On the 15th and 16th of February, AROEHAN conducted a two-day workshop on the theme of “Our Village Our Development”, facilitated by Mr. Datta Gurav from Resource Training and Development Centre at KL Ponda High School. This programme was attended by 128 individuals, including Sarpanch, Sub-Sarpanch, and members of the PESA Gramme Kosh Committee, as well as Village Development Officers from 43 Gram Panchayats in Dahanu Taluka.

On the first day of training, Mr. Gurav explained the arrangements, work, funding, and systems at the Gram Panchayat level. Following that, guidance was given on how to identify village requirements, what finances are available for village development, and how to support village development plans.

On the second day, participants were divided into groups to learn about the various plans for village development. They were asked to prepare the Gram Panchayat Development Plan, Prosperity Plan, Cleanliness Plan, Health Plan, PESA Village Plan, Women and Child Welfare Plan, and Gram Nidhi Plan, as well as elaborate on the development they would like to see in those plans. Each group delivered a presentation regarding their work and how the funds were used. After presenting the drafts, Mr. Dutta described in simple terms how different schemes could potentially be interlinked.

Participants stated that they were able to visualise their aspirations for their villages which boosted their confidence. They also opened up about problems they have encountered while drafting plans for village development and also about their experience with CSR fund planning.  Active participation was seen among participants and their queries were followed through in the sessions. The Sarpanch of Gholvad discussed his experience with Gholwad being named the third honey village in Maharashtra and urged others to strengthen their community via the sustainable use of natural resources.

Panchayat Samiti Dahanu’s Group Development Officer Pallavi Chet, Assistant Group Development Officer Prashant Jadhav, Chairman Praveen Gawli, Deputy Chairman Pintu Gahla, Gram Panchayat Extension Officers Sandeep Jadhav and Santosh Belkhade and Pesa Coordinator Pankaj Dhangda and many others were present for the training.

हा ब्लॉग मराठीत वाचण्यासाठी खालील लिंकवर क्लिक करा -> आमचा गाव, आमचा विकास – ग्रामपंचायत सदस्यांसाठी प्रशिक्षण

विज्ञान आणि तंत्रज्ञानाने गेल्या काही वर्षात अनेक प्रगती केली आहे. या तंत्रज्ञानाचा वापर जगातील प्रत्येक व्यक्ती आपल्या रोजच्या जीवनात करत आहे. विज्ञानाचा सर्वात मोठा अविष्कार म्हणजे वीज निर्मिती. माणसाने कोळशापासून पाण्यापासून, सूर्याच्या ऊर्जेपासून, वाऱ्यापासून विजेची निर्मिती करत आहे. परंतु जगातील काही भाग हा ह्या विजेचा अतिरिक्त वापर करतना दिसून येतो, तर काही लोकांनी वीज कशाला म्हणतात हे देखील पाहिले नाही. 

भारतासारख्या प्रगतीशील देशात सुद्धा उच्च वर्गीय आणि शहरी भागात राहणारा माणूस आज विजेचा अतिरक्त वापर करत आहे, परंतु भारतातील ग्रामीण भागात राहणारा व्यक्ती अजूनही विजेच्या प्रतिक्षेत आहे. काही गावात विजेच्या चोरीचे प्रकार सर्रास दिसून येतात, तर काही ठिकाणी विजेचे मीटर दिले आहेत पण जोडणी न करता बिल पाठवत आहे. अशीच एक गोष्ट आहे, चांदवड गावातील काठे पाड्याच्या मधल्या गावकऱ्यांची विजेची पंचाईत!! 

डहाणू तालुक्यातील चांदवड गावातील सुमारे ४० घरे आणि २०० लोकसंख्या असलेलं काठेपाडा. गावचे प्रश्न सोडवण्यासाठी आरोहन संस्थेने काठेपाडा मध्ये पाडा समिती स्थापन केली. पाडा समितीने आपण प्रत्येक महिन्यात आपली गावची सभा घेऊन गावातील समस्या एकत्रित येऊन सोडवल्या पाहिजे असे सर्वांचे मत झाले. तशीच एकदा एप्रिल (२०२३) महिन्यात पाडा समितीने गावाची सभा घेतली. त्या सभेत गावातील लोकांनी आपल्या गावातील विजेच्या प्रश्न बाबत चर्चा केली. चर्चा करताना असे समजले की, तालुक्याच्या महावितरण विभागाने १२ कुटुंबांसाठी हे विजेची जोडणी होणार होती ती जोडणी होण्यापूर्वीच ह्या कुटुंबाना विजेचे बिल येत होते. ह्या बिलांची रक्कम तर त्यांच्या आवाक्याबाहेर होती. ह्या कुटुंबात जास्त विजेची उपकरणे पण नाहीये तरी त्यांना साधारण ९०० ते ३००० रुपयेपर्यंत चे बिल आकारण्यात आले.तसेच विजेचे पोल हि गावात आणून ठेवले आणि जोडणी केली नव्हती. सभेत हा मुद्दा घेण्यात आला, आणि तो सोडवण्यासाठी पाडा समिती आणि सभेत जमलेल्या लोकांनी ग्रामपंचायत ला पत्र देण्याचे ठरवले. ग्रामपंचायत मधून सांगण्यात आले की, आम्ही आमच्या पातळीवर हा मुद्दा सोडवण्यासाठी प्रयत्न करू. एक महिना झाल्यानंतर काही तोडगा निघाला नाही, म्हणून सर्व पाडा समिती सदस्य यांनी जवळच्या MSEB कार्यालयात भेट देण्याचे ठरवले. जून महिन्याच्या १८ तारखेला आशागड च्या MSEB कार्यालयातून विजेचे मीटर देण्यात आले आणि आकडेवारी पहायाला सांगितले. तरीही आकडेवारीनुसार विजेचे बिल हे जास्त येत होते. म्हणून जून महिन्यात (२७ तारखेला) पुन्हा एकदा ग्रामपंचायत ला अर्ज देण्यात आला. ग्रामपंचायतने या अर्जासोबत कार्यालयीन कॅव्हरिंग लेटर जोडून महावितरण च्या आशागड, डहाणू आणि पालघर कार्यालयात पत्र पाठवले तसेच त्याची एक प्रत स्थानिक आमदार यांना पण देण्यात आली. प्रत्येक आठवड्याला पाडा समिती चे सदस्य आणि गावकरी आशागड च्या MSEB च्या कार्यालयात भेटी द्यायचे पण प्रत्येक वेळी बिल रीतसर येईल असे तिथले अधिकारी सांगत होते. 

पाऊस आणि शेतीच्या कामामुळे तिकडे थोडे दुर्लक्ष झाले, पण तरीही पाडा समितीने पाठपुरावा करणे चालूच ठेवले. नोव्हेंबर महिन्यात पुन्हा एकदा तालुका पातळीवरील MSEBच्या कार्यालयात भेट दिली आणि तिथल्या उप कार्यकारी अभियंता यांच्याशी बोलणे झाले. बिलाच्या रकमेच्या काही प्रमाण कमी करून वीज बिल भरायाला सांगितले (उदा. एका कुटुंबाचे बिल हे २४३० इतके होते तर त्यांना १९१० रुपये इतके भरण्यास सांगितले). कुणाचीही वीज जोडणी न करता जास्त बिल आले कसे, यावर त्यांनी काही न बोलता, स्थानिक अभियंताला संपर्क करून लवकरात लवकर विजेची जोडणी करावी असे सांगितले. वरिष्ठ अधिकारी यांनी सांगितले की तांत्रिक कारणांमुळे बिल जास्त येत होते, आता दुरुस्ती करून मीटर वर येणाऱ्या आकड्यानुसार वीज बिल येईल असे समजावून सांगितले. डिसेंबर महिन्यात आरोहन चे कार्यकर्ते यांनी पुन्हा एकदा काठेपाड्यात भेट दिली, आणि ज्या कुटुंबांचे बिल जास्त येत होते, त्यांचे ह्या महिन्यातील बिल तपासले असता, मीटरच्या आकड्यानुसार बिल येत आहे. तर अश्या प्रकारे, मीटर सुरु ही झाले आणि नियमित बिल हि यायला लागले.

दिनांक २८ आणि २९ नोव्हेंबर २०२३ रोजी जिल्हा परिषद प्राथमिक शाळा सभागृह आवारपाडा, कोटबी( ग्राम पंचायत चरी- कोटबी) येथे ग्राम पंचायत सरपंच, उपसरपंच आणि सदस्य यांचे प्रशिक्षण आयोजित करण्यात आले होते. ह्या दोन दिवसीय प्रशिक्षणात आमचा गाव – आमचा विकास ह्या विषयावर मार्गदर्शन करण्यासाठी रिसोर्स ट्रेनिंग अँड डेव्हलपमेंट सेंटर (RSCD) येथील दत्ता गुरव यांना आमंत्रित करण्यात आले होते. सदर प्रशिक्षणातील काही सत्रे आरोहन चे कार्यकर्ते भालचंद्र साळवे आणि स्नेहा गमरे यांनी घेतले. ह्या प्रशिक्षणासाठी डहाणू आणि कासा विभागातील एकूण ७ ग्रामपंचायतीतील (रानशेत – वधना, चरी – कोटबि, रायतली- चांदवड, सारणी, मोडगाव, दाभाडी, किन्हवली) सरपंच आणि उपसरपंच, ग्राम पंचायत सदस्य, पेसा अध्यक्ष, ग्रामस्थ, पाडा समिती सदस्य यांचा सहभाग होता. 

दत्ता गुरव यांनी ग्राम पंचायत पातळीवरील व्यवस्था, कार्य, निधी, यंत्रणा याबाबत माहिती दिली. त्यानंतर गाव गरजांचा शोध कसा घ्यावा, गाव विकासासाठी कोणता निधी उपलब्ध होतो, ग्राम पंचायत विकास आराखडे अधिक सोप्या पद्धतीने समजून घेण्यासाठी सहभागी लोकांचे गट तयार करून प्रत्येक गटाला ग्राम पंचायत विकास आराखडा, समृध्दी आराखडा, स्वच्छ्ता आराखडा तयार करायला सांगितले तसेच आपण प्रत्येक आराखड्यात कोणत्या समस्या घेतल्या आणि निधीचा वापर कसा केला याचे प्रत्येक गटाने सादरीकरण केले. आरोहन तर्फे स्वशासन या विषयवार काम करणारे कार्यकर्ते भालचंद्र साळवे आणि स्नेहा गमरे यांनी पेसा कायद्याचे महत्व, पेसा गावचा आरखडा, शाळा व्यवस्थापन समिती, गाव विकासाला उपलब्ध निधी, त्याचे स्त्रोत व त्याचा योग्य वापर यावर मार्गदर्शन केले. 

प्रशिक्षणाच्या शेवटी, सहभागी कार्यकर्त्यांनी शाळेला मिळणारा निधी, अंगणवाडी ला मिळणारा निधी, समृद्धी आरखडा याबाबतचे आपले अनुभव आणि विचार मांडले. कार्यक्रमाचा समारोप आणि आभार प्रदर्शन चरी – कोटबी ग्राम पंचायत च्या सरपंच वसुंधरा कलांगडा यांनी केली. आपले मनोगत व्यक्त करताना त्यांनी उपस्थित असलेल्या सहभागींना ग्रामसभेचे महत्व, निधीच्या योग्य नियोजनाचे महत्व सांगितले आणि ग्राम विकास कार्यक्रमात तसेच गाव विकास आराखडे तयार करण्याच्या प्रक्रियेत जास्तीत जास्त लोकांनी सहभाग घ्यावा असे आव्हान केले. 

1) निधीचे नियोजन सोप्या पद्धतीने समजले 

2) ग्राम पंचायत मधील सर्व सदस्यांचा समन्वय असणे महत्वाचे जेणेंकरून गाव विकासाची कामे व्यवस्थित पार पाडता येतील 

3) सर्वांनी ग्राम सभेला हजर असावे त्याने गावात कोणत्या गोष्टी सुरु आहेत ह्याची माहिती मिळेल, सरपंचावरील अविश्वास दुर होईल.

A training was organized for Gram Panchayat Sarpanch, Deputy Sarpanch and members at Zilla Parishad Primary School Auditorium, Awarpada, Kotbi (Gram Panchayat Chari- Kotbi). The two-day training was facilitated by Datta Gurav from Resource Training and Development Centre and the theme of the workshop was Our Village – Our Development. AROEHAN Governance activists Bhalchandra Salve and Sneha Gamre guided some of the training topics. The theme of the workshop was. A total of 7 Gram Panchayats (Ranshet – Wadhana, Chari – Kotbi, Raitli – Chandwad, Sarani, Modgaon, Dabhadi, Kinhwali) of Dahanu and Kasa Divisions, Sarpanch and Sub-Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat members, PESA President, Villagers, Pada Committee members were part for this training.

Datta Gurav provided information about the job, finances, and procedures at the Gram Panchayat level. A group activity was conducted where Datta Gurav asked them to prepare an estimated gram panchayat development plan, prosperity plan, and sanitation plan. We looked at how to identify the needs of the village, what funds are available for village development and gram panchayat development plans. Every group presented the problems they had chosen and their planning methods. On behalf of AROEHAN, Governance activists Bhalchandra Salve and Sneha Gamre gave guidance on the importance of PESA, PESA Village, facilitating School Management Committee (SMC), funds available for village development and how to avail them.

At the end of the training, the participants expressed their thoughts and experience with school funds, anganwadis, and Samrudhi budget. Vasundhra Kalangada, Sarpanch of Chari-Kotbu Gram Panchayat delivered a vote of thanks to AROEHAN and expressed her thoughts on the importance of Gram Sabha. She encouraged the locals to participate in village development programmes and spoke of the significance of proper segregation of funds.

लेख मराठीत वाचण्यासाठी येथे क्लिक करा

Nalini Mole from Brahmangaon in Ase Gram Panchayat was part of a Self Help Group. She joined the AROEHAN initiated committee Pada Samiti and got herself trained on the various roles as a pada samiti member can play. She understood the issues of water scarcity in her village, she raised her voice for availing water schemes, however there was no response. Nalini encouraged people in her village towards demanding for their basic needs and also protested at Gram Panchayat. Her efforts have bore results and Nalini has received water in her vicinity. Nalini took a step further and contested for Gram Panchayat elections. She is now part of Gram Panchayat and takes care of issues faced by the villagers in Ase Gram Panchayat.

In 2021, three Self Help Groups of landless Adivasi women, and one of women from the Katkari tribe (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) in Mokhada embarked on a journey to establish mango nurseries. Unfortunately, they faced several setbacks along the way. These challenges included issues with seed quality, heavy rainfall, and a low germination rate.

Undeterred by these obstacles, the SHGs decided to make a fresh attempt. This time, they collected local seeds from villagers, ensuring better seed quality. To create an optimal environment for the saplings, they ingeniously constructed a low-cost polyhouse using recyclable materials like polythene. This polyhouse allowed them to nurture the seedlings under controlled environmental conditions.

Their dedication and hard work finally paid off, yielding successful results. In August of this year, they successfully cultivated 8,500 mango grafts.

Wild edible vegetables or plants play a significant role in the sustenance of tribal people residing in forested areas. Even in difficult conditions such as drought and famine, wild plants are known to be edible and readily available. Such wild species are recognized in the same way that cultivated species, and they play a vital role in resolving the world’s numerous food problems. The tribal areas of Palghar district are known for the vegetation of such wild species which serve as an important source of nutrition and livelihood for the local tribes. A Taluka Level Wild Vegetable Festival Competition was organised by AROEHAN in Jawhar. AROEHAN organises similar events under the programme ‘National Nutrition Month’ – POSHAN MAAH, with the main goal of reducing malnutrition in mind. The wild vegetable competition was organised to emphasise the importance of wild vegetables, to improve the usage of vegetables in everyday diet, and to promote livelihood options for the locals. As many as 20 self-help groups participated from the area. Anjali Daroge, dietitian of the NRC department, retired professor and social activist Dr. Pragya Kulkarni, Pandurang Pilane, a local vegetable connoisseur and teacher, Manoj Kamdi, a trainer and social activist of Yashada Sanstha, played a crucial role in selecting the winners.

The Saptshringi Self-Association Group of Jamsar got the second position, while the Mayuri Self-Association Group of Kashivali bagged the third position. All the participating women were felicitated by giving certificates of appreciation. The first prize went to Sonali Mahila Sahat Gat of Kalidhond who presented a massive total of 155 recipes made of various wild vegetables. More than 500 people visited the exhibition including students from schools and colleges to acquire knowledge about wild vegetables. J.S.W. representative Santosh Mahajan, head of the Millet Programme Foundation Ganpat Bheskar, and director of the Kharonda Farmers Producers Association were also present at the festival.

Even though the exchange of letters has fallen out as a necessary means of communication in today’s Internet age, people in remote areas still largely rely on the postal service for receiving important documents from the government ID cards and several other crucial documents necessary to qualify for government schemes are still sent by post. However, what if these priceless documents never reach us? What if they disappear along the route? Just the thought is enough to make one’s heart skip a beat. If there is a possibility of that happening to the well-educated or urban population, its unimaginable what the tribal population will go through, a person who work as daily wager and is largely affected by it! Losing an important identity document costs these tribals at multiple levels. They pay the transportation fares to visit the government office and miss out on their wage for that particular day; the chances of them receiving their documents in a single trip are woefully low, leading to the rightful fear of losing daily wages for each subsequent visit. The process of applying for a new document is a tedious task for tribals.  Due to the lower literacy level among tribal areas, they often have to search for someone literate to fill out the forms for them. This is followed by assembling the required documents, which are unavailable due to the same negligence from the postal service.  At last, they have to wait restlessly for months for their documents to arrive and there is a fear of never receiving them. Chari-Kotbi in Dahanu Taluka is a village which is far from the main road. However, it has a decent route that connects it to the main road. Along the interior of this route lies a tribal settlement. Since last year, AROEHAN has been working on health and local governance in this village through public participation. At each hamlet, AROEHAN has created committees, called Pada Samiti, consisting of selected locals in an effort to solve hamlet-level problems via the Gram sabha and bring in local governance. During a training session for the Pada Samiti members, villagers made a shocking revelation that they don’t receive their letters.  The postman responsible for the same drops off all the letters at a villager named Kuna and asks him to distribute them throughout the village.  Some of the testimonials spoke that despite applying for Aadhar Card months ago, they have not received them yet. Not only did some important documents did not reach them but some were deemed to have been lost on the way. This not only made them feel the regret about being assumed as uneducated, but also enraged that the fundamental right of having their letters delivered to their home was being denied.

Since this problem was prolific in not just one, but in multiple hamlets of the village, all the Pada Samitis took the unanimous decision to write a letter to the post-master informing him about the same. During the late evening hours when everyone returned from their daily wage work, Pada Samiti members held a formal meeting. Since the current postman was a resident of the village and could lose his job if a formal complaint was lodged, all the Pada Samiti representatives decided to solve the issue by talking with him. This sensible decision was accepted by all with no objections. The Pada Samiti members informed the postman of their troubles and suggested him to deliver the letters directly to each recipient’s home. In the meantime, the postman, who used to work on a contract basis, left his job due to personal reasons. The very next month, a new postwoman took up this post and now the letters are finally being delivered to the recipient’s doors.

As people believed that not receiving their letters was a personal problem, they did not take any initiative to fix it, being afraid that their voices wouldn’t be heard. However, seeing it at as a community problem – suffering the same strife, they concluded that the governmental systems won’t notice them unless they come together and speak against this injustice as one.  Only then could they deal with this vexing trouble by themselves. Even though this issue and the consequent change brought; may seem minuscule to some, it helped ignite the confidence among the villagers of being able to overcome their own struggles in an organized manner by coming together as one.

The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, or PESA is a law enacted by the Government of India for ensuring self-governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India. Panchayati Raj is the system of local self-governance of villages in rural India. It consists of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) tasked with, economic development, strengthening social justice, and implementation of Central and State Government Schemes, through which self-governance is realised. On April 24, 1993, the Constitutional (73^rd Amendment) Act of 1992 came into force in India to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. AROEHAN is celebrating PESA and Panchayat Raj Awareness Month from March 15th to April 2023 in accordance with the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the PESA Act, and the 30th anniversary of the Panchayat Raj Act.

We conducted awareness programmes in 150 hamlets of Mokhada, Jawhar, and Dahanu. In order to raise social consciousness in society, awareness rallies were held by AROEHAN with the participation of students and locals. AROEHAN conducted an exhibition for locals of the IEC material including booklets and posters on the Forest Rights Act, Ration Dakkshata Samiti, Maharashtra Gramin Yojana, Gram Sabha Kosh Samiti, and MGNREGA.

On April 11th, a PESA awareness programme was held in Banachiwadi. AROEHAN’s Pada Samiti and the newly elected PESA Gram Kosh Committee facilitated the programme. Sarpanch, Deputy Chairman, Zilla Parishad members, Agriculture Assistants, Anganwadi workers, and Gram Panchayat members were present in the programme. A Shivar Pheri was conducted to assess the needs in the village for the preparation of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). In the presence of 55 villagers, we raised awareness about the PESA Act and the rights and entitlements of the residents of tribal villages.

On 17th February 2023, a group of girls from Mokhada came to visit the Palghar Zilla Parishad for an exposure visit. At first, they visited AROEHAN’s Project Office in Palghar, where they were greeted by CEO Mr. Amit Narkar. Out of almost 47 of those who visited, 32 girls were visiting Palghar for the first time. The group included adolescent girls between the ages of 11-19 years, including students, school and college dropouts and even young mothers accompanied by their children. AROEHAN Prerikas, PCMs, Health PO Tamanna, Documentation Officer Naitri Patel and admin PA Pramila Watas were part of the visit.

At Zilla Parishad, the Extension Officer Mr. Govind Dhanga greeted the group and introduced the girls to different departments within the building. The group took a tour of the Health department, Education department, Women and child development department and CO offices. They were guided thoroughly by officials at each department. The group gathered in a speaker hall and conveyed their concerns regarding healthcare to the Extension Officer and other officers. They spoke up about the lack of resources and facilities in the healthcare systems of the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and rural hospitals. AROEHAN’s activists as well as locals from Mokhada were also vocal about the negligence of government employees toward the needs of the communities and their arrogance toward the tribes. They requested to look into the lack of resources in their areas and suggested supervising the situation.

Later, the group visited the office of Childline 1098 in Palghar. They were guided by Rushabh Nikam about the organisation’s work for child protection and safety. Most of the group had never seen a railway station or travelled in railways. Hence visiting Palghar Railway station was also a part of this exposure visit. They were guided about trains and train platforms and were provided with a demonstration for purchasing train tickets.