apoh ,gilohkhair gum etc (please refer annexure 14 b for botanical names). The Local shopkeepers and middle men collect these NTFPs from them. The members of the Sahariya community do not get a fair price for this NTFP collection. A locally prevelant rate list of NTFP is mentioned below: Table: Major NTFP product and locally prevalent price

S.No. Name of NTFP

Season of collection

Rates Capacity of collection for one person /day

1 Billaiya March April Rs 25-30/Kg 0.5kg/day 2 Billoro March April Rs 3-4 /kg 5kg/day 3 Gothra March April Rs 5 /kg 5 kg/day 4 Sankahuli Aug-Sept Rs 3-5/kg 5kg/day 5 Satawar Round the year Rs 25/kg 500gms/day 6 Giloh March –(just for

a week in march)

Rs 10/kg 3kg/day

7 Gum Khair March-June Rs 25/kg 0.5-1kg in 2 days

5.12 Biddi ( A Local Tendu Leaf Cigarette) making Damoh have a very high number of non-agricultural workers - 42% respectively but almost half of them belong to household industries; they are mostly bidi-rollers. It was found popular in the SC community seen mainly in the sampled villages of Narsinghpur and Damoh districts. Usually the women of the family are engaged in this work which they manage from their home. As much as 1000 leaves are rolled in a day. For each bundle of 1000 roles called Bidi, Rs 35 is paid by the local trader. 5.13 Seasonality of livelihood During Winter the main sources of livelihood come from Animal husbandry, NTFP collection, Labor in nearby Industry, mines and stone crushers and wage labor Summer: Wage labor, labor in agriculture and stone crushers, Tendu leafs collection. Monsoon: Agriculture, agriculture labor, labor in nearby Industry and stone crusher. 5.14 Infrastructure and access to facilities: The villages are electrified, having transformers - 4 in Paragarh, 1 in Bagloan and 1 in Chhatisgarh. Similarly all three villages of Shivpuri had drinking water facilities from hand pumps 2 in Paragarh, 7 in Bagloan and 2 in Chhatisgarh. Village Panjra has a primary school building and hand pumps in different locations. As compared to the Gaurtala the infrastructural facilities in Panjara seems quite inadequate also because of the fact that Gaurtala was a DPIP-I intervention village and the project has done some good infrastructure work in the village especially the water supply system. Anaganwadi was found in all the 3 villages of Shivpuri but without any premises. In Narsinghpur people reported that the Anagawadi workers regularly visits the village and do the assigned duties.

3 each stack consists of about fifty leaves

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PDS was found in one village ‘Mahadev Panchayat’ 4 km from Bagloan village. Among the 3 villages Chattisgarh was found with least infrastructure support and development unfortunately it was also the tribal village selected for the study. For Paragarh and Chattisgarh village the nearest Health Center available was at their Block HQ similiarly the nearest ‘Mandi’ market, Police station and Bank was also available at the same distance. Except for village Bagloan where a nearby town ‘Charch’ had the police station and the Bank but Mandi and the Health Center were only available at the block HQ only. The villages of Raisen had a PRI Building however in Juniya it was observed that building is situated in main colony and the people of other 2 Tolas do not participate in Gram Sabha. Village Chilwaha had 3 primary schools all in different hamlets called Tolas. A Middle School was found in village Chilwaha & Juniya both located in the main colonies. In Juniya village due to its location in the main colony the children of other tola could not reach school during the rains due to flooded stream – nallah on the way. C.C. road is constructed in Juniya and Chilwaha however the 3 hamlets of Juniya village are not inter-connected through the road. Main village Chilwaha also has Prematric Tribal Boys hostel, EGS building, Gram Swaraj Bhawan (under construction), sub range office of forest deptt. Table 3.6: Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation

District Drinking Water Sanitation None Total Rural Total Rural Total Rural

Damoh 55.7 52.5 13.9 6.0 18.8 22.0 Narsinghpur 93.1 92.2 28.4 21.6 2.3 2.6 Raisen 80.5 77.8 25.9 16.5 7.0 8.3 Shivpuri 58.6 53.3 15.8 6.8 19.8 22.1 State 68.4 61.5 24.0 8.9 14.0 18.0

HDR, 2007 Table: Access to Banking Services by social groups in percentage to the total population, 2001 in sample district and state

District % of total population

% SC HH availing banking services

% ST HH availing banking services

Damoh 19.3 12.3 9.4

Narsinghpur 19.9 12.8 11.3

Raisen 15.7 9.8 7.3

Shivpuri 18.4 15.6 6.6

State 21.1 15.9 12.1

Census of India, 2001 The table above is evident to prove that, to a major share of SC and ST population, the available source of credit is informal financial institutions like the money lenders. Only 15.9% SC household access Banking facilities whereas that by ST is mere 12.1%. This indicates that a large portion of this vulnerable groups do not reach the banks. 5.15 Key indicators of poverty and marginalization (the people’s perception) During the PRA of the sample villages an effort was made by the study team to know how the people themselves perceived poverty. During FGDs the deliberation were made and found that they have certain perceptions about the indices of poverty and enumerate some factor with probable solutions as well. It is presented below: Table: Factors responsible and solution for poverty as recommended by people

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# Factors Solutions as recommended by the people themselves

1. Most of the land is un irrigated.

Development of irrigation facilities. Land and water management is of utmost requirement.

2. No land, infertile land, mortgaged land

Land allotment, resources for land correction and financial support from the institutions or the government for land up gradation

3. Debt Access and availability of cheap and easy loans.

4. Illness Awareness, strengthening the Health services and approach

5. Death of the earning member

Insurance but affordable premium and with quicker response.

6 Undulating land, uplands are less fertile.

Land treatment, farm bunding and orchards at the uplands.

7 Water table below 500 ft. Land & water management, creation of water bodies for surface water irrigation.

8 Lack of employment opportunity to the educated youngsters.

Skill up gradation training and employment options in Government and private sector.

9 Seasonal migration Distress Migration has to be converted into opportunity based migration.

10 Illiteracy Strengthening the government education system and outreach.

11 Village Institutions like PRI, PDS and Anganwadi

Improve access and participation in the PRI especially in the NREGS context. The PDS to be established in a radius of 5 KM with appropriate stocks and Anganwadis need be trained and activated.

12 Drinking water and approach road

Daily fight for drinking water takes both time and energy that needs to be meet out with central water supply system. Approach road was reported as crucial especially for marketing the agriculture produce and dairy.

The above mentioned findings suggest that people are though aware about the factors responsible for weak economic condition but are helpless to correct this situation. Despite of knowing the reasons, the limited access to the resources and every day fight of survival has left them with least hopes. Thus most of them expect the Government aid and intervention as the only ray of hope. 5.16 The “Seven Ds” – People’s identify factors for their Poverty The study teams’ visit to 10 villages and discussion with the community members of poorest of the poor revealed that seven distinct events, practices and phenomena affected the poor, the most. It was felt by the villagers that these seven factors were inter linked. 5.16.1 Debt The villagers felt that the act of taking loans for meeting basic needs of the family or for meeting traditional practices like dowry, death feasts etc. was the most disabling fact of their life. They

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found that they did not know how to deal with contingency needs. People generally preferred to take loans from the persons of their own caste and did not want to approach the pawn brokers and moneylenders for meeting their credit needs. It seems that exclusive caste based savings groups or across the caste saving groups in OBCs if promoted might prove to be the pertinent mechanism to meet these needs. 5.16.2 Deprivation Three major kinds of deprivation, narrated by the villagers to the team are: (a) Food and nutrition, (b) education, information, knowledge and entitlements (c) health, hygiene and over all well-being. However, ‘livelihoods’ is the major deprivation as it cuts across all the three kinds of deprivations. The study team noticed that about 70-80% of population migrates and despite working in far off places, away from their home as migrant labourers they fail to meet the bare minimum needs of their families. The physical deprivation of three square meals a day, proper clothing and shelter, on a regular basis, makes them accord top priority to growing food grains and earning enough money to buy food for the household. Hence they tend to attach relatively lower priority to education and health. 5.16.3 Drought Ninety-six percent of the cultivated lands of the sample villages were rain fed. The cultivators in Shivpuri especially said that it was drought since last 4 years and other reported that every third year is a drought year and every seventh year, a severe drought year. The deficient rains meant lack of enough drinking water, poor Kharif crop and the initiation of process of sending off the cattle and goats to water abundant/high rain fall areas on 50% Batai. In the Batai (share cropping) system of animal husbandry for goats and cows, the owner of livestock transfers his/her animals to fodder and rain sufficient zone for six to eight months. After this batai period of 6-8 months, if the goat or cow is ready for sale or for catering, the market sale price of the animal is arrived at. The party, which has fed and reared the animal (lessee), is entitled to 50% of realization price and the remaining 50% is determined as entitlement of the owners’ (lessors). But Batai system of livestock is practiced only if there are friends or relatives living in above average rainfall zones. These friend and relatives consider it as a favour to the poor rain affected relatives. However, drought or severe drought means whole scale migration of almost all land-less and subsistence farmers to cities or rain-sufficient areas. This kind of whole scale migration is dreaded most by the disadvantaged groups. They believe that these cycles of seven year drought devastates their families and kills ¼ th of their family members and exposes them to diseases of debility like TB. 5.16.4 Disease Disease involves calling on medical practitioners who live outside affected persons village and in most cases in towns. An expert’s visit to the family of the affected persons means Rs.300 to Rs.700 in one week or for an affected persons visit to an expert means Rs.100/- to Rs.150/- per day. Poor families don’t have this kind of ready cash. In one instance, a tribal family had to mortgage its entire land (of 5 Acres) for treatment like TB and tetanus too could be devastating. The instances of destitution of families through diseases were many in 10 villages. 5.16.5 Dowry Dowry did not seem to be a major reason of rural people’s destitution, atleast it was not presumed by the people, in all the districts. Dowry resulted in an expenditure of Rs.5000/- to Rs.8000/- per daughters marriage (50% which is raised from moneylenders). In some OBC families, as well as for the Brahmins, Rajputs, Patels an amount of Rs.25,000/- to Rs.50,000/- was given as dowry at each daughter’s wedding. However, there are many families, which did not borrow for giving dowry for their daughters and did not spend more than Rs.500/- to Rs.1000/- for their daughter’s marriage. Feasts during marriages (son’s or daughter’s) however account for as much expenditure as on dowry for the poor families. 5.16.6 Discriminated Development

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Discrimination of the basis of caste and gender is a common phenomenon in the villages. The socially marginalized groups like SCs and STs face every day discrimination in their neighbourhood, at the social gatherings, the public work, various departments etc. Because of this deep routed age old discrimination the socially marginalized groups becomes the last beneficiary of the holistic development. In their own words, it would also mean that the development itself has been discriminated on the basis of social economic status of the community. In villages, displaced families from dams, national parks, reserve forests, closed mines and closed cement factories numbered about a hundred. They formed about 10% of the total population of the sample villages. A large number of them (about fifty) have been restricted from entering the forest as they were reserved. There were cases were STs were allotted Pattas or the land record and later on when they upgraded the land for cultivation the Patwari demarked it to an influential person in the village, or for some other governmental work and they were given a low quality land in the some undulated terrain or upland where cultivation is difficult or less responsive. 5.16.7 Death Death of the earning member would leave the entire family with a life full of debt, misery and exploitation are survival is difficult and growth becomes impossible and then the death duties of Government, land record transfer costs and post death feasts and gifts to Brahmins, immersing last remains in river make each and every death a severe financial blow to a family in the rural area. Loss of a pair of earning hands and the emotional trauma associated with each event of a death in a family makes it doubly dear. On an average, a death certificate costs Rs.200/- in black market, land transfer Rs.600/- feasts and gifts Rs.1,000/-, immersing last remains costs Rs.300/- to Rs.500/-. All these costs add upto about Rs.2,000/- in the event of death, which is about 15% of annual income of a poor family earning of Rs.14,000/- per annum and if the death is by a disease such as TB, the treatment would cost another Rs 10,000. ____________________________________________________________________________

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6 Institution and Stakeholders Analysis 6.1 Panchyati Raj Institution (PRI) The earlier existing administration in the districts was one centred on the District Collector, with development programmes implemented by civil servants through the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). A centralised, bureaucratic and hardly accountable state government system was then being transformed into something else—the vision of a locally managed system in which people participate, regulate and monitor how agreed upon things are done. The new system reduced the role of the collector, and brought in Panchayti Raj, institutions like the Zilla (district) Panchayat, Janpad (block) Panchayat, Gram (village) Panchayat. The point of difference was that communities could elect their representatives and care was taken to have reservation for women and other deprived sections to have their voices heard. Democratic processes were also set in motion through this process. For many programmes similar approach was also adopted, that of peoples committees or groups managing these programmes. Many programmes were also initiated and organised user groups/ management groups/ peoples groups to manage and implement programmes – the major examples of this are the Village Forest Committees under the Joint Forest Management programmes, Irrigation User Committees under a progressive legislation that brought irrigation users into irrigation management, etc. Even some of the Rajiv Gandhi Missions were implemented through distinct user groups such as the Watershed Committees. Some of these programmes created committees separate from Panchayats, in which Panchayat leaders were sometimes involved in ex-officio or consultative capacities. The objective was not subverting the Panchayats but a platform that would be effective for that particular programme, since these programmes involved a smaller stakeholder network and therefore representation to these committees needed a different group to be represented. Table: Number of Panchayats and Representatives in Madhya Pradesh

Note: Prior to 2000 Chhattisgarh was a part of MP, therefore the number of district was 61. Effective Devolution of Functions: Devolution of functions and powers to the three tiers of Panchayats by the State Government of Madhya Pradesh (1994-95) Table: Devolution of functions and powers to the three tiers of Panchayats

Gram Panchayat Janpad Panchayat Zilla Panchayat

Sanitation Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)

Construction and Maintenance of sources of water

Agriculture

Control, coordinate and guide the Gram and Janpad Panchayats within the district

Construction of roads, buildings bridges, latrines, wells

Social forestry Coordinate and consolidate the Janpad Panchayat plans;

Lighting of village streets Cottage industries

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Control over entertainment shows, shops, eateries

Family planning

Coordinate the demands for grants for special purposes received from the Janpad Panchayats and forward them to the State government

Maintenance of Panchayat property

Sports

Establishment and management of market and melas

Rural employment programme

Prevention of contagious diseases

Secure the execution of plans, projects, schemes or other works common to two or more Janpad Panchayats of the district;

Promotion of youth and sports

Provision for emergency relief in cases of fire, flood, drought, etc

Providing public health Facility Control of erection of building and such building (The Gram Panchayats get construction schemes upto Rs. 5 lakhs executed through the Construction and Communication Committee of the Gram Panchayat. The practice of contract is strictly prohibited. The Gram Panchayat exercises as full control and supervision over all construction activities. )

Arrangement in connection with local pilgrimage and festivals; management of public ferries, public markets, melas, etc.

Advise the State government on social forestry, family welfare, welfare of the disabled, destitute, women, youth and children;

Fine obstruction and encroachment upon public streets or open spaces Naming of buildings and streets, etc

Any other function with the approval of the State government and the Zilla Panchayat.

Exercise such other powers which the State government entrusts to it.

Source: Government of Madhya Pradesh Year:1994-95 It may be seen that the functions entrusted to Gram Panchayats are mostly civic in nature. In the case of Janpad Panchayats, certain subjects have been mentioned wholesale as having been devolved upon them (such as sports, agriculture, etc.) thereby necessitating Activity Mapping to delineate with clarity the precise activities that the Janpad Panchayat has to perform. The District Panchayat has supervisory powers over the Gram and Janpad Panchayats, but has only advisory functions in respect of certain matters. 6.2 NREGA All the districts have been included under NREGA in MP. Expecting to cover 1.11 cr. rural households spread in all the villages of our state, the scheme intends to provide 100 days guaranteed employment to all unskilled job seekers in rural MP and in the event of failing to do we promise to pay unemployment allowance to all such persons registered with GRAM Panchayats. The state is entitled for a sum of Rs 2800 crores. 6.3 The Public Distribution System

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The PDS aims to that ensure availability of food at affordable prices at house hold level for the poor. The PDS operations commence with procurement of food grains, their movement, storage, stock position and the quantum and the modality of ration cards, no. Of units, items distributed, quantity distributed enforcement activities are to be reviewed by the State/Central Government administration for proper monitoring of PDS. The new system has been devised to cater mainly to the needs of the population below poverty line. 6.4 Integrated Child Development Schemes ICDS As per the 2001 Census, MP has around 1.07 cr. children (0-6 years) constituting 17.7% of the total population. Women and Child Development’s policies, programs and schemes are aimed at a holistic development of children in terms of tackling declining sex ratio, infant mortality, health and nutrition issues, early childhood education, protection of their rights, prevention of abuse of children, provision of care and protection and so on. 6.5 Mid-Day-Meal The Mid-Day-Meal Program was introduced in 1995 to provide a cooked noon meal to primary school children of all Government and Government aided Schools studying in Class I to V all over the State for 210 working days in a year. The scheme aims at increasing the enrolment and reducing the number of school dropouts while also improving the nutritional status of the children by providing a cooked meal to the primary school children in all Govt. & Govt.-aided primary school 6.6 National Old Age Pension NOAP Scheme is the first component of a 100 % Govt. of India assisted program namely National Social Assistance Program (NSAP)being implemented in the State since 15th August,1995. Under this Scheme, destitute elderly of 65 years of age and above having no regular means of subsistence are being paid with monthly pension at the increased rate of Rs.275/- per month from 1st April,2006. 6.7 National Family Benefit Scheme National Family Benefit Scheme is being implemented in the State with 100% Govt. of India's assistance since 15th August 1995 as the second component of National Social Assistance Program (NSAP) of the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India. The main objective of the scheme is to rehabilitate to a downtrodden BPL family on the event of death of its primary bread winner. Under this Scheme, a one time lump sum financial assistance of Rs.10,000/- is given to a bereaved BPL family on the death of its primary breadwinner in the age group of 18-64 years (in case of normal death up to 1st August, 1998 it was Rs.5000). This amount is given to such surviving member of the ‘household’ of the deceased who, after local inquiry, is determined to be the head of the household. 6.8 Tejaswini Tejaswini With the support of IFAD, the project will strengthen the SHGs and their federations. The project at the same time will focus on empowerment of the women members through awareness building, enhance their participation in health and education schemes and in the PRIs. 6.9 Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna SGSY A number of poverty alleviation programs were amalgamated by Government of India and merged into a single new scheme called “Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana” (SGSY) with effect from 1.4.1999. SGSY is a centrally sponsored scheme that is jointly funded by the Government of India and the State Government in ratio of 75:25. It emphasizes on promotion of a large number of rural income generating activities through Self Help Groups. 6.10 Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana SGRY Provide additional wage employment in the rural areas as also food security, alongside the creation of durable community, social and economic infrastructure in the rural areas. The program is self-targeting in nature with special emphasis to provide Wage Employment to women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and parents of children withdrawn from hazardous occupations.

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6.11 Indira Awaas Yojna IAY was launched during 1985-86 as a sub-scheme of Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Program (RLEGP) and continued as a sub-scheme of Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY) since its launching from April, 1989. It has been de linked from the JRY and has been made an independent scheme with effect from January 1, 1996. The objective of IAY is primarily to provide grant for construction of houses to members of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded laborers and also to non-SC/ST rural poor below the poverty line. Table: Selected People’s Institutions in MP, 2002-03

District People’s Institution

Damoh Narsinghpur

Raisen Shivpuri State

District wholesale consumer store

18

Primnary consumer society

34 20 37 40 4036

District forest produce society

1 0 0 0 30

Primary minor forest produce society

18 22 49 36 1202

Poultry & animal husbandry society

0 0 0 7 51

Resham society 0 0 0 0 13 Milk production cooperative society

17 100 43 32 3495

Oilseed production cooperative society

27 72 55 37 1251

Weavers society 0 0 0 0 405

Other producers cooperative

0 0 0 0 165

Fishermen’s society 27 12 47 5 1496

Fisheries society 18 10 39 32 1072

Cooperative sugar mills 0 0 0 0 7

Industrial cooperative society

19 17 23 18 1005

Housing cooperative 15 10 12 20 2602

Department of Co-operation Registrar, 2003 6.12 Self Help Groups Overview of the Self Help Groups of Madhya Pradesh: While there is a definite pattern in terms of the stages of growth of SHGs across the state, the time frame for reaching maturity varies with the socio-cultural setting of the region, as well as the experience and approach of the promoting agency. As the process of organization is a social process, seeking to change existing caste, class

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and Gender hierarchies in the society, it may not always be possible to hasten the pace of the process. It has taken groups anything between 4 to 9 years to reach the stage of minimization of support from the promoting agency and its withdrawal. Women only groups are better able to address the specific needs and problems of the women members. SHGs formed only for the sake of savings and credit activities are less sustainable than those engaged in a range of activities that include production and action on social issues apart from savings and credit. Table: Number of SHGs formed in sampled districts and state under various schemes, 2004

District Total SHG Women SHG % share of women SHG

Population per SHG

Damoh 3836 1587 41.4 299

Narsinghpur 2324 1264 54.4 437

Raisen 7711 2948 38.2 157

Shivpuri 3044 1586 52.1 509

State 229483 131086 57.1 281

HDR, 2007 A clear regional pattern is visible with groups in Northern and Central M.P mainly engaged only in savings and credit, while those in parts of Jabalpur Division are more holistic in their activities. Motivation for group formation and the profile of the leader is a major determinant of the strength of the group. Here again a regional pattern is visible, with the leader and members of the groups being of a similar socio-economic and cultural background, while in Sagar, Chhatarpur and Gwalior divisions, where society is highly stratified and patriarchal norms strong, leadership rests with the dominant sections of the society. They view SHGs as a means of accessing government resources for their village at best and a way of strengthening their own dominance in the rural community at the other extreme. The SHGs here are formed mainly of the upper caste women, either clandestinely or with the active intervention of the male members. The scope for women to express their viewpoint especially on sensitive social issues such as drunkenness is limited. Further, in many cases Government schemes earmarked for women are accessed by men using the SHG as the conduit for doing so. The issue of women’s self reliance and empowerment in this region seems to be a non-issue in a majority of SHGs. Savings are made both in cash and kind, the latter particularly in the tribal parts of the State. The average savings are much higher in Narsinghpur and Rajgarh than other parts of the State. Savings in urban areas are much higher than in rural areas. The role of the facilitator is critical in strengthening group processes and truly instilling the concept of self-help. Their effectiveness in disseminating information, upgrading skills and facilitating linkages, contributes towards the extent of self reliance of the group. Training, capacity-building support and networking of groups is essential for their long-term sustainability.Costs incurred in forming and strengthening an SHG are difficult to estimate, as they are functions of the social and economic context in which the group is being formed. In certain areas, considerable amount of non-monetary support may be required by the groups in order to face opposition to them.

Within the state and district a varied mix of community run and managed institutions at the village level is found. A stakeholder / institutional analysis of some commonly found institutions and

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schemes in the sampled villages gave a glimpse of the real picture of their outreach, effectiveness and participation. Table: Institutional Analysis of the sampled villages

# Institution / Schemes

Issues / status

1 PRI Panchayati Raj Institutions are responsible to coordinate in implementation of some very important programs and schemes in the village like NREGS, SGSY etc. In most of the sampled villages the PRIs either seems out of reach of the poor and the ultra poor. More so the power was also centralized with the dominant communities. There were still some development work seen in the villages but people reported the discriminatory behavior of the Sarpanch (the chair person of the village panchayat) towards the SC and the ST communities. In all the 3 villages of Shivpuri since the Sarpanch was not the resident of the same village he didn’t showed any interest in initiating any NREGS work in any of the 3 villages.

2 NREGS In both the villages of Narsinghpur it was seen that the Job cards are issued to all the people and people do know much about the scheme. Community understands the possible repercussions in terms of wage labor and asset creation. But unsuccessfulness of dug well due to low water table is a limiting factor to the scheme. In Shivpuri NREGS has not reached the sampled villages so far as also reported by the villagers. Villages of Damoh and Raisen faced the similar situation of centralization of the activities around the wishes of the Sarpanch.

3 Public Distribution System (PDS)

The institution is not able to deliver well. Some real poor are missing from BPL list. The preferred grains are sometimes not available for as much as 6 months.

4 School Primary schools were found in all the villages and are doing well. Although middle school is facing understaffing problem as seen in village of Shivpuri and Narsinghpur. Attendance of girls is more in comparison to the boys. There are many other factors affecting the attendance and enrollment in the schools. In Raisen the people reported that the reach to schools particularly during the rains becomes impossible due to absence of connectivity. Children from SC and ST families either migrates or help their parents on field as laborer

4 Anganwadi centre The reach was there in almost all the villages. Though their performance in Shivpuri and Damoh raised some concern. But Narsinghpur it was running well. Aganwadi worker is also reported as a popular social worker.

5 Health ANM and supervisor visits the village regularly. Tuberculosis was a major health concern in Shivpuri due to mines and Bidi making in Damoh. The prevelance of home deliveries was found in half of the sampled villages. However in Narsinghpur there was no serious health problem whatsoever.

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6 Forest The selected villages had a considerable tribal population and close proximity with the forest. Community excels in symbiotic coexistence with the forest. Degrading forest wealth due to unorganized extraction of forest produce has negatively impacted upon the NTFP activity of tribals. The forest beet is biggest in the district Narsinghpur. A Kosa silk centre is running at Srinagar. Community was prevented entering the forest because of Kosa silk unit. They complain that only Saj tree is protected where as other plants are depleted. Their cattle are prevented in the forest too but unavailability of graze land is not been considered at all.

7 Agriculture A major livelihood option, marred by irrigation, electricity and quality seed problems. Rice, wheat, gram, Urad, Jawar, tuar pulse Sugarcane and Soyabean are mostly produced and consumed.

8 Marriage & other Ceremony

System of bride groom price and expensive necessary gifts are quite prevalent and deep routed. One of the major reasons for indebtedness.

9 Migration Organized migration is not found any where in any of the sample village. More opportunistic migration seen in Narsinghpur only where some people migrate to jaggery production units after Deepawali festival.

10 Women In terms a wage labour payment men & women are not equally treated. Especially in mines and other wage labor. Except for forest department work were the wages to both are equal. The society is by and large patriarchal. Women helps in collecting NTFP, agriculture operation apart from domestic drudgery etc. Severe unawareness is found in women towards hygiene. Though they are aware of some schemes like Janani for institutional deliveries, Ladli Lakshmi and Mukhya Mantri Kanya Daan Yojna, but the awareness about the right towards equal wages, education and decision making was not satisfactory at all.

11 Banks Banks and specially the Regional Rural Banks RRBs have a very crucial role to play towards the economic development of the poor. Here, due to the ever growing NPA and slower growth rate have resulted in banks to discriminate between their customer as a result the poor and the ultra poor are not very hopeful towards the banks finance, and the moneylender are still as indispensable as ever.

12 Self Help Group In all the sample villages the people either know or were part of some SHG. There were 15 SHGs reported to be found in the sample villages. Out of which only 4 were properly functioning. Out of the remaining some were dormant and a good 6 were defunct. 1 group in Panjra village was successfully functioning that also had a bank finance of Rs 3 lakh for dairy activity. People did reported a few reasons for not joining the group or the group being defunct. (refer case study)

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13 Common Interest Group / Producers Company

Only 3 out of the 10 sample villages were DPIP phase-I villages. In Narsinghpur the team was able to talk with CIG members that were engaged in agriculture activity. CIG members reported the successful completion of the activity financed under DPIP. There were 4 CIGs of common Infrastructure (Z) in Gaurtala Village that have created a middle school building a boundary wall and an internal CC road all could be seen in good condition in the village. There were 11 CIGs that took tube well construction activity under DPIP and have doubled their source of irrigation in 3 years time there were 6 CIGs of Dairy each member of CIG had 1 buffalo from the project. 5-7 member farmers of different CIGs, also reported that they are now interacting with the Narsimh Crop Producer company formed under DPIP and have availed turmeric seeds and fertilizer from the company under turmeric production plan that has benefited them.

14 Village Development Committees

DPIP –I has facilitated in formation of the Village Development Committees, a village level federation of the CIGs, in all the project villages. All the 3 DPIP Village were found with VDCs formed and running successfully since more then 1 year now. People reported that they were doing inter-loaning from a corpus called Apnakosh and also regularly saving in the VDC. The 2 VDCs of Damoh were all women VDC and that of Gaurtala was a men VDC having 2 women as the Bank Signatory and as the executive committee member. The women of the VDCs in Damoh reported that the VDC has provided them loans ranging from 500 -1500 so far. Some women reported that since they were not able to make savings they were not given loan. The VDC of Narsinghpur is doing well and the members including the women have take loans upto Rs 2000 from the VDC.

6.13 Learning from the DPIP Phase I The Social Assessment Team felt it was significant to learn from the experiences of the DPIP-I so as to adopt the best practices in the phase-II. 6.13.1 Project area and interventions: The project had benefited 3.6 lakh poor and ultra poor families by facilitating them to initiate or enhance some income generating activities and thereby creating income generating assets worth Rs 410 cr. Rural poor and ultra poor beneficiaries were organized in 56000 Common Interest Group (of 5-6 member each) and 2650 village level federation of the CIGs known as the Village Development Committees. The project also introduced an institutional innovation and created 17 Producers Company as the activity based federations, to spur market-led rural entrepreneurial intervention and provide backward and forward linkages to the primary producers. The project was more than successful in achieving its Socio-economic empowerment objective.

(a) Economic Empowerment: The project has carefully monitored and reviewed its performance as to the participation of the most vulnerable and excluded sections of the community like the Scheduled Tribe, Schedule Caste and the Women. By the end, the project was successful in inclusion of the excluded group. Out of total CIGs, 25% were of the Scheduled Tribes, and a good 26% from the Scheduled Caste beneficiaries.

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30 per cent were exclusively women based. Where as the total participation of women as project beneficiaries was 37%. This has given them access to economic empowerment that both, the activity and group actions bring. The access to resources through the project has enabled a large portion of women especially from the ST and the SC community to pursue independent economic activities right from agriculture and dairy to glass beads, shops, trading etc. Women have chosen various self-employment opportunities and are now in a position to make significant contribution to family income. They are also playing a major role in family decision making matters. Members of the ST and SC of these groups have learned to manage different aspects of the economic activity that has exposed them to market and traders and developed their understanding of the rural market and improved their knowledge, negotiation and bargaining skills. Homogeneous activity based women CIGs have also federated and registered under cooperatives for scaling up and linkages. Microfinance/credits through VDCs are supporting members in meeting out their small credit and emergency needs, thus making them less vulnerable to crisis and financially backed for small working capital needs. VDCs have majority of women in their executive working committees which manage the village fund in microfinance. This has resulted in a two way gains: firstly, women decide the use of the funds and secondly, by doing so they are learning financial planning too.

(b) Social Empowerment: Project resources were thoughtfully allocated to support actions such as exchange visits between groups during the capacity building process. Federating group (VDC) has given them higher platform for expression and assisted them to develop their understanding of the link between their behaviors, everyday activities and strategic rights. Activities of immediate interest to women such as better access to drinking water, fuel etc were the key focus area in the village infrastructure work done under ’Z’ category and activities like savings and credit, group health etc were the primary activities taken up by VDCs. This has also eliminated moneylenders from the credit chain to a great extent. Women are managing the day-to-day business of the VDC in every project village, giving them an authority to manage the ’Apnakosh’ village fund in microfinance. This has led to an increase in respect for women by the community members and women themselves. They are also taking up leadership roles and demonstrating management skills. For example, women are chairperson in about 95% of VDCs and 80% of VDCs have all women in their executive committees. After the completion of 5 years, the project conducted an ‘Impact Evaluation’ and ‘Ex-Post Economic Analysis’ through independent organizations that revealed some very positive and encouraging results.

(c) The impact evaluation showed that the project’s interventions have enabled the poor and poorest households to acquire assets (especially livestock) and shift from wage employment to self employment. Asset formation patterns clearly demonstrate the influence of project interventions. Even as the level of ownership of household assets in the state increases across the board from baseline to the impact survey period, the order of increase is appreciably higher for CIG households as compared to the others, with non-CIG households following. CIG house holds have increased their income by 65% as against Non-CIG and Non- project house hold incomes that increased only by 34% and 25% respectively. The real incomes of project beneficiaries (CIG households) have increased by 53% over the project implementation period as compared to non beneficiaries in project villages whose incomes increased by 24%; the real income growth of households in non project villages was only 15%. As far as the expenditure trends are concerned, CIG households, with an average 65 per cent increase in incomes and 18 per cent in expenditure, are spending 56 per cent more on education, followed by food (30%) and house maintenance (27%).

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Vulnerability and Coping: The effect of project initiatives in the state is evident in the savings behavior of households. Even as households have realized savings across the board, the trend in savings is the most consistent for project, and especially for CIG households as the number of CIG households saving recorded as the highest percentage change of 183%. Project initiatives have facilitated the highest level of decrease in vulnerability for CIG households – both for normal as well as shock period borrowings. As in the case of savings, the pattern of borrowings too demonstrates the extent of facilitation accomplished by project initiatives in the case of CIG households, especially in the lower income quintiles, directly affecting the level of vulnerability and the ability to cope with crises on the part of project households in the lower income quintiles, while non-CIG and non-project households’ borrowings have been largely unaffected in the impact survey period, in case of CIG households, borrowings by the lower quintiles too show a drop of 6 to 10 per cent. Distress Migration: Improved food security through the project interventions and other livelihood impacts has significantly reduced distress migration which was a common feature in drought prone areas. In CIG households, distress migration was reduced from 30 per cent to 14 per cent.

(d) The Ex-post Economic Analysis of 323 selected activities (Income Generation and livelihood infrastructure) through the DPIP project, undertaken by the beneficiaries revealed that 89% activities are functional, a vast majority of the activities have a positive Net Present Value, a higher Internal Rate of Return and the Benefit Cost Ratio greater than unity. The rural communities have highly considered DPIP as the program of their choice.

(e) Best Practices: The project was been successful in inclusion of the extremely poor and vulnerable groups by continuously reviewing the performance of the project and adopting innovation, flexibility where ever required.

GO-NGO partnership: The project worked in a participatory mode and valued the experience and understanding of the NGOs in community mobilization and participation. Therefore NGOs were involved in and during various implementation stages of the project. Most importantly the local NGOs were identified and used as the Mobilization and Support Organizations at the cluster level. Secondly reputed NGOs were identified as Long Term Partners to sustain the project benefits even after the life of the project as the withdrawal strategy of the project. Beneficiary Contribution: The Mid-term review of the project revealed that the extremely poor category especially the Scheduled Tribe and the Scheduled Caste were unable to contribute monetarily to the specific components due to extreme conditions of poverty and were failing to avail project benefits. The project therefore adopted a more flexible approach of collecting the contribution in easy installments and the results were encouraging.

Community Infrastructure: The project invested in creating community infrastructure in the project villages that had a twin benefit; firstly, it generated local employment and helped poor beneficiaries to collect money for contribution. Secondly, these infrastructures were directly focused upon the immediate needs of the community like the drinking water system, approach road, school building etc.

Women in VDC Executive Committees: DPIP invested in creating some very active community based institution like the Village Development Committees and made women as the key functionaries in the VDC executive committee. 95% of the VDC had a women chairperson and as many as 80% of the VDC had a all women executive working committee.

Capacity Building and exposures: Project believed that capacity building was the most important step towards socio-economic empowerment. Having seen that women and especially from the ST and SC community had a very restricted and limited mobility, the project adopted a softer approach to ensure women participation in exposures and training programs by allowing their male relatives to travel with them.

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7 Recommendations Focused group discussions with the poor and the ultra poor groups were conducted intensively. During the discussion these groups expressed their most wanted demands. A few of such demands have been presented below: A considerable number of people were missing out of the BPL list and were not able to take the benefits of the PDS and other government aid and subsidy. The project must find a way to get them included in the BPL list. For many of the poor and ultra poor household, either they had no land or the size was too small to get a production that could sustain the family throughout the year. Developing some source of livelihood that could either use their existing skills or capacitate for a new intervention is proposed. People have recognized that the debt in the events of marriage, death or illness was a severe crunch to the finances that disturbs the economic conditions for few years. The reasons are the expensive loan offered by the money lender, baniyas etc. The family remains indebted for years and sometimes repays it by putting some family member (mostly sons) as labor for a fixed period with the moneylender. Availability of cheaper loans from banks or other institutions in the event of shocks as well as for production would be a very useful. Construction of check dams and other water conservation structures, roads and buildings were also demanded. The families demanding for irrigation scored the highest marks in the wish list. Availability of the agriculture inputs, at the right time and the reasonable price was a major requirement. Most of the small and marginal farmers also said that their produce are devalued and once it reaches the market it bears a loss with each passing day to wait for a better price. Legalizing and regularizing the residential plots of those villagers whom have been staying for more than twenty years on the forest, revenue land, or village commons as patta4 land. For those who already have the pattas demanded demarcation from the patwaris. Electrification of the village, School building, Internal connectivity and frequent visits by mobile Government Consumer Shops, and availability of the preferred grains in the PDS. The Field study team, on the basis of the specific findings on the field and on the considering the discussions with the villagers make the following recommendations: The poorest of the poor in the villages are dependent on the local moneylenders, and in case of mines they approach mukkadams, for their survival in case of shocks and calamities. Therefore it is advisable that the project create community based institutions to meet the consumptive as well as the productive credit needs of the members and that too in optimum size. In case of doses being less then optimum it may result in defeat of the purpose. No income generation activity should be undertaken with any of the group that is based on the belief that it would succeed because in the area there exists the raw materials needed for processing the commodity. It is important that the market for that commodity exists. Presence of raw material in the vicinity may not be the necessary condition for an enterprise to succeed, but presence of ready market is. The poor inhabitants in the district are not skilled in any trade5. They are primarily land less labourers who may or may not be migrating out in search of work. Therefore any attempt at initiating any income generating activity should be preceded by adequate capacity building of the beneficiaries. Most of the small and marginal farmers also said that their produce are devalued and once it reaches the market it bears a loss with each passing day to wait for a better price Attempts should be made to concentrate on activities that result into production of goods that can be marketed

4 Document that proves one's ownership on any piece of land. 5 Out of eleven poor groups studied in ten villages, not a single instance of any of the groups skilled in any trade emerged.

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locally. Producers Companies outreach to all these villages have to be ensured. Backward and forward linkages for the poor and marginal farmers for timely supply of agri-input and production buy-back on a reasonable price. Inter community relationships must be carefully considered before the formation of the SHGs. It is advisable to form socially homogeneous groups6. The same group should also not have members who are close to different centers of influence in the village. Table : Support and Linkages

Institutions Scheme Support and linkage with respect to DPIP-2

Gram Panchayat / PRINREGs Welfare scheme e.g. IAY, pension, Drinking water Provide information about govt. schemes

Sarpanch plays dominant role to decide where the employment guarantee schemes work will start. Institutional infirmity is due to lack of community participation and monitoring. Things can be delivered in a more transparent and participative mode by raising awareness in the community based institutions formed under DPIP-II. Project facilitated village organization like the VDC can ensure improved performance of schemes like IAY and TSC. Peer information system will work effectively about all the govt. schemes

School Education Once again the VDC dominated by women can monitor the quality and inclusion of girl in the schools and school drop out students. For this the VDCs must be strengthened as social institutions also and not just a financial intermediary

Bank Financial support for rural development

Project facilitated community based institution can develop and nurture better clientele which is mutually beneficial to Banks and poor people.

Forest Protection and regeneration

Again VDC can effectively coordinate with the JFMs where ever required.

Aganwaadi Health and nutrition education and socio -physical- mental development of children

VDC can monitor it properly and Angawaadis may be invited as an ex-officio of the VDC.

Revenue Staff Land record etc VDC and SHG led empowerment will help in better delivery of the services as it shall empower people with the knowledge about their rights.

6 In village Juniya a SHG defunct as they belong to 2 sub-castes of the same tribe but do not intermingle socially and traditionally.

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ADEO,RAEO,AVFO, (extension worker)

Livelihood facilitators PFT model is best as it is well established in DPIP phase-1.

Health Health and maternity services

The project must invest in the communication like developing IEC for health awareness. VDC and federation can increase the access to health services by coordinating with health department.

7.1 Specific Recommendations on Tribal empowerment The study teams make the following recommendation specifically for addressing the tribal issues as witnessed during the village PRA All the field functionaries working with the tribals and primitive tribe (Sahariya, Bhariya & Baigas) should be oriented to work with them and by knowing their distinct socio-cultural traits. Project needs to generate such resources that could carry low level of skill and technology to handle with it and link to sustainable market. Migration needs to be checked among tribe. It is distress migration for a small duration in the pursuit of better wages for survival. But it is very lethal to health, education and progress of their family. They should be groomed for self-employment, with better education or skill development to command jobs within the framework of the statutory provision take reservation etc. Land (private and public land, public pond, mines, forest, etc.) alienation require to be addressed properly with the legal support and building capacity of the community for income generation. Financial support with very low level of interest rate during the needs should be provided to the community so that they can escape from the grip of money lender. Indebtedness opens the door for all types of exploitation. Strengthening of Village Organizations like VDCs, that can put pressure on the patwaari for proper demarcation of the land of the tribal. In districts like Shivpuri maximum poor and the vulverable group especially ST are having land but they don’t know the location of the land. Even though govt. instructs to provide Khasra, one free copy in a year, but the Patwaari never does so. Federations can play pivot roll to make the local administration do the duty effectively. 7.2 Specific Recommendations on women empowerment The study teams make the following recommendation specifically for addressing the women issues as witnessed during the village PRA Among the tribal community the project should focus working with women as they are more active member in the society and are the breadwinners of the family and of course more vulnerable. The project should give preference to women in microfinance related activity as this can be delivered with honesty and quality end use through women as has already been demonstrated through many successful women SHGs The above statement should not be misunderstood with restricting women up to microfinance only but taking the lessons from the earlier phase7 creating institutions like Producers Company with women exclusive memberships may create some very encouraging impacts. Need for engaging more number of women in the project staff is very crucial to the success of women empowerment mandate of the project, as at some highly patriarchal society villages, in the initial stages women worker can only get the desired participation from their rural counterparts. This also means to include women para workers and VRPs at the village level and must be given preference over men.

7 Mahila Murgi Palak, women cooperative Sidhi and Sagar Shri Mahila, Dairy Company, Sagar.

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7.3 State / Project level Recommendations by the experts consulted during the study: 7.3.1 Identification and targeting – The proposed strategy for identification of the vulnerable groups, the key bottlenecks for the overall directions for change for the poor and disadvantaged groups in DPIP districts is the most crucial part. Therefore at the time of the village entry and the baseline survey, the field team shall identify the target group and the most vulnerable among them. While forming of the SHGs and the VDCs numbers and proportions of the SC, ST and women members in them and the opportunity of leadership and decision making in the groups shall have to be carefully monitored. 7.3.2 Institution building – Group dynamics shall be kept in mind at the time of promoting people for group formation. The village socio-cultural setup, the dynamics between the different influence groups in the village shall be borne in mind and as far as possible homogenous groups shall be facilitated and promoted. At the time of formation and strengthening of the federations of the groups for e.g like the Village Development Committees the identity of the member belonging from the most vulnerable group and his position shall be ensured. The Groups and the federation shall be groomed as active social institution to respond to the economic as well as the social needs of the members. 7.3.3 Awareness: Lack of awareness on the rights for equity, especially among women and tribal is observed in all the villages. The project shall incorporate awareness creation through effective communication strategy on the identified issues and the project field team shall play an important role in delivering that. 7.3.4 Livelihood enhancement and skill development: According to the state’s Human Development Report, to make a visible impact on the employment pattern it is necessary to reduce the workforce in agriculture from over 70% to 40%, by 2020. This would mean a shift out of agriculture into manufacturing, construction, infrastructure and, substantially, to the services sector. Micro enterprises may be developed on the basis of the locally available resources so that the livelihood options are enhanced. This has to be facilitated through identification of the market and the project staff could play a proactive role in this. The small and micro enterprise development has to be linked to the skill development and skill enhancement of the communities. Project must invest more into the capacity building exercises so as to fill the gaps. 7.3.5 Improving extension services and input provision: Agriculture extension services are poorly spread in the DPIP districts and these are at their thinnest in locations where tribal cultivate their marginal lands. There is little technology dissemination and adoption by small and marginal farmers and basic provisioning of seeds and inputs is absent. With a substantial experience from the phase-I and creation of market responsive institutes like Producers Company, efforts can now be made to overcome input and extension related constraints in agriculture, DPIP-II will seek out opportunity to improve the outreach in the project villages by:

• Developing a network of para workers and community based institutions up to the village level.

• Use of Information Communication Technology to enhance the knowledge and awareness level of the farmers and reduce the effective time making available a service to the end user.

7.3.6 Initiatives in Micro-enterprise development : Leather work, pottery and basket making are traditional occupations that the Charmkars/ Sakets, Kumhars and the Basods respectively practise. Due to marketing and other pressures resulting from increasing interaction with the industrialised societies, these crafts are on the wane. However, their role as providers of the matka (pot), the chappal/ Juti (slippers/shoes) and baskets (which continue to be basic needs of almost all rural households) is still an important one. Studies reveal that these services can provide significant income. The product can have more value addition and be relatively easily sold, by

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making manufacturing changes, so as to suit the market needs. Thus, the rural non-farm sector provides a set of options that DPIP-II can effectively work with in these areas. ‘Goats’ are the major milk source in the targeted households (except the Gonds the STs). A number of successful interventions in goat rearing across the state have proved to be an effective income generating activity. Coupled with improved grazing management, goat rearing can be a viable livelihood initiative among these households. ‘Poultry’, can be another possible initiative especially with women. The choice here will have to be made between the ‘desi’ (Indian) breeds and the ‘broiler’ (hybrid) variety. While propagation of ‘desi’ breeds, it is believed has ‘limited returns’, management of business in the broiler variety is institutionally demanding. There are few instances of viable and sustainable management of business in broiler variety by non-profit organisations and people’s institutions. It is therefore recommended that ‘desi breeds’ be promoted in spite of the rather modest (but sustainable) benefits that they may provide to the target group. 7.3.7 Linkages with existing schemes: Though the Swarna Jyanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana has reached the villages but the study team did not find many Self Help Group, at least in the sample villages. However, since the scheme is being implemented at a large scale, throughout the state, it is but necessary that DPIP-II could associate with this Yojana, which is based on the SHG concept.

Watershed programme (RGWM) is being implemented in some of the studied villages. Though the Watershed Development Committees (WDC) do have members belonging to the ‘poorest of the poor’ group, they are dominated by relatively well off people. The case for the inclusion of the ‘poorest of the poor’ in the committee gets weakened because of their absence from the village (seasonal migration) for long periods. Moreover, it was observed that watershed activities were mostly limited to cultivated land and thus benefited only the landed (except for wage employment to ‘the poorest of the poor’). However, as RGWM has on-farm and off-farm income generating activities as part of its mandate, there is room for collaboration with RGWM facilitated user groups, cooperatives and federations, which may get formed with time.

No JFM initiatives were observed in any of the studied villages. However, there is ample scope for JFM in almost all clusters. Forest land being a public resource, improved and participatory management of this resource gives an equal (at least theoretically) opportunity to the poorest of the poor to get involved. Considering the large extent of underutilised and badly managed forest land, the social institutions formed during the proposed project should collaborate with the forest department in initiation of JFM activities.

Aforestation of barren common lands and forest lands through participative processes is a possible intervention of good potential in these conditions. This should be coupled with initiatives in improved grazing management. There should be an emphasis on the plantation of fodder and fuel wood species and species that yield other important non-wood forest products e.g., tendu, mahua, chironji etc. It will have to be ensured that the community has usufruct rights to the forest yield. Encouragements also shall be provided for trainings of plantation of medicinal and aromatic plants and subsidies are provided are being provided by the National Medicinal Plant Board and there is a large market available for this.

Linkages with schemes of WCD and Tribal Development Departments: The Project shall be working closely with the concerned agencies of the WCD and the Department of Tribal Welfare in facilitating access to their services by its beneficiaries. 7.4 Food Security: Maximizing food security especially among tribal families will receive highest attention from the project and will form the core of its support to agriculture and allied interventions by the farmers organized in SHGs. In order to protect the tribal populations from food shortage and hence turning to “distress” purchases in lean seasons the DPIP –II will remain alert to opportunities in the following areas and will respond favorably in the following direction:

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7.4.1 Revitalizing PDS especially in tribal villages: This will entail liaison by the DPIP -II project teams together with lobbying by SHGs and VDCs on local administration. 7.4.2 Establishment of community managed grain banks also to be used for purposes of seed supply.

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8 Gender Integration Framework The Project phase –II is designed with the following strategy for social inclusion (with key focus on gender integration) on the basis of the findings and recommendation of the Social Assessment. 8.1 Objectives

• Create an opportunity and environment for the identified poor and most vulnerable group to enable them to actively participate in their own socio-economic development by:

• Promoting institution of the poor with positive discrimination and offering them a decisive position in the community institutions.

• Sensitizing the stakeholders to recognize the importance of equitable development and thereby creating a supportive environment for poor.

• Adopting a demand driven approach in extending project support that could result in creating an opportunity that ensures inclusion.

• Sustainable livelihood enhancement. 8.2 Identification: The process of PRA helps in identification assessment of the poor and their activities. While intervening in any village the PFT shall have an exclusive strategy for addressing the needs of widespread exclusion and especially pocketed exclusion. The experience of the project personnel of DPIP -I shall be used; this is likely to produced a twin benefit of having a practical base for investigation and designing a more realistic strategy for inclusion. 8.3 Process: The project will use the BPL list of the village to initiate investigation that would be updated with the Wealth Ranking this would help to identify the left out poor from the BPL list. After the identification of the left out poor there shall be a formal procedure of including them in the official BPL list. The Project Facilitation Team shall pay special attention and prepare an exclusive strategy to ensure inclusion of the poor residing in the small pockets at some distance from the main village as well. Outcome: Apart from giving the status quo of the socio-economic pattern of the identified target poor and the vulnerable group, there would be a broader classification indicating a group of: poor having some institutional support and the left out poor. Transparency: The finalized list will be displayed in the public places for information of community. It will also be available with the Project Facilitation Team, Village Resource Person / Animators and office bearers of the VDC in the village. This will help in ensuring transparency in the selection process. Activities for inclusion of the poor and marginalized

• Sensitization • Training & Capacity Building • Building Community Based institutions and Federations

The project shall ensure the inclusion of the poor from the very initiation of the project. The process of participation begins with formation and graduation of Community Based Institution and federations. As mentioned that working with the poor is the integral part of the project design the members of these institutions along with their other counterparts shall be sensitized by the Project Facilitation Team so as to ensure full coordination and support from all the stakeholders. 8.4 Training and Capacity Building is the central theme of this project where in community members shall be extensively trained and capacitated to participate and steer their own development process.

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Establishing inclusion indicators like IPC workshops, IEC campaign and use of traditional media etc, is one means to motivate and ensure that poorer groups are benefited in the project. However, significant capacity building and awareness building process are necessary to ensure that federations and their members support the process of inclusion. As such, the process of including the left out poor is carried across the project cycle as indicated below: 8.5 Key Mechanisms to include the poor Table: Activity wise inclusion mechanism and outcome

Project Activity Inclusion Mechanisms Outcome Start up Activities

Situation Analysis of BPL HH / Group membership Targets for inclusion established

Actual identification

Institution Building Sensitization and Training for new groups/members from BPL category for institution building like SHG–VDC-CF-Producers Company Preference to the identified most vulnerable group Identified poor beneficiary shall be capacitated to run, manage and enhance their livelihood activity. SHGs and VDCs shall be sensitized and capacitated to handle social issues and grievances redressal. Village Development Committees to include social issues in their annual action plan (including monitoring indicator)

Institutional support and backward and forward linkages

Capacity Building Constant capacity building of the community Training/Lessons learning on including the poorest sections of society – including VDC members and SHG member on group activity, livelihood activity, conflict resolution, mediation etc

Active participation and expression of choice and sustainable livelihood development

Community Seed Capital;

At least 50% of the identified poor and ultra poor are the member in SHG At least 80% of member of SHG s have livelihood plan ready. The Executive committee of the VDC shall consist of women (60% at least) belonging from the ST, SC or poor family. Preference to the ST where ever their presence is more then 10% of the target BPL.

Initial Financial support – start up capital / working capital/ bridging finance

Awareness Building and Communication

Popular dissemination of project objectives and process through COM and other IEC materials BPL list is made public (displayed in prominent places)

Knowledge about project activities

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Inter personal Communication workshops, exposures and effective folk media with local dialects etc.

Monitoring and Learning

MIS system captures progress of inclusion (indicators) Thematic studies Cross project learning activities

Effective working and feedback of the project

8.6 Fund flow mechanism: 8.6.1 Seed Grant: DPSU to VDC : DPSU will transfer the Seed Money to VDC on signing of Memorandum of understanding between DPSU & VDC. The amount will be a “Grant to the VDC” VDC to SHG : The VDC shall transfer entire amount of seed money to the bank account of SHG as a loan on the basis of the group’s grading. These funds will be transferred only after receiving repayment schedule from the SHG. VDC shall charge not more than 6% per annum as rate of interest on the loan. 8.6.2 Livelihoods Investment Fund: Livelihoods Investment fund will be released against SHG Livelihoods Plan(s) appraised and approved by the executive committee of VDC. The VDC shall directly transfer fund to SHG bank account as a loan and shall charge not more than 6% per annum as rate of interest on the loan. Loan tracking and management will be done at the VDC level. 8.6.3 Funds for Producer Company: The DPSU shall also transfer funds to promote the Producer Company for Formation, Administration, Value Chain and Handholding Support. 8.7 Gender Integration The women in MP are vulnerable, marginalized and deprived section of the society. The SC and ST women suffer from multiple marginalization and deprivation. They are poorer than their poorest counterpart – ‘men’. Against the state average sex ratio of 931, the district of Shivpuri reportedly had a sex ratio of 858 in 2001. The SHG movement has universally now been acknowledged to be a good instrument to act as the preparation ground for women’s empowerment. Experiences on a large scale in many projects, have widely acknowledged this. In Madhya Pradesh the SHG movement has not really taken off. There have been projects aimed at enhancing women’s status and well-being, but in the absence of an integrated approach of looking at women’s situation, the efforts remained limited till group formation with focus limited to credit and savings. Addressing the core issue of enhancing women’s economic status and thereby making a dent in their position in the family is required. Integrating social mobilization efforts with access to productive assets and earnings is the key cornerstone of this strategy. The participation of women would be the key factor in implementing the Social Inclusion especially through the Gender Action Plan. Poor men and women would be sensitized for enhancing the women’s participation in community based organizations and institutions. The strategy would be to promote women’s active involvement in the process of development and their effective participation in decision making. 8.8 Key issues affecting women in DPIP districts of M.P. The Social Assessment conducted in the 4 sample districts investigated the status of women and some of the major findings are:

• Girl child, since teen age up till marriage, is matter of extra attention to the parents. If the families migrate for wages it is a great responsibility of parents to rear the girl child with vigilance.

• In maximum cases decision goes in the favor of male member of family.

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• Maximum women are the victims of anemia, and in the same condition they have to beget their child with malnutrition. In the area where mining is carried out they are also victim of tuberculosis.

• It can be seen on mines, farms, NTFP collection in the forest, animal husbandry every where women are working (especially in tribal). On farms and mines they are being discriminated with the lower wages e.g. Rs 30- 50 are given to female worker (Reja)whereas male laborers are getting Rs 80 –100 in Sahriya tribe. The women of other castes hardly go for wages but they handle all house hold keeping activity at their own farm and at home.

• If the family migrates, the cost of migration is paid by minor girls as they are deprived from education and they have to work with her parents for wages. The level of literacy among the women of the SC and the ST communities was the lowest (refer table 3.2)

• Especially in the poor and the ultra poor child marriage is in prevalent because in other condition girl teen may be victim of the feudal society. Thus they are also failing to get the benefit of Mukhya Mantri kanya Daan Yojna.

• Mines have mashed the life of poor families especially Sahariya. These are the financial exploitations centers. Women are paid low wages specially widow women and young women are harassed by Mukkadams and contractors. Mines generated vicious cycle of indebt ness and labor exploitation. Women are working in very inhuman and painful conditions.

• During the PRA it was found that only male is the member of agriculture credit society. And bankers are preferring men as the kisaan credit card (KCC) holders. Women are having no linkages with banks especially in the poor and the ultra poor families.

• Though the PRIs are having 30% reservations to women but the participation in these institutions is very less. It is found that new names have been generated e.g. SP( sarpanch Pati), Adhyakchh Pati, Adhyakchh putra Sarpanch Putra etc. enjoying the post of their female relatives.

• During the PRA it was observed that only males are the member of agriculture credit society. And bankers were also having biases and prefer men to be Kisaan credit card (KCC) holders. Women do not have linkages with banks specially the women from the poor and the ultra poor family.

• FGDs with women also disclosed the fact that they were aware about very few government schemes like supply of nutritional diet to the kids, pregnant/lactating mothers at Aganwaadi, janani surkchha, Ladli Laxami, Kanya daan Yojna etc. But actually none of them know about labor welfare schemes, equal wages etc.

• Maximum women were the victims of anemia, and in the same condition they have to beget their child with malnutrition. In the area with nearby mines they were also a victim of tuberculosis.

• Women are a threatened lot - the declining sex ratios and higher girl child mortality rates in the DPIP districts point to this situation

• The female labour force participation rates have increased over the decade of 1981-91 implying an increase in poverty and an increase in burden of women. Women are paid lower wages than men.

• Literacy rates are low among women and are lower among the SC/ST women. This prevents them from assuming effective leadership

• The Status of women both within the family as well as in the larger society is poor. The experience of women in PRI also points to the poor status of women representatives in PRIs.

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• There is almost complete absence of structures of social support say child care facilities for women who want to play a full public role

• The status of the SC/ST women and the women from the so called criminal tribes is poor particularly in the larger society. There are several instances of their exploitation, harassment and even physical intimidation by the upper caste groups.

• Women, particularly the poor women are spending more time and effort in fetching drinking water, fuel wood and other forest produce. They are terribly overworked. During the agricultural season they spend almost 15 hours a day in housework and in the fields.

• Women do not have any property in their name (that is if there is any property say land or animals). This makes the situation of women particularly widows and abandoned women very desperate (Refer case study)

• Lack of viable employment opportunities prevents the families from breaking away from the vicious circle of poverty, ill health, illiteracy and marginalization. Needless to say the women bear the brunt of this situation

8.9 Key organizational strategies for working with women: the following key strategies in order to reach out to the poor and marginalized women: • Recruitment and selection of women in PFTs and DPSUs • Orientation • Capacity building • Providing for Mobility and safe work environment for the women development

workers • Targeting • Skill development • Creating a learning environment with the DPIP structure. • Staff related strategies • Provide for mobility and safe work environment of the female staff • help in creation of a pool of women development workers • have a parity between the deputed and the contract staff • send a clear message to the staff regarding the seriousness of the Government in

having a positive bias towards poor and marginalised women 8.10 Key strategies for organizing women’s groups in the village: The following strategies for

organizing the groups of poor women: • Identification of the socially homogenous groups • Starting with activities of common interest that interest women as a group say health,

better access to drinking water, fuelwood etc • Starting with a Self Help Groups of women as a demonstration effect (socially

homogenous groups) • Focussing separately on the women of the so tribes and evolving relevant strategies

for them with the help of people who have been working with them and having an understanding of their situation and problems.

• Organizing exposure trips of mixed caste groups to places where some successful interventions have taken place with women

• Focussing on leadership development among the women • Identification of existing capacities/capabilities and needs of different groups of

women • Skill development as per the needs of the women

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• Encouraging women to move into public domains where they already have a legitimate space in, say the PRIs, Gram Sabha or the markets where they can start selling produce such as milk.

8.11 Governance and control at the State and district level: The project shall have an exclusive Gender and Social empowerment department that would be dedicated in implementation of the plan, innovations for better reach and inclusion and finally the monitoring. 8.12 Agenda for action: Unlike other poverty alleviation projects and programmes, DPIP draws its strength from the fact that it is a more process driven project. The project document clearly states that it is a demand driven and women focused project. Thus women are already recognized as the primary stakeholder of the project. Working with and empower women is the integral part of the project social inclusion strategy however the challenge is how to draw women out from the existing reality of subjugation and marginalization. The lessons from the various experiences detailed out in the earlier part of the report clearly show that the situation of women in the DPIP districts is much worse than that of their counterparts in the other districts of M.P. The situation of the SC/ST women is even worse off. Some of these areas for action are: 8.12.1 Capacity Building: The crux is to build the capacity of the PFTs and the leadership of the project to understand the complexity of the rural situation. The primary thrust has to be therefore in building the capacity of the key functionaries (PFT members, and the leadership at the District level) to develop skills of social and political analysis. Sufficient training programs and constant process of analysis and reflection will need to be built in to strengthen functioning and performance of the PFT members and other staff of the project. 8.12.2 Targeting: The issue of targeting has emerged as a critical factor. There is a need to work particularly with the SC/ST women. This has to be highlighted in all trainings and the teams shall be equipped to address this requirement. The review and monitoring processes shall highlight this requirement and assess its status. Work with special groups of women - like the women of the tribe who are involved in commercial sex work. Further, the project had made good interventions in phase-I and thus shall bring in the learning to strengthen the strategy in the current phase of the project. 8.13 Developing a Learning Culture within DPIP The Project would promote learning through strategically designed and implemented periodic reviews and reflections. A core team of experienced persons from GO, NGO and NGIs would be created at the State level to provide overall guidance and facilitate learning processes. 8.14 Recruitment of women in the PFTs/ DPSUs : The project shall be proactively engaged in recruitment of women in the PFTs and the DPUs. These women should be:

• Willing to travel extensively within the project area • Should have a minimum 2 years of experience • Willing to stay in a village or small town • Willing to work late (meetings with women in the village often have to be held in late

evenings) The project will however have to ensure an attractive compensation package, safe living and working environment and facilities for safe and convenient mobility. 8.15 Information and communications components of the project: This is an important component of the project as women have specific needs when it comes to both accessingand using information. Some of the considerations that have to be kept in mind while designing the information and communication components of the project are- They are often illiterate and therefore need access to non-written media Women often find it difficult to access information available in the public sphere, as it is more problematic for them to attend meetings/video shows/ etc. They need to be specially targeted.

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Restrictions on women’s public roles make it difficult for them to make use of the information they receive i.e. in public meetings it is often difficult for them to speak up and challenge or offer suggestions. Different strategies need to be used to enable women to effectively use information. To sum up then communications in DPIP is not just about giving people better access to information it is also about using information to change behavior. 8.16 Selection of activities where women have an advantage - The project has an enormous coverage of villages in the 14 districts this indicates that the project shall work closely with the local administration. Looking at the governmental setup of the project staff a village level convergence is strongly recommended. The project cannot work in isolation as women are largely affected by social arrangements in the village. And looking at the livelihood generation motive of the project it might be more effective if the social environment could be positively activated for the female beneficiaries. Therefore the SHGs and especially the VDCs shall be sensitized upon the social issues. And the project might as well facilitate convergence with other health, TSC, NRHM, PRI, Anganwadi and educational schemes of the government 8.17 Access and control of assets by women – The women residing in the rural area do not have the rights and ownership of assets. The project offers an opportunity where the poor and the ultra poor also has an opportunity to create productive assets, here the project ensures that the asset is registered under woman name where she becomes the sole or at least joint owner of that asset. 8.17 Institutional support for effective participation - During the PRA it was found that only male is the member of agriculture credit society. And bankers are preferring men as the kisaan credit card (KCC) holders. Women do not have any linkages with banks especially in the poor and the ultra poor families .The DPIP –II therefore shall positively activate the role of the bankers by constantly involving them in the development interventions and create more favorable conditions for the women and their institutions in financial transaction with the banks. 8.18 Livelihood Enhancement – The project does not want to promote a savings and credit SHG only. But taking learning’s from the various SHG programs and the DPIP –I experience the project carefully weaves the livelihood enhancement with in the SHG concept. The DPIP-I has given many such examples where women based livelihood groups and their federations have been extremely successful in strengthening the economic conditions of them and their families. The project shall strategize upon the pre tested interventions like – poultry, dairy, goat rearing, glass beads, carpet, jute and bamboo craft etc have proven its grounds with women. 8.19 Leadership Developement– One of the key community based institution that the project shall work upon is the Village Development Committees as the federation of the SHGs in the vuillage. The project entrusts these VDCs with great authority provided they gain a certain maturity. The VDCs are also looked upon as an institution where women shall be preferred as the governing body. This would allow women to realize their potential in financial planning, manging, monitoring and deciding the use of community funds towards family and overall community development. 9 Project phasing: In the first year the project will focus on establishing systems and process to achieve intensive coverage of institution and capacity building. The strategy includes exposure visits to best practices in Madhya Pradesh and outside state for SHG members & leaders as well as the project Staff and use of resources developed under similar Projects in States like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Bihar. The following table depicts the phasing strategy for Community Institution building and project interventions. Table: Community Institution Building and Project Interventions (Phasing Strategy).

PARTICULARS 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year

Total

Village Entry 3000 4000 2793 - - 9793

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SHG Formation (New )

9000 15000 10000 5000 - 35000

Restructuring of CIGs as SHGs

3000 4000 2000 1000 - 10000

VDC Formation 2700 3000 800 - - 6500

Producer Organization

25 0 5 5 - 35

Estt. of Ajeevika Kendra

200 800 800 200 - 2000

Skill Up grading and Training

5000 10000 10000 10000 5000 40000

Placement facilitation services

10000 15000 15000 10000 10000 60000

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10 Implementation Arrangements For implementing the GIF, the project will have a Gender and Social Empowerment Co-ordinator anchoring this aspect under the project at the Sate Project Support Unit in coordination with the District Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator. All PFT members, VRPs and Para workers will be sensitized on Gender issues and the PFT members will undergo a comprehensive training to implement the GIF. 10.1 Implémentation arrangements, Organisation and Management Table: Project level, nodal agent and their functions

Level Nodal Agent Functions

Project Level

State level Executive Committee

Providing necessary guidance and support to the Project.

State level Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Coordination with DPSUs and other line depts. Support DPSUs and PFTs in social mobilization and capacity building of Tribal, women and vulnerable community members and their institutions facilitated by the project. Support DPSUs and PFTs in generating and grounding community livelihood Investment Plans. Monitoring the Tribal Development Plan and the Gender Action Plan

District Level

District Gender Coordinator

Coordination with PFTs and Federations and other line depts.. Staff. Support PFTs in social mobilization and capacity building of Women and their institutions. Support Federation of the women in generating and grounding livelihood plans. Guidance in resolving issues related to entitlements of women Grievance redressal

Project Facilitation Team

PFT Coordinator / Member Consultant - Social work

Coordinate VRPs and Federations with social inclusion and livelihood activities Mobilization of women to form into SHGs, Formation of women EC of federations Assist in the preparation of livelihood Investment plan and demand driven sub-projects Facilitate implementation of the plans. Registering Grievances

Village level

VRPs and Para workers

Mobilization and Facilitation. Coordination with other activities of the project. Monitoring and reporting. Registering Grievances

10.2 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework Monitoring will be ongoing and periodic, done internally by the Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Unit and Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator at the SPSU level, supported by District Gender Coordinator and MIS Officers and PFT. The M and E system will comprise of the following components

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• Baseline and Impact Assessments (external agency) • Regular MIS system • Participatory Monitoring – at the village level • Thematic studies and learning activities

Table: Component wise activity, implementation arrangements and monitoring. Project Component

Sub Component Activity Implementation Arrangements

Monitoring

Orientation and training of the project staff - PFT members VRPs and Para workers to identify and address Tribal and Gender issues.

Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator with HR Coordinator at SPSU

Maintaining and updating Training Database HR Coordinator and Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Recruitment of women PFT members and women as VRP and Para workers

Administration Coordinator at SPSU with the support of PFT

Maintaining and updating Employee Database and checking the turnover of especially the women employee HR Coordinator

Habitation and Village baseline data of Tribal and women

PFT Present socio-economic status (group inclusion, links to federation etc) DPM and Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Development of communication products like IEC for tribal and women

Communication Coordinator with the support of Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator at SPSU

Awareness levels among poor groups with focus on Tribal and women PFT - Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Social Empowerment and Institution Building

1.1: Support to Project Facilitation Teams 1.2: Community Mobilization and Institution Building

Identification, Mobilization and sensitization of the stakeholders

Community Institution Development Coordinator, Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator at DPSU & SPSU and PFTs

Representation of Tribal and Women groups in federations by formation of SHGs and VDCs M&E – Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator

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Facilitating and promoting Tribal and Women SHG (Quality groups)

PFT and DPSU Tribal and Women SHG groups formed and Performance Monitoring of the institution. M&E – Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator

Ensure participation of the men and women from SC and ST community.

PFT and DPSU

Graduation criteria publicly verified in General Body meeting of VDC

PFT

Representation of Tribal and Women groups in federations by formation of SHGs and VDCs. M&E– Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Facilitation in preparing SHG-LP and advancing seed capital grant to the SHG-LP for further linkages

PFT and DPSU

Assessment of sustainable livelihoods and priorities

DPSU and PFT

SHG Livelihood Plan approved and financed by the VDC. Fund flow to the SHG-LP through performance monitoring of the institution M&E– Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Providing training to tribal and women producers

Training Coordinator, DPSU and PFT

Number of Entrepreneurship / livelihood trainings M&E– Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Livelihoods Investment Support

2.1: Rural Productivity Development 2.2: Value Chain Development 2.3: Innovation Support Fund 2.4: Partnership Development

Identification of market linkages and demand survey for products

Sector Support Organization, Business Development Coordinator at SPSU and DPSU

Producers Company progress monitoring –Performance Monitoring Community Institution Development Coordinator / M&E–Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

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Training on latest techniques of production.

Training Coordinator and PFTs

Number of technical trainings Training Coordinator / M&E – Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator

Assistance to purchase locally available material.

PFT SHG livelihood Plans facilitated by PFT M&E– Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Provision of market linkages.

PFT and DPSU Long Term Partners, Sector Support Organizations through Producer Company

Membership in the Producers Company and Cooperatives Community Institution Development Coordinator / M&E– Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Support for innovations that contribute top women and tribal livelihoods

SPSU Innovation fund flow to Tribal and Women livelihood plans M&E / Finance Controller– Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Identification of tribal and women

Ajeevika Mitra and PFT

Target for Inclusion Employment Coordinator - Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Provision of training Employment Coordinator at SPSU

Employment Promotion Support

3.1: Employment Facilitation Centres 3.2: Skill up grading Training 3.3 Placement facilitation services

Support in securing employment

Employment Training Cell at SPSU and PFT

Number of Tribal and Women families benefited from job trainings Employment Coordinator - Gender and Social Empowerment Coordinator

Project Implementation Support

4.1: Project Management 4.2: Governance Management 4.3: Monitoring and Evaluation

Social Empowerment Coordinator at the SPSU supported by Gender Expert at DPSU.

SPSU HR Coordinator

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Grievance Redressal, Transparency and information dissemination through various media

SPSU – Training Coordinator and Communication Coordinator with the support of DPSU and PFT

Through Community Score Cards Community Training Coordinator - Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator

Reporting on the implementation status of the Tribal Development Plan and the Gender Action Plan though regular MIS

PFT Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator DPSU/SPSU

Thematic studies on Tribal and Gender development to be conducted

Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator DPSU, External Agency

Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator DPSU/SPSU

4.4: Technical Assistance

Periodic workshops, training events, with government departments, NGO and other actors

Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator, Community Institution Development Coordinator

Gender & Social Empowerment Coordinator SPSU

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