RURAL DIGEST MAGAZINE English Artwork 27-03-2022

Real Stories From Rural Tamilnadu VOL2: APRIL 2022 IN FOCUS : Housing ENGAGING COMMUNITIES CHENGALPATTU MODEL MARKING TEMPLATE KARUR MASS ROOFING CUDDALORE

PUBLISHED BY RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PANCHAYAT RAJ DEPARTMENT, TAMILNADU Editor Mr. Praveen P. Nair, I.A.S., Director, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department Content Team Mr. S. Saravanan I.A.S., Additional Director, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department Mr. S. Prasanna and District Officers Contact Us [email protected] Design created by KS SMART SOLUTION

FROM THE- EDITOR’S DESK Thiru. Praveen P. Nair, I.A.S., Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, TN

CONTENT Stories In Focus BY RAIN THE WORLD SUSTAINS 10 Interview with Ms Rajshree, ADRD, Housing. 01 Dindigul ENGAGING COMMUNITIES 06 TRANSFORMING TRIBAL LIVES CHENGALPATTU Vellimalai, Kallakurichi 12 MODEL MARKING TEMPLATE 07 RURAL LIFE, URBAN ADVANTAGE KARUR 08 Tiruppur 09 MASS ROOFING SHG WOMEN RUNS HI TECH PARLOURS CUDDALORE Madurai 17 Hut-Free Tribal Panchayat 19 INNOVATION Green Paver Blocks 21 Sivagangai Plastic Waste Management 23 Erode ONGC SUPPORTS SOLAR-POWERED 24 OVER HEAD TANKS Thiruvarur From The Panchayat Others MANY WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH PANCHAYATS 25 WINNING HEARTS OF THE OPPONENTS 26 FOREST RIGHTS ACT AND LOCAL BODIES 25 FROME THR PAST 27 SAANSAD ADARSH GRAM YOJANA 30 STANDING COMMITTEE 35

Ms. Rajasree is an Assistant Director- Housing in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. Prior to this, she has worked in the Rural Development at various capacities. Before taking over as ADRD, she was a Project Director. In this interview she talks about different housing schemes, their purpose, successes, and challenges. Q: What are the different types of housing schemes implemented by the RD department? Ms. Rajasree – Right now, the flagship program is PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana), which is running from 2016-17. Earlier it was called IAY (Indira Awas Yojana). This is focussed on both urban and rural areas. The beneficiaries were chosen from a 2011 socio-economic caste census based on 13 criteria such as ownership of house, ownership of luxury items like four wheelers and two wheelers, income less than one lakh per annum, etc. A permanent waiting list was created. Prior to this scheme, in 2010, we had Kalaignar Veedu Valangum Thittam (KVVT) under which 3 lakh houses were built. The scheme was changed into Green House Thittam with solar light facilities. Interview Q: What are the differences between this scheme and PMAY-G scheme? Are the beneficiaries different? with Ms. Rajasree – Yes, the beneficiaries are Ms Rajshree, different. We did a mega survey of huts in ADRD, 2010 for KVVT. More than 22 lakh huts Housing. were identified, of which 7 lakh huts were ineligible because they were used as cow sheds, were empty, etc. Nearly 15 lakh huts were eligible after removing the ineligible huts from the list. From that list, the government built around 3 lakh houses. After the change of government, a different set of data was created and houses were given to them after 2011. 01

Now, we have done a resurvey last in pending. Since beneficiaries month (Feb 2022). Using the same KVVT themselves have to build the houses, data base, we identified beneficiaries there have been many delays. The who have not been allotted a house selected beneficiaries were the poorest through any of the schemes in the last 10 of the poor; the amount of 1.2 lakhs was years. We found around 4.5 lakh people not sufficient for them. The state who were not benefited under any government then increased its scheme. Among those 4.5 lakh people, contribution. However, some people had 90,000 people were in the PMAYG waitlist. no one to support, and many didn’t know We have to come up with a scheme for about constructing houses, and then the the rest of the 3.5 lakh people. pandemic affected the progress of the project. We want to complete all the Q: How do we finance PMAY-G? back logs. That is why we started mass campaign in all the districts. Ms. Rajasree – This is a centrally assisted scheme. The unit cost of a house is Rs. 1.2 Q: When was this started? lakh for a 269 square-foot house. This is shared between the centre and state in a Ms. Rajasree – With the help of field staff, 60:40 ratio. Apart from this, the especially the overseers, we identified all Government of Tamil Nadu gives an the houses that were sanctioned but additional Rs. 1.2 lakh for concrete roofing. were not completed. Since January is a It is a fixed cost irrespective of the type of good month to start building a house, we house constructed. started this in January. In our culture, we build houses after Pongal and so we Q: – How was the costing arrived ? Is it decided to start after Pongal. On a daily same for all the states? basis, we have a monitoring system and have asked district officials to enter the Ms. Rajasree – The central government daily progress of the houses marked as fixed the unit cost according to their earth work, basement work, lintel work, norms. But they do not insist on a etc. particular type of roof. It is up to the beneficiary to decide that. It is the policy Q: – The progress completely depends of our state government to build on the beneficiary. How do you ensure concrete roofs. We provide additional that things progress smoothly? cost from the state funds for the roofing. This is not given by all the states. Besides, Ms. Rajasree – Our department we follow a specific design. Though the purchases and provides cement and beneficiary can decide what he/she steel. We deduct the amount from the wants, we insist that they finish building bill. Apart from that, with the help of the 269 square feet before they go in for any local panchayat president and ward further modification. members, we procure cement and bricks for old and disabled people. By giving Q: – Right now we see we do a lot of mass, these facilities, we help them start. simultaneous activities. What was the thought process behind this? How did Q: Is there any innovation in process? this idea pitch? Did we do state level or they thought of district level? Ms.Rajasree – Yes, many districts have tried different methods: some have Ms. Rajasree –From 2016-17 houses were developed house models, some have 02

involved poly-techniques and Q: How do we motivate our staffs? it is quite stressful for the staff is it not engineering colleges. In Nagappatinam, Ms.Rajasree – We understand the and Thiruvarur districts interlocking difficulty of our staff, it is because of them we see the progress. As I said we are bricks are used which help in building the bringing support staff, involving panchayats and community at various house quickly, within a week we can build stages to support the field staff. So far in Tamil Nadu, the quality of houses are up till roof, in Nagapatinam they use ash good. Representatives of the Government of India visited our houses, bricks. and were very happy about the quality of the houses. At the end it is the smile in the Q: – What is our next target? face of the beneficiary that motivates Ms. Rajasree – Right now, we already have 1.75 lakh houses pending, which was sanctioned in the year 2016-17 to 2019-20. Apart from this 2.3 lakh houses were allotted in 2021 and sanctioned. These should be completed. Q: – What are the major challenges we have? Ms. Rajasree – The number of houses is the challenge. There are many senior citizens and single women. As our target is the poorest of the poor, their affordability is a challenge. We take help from the panchayat president, ward members, and all the technical people like overseers to overcome these challenges. Our staffs are overworked, and we have taken a decision to hire a technical assistant for six months in areas where there are huge backlogs, and to rope in SHGs as motivators. This will be executed in a couple of months. The motivator will act as a bridge between the beneficiary and block office. An app is being developed by the Cuddalore district for this purpose. The app will list out the pending housing and for 50 houses, a motivator will be allotted. That motivator will meet the people of those houses and ask in what stage the house is and what assistance they need. The motivator will help in submitting bills, ordering materials, getting materials at the right time, etc. These details will be entered in the app, and based on this, the overseer will act 03

Bringing Dignity, Security and Happiness A house to own is a dream for all of us. target allotted for Tamil Nadu was It is not just a shelter; a modern house 2,77,000 houses. with ample space can give us a dignified life. It expands our mind and The pandemic and subsequent heart The Pradhan Mantri Awaas lockdowns have slowed the program. Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), a The marking of new houses couldn’t Government of India scheme, aims to be done, and construction of allotted provide housing for all by 2022. Since houses was stalled. Since the its inception in the year 2016, Tamil beneficiaries of the scheme are to Nadu has constructed over five lakh construct the house themselves, their houses for the economically poor in personal issues its villages. For the year 2021-22, the 04

PRADHAN MANTRI AWAAS YOJANA – GRAMIN (PMAY-G) Eligibility All Houseless and people living in dilapidated and kutcha houses as per SECC 2011 data The construction should be carried out by the bene�iciary himself/herself or under his/her supervision. Category-wise earmarking of targets –60% for SC/ST, 15% for minorities and atleast5% for persons with disabilities Unit Size Minimum size of the unitis 269sq.ft.which includes a dedicated area for hygienic- cooking Unit Assistance Rs.1.20lakh in plains and Rs.1.30 lakh in hilly states,dif�icult area sand IAPdistricts Sharing Pattern 60:40between Centre and State in plain areas Additional TN State Govt contribution of Rs 1200000 for concrete roo�ing Target For the year 2016-2020 5,27,000 sanctioned, completed332577 for the year 2021 sometimes slowed down the would be done simultaneously across construction process. Districts were the districts on the same day. In facing severe cost and time crunch to February, many districts organised meet the year's target. and coordinated mass programs. A new approach was suggested to This is an ambitious plan that requires meet the target, the officials came up massive planning and coordination with a mass marking and at all levels. Here are some of the construction plan, where key activities learnings from the districts about their like marking of houses and roofing experience in addressing issues in constructing PMAY-G houses. 05

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES CHENGALPATTU Allotted Houses: 16130 during the year 2021-22 Sanctioned Houses: 10790 during the year 2021-22 In spite of houses being allotted, many beneficiaries couldn’t start construction. District officials found that some of the main reasons were: Lack of initial funds, manpower to oversee work, vendors, availability of materials at the right time, and awareness among beneficiaries. To address this issue, the District Collector of Chengalpattu instructed the officials of RD & PR Dept to approach principals of engineering colleges, polytechnic institutes, and ITIs to help in construction of houses, and engage PLF (Panchayat Level Federation) and SHGs to create awareness among beneficiaries about the process, and start the construction. The block-level staff of the Engineering Wing, in consultation with district officials decided to mark house sites on 03.02.2022 in all 359 village panchayats. In a single day, 34% of the houses (4252 houses out of 12517) were marked, with the support of engineering, polytechnic and ITI students, and SHG motivators and interested SHG members. 06

MODEL MARKING TEMPLATE KARUR The number of sanctioned houses in For the remaining 43% of the houses, the Karur district are 2355, and as on 15th of marking had to be done. The district February only 1349 houses were marked came up with an innovative idea to and work had started for these houses. complete maximum markings in a day. They developed a model pre-fabricated marking template for the same. 1. During the on-site observation of the process, it was noted that the time required to mark a single house by this method was less than 10 minutes, compared to 30 minutes using the regular procedure, with two-thirds of the time saved. 2. In this method, the corner perpendicularity of the house is automatically ensured, removing the need for rechecking it. 3. The template is formed by a removable coupling joint at the centre, which facilitates the separation of the tem- plate into two pieces for transit, on completion of marking of a house. 4. Due to ease and limited time required for marking, it was observed that a minimum of 60 to 70 houses could be marked in a day, even going up to 100 houses if houses are to be marked in clusters. Mass marking day was fixed on 16.2.2022 and 17.2.2022, when more than 750 houses were marked using this process. 07

MASS ROOFING CUDDALORE Constructing a single house requires a lot of planning. Any builder would agree that logistics and supply chain problems can hamper any planning. Imagine if one has to build hundreds houses across a district in different locations, for different people, coordinating with hundreds of workers, masons, and vendors. It would be a Himalayan task for even the most experienced builder! ! This is the task that the Cuddalore district Mixers 227 administration took upon themselves. Cement They decided to lay the roofing of all the Steel bars 15330 bags PMAY-G houses under construction on a Masons 14400 mass scale. The number of houses Labourers 509 allotted for the district was 34,500, and of 3014 this, more than 11,000 were completed, and the rest were at various stages of The massive work was done in construction. It was also found that in coordination with multiple departments. around 3,000 houses, construction was “We had cement shortage in the district stalled after the lintel level. “We found and had to bring masons from different that many of the beneficiaries are having locations, and money had be transferred issues finishing the roof, which is the most to the beneficiaries for the payment, all difficult part of the construction. We within a short time” says the ADC undertook a survey, created a detailed gap analysis of what resources were In the coming months, the district is available and required. Block-level planning to continue this process and engineers were given the authority to complete the construction of the 3,000 arrange for materials and manpower plus houses which are at the lintel stage. locally,” says Pavan Kumar I.A.S, the Additional Collector, On 21.2.2022 and 22.2.2022, the district geared up to build roofs for 445 houses. Based on the survey, materials, machinery, and skilled workers were arranged and sent to the beneficiaries. 08

HUT-FREE schemes by GOTN/GOI, non-availability TRIBAL PANCHAYAT of own land and no scope to issue house site pattas by the revenue authorities in the forest areas makes it difficult to build houses in the forest areas.” says Ms Malarvizhi, Project Director. Pucca house for tribals living in the forest is a generational shift. Many don’t have pattas in their name, and a house in their name means a complete shift in their lives. Opathavadi panchayat in Bargur Union, Krishnagiri District is a tribal panchayat that has brought dignity and security to all its residents by ensuring 100% pucca houses for all. The Krishna Nagar Irular Colony A joint team comprising Forest, Revenue Habitation of Oppathavadi Panchayat in and Rural Development staff assessed Bargur union is one among the tribal whether the residents were eligible under habitations in Krishnagiri district. Of the 61 any of the housing schemes. Out of 61 families living in the village, 27 families families, 27 families had pucca houses have pucca houses. They earn a meagre from the govt and it required some income breeding cattle, harvesting minor repairs, the rest needed houses. honey, , cutting trees, etc. Construction The team identified government of new pucca houses with their income is porampokku land near the village with unattainable for them. During the rainy easy approach. A Patta for 34 season people living in huts have faced beneficiaries was arranged and a lot of difficulties. sanction order for construction of new houses under a state scheme called “Though many housing schemes are CMSPGHS 2020-21 with a unit cost of Rs being implemented under different 3.00 lakhs each was issued. Today all the tribal households in Krishna Nagar Irular Colony have own pucca house, making it a hut-free village. 09

BY RAIN THE WORLD SUSTAINS “By the continuance of rain the world structure was constructed with the is preserved in existence; it is provision to store and reuse the therefore worthy to be called as the harvested rainwater. In this method, elixir of life. ” the rainwater collected on the rooftop Thirukural was filtered using a filter media and stored in a sump. The Government of Tamil Nadu has always laid special emphasis on rain After elaborate planning and scheme water conservation and harvesting. formulations, it was decided to The conventional rain water construct 611 such structures across harvesting structure involves Dindigul district within 21 days so that collection of roof top rainwater and the monsoon rains could be fully letting the water into a soak pit. This tapped, and in the process, a world method ensures that the rainwater is record can be achieved. Panchayat not wasted and is let off into the Union Primary and Middle schools in ground thus improving the 306 village panchayats were selected ground water table. as project sites. Taking this rainwater harvesting The work started on 10.11.2021, before process to the next level, the Dindigul that a detailed micro level plan was district administration explored the prepared including material feasibility of reusing the harvested availability, skilled labor availability rain water before draining it into the and contingency plan in case of soak pit. A trial rainwater harvesting heavy rains. The sumps were planned 10

using bricks, reinforced cement Recognizing this feat, four world concrete, or plain cement concrete. record agencies, viz. Elite World The size of the sump ranged from Record Agency, Asian Records 9,000 litres to 27,000 litres, depending Academy, India Records Academy on the rooftop area of the building in and the Tamilan Book of Records which the structure was planned. The conferred world record certificates to total sump capacity built across 611 the District Collector, Dindigul. locations is 80 lakh litres. A rainfall of 1 mm over an area of one square meter yields 1 litre of water. The combined of area of buildings taken up for building rainwater harvesting structures in Dindigul is 1,03,033 square meters, and with an average yearly rainfall of 1000 mm, the yearly capacity to store and reuse rainwater in Dindigul is 10.3 crore litres.This is is equivalent to the storage capacity of a small dam! To keep the tank clean of silt and to ensure maximum usage of water, World Record school water management Applications were submitted to four world record agencies viz – Elite World committees comprising students, Records, Asian Records Academy, India Records Academy and Tamilan teachers, and school sanitary workers Book of records for recognition of world record under the category were formed. These management teams will ensure that every drop of rain water harvested is put to use and the entire rainwater harvesting system is kept clean. “Most Roof-Top Rainwater Harvesting Structures Constructed at Multiple Locations in 21 days”. The world record agencies scrutinized the claim diligently and visited more than 350 structures to ascertain the quality of the work done and to review whether the work conforms to the standards set by these agencies. 11

TRANS The tribal population in Tamil Nadu is FORMING close to one percent. Unlike the tribals TRIBAL LIVES in the Nilgiris and the Western Ghats, the tribals of Kalvarayan Hills belong Vellimalai is a tribal block in to the homogenous alayali tribe. Kallakurichi district. It belongs to the Kalvarayan Hill lags behind in almost Kalvaryan hill range in the Eastern all development indicators. The litera- Ghats andis spread across four cy rate in the hills is slightly more than districts. The hill and its people 55%, and in Vellimalai, it is even worse, became part of India only in 1977, at just about 37%. However, things during the Emergency. Till then they have improved in the last 35 years. were ruled by the jagirdhars of the Today, all villages in Kalvarayan are Kalvarayan, in a state of semi slavery. fully electrified, roads to major villages The community had wedding tax, are connected, safe water has cultivation tax, registration of births rReoaadcs hed houses, and schools are and deaths, and everyone had to offer gifts to the jagirdhar's families Gravel 118 kilometres during the Pongal celebrations. The three jagirdhars were not willing to Thar 88 kilometres recognise the Government of India and abide by its statutes, or hand Stone 18 over the 105 villages under them. The hill was brought under government Mud 597 control on 25.6.1976 by invoking the slavery abolition legislation, 1963. Electricity 15 panchayats are fully electrified Water OTH, 133, 172 hand pumps, 156 wells Except for a few missionaries, the people had not experienced any development. “We were dependent on the jagidhars for everything. Occa- sionally, we went down the hill to exchange minor forest produce like kadukakai and for salt. There were no roads or electricity till the 1980s. It was only after becoming part of the state officially, that things started improving,“ says Chandran, the newly elected councilor of Vellimalai Panchayat Union. 12

within reach. Kalvarayan Hills stands testimony to what good governance can do. The Kalvarayan block with Vellimalai While there is significant panchayat as headquarters was improvement in the infrastructure, created on 7.2.1985. The block has 15 people still migrate to Mysore and village panchayats, 50 revenue Kerala to work in coffee and spices villages and 177 hamlets and a estates. “Almost all able men and population of 56,327 (2011 Census). In women in working age migrate for the last 35 years, the rural four months between Jan to May. In department has tried its best to bring fact, this change itself is because of various schemes to the people. “Our the infrastructure development, first development activity was especially roads. That money helps in constructing roads, and providing asset creation,” says Mani, a villager. electricity and safe water to all the However, the dependency on villages. We are happy that we could MNREGA is very high, and more than achieve most of it,” says Shakthivel, 30,152 people were given work last overseer, who was deputed to take year, i.e., close to 90% of the adult me to the different project sites. working population. “We want to create more opportunities here so that we don’t have to migrate,” says Chandran, “It is risky to climb tall trees to harvest. We have at least one person in each village with broken limbs and backbone.” The panchayats and the relevant departments are planning to create community assets which can increase local livelihoods. To increase agriculture productivity and profitability, the department has constructed check dams, roads, community tanks, and market spaces. . The Department is working with the Forest and Agriculture department to explore convergence projects which can help increase income locally. “Tapioca and millets were the only food we grew, but we can grow coffee andspices. We have 13

OLD, BUT SELF BUND RELIANT to protect the farmAbdul is 70 years old; he got his children married and they are settled in dif- ferent places. He lives alone with his aged wife, who manages a petty shop. Abdul comes to work every day, and tries to finish his quota of work. “I don’t want to depend on my children, 100-day work has given me the respect that I would not have got otherwise,” he says. His coworkers admire him During the rains, the top soil for his resilience. gets eroded, thus affecting agriculture. In order to arrest it, stone bunds are created. It is labour intensive work; however, stone bunding of individual farms can be undertaken under MNREGA. Poongodi and her mother are small time farmers in …... Village, the departmtent-built bund at the cost of Rs XXXXXX. Check Dam 14

TORADIPATTU PANCHAYAT u Water Tank and Drainage Selvaraj is the Panchayat President of Thoradipattu Panchayat. In his panchayat in the last couple of years, the RD department has constructed a community well at the cost of Rs. 18 lakh.. The water is pumped to the OHT and drinking water is supplied through the village taps. Similar community wells are constructed in different villages belonging to the panchayat. Rainwater drainage is being constructed in the village. “When it rains, water flows through the village, floods the street, and damages the road. We have constructed rainwater drainage and connected it to the nearby pond. The drainage protects the road and also saves water,” says Selvaraj. 15

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RURAL LIFE, URBAN ADVANTAGE Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission 2021-22 Large parts of rural India are not stand-alone settlements but part of a cluster of settlements that are relatively proximate to each other. These clusters typically illustrate potential for growth, have economic drivers, and derive locational and competitive advantages. These clusters, once developed, can then be classified as 'Rurban'. Taking cognizance of this, the Government of India has proposed the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM), aimed at developing such rural areas by provisioning economic, social and physical infrastructure facilities. The Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) follows the vision of \" Development of a cluster of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising on the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus creating a cluster of \"Rurban Villages\".” Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission NRUM Vellaiyudhapa- layam cluster in Tiruppur district. 17

The Vellaiyudha palayam cluster was developed as a cluster with focus on improving basic facilities. Seventy percent of the households with one beneficiary in each HSS is linked with skilled or with economic activity. In Vellaiyudha Palayam cluster there are six panchayats: Vellaiyudha palalyam, Sendhianallur, Nambiampalayam, Kaniyampoondi, Thekalur, and Pudhupalayam. In this project, TNSRLM handed over machineries to the PLFs. PLFs identified qualified and needful SHGs. SHGS are running the units and are getting benefited. The initiative of having an e-Sevai centre in our village has helped people in our village to a large extent. Earlier old people and school students used to travel 10 kilometres to access e-sevai services, but now they don’t have to travel to the city to get their work done. We provide services like income certificates, Aadhar cards, Voter IDs; in fact, all the services which can be done online is easily done within the village. This has helped everyone in the village. Thank you. 18

Our panchayat is Kaniyampoondi. With the support of Rurban scheme and Women self help group SHG, we have got 12 mat floor mat machines. Earlier we used to work as labourers, but now we are our own bosses. They gave us proper training and now we are able to earn enough income. I thank Rurban scheme and SHGs wholeheartedly for this initiative. Greetings to everyone, Rurban scheme and Women self help group has helped us with seven sewing machines and also taught me the basics of tailoring. I am able to make 500 bags per day and they give us Rs.1 per bag. I am able to earn a good income and have become independent. Earlier, I didn’t know tailoring, and because of the one-month training given by Rurban scheme, I am able to stitch bags. 18

SHG WOMEN RUNS HI TECH PARLOURS Samayanallur is one of the 16 villages Madurai identified in Kovilpappakudi cluster The Centre for Entrepreneurship under the National Rurban Mission Development (Tamil Nadu), a Scheme for Aavin Hi-Tech Parlour. state-level institution, was given the Located on NH 7 and enroute to many responsibility to identify, train, and cities like Dindigul, Tiruppur, mentor the women to run the parlour. Coimbatore, and tourist destinations, The organization conducted a market an Aavin HI-Tech Parlour could be survey and found that Samayanallur good business for the Self- Help village had underdeveloped retail Group (SHG) women. The project was channel with high potential for implemented under the Ministry of domestic and commercial usage of Rural Development, NRuM, Tamil Nadu milk and milk products. State Rural Livelihood Mission (TNSRLM), and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) with the support of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, 19

“In Samayanallur village, only private estimated to earn about 41,000 every dairy companies are handling milk month. The twelve members manage and its allied products in an the parlour and the panchayat owns unorganized manner. They were the property. The building is situated costly and they sold it through retail in the premises of the Village shops. We thought that with Aavin Panchayat Resource Centre at Parlour we could offer the customer Samayanallur village on NH7. The unit an experience and high quality was established under the service” says Yamini, Programme supervision and guidance of the Manager, CED. District Rural Development Agency, Madurai District. Twelve SHG Members from five SHGs of Samayanallur village were “These members tend to go for rural selected for training on the basis of jobs under MNREGA scheme or are their age and marital status engaged in menial jobs, in spite of (preferably below 40 years and being degree holders. We are hoping married) . They were given training for this will give them the opportunity to 44 days (15 days of entrepreneurship fully grow into their potential,” says training and 30 days of skill/technical Yamini The parlour functions from 5 training). Technical training was am to 10:30 pm. If you are taking a trip arranged at Madurai District to Kodaikannal, stop by the shop and Cooperative Milk Producers Union have a nice cup of tea! Limited (Aavin). With an investment of Rs 14 lakh the unit started functioning from 24.12.2021 , with the working capital of Rs 2,40,000 brought in by the panchayat-level federation and the individual members. The unit is 20

INNOVATION Advantages of green paver block Green Paver Blocks roads over plastic-added BT roads: Locally collected solid wastes are segregated at the panchayat level. Using plastic in the construction of The waste is shredded and stored as roads has become a regular feature shredded plastic waste. It usually has in rural development projects. The department has given plastic shredder machines to each block to reuse plastics collected at the village levels into products. One major usage is in roads, where plastic shreds are mixed with bitumen to lay roads. The rural department in Sivagangai District has tried a different model: They have created paver blocks using plastics. “The project director, Sivagangai District, asked me to come up with an innovative solution in sanitation. Each panchayat has plastic pellets, shredded from the three forms of plastics: waste collected from the panchayats. All that was collected was not used for 1.Shredded plastic bottle wastes bitumen roads, and it was a difficult process to use as well. I thought using 2.Shredded plastic covers it in paver blocks would be easier,” says Aravind, APO Sanitation, 3.Single use plastic covers. Sivagangai. The correct ratio of plastic and Usually most of the waste is land filled concrete was arrived a t through trial or held locally at the site itself. One and error. The final product was found usual form of disposal of these to be less in weight and could wastes is by adding them to withstand heavy loads (See table for bituminous top roads. This has the results). several limitations: Description Weight of Weight of Load carrying 1. Shredded plastic waste can be Specimen plastic capacity added only by certain weight to the Control bitumen mix(ie) 6% by weight of Specimen 4.020 Kg added (gm) (Compressive strength) 60 mm N/mm2 Nil 8.45 Plastic 3.740 Kg 50 gm 7.5 bitumen or 1.186 kg/ 10 m2 as per IRC Mixed codal provisions. Ensuring adequate 60 mm Control 5.750 Kg Nil 7.53 plasticity and durability is also a Specimen 5.300 Kg 50 gm 8.67 major task. 80 mm Plastic Mixed 80 mm 21

2. Adding shredded plastic waste to use cycle. bitumen is a cumbersome process and it involves combustion,and 7. It makes paver blocks lighter; ie., by heating of plastic wastes to 170° adding 50 grams of plastic waste, the Celsius. It is environmentally not weight of the paver block is reduced sound as it involves vaporisation and by 360 grams on 2 days curing. released harmful gases into the 8. It helps in better handling of paver atmosphere. blocks while laying them. 3. Also, when added in excess, it might M. Arvind, APO housing and sanitation, cause considerable changes to the DRDA, Sivagangai, under the active BT roads as plasticity of roads might guidance of the district collector and increase. project director, tried to create green paver block roads and this can be a 4. It requires high technical skills and potential game changer as it is easier adequate technical intervention at and simpler in approach and different stages of the road laying considerably reduces plastic process. pollution. On the other hand, adding of shredded plastic waste to paver blocks as an alternative approach helps in the following ways: 1. Paver blocks are simpler to make. It involves only two processes: mixing of base concrete and vibrating in a conveyor belt. 2. Plastic waste can be added easily to the mixture. 3. Binding is also easily achieved and it also gives a good finish 4. Optimal amount of plastic waste to be added can be identified easily. 5. This becomes a potential source for plastic sequestration. 6. During its life of 15-20 years, paver block roads can hold plastics within them, thereby breaking the plastic 22

Plastic Waste Management Erode District Around 49 tons of waste is generated everyday in rural areas of Erode district of which 2.5 tons is plastic. Door to door collection of waste is done by “Thoomai kavalars visit our homes at “Till now we have shredded 1 tonne of Gandhinagar and collect wastes plastic waste and sold the shredded everyday. We separate the plastics to the road contractors thar biodegrable and non biodegradable making process. District collector has waste and handover to them. When appreciated us for shredding more we give plastic cover they give Rs.10 than 1 tonne plastic.This gives us the per cover that money is helpful for us. motivation to continue this further.” Since waste is collected everyday in Says the Pachayat President of our panchayat, house and streets are Konamoolai village. always clean.” Says a resident Konamoolai Village The waste collected from households Plastic buybag policy has been is taken to the segregation shed launched in all 225 village where plastics like milk cover, oil panchayats of Erode district. Contact cover, biscuit covers etc are number of Swatch Bharath separated from other plastics. The coordinator is shared with the public. separated plastics are weighed in In all the 14 blocks plastic shredder is scale and then dust is removed placed. To reuse the shredded plastic before shredding. The shredded it is mixed with bitumen in a way that plastics is collected weighed again, plastic forms 8 percent of total weight. packed and kept ready for sale. 1.75 tonnes of shredded plastic were to form 3.2kms of road in the last month. 23

ONGC SUPPORTS Koradacheri 33 SOLAR-POWERED Kottur 10 OVER HEAD TANKS Mannargudi 23 Nannilam 4 The panchayats in Thiruvarur district Nedamangalam 3 spend about 20000 to 2,00,000 every Thiruthuraipoondi 3 month on electricity just to pump Thiruvarur 22 water to Over Head Tanks. Some Valangaiman 2 panchayats face power outages and Total 100 some face frequent power interrup- tion. This delays the water supply, and increases cost and wastage. In order to address this issue, the district col- lector approached ONGC, a public sector company, with the request to install solar powered OHTs under their CSR funds. The company allotted three crores for this project, at an esti- mated cost of Rs 2,95,000 per OHT, to the Rural Development department. The department selected 100 pan- chayats that are facing frequent power issues. The project started in 2021, hundred OHTs were constructed with solar power to pump water. According to department officials, this has reduced electricity bills by 50% in some panchayats. Today, villagers are able to pump water without worrying about escalating cost, and some panchayats are able to supply more water to meet the demand. The department thanks ONGC for its contribution and is open to more such partnerships. 24

FOREST RIGHTS Under this act, the land cultivated by ACT AND tribal and forest dependents/ LOCAL BODIES dwellers in forests before December 13-2005, when the Bill was tabled in Parliament, will be owned by them. Under the Forest Rights Act, up to 10 acres of land per family can be approved. But they can't sell those lands. It also gives tribals the right to collect, use and sell small forest yields. Apart from hunting, the Act recognis- es all the traditional and cultural rights of the tribals. Under the community forest rights, the Act provides for the use of 75 trees per hectare for construction of schools, anganavadi, hospitals etc., for fishing in water bodies, for the use of grazing , for conservation and maintenance of forests. About 10 million tribals across India The gramsabha has all the power to depend on forest and forest yields for take forward this historic act. Under their livelihood. The National Tribal the Forest Rights Act, buy forest claims Policy states that 70% of the income of petitions in villages, consider it and the tribal comes only through small view the lands. forest yields, but the conflict and contradictions between the forest Our Grama Sabha has the power to department and the forest dwellers constitute the Village Forest Rights were increasing when it came to the Committee forward the petitions use of these small forest yields and recommended by the Village Forest forest lands. This led to the tribals Rights to the Divisional Level Commit- having to fight for their livelihood for a tee. The petition for the right to social long time. It was to redress this forest resources, to collect small forest historical injustice that the Union yields and obtain traditional rights, Government enacted Tribal and can only be referred to the Divisional Forest Dependent Forest Rights Level Committee by the Village Forest (Recognition) Act, 2006. Rights and Grama Sabha. So far, 33,000 petitions have been submitted in Tamil Nadu and 5000 tribals have been granted forest rights. 25

families to migrate to neighbouring districts and states in search of life. Now that patta (approval) has been given by the government under the Forest Rights Act, we are growing trees like mango, silver oak, teak, jack etc., cultivating crops like samai and kollu. This has increased our income and are able be send our children to college for higher education. We therefore, should also take action to provide patta to remanining 26 persons who are yet to get. To know about the role of local bodies Koylur if the local bodies take care of in implementing FRA, we inspected the proper implementation of the Upper Nelli Marathur village under Forest Rights Act, they can shine a Jawadhu Malai Taluk Koylur light on the lives of thousands of Panchayattu in Tiruvannamalai dis- tribals who are the last people of this trict. All the 66 tribal families in the society. Therefore, our appeal is that village depend on forest land for their other local bodies in Tamil Nadu livelihood and all of them petitioned should also take steps to implement the Village Forest Rights Committee the Forest Rights Act properly. for the forest land rights. Out of this, 40 petitions have been accepted by the Grama Sabha and 5,4,3 acres have been allotted by the District Committee as per the size of the lands cultivated by them. Mr. S. Govindraj (47), who was instrumental in getting forest rights land for the village about the change in tribal lives, says “ We depend on this forest land for our lives for generations. Our livelihood remained unstable untill the forest rights act came, even if small crops were grown, the forest department would cause trouble. This forced many 26

Panchayati Raj- • A Solid Foundation of Del1l0Cracy JAWAHARLAL NEHRU \"PANCHAYATI Raj is becoming concession or the other. TIlis was a ' the field of education, the Pancha- a solid foundation of. democracy in the country and a powerful instru. sign of utter backwardness. The. yat~ had taken good, deal of interest ment -not only in the' political \"but also in the social and economic people who wanted to go forward ensuring r'egular attendance of teach\" fields\"-said Shri Jawaharlal Nehru speaking 00\" the Resolution on Pan- should, hold their heads high and not ers and students. ' chayati Raj ~oved at the 66th Session of the Indian National Cong- beg for. concessions. ress held recently at Bhavnagar. He added that the Panchayati Raj had Continuing his remarks, Shri Continuing his remarks, Shri immense possibilities. Millions of Nehru said that the real meaning of Nehru said,' that the, Panchayats could people in the rural areas had been democracy lay in enabling the people suffering from _all forms of inequities. to go forward. Everyone was not : form the strong fo~ndation of demo- They should become self-reliant and equal. But all should h!1ve equal cracy and once' the foundation was be ready to should~ administrative opportunities to develop' themselves. strong, the superstructure would also and other resiionsibilities. The era The Panchayati .Raj would afford I be solid. These Panchayats would when .the rural people had to run up . immense opportunities to the people 'naturally have.' a considerable say in to officials and other authorities with to do things by themselves. It would the selection of persons who want to petitions in their. hands begging for . certainly bring about a qualitative :represent the people in the Vidban something to be done on their behalf should end once for aU: :Sabha or tJle Lok Sabha. So far as ,the ,. elections to Panchayats were Shri Nehru further remarked that the fear, that the power should not change in their' work, The officials :concerned, Shri Nehru felt that pr.e- be given at one stroke to the Pan- should give advice and even training ches and Sarpanchcs who were mostly \"in cooperatives, but the. initiative ferably these should be on non-party illiter'ate and not conversant with the should lie with .the people. It was techniques of administrative and oreally very encouraging to see that lines. It was .jndeed a happy development work, had no meaning, They would ~ certainly learn from the Kisans and the Harijans, who .augury that Pancbayat' elections had experience and correct their own had suffered so long for lack of initial mistakes, The idea of giving opportunities, bad responded magni- onbeen fought in many places in Pun- guidance from the top for all time to ficently to the new form of life that jab and Rajasthan non-party lines. come was like making the children had presented itself and their achieve- utterly helpless by keeping them ments had beea creditable. It had Some 30 per cent of the Panchayat under protection and not allowing them to go into the open air. Shri eJections had been by unanimous Nehru strongly urged that nobody. should nurse any misgiving 00 the ~greenient among the village folk. score that the Paochayats would fail to discharge. .their .responsibilities if The process had \"brought about new executive powers were transferred to them. He said that it was high time faces 'and new blood. In many cases that the domination of the official mind on the life, of the people was been found in many places .that the villagers who had migrated to nearby eliminated. They must have a say in their own affairs .. He said that during Panchayats took the lead in building towns had returned to their homes his visits to tribal areas, he often houses for Harijans. Similarly, 'in .seeing the trend of the times. found people coming to him with petitions in hand asking for incJu- Congi;essResolution dn Panchayati Raj sicin of their names in. the list of , Scheduled Castes... and Scheduled - ~..~~.- Tribes so that they could enjoy some .;:. ~_==-T- - \"It has been~--:t:-h:-=e.~ settled policy of .the Congress, for many years, even before the coming of Independence, tol develop village panchayats. This policy found expression in one of the Directive Principles of the Indian Constitution which affirms that: ~ \"- -C /-' -~ ?~; MARCH 1961 \"the State shall take steps to organise' village panchayats and endow them with -such powers and authority as may be \"necessary to enable.them to function as units of self-go\\'ernment.\" . Village panchayats are not only the-joundation .of democracy in the country, but also secure the effective p4rticipation of the people in the Government and the planned development of the country, so that the vast numbers of our people living in th~ rural areas are intima/ely asso- ciated. in these vital functions. The effeCt of foreign rule in India was largely to deprive the people of initiative, and of participation in alld, responsibility for the manifold activities for their own advancemellt. Independence brought in some measure, the Sense of self-help and respo~sibiLity, but ;this did not spread to the extent desired among the mass of the rural population. .. (Continued on page'13) ,\" 4 KURUKSHETRA: March 1961 27

.. GREAT EXPECTATIONS' .ce,.~ .. ~.;: . .~.'.' ~.. ..~ \":;:> ~ 28

:. , .ASSAULT RACE ~ 1 I\\IlDl1\" OBJE.CnONS '. \\ \\' I -~~,.' I• ..•••• _?~ I 't II • ,\" /y/ >' \" \" ---- i .', S ,' . . AR,PANCHP.5- 29

SAANSAD ADARSH 2. H GRAM YOJANA Edu 2 The goal of Saansad 2 Adarsh Gram Yojana 2 (SAGY) is to translate the 2 vision of Mahatma Gandhi 2 into reality, with current day relevance. 2 2 2 OBJECTIVES 1. Trigger processes which lead to holistic 2 development of the identified Gram Panchayats. 2 2 2. Significantly improve the standard of living and quality of life of all sections of the population by : 3. S o 2.1 Improving basic amenities Jus 2.2 Higher productivity 3 2.3 Improved human development indicators 3 2.4 Better livelihood opportunities 3 2.5 Reduced disparities 2.6 Access to rights and entitlements 2.7 Wider social mobilisation 2.8 Enriched social capital 3. Generate models of local level development and effective local governance which can motivate and inspire neighbouring Gram Panchayats. 4. Nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development to train other Gram Panchayats. 30

alcoholism, smoking, substancein hilly and tribalreaas. 4. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT abuse, etc. GoLaivletliohoaocdh; iSvkeilltsh;reFienaAndciaalrI HolisticMAN DEVELOPMENT GraAmmesnitiebsy/ SeMrvaicrecsh 201 Developmentation ; Health ; Nutrition ; Social Security Ther4e.a1 ftePrrofimvoetedmivoerresifi(eod ParametersUniversal year)ablliyed2li0v2e4lih. oods,inc facilities and horticultrue thro access to basic healthper — health 4.1.1 Organic farming. card, medical examinations. 4.1.2 Soil health crads. Total immunisation. 4.1.3 Crop intensificati Balancing the sex-ratio. 4.1.4 Setting up of see 100% institutional delivery 4.1.5 Collection and va Improvingnutritionstatusfor all, with non-timber froest p specialfocus on children, adolescent 4.1.6 Livestock develop girls, pregnantwomen, and lactating 4.1.7 Micro-irrigation. mothers. 0 EP1;2.dB.eSVCAUePeusePuHu111er...Etsic-123ecdn-snphUolrRolaLhploraiaMuitnSinvivtsbovtoienPHSEOlgavoAeeoetiCrOEoocnURIFgleepaaNNCevrnranrlRoOueCMisxilarlbaaA;rctcSasflDsasrerdlNsaHIlaueouAaiLlioOAcutr'yecElbueiecOeslllrNlhsoDc.eLNcVtyca-ei-rsarMiCasossaEDicunAEiDla,ln;W,etnyccVlihIeLtceEhiLsCEtXgC.risgIOoaVsahEnteVcTDhiim;l,oc.eLtDwenEgPnrfiEreNEea.hOilrLnagEMasd,LsVdauheOesOVPnkneetsEclyEginstPtrbMEPlndLsbngcihNhiryatMLnOMm-eiteEicyDaOahToemeehoPENgbhEtnloPnnoisbaNMueNsaseToaMksie;;bdoTcladTnvspEieSCansdiE.NiltotobibesNgdwesunluiTci.ueoc,inTldigtlocrcahiiucnintalaamllr—yeusaStavpltutoedn-lisHeieolcboileasenniuuar(sbn‘rogenrrtPs.idciatrtadom.WfayaahnanmsgicrildDacyneoieiGuAiTGennsir)gfhlnorts,iG,tth,a4LAei.ahitirem.vrim.all43333eePEelsy.t...eC.6mlo785a1pisonhO44apflPioattN..anu32ioaeeVb444444iVPPCO-iSacdnldnirsnailrre......yneMllhSot222221;soalc/nae.tltdCfiae8g,mi.....ISirsag23514hgCSvobeciSypRvcki/beretonaeMitnrrDaokSileulriSoasiltaavtdsmosyvTtiEeuaartlhiefp.PMFTDaApnilVoalcir1cdat;omet3rrrgeoo0orianDgpEiaeehcoetoisair-noFsl0rvcaLeo0tssrtfnfitepmhieooIOnedoec0oserrtfst0nsdrovoyihplari-ofPe-Vni0eaniA.vsedtcesn-‘recMhii-psssini-diltldnlofictuaiel2rliesabasdaiEaoa35oelf(ietan0lneastgNiolrgatr0.po0nlfadvciivylroavret1tloTvIeaes0fn0negm9eerssilee-slcnkDgxieci00ilhe.csr.s.canseIonraelasepnusilfctsmluypc.ronsidreiltc’ntduusriismotesouepselgaftnfeoivcedsnuolre.pt;oigses CIA2L.1DEBEVNAUfaVESncLIIiCRviOleOiAtrPiNesMMMasElENE—NaINTTcITEcDhSeEes&VasESlLtEthOoPRcMVabIErCadNEs,TSicmheedaicltahpl er yea4r.4)ablliyedV2lii0lvl2ae4lgih.eoToodusr,iniscmludiinncglliuve ncteee; 22rG..i32somoS;dOTBeoaCSxGtaloIaaAmolcnLivcimiSnraieEnnamlCgatViUuontaRnhncIliesTsue.Yaseteisox-/nr.aEttioh.ics ; Social 4.1.1 andOrehgocarontii-cctufoalturrumeritisnhmrgo.u. gh: W4o.1m.2 enSSoHil Ghe, aFelthdecrradast.ions mobi 4.1.3 Crop intensification. A2c.4tivGi1Ot0iOe0D%sfGoinOrsVptiEtruoRtNmioAnoNaCtliEodenolivfevroy lunteerism 54. .E1.4NVISReOttiNngMuEpNoTf sDeEeVdEbLaOnkPsM. 4.1.5 Collection and value addit l2ik.5e BIhmaproavtinNginrmutraitiVnoonslutantuteseforrsa. ll, with 5.1 noBna-tsimicbesrafroensittparotidouncein. Capascpietycibaulfoilcduisnognocfhipldreeno,paldeotleoscfeunllty 4.1.6 Liv(eHstHo)ckadnedvetlohpemveinllta. g particmgiiprolsath, tpeerresag. nndantcwoonmterinb, aunted ltaoctalotincgal 44..11..875.1.MA1gicroro--Tsieorrriivlgeicatetsiocinen.nreetsa. ch HH 8d2.He6voeliSlsottrpoicnmgDefeoncvtue. sloonptmheesnptecPiaalrnaeemdseotfers ActiviPtieerssotonshoWniothurvDililsaagbeilietylde(PrsW3,1Dro),le institution (PI) an modeelssp.ecially chilrden and women. 4.2 Rural Indtuhsetirriaulisseat. ion includ

chlusion; Basic 6. BASIC AMENITIES & SE RVICES . gericulturaal nd dinglivestock gh: n. 10 Stepsbanks. ue addition to duce. Planningment. Processnce neoa. llison. gcyludineTghv:eeVryilliadgeenDteifiveedloGpmraemnPtPlaann(VchDaPy)haatst(oGbPe)p. reparedfor Initiation Stage auanpdsnd Full GP involvementI.nteractionsC. ultural/ sortsevents.Outreachinitiatives. CompetitionSs.haringof villagedevelopmenbtestpracticesM. P facilitationrole alongwith the GP andthe DistrictCollecto(rDC)C. ommunitpyledge; Reading / reaffirmationof FundamentaRlightsand FundamentaDl uties of the Indian Constitutio;nHealthCamp;sCleanlinesDsrives; AnimaHl ealthCamp;sIntervention es. in Anganwaditso improveattendancaendservicedelivery; Interventionin local alsliec ligible schoolsto improvedelivery; Treeplanting; Revitalisatioonf SHGs; Full usefor ment andMGNREGA ; Imropving the PDS ; GrievancereRsesdal Camps and 6. BASIC AMENITIES & SE RVICES nogck sation thrust NT n to 7. SOCIAL SECURITY he household public 33 ensuring g:

Step 1 : Situational Analysis provide benchmarks to track future development ; need-gaps identification (to be done by expert agency).Participatory Situation Analysis - NIRDPR trained facilitators working with local community, using multiple tools and techniques - Social Map ; Resource Map ; Needs Matrix - All data to be captured on the GIS platform. Step 2 : Local MP / DC / GP review of Initiation Stage Assess what the village has achieved on its own, and future milestones within its own ability. Step 3 : Strategy Setting Strategies for Development and Action Plans aligned with earlier inputs - Select stakeholder groups / district officials / experts. Step 4 : Identification of Resources Review of fully tied / partly tied / largely untied schemes ; Local Area Development Scheme of MLAs ; CSR funds ; etc. Ministries / Departments will change guidelines to prioritise funding for Adarsh Grams. Step 5 : Finalisation of Needs Consultation with different stakeloder groups. GS discussions. Unanimous approval of needs and priorities is desirable to the extent possible. Step 6 : Preparation of a draft VDP VDP based on needs prioritised by the people, developed by a Working Group (including experts) set up by the DC. Step 7 : Clearance of the VDP by the GS. Step 8 : Approval of the VDP By District Level Committee headed by the DC in the presence of the local MP whose comments will be recorded. Phasing of components and timelines to be spelt out. (VDP in place and approved process time estimated at 7 months from Initiation Stage). Step 9 : Projectisation and Sanctions Components of the approved Plan to be converted to projects by concerned Departments, who must get administrative ; financial ; and technical approvals under relevant scheme guidelines. DC to coordinate the exercise with the Charge Officer. Step 10 : Disclosure and Dissemination Proactive and wide sharing of all processes / aspects of the Plan. Deliverables classifies as immediate (within 3 months) ; short term (within 6 months) ; medium term (within 1 year) ; and long term (beyond 1 year). Content Courtesy 34

STANDING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS ON MNREGA Following are the key recommendation from the evaluation report submitted by the standing committee on MNREGA 1. Judicious Allocation of Budget under MGNREGA to meet the demand as elicited by the ever increasing budgetary demand. 2. Effective Coordination with the States for timely release of funds and submission of requisite details. 3. Department of Rural Development to ensure that the unspent balances are completely mitigated by the utilization of allocated funds in a time-bound and financially prudent manner 4. Take all possible measures to wipe off the wage liabilities as soon as possible. 5. Increase in wages through linkage with commensurate inflationary index 6. Uniform wages across the country to end the disparity of wages under MGNREGA 7. Increase in number of days of work from 100 to 150 under MGNREGA 8. Expanding the ambit of permissible works under MGNREGA to include area specific work as per local requirements 9. Ensure stricter compliance of the provision of MGNREGA Act, 2005 in payment of compensation so that delay compensation is paid immediately without any further lapse. 10. Unemployment Allowance be paid without delay as mandated through section 7 (1) 11. Issue necessary directions at all the concerned levels by also bringing the State Governments onboard for ensuring that the muster rolls are updated at the Gram Panchayat level itself without any delay. 12. Prompt release of Skilled/Material Share without delay 13. Revision of 60%: 40% Wage-Material Ratio in a manner commensurate with present requirement. 35

14. Monitoring of Scheme through – Real Time Assessment Mechanisms, to devise/strengthen “real-time’ surveillance system for having stricter and effective monitoring of the scheme. 15. Strict adherence to the provision of conduct of Social Audits of Gram Panchayats. 16. The Committee also desire that a copy of such audit report received in time by the Department may be forwarded to the Committee through Secretary, DoRD for information. 17. Placement of Social Audit reports in public domain for increasing transparency 18. Mandatory Participation of Officials of concerned Departments at the stage of selection of works by the Gram Panchayats under MGNREGA. 19. Monitoring of agencies entrusted with 50% works under MGNREGA 20. Fake Job Cards Development to keep a hawkish eye of surveillance over the issue of job cards and monitor each aspect associated with job cards with increased seriousness. 21. Durability of Assets Created under MGNREGA: Qualitative and maintenance aspect of infrastructure or other assets created through MGNREGA funds for the better realization of the objectives of the scheme. 22. Create ways and mechanism pragmatically for effectively carrying out the skilling of labourers. 23. Better Workplace for Women Workers and Better Promotion of Women-Centric Works under MGNREGA 24. Strict Monitoring of fund transfer & Aadhar linkage 25. Formalities at the earliest for the Aadhar Based Payment (ABP) to all the MGNREGA workers, 36

MANY WAYS TO participating in these committees. ENGAGE WITH PANCHAYATS According to the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, five standing committees should function in each village panchayat. Appointments Committee, Agricultural Watershed Committee, Development Our organization Thannatchi Committee, Task Force, and normally get regular calls from many Education Committee. Each of these village panchayat ward members groups has to carry out tasks asking us one common question: accordingly. Ward members, NGOs, “What is their role in panchayat the VAO (Village Administrative administration. Should the Officer), the village nurse, and others panchayat administration be can participate in specific governed entirely on the basis of the committees. decision taken by the panchayat It is also possible to create more groups beyond the five mentioned president? Then why are we groups. For example, if a group of village youth wants to form a representatives of the people? committee for environmental protection, it can be created and they Similarly, local NGO, women self-help can plan for the environmental group, and volunteers also want to development of the panchayat and know how they can formally engage advice the panchayat. It will be a with the development activities of the village. Our answer is that there is certainly a possibility. Be it ward members, village youth, volunteers, or social activists, everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the development of their village. No, it is not just Grama Sabha! While the Grama Sabha is a very important democratic platform for the participation of all the people in the village, another important vehicle for the development of the village, and for strengthening the panchayat administration is: Standing Committees! Yes, standing committees! Ward members and representatives of NGOs can take their views to the panchayat administration by 37

committee as empowered as the five the students, etc. They can also act as a bridge between the panchayat recommended committees. The administration and the school administration. committee should be renewed every Biodiversity Management Committee six months by a Panchayat As per the Biodiversity Act, a Resolution. Biodiversity Management Committee should be constituted in each The panchayat members can also be panchayat. It is this committee of seven members that will ensure that part of other committees in the the bio-resources in the panchayat area are properly and safely utilized. villages such as school management It is also responsible for proper documentation of biological committee and biodiversity evidence. Ward members and social activists interested in the management committee. environment can participate in the committee as members. School Management Committee Therefore, ward members and social Ward members can contribute activists can participate in potential effectively as a member of the School groups and contribute to the Management Committee for the development of their villages. development of government schools in their panchayats. There must be Nanda Kumar two panchayat representatives out of Thannatchi the total 20 members of the school management committee. Ward members can, as members of the school management committee, plan and work with the team on a number of issues, including the environment of the school, development of the learning skills of 38

WINNING I chose a positive campaign HEARTS highlighting my social work and activities for everyone in the village, and asked them to vote. This created an impression,” says Arul. OF THE After becoming panchayat president, he started an NGO called Kathir Trust OPPONENTS to bring all the communities in the village together. The Trust has Muthukaapatti is an infamous members from all the communities in panchayat for caste animosity. It has the village, and it is run without any experienced violence in the past. The hostility. The Trust undertakes various people of Muthukaapatti were development activities in the expecting another round of caste village—for example, it has bought violence during the panchayat tractors and e-vehicles to transport elections. “It was stressful on the waste, and runs Hindi and spoken election result day. It was declared English classes for the children. that I lost the election by four votes. People came to the street demanding “A village which was constantly at recount, and after the recount I was logger heads with each other today declared a winner by a margin of 7 manages a Trust with an asset of Rs votes” recollects Arul Rajesh, the newly 30 lakh, and works together for the elected Panchayat President of betterment of the village,” says Arul Muthukaapatti, Nammakal District. proudly. Arul is not a stranger to electoral politics. He hails from a family of Congress supporters, and contested the union ward member election in 2011. He lost and since then, Arul has consistently worked for the betterment of the village, especially in improving the school. This has earned him a lot of goodwill. In 1996, the panchayat was declared reserved for SC, which led to some tension. “I decided to contest the election and a few dominant villagers decided to field an amicable candidate. 39

Since the time he took over as the president, Arul has tried to resolve water and sanitation issues of the village. The panchayat had a severe water problem, and resolving this was his first priority. For some time, a few in the neighbouring village obstructed the construction of a well. At great personal risk, Arul built a well, with contributions from the villagers. “I was overwhelmed when everyone in the village, irrespective of their caste or religion, contributed Rs 10,000,” he says. . The panchayat reclaimed a 6-acre land that belonged to the village was reclaimed a quarry and a micro-compost shed was built. 40