Transcript Welcome to District Rural Development Cell Uttar

WELCOME
District Rural Development Cell
Uttar Dinajpur
West Bengal
UTTAR DINAJPUR
 Based on parameters like Child Mortality, Literacy,
School enrolment, per capita income, status of
health & Education, the District of Uttar Dinajpur
ranked 13th among the 18 districts under study in
West Bengal (West Bengal Human Development
Report, 2004).
 Social Status of Women in the District is very poor
with women literacy at 37%, which is the 2nd
lowest in the state (ibid).
 Economic backwardness of this agrarian district as
a whole compels massive out-migration, especially
in the lean season.
Pandeypur Swarnajayanti Mahila Dal
– An SHG formed with members
from Schedule Tribe Families of a
remote Tribal Village of Karandighi
– I Gram Panchayat under
Karandighi Development Block of
Islampur Sub-division of Uttar
Dinajpur District.
Background:
Members belonged to the BPL families, who used to
earn their livelihood solely from Wage-earning
leading to less than sustenance level of income!
They had had only their homestead land apart from
few decimals of unirrigated cultivable land!!
Their lives were marked by illiteracy, seclusion and
abject poverty with least regard to good sanitary
and health practices!!!
Trite, taboo and prejudice were the part and parcel of
their daily life!!!!
The male members of the families were sunk into
country liquior throughout days.
Once a lady from a local NGO visited the families
and told them about the importance of forming the
SHG in general and the Swarnajayanti Gram
Swarojgar Yojona, in particular!
The members learned her lessons but did not believe
all what were told!!
Furthermore, the males of the families were reluctant
to allow their wives attending meetings & talking to
others outside their own familiar domain.
The lady visited them repeatedly and with the help of
local Gram Panchayat, Block they succeeded in
overcoming all the obstacles & at last formed the
SHG in September, 2003 with 10 BPL members,
all belonging to ST category !!!
Pandeypur Swarnajayanti Mahila Dal
Secretary (group leader) : Smt. Tultuli Murmu
Koskadhakshaya (treasurer): Smt. Gouri Murmu
Bank: State Bank of India, Karandighi Br.
Cash Credit Account Opened on 07/12/2004 with
a C/C limit of Rs. 16000/- where DRDC subsidy
was only Rs. 5000/-
Support from DRDC, UDZP
 In mid 2004, RF of Rs. 5000.00 as 1st dose was
released. After 1 year, the 2nd dose of RF of Rs.
15000.00 was released.
 Rs. 50,000.00 was given for construction of
Piggery shade in 2005
 On successful running of piggery project for 3
years, the proposal of the group for venturing into
new activity of poultry was accepted and Rs. 1.57
Lakh was given for building of Brooding House.
 The group has already passed the 2nd Grading
Test and the process of Project Linkage is in the
pipe line.
Initially, the group bought two pigs- both of
Ghungru variety – at a cost of Rs. 1200.00.
Residual amount of Rs. 14800.00 was kept
as reserve for procuring food items and
other things for the days ahead.
After a gap of 6 months, 8 piglets were born.
All the piglets were sold out after three
months at a price of Rs1000.00 per piglet,
yielding a high return. This incident served
as a big moral booster for the group
members.
They have got the self-confidence that
they can do a great thing on
themselves & even without the help
from their male-counters.
With this taste of success, they went on
rolling the business of piggery with
more vigour & profits continued
coming in, though the business was
limited to a small scale.
Then the DRDC, UDZP came forward
and built a brooding house for rearing
of poultry/ broiler.
The brooding house remained unused for
three years- from 2007 to the early part of
2010- when the group was indecisive as
how to start the poultry venture.
Then the District unit of Animal Resource
Development Department came in. The
Department entrusted the group with a task
of rearing about 1200 chicks of 1 or 2
day(s) old for 28 days at a cost of rearing
of Rs. 2.00 per chick, when the chicks were
to be returned to the department for
distribution among the villagers.
This cycle of rearing went on for 12 times
yielding a substantial profit in cash as well
as leaving behind a few residual chicks at
the hands of each member.
Having satisfied with this performance of the
group the ARD Deptt. posed upon the
group a greater responsibility from March,
2011 of rearing 2500 chicks for 28 days,
after which 100 chicks are to be distributed
among 21 selected groups at a price of Rs.
3200.00 per group.
Apart from piggery and poultry, the group is
also engaged in preparation of Cooked
Mid-day Meal for a local primary school. 2
among the group members are set aside
for this work. It earned them Rs. 1000.00
as remuneration from cooking and Rs.
500.00 as profit from procurement of
cooking materials.
Present
Status:
 The male members of the group, having
tested the fruits of income enhancement of
the family out of the group activity, turned
into admirers of the group.
 Most of the male members left their pregroup era activities of wage-earning and
started ventures such as Tea Stall, Grocery
Shop, better agricultural practices in their
small holdings of land by virtue of
investments of their wives’ group activities.
 Level of incomes of the families of each of
group members have been enhanced
substantially to about Rs. 6000.00 pm.
 The rights of the womanhood have
been established on a firm footing
and the members take decisions on
their own, in sharp contrast to the pregroup situation.
 Having exposed to the bigger society,
the members have adopted the
practices of low-cost sanitary latrines,
prevented the culture of male
domination and severe intoxication
and conducive atmosphere of FirstGeneration School and College Goers
would be created.
“This is the beginning of a
Never-ending story”