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MADHYA PRADESH DARSHAN III EDITION

RURAL IMMERSION 2011

Group36SINGRAULI

ShivamKanojia
MehulPanwar
RohitArya
DivayManhas
AnkitParmar
PinakiSarkar
RajeshKumar
ArvindGaneshan
AnandMuralidharan
PareshKumarMarwaha

SINGRAULI
Singrauli is the 50th district of Madhya Pradesh. It was ranted district status on 24th May 2008, with its
headquartersatWaidhantofulfilltheaspirationsofpeopleofthisplace.Ithasbeenformedafterdividingit
from Sidhi district. Singrauli has three tehsils namely Singrauli, Deosar and Chitrangi. It has three
developmentblocksbythesamename.SingraulitownisaMunicipalCorporationwithapopulationofabout
2lakhs.ThepopulationofSingraulidistrictisabout11lakhs.Singrauliisfastemergingasthepowerhubof
India, especially for electric power and coal and therefore locally it is also call as Urjanchal (a Hindi word
whichmeanslandofenergy).ThetotalinstalledcapacityofallthermalpowerplantsatSingrauliisaround
10%totalinstalledcapacityofIndia.
Population:185,580(2001)
Density:85/km2(220/sqmi)
Officiallanguages:Hindi,Bagheli,English
Districtmagistrate:P.Narhari
ActivitiesonaDailyBasis:
DAY1

Thegroupwenttointeractandabriefoverviewoftherecentlylaunchedpublicschemes.Wewere
informedabouttherecentlylaunchedpublichearingsystemcalledtheJanSunwai,thetimingsfor
thesamewerefrom11amto2pm;howeveritwasgenerallyextendedtilltheendofdaysoasto
addressallthepersonswaitingandwewereinformedthatwecanattendthesameonday2.We
werealsotoldaboutavillageMara.
Theyundertakevariousdevelopmentworkslikeconnectivity,encouragingselfemployment,health
careandAnganwadi.Thereareatotalof738villagesand316panchayats.
WewereinformedaboutMahatmaGandhiNationalRuralEmploymentGuaranteeActwhichaims
atenhancingthelivelihoodsecurityofpeopleinruralareasbyguaranteeinghundreddaysofwage
employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do
unskilled manual work. The budget composition is 40% material (max) and 60% labor payments
(min).
We were also informed about Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) which is aimed at
assisting the rural poor (BPL) in selfemployment by encouraging group and cluster activities,
providingskilldevelopmentopportunities,creditlinkagesandsubsidiesandcreationofmarketing
opportunities.Theassistedfamilies(Swarozgaris)maybeindividualsorGroups(SelfHelpGroups).

However, the emphasis is on Group approach and also with particular emphasis on group
formationbywomenandtheweakersections.Someinitiativesincludesettingupofbrickkilnsor
smallAttachakki.Themaximumlimitis10000Rsperfamilyorindividual.
Bankloanassistancealsobetakeninthiscasewhichwouldaccountto2xofthe10000Rs.Wewere
informedthatif10personsjoinandtakeabankloantheywouldhaveRs30000*10orRs300000as
theinitialcapitaltostarttheventure.
Other scheme we talked about included Indira Awaas Yojana which is a Government of India
welfareprogrammeaimedatprovidinghousingfortheruralpoorinIndia.Itisanotherprogramof
theRuralDevelopmentMinistrytoconstructhousesforBPLpopulationinthevillages.Underthe
scheme,financialassistanceworthRs.45,000/inplainareasandRs.48,500/indifficultareasis
providedforconstructionofhouses.
DAY2
The group went to the Collectors Office (Waidhan) to get a brief about the recently launched
publichearingsystemcalledtheJanSunwai.Thissystemhasbeenextensivelyusedinthedistrict
fortheautomationofgrievanceredressalmechanism.Aseparatepublicgrievancecellisworking
undertheCollectorwhichisusingthissoftwareforregisteringthegrievancesofthecitizenscame
ateveryTuesday(ThisdayisdeclaredasJansunwaidin).Usingthissystemonecaneasilymeasure
thedensityofapplicationscomingundereachdepartmentandvariousstatisticalconfigurationsfor
decisionmaking.
Eachapplicantwasgivenatokennumberandwasthenallowedtostatehisprobleminfrontofthe
collector. The same token number was used for further enquiries into the complaint including
status check, information dissemination and informing the applicant and the collector. A proper
data management system was found in place to digitally transfer the requests to the concerned
department, which in turn was responsible for replying back to the collectors office within 7
workingdays.
UniqueFeaturesofJanSunwai:

AnyindividualbelongingtoSingraulidistrictcancomedirectlytothecollectorwithinthe
stipulatedtimewithhis/hergrievance.
Thereisnorestrictiononthetypeofcomplaintbeingfiledbytheapplicant.
Informationdisseminationtotheapplicantsthroughsms.
ReviewofallcomplaintsfiledbythecollectoreveryMondaytoensuretimelyclosureofthe
cases.

VisittoRehabilitatedSocietybyHindalcounderLandAcquisitionandRehabilitationPolicy:

LossoflivelihoodanddisplacementhasbecomearecurringfeatureforthepeopleofSingrauli,on
theborderofUttarPradeshandMadhyaPradesh,duetotheconstructionofdamsandpowerand
mining projects over the last five decades. These communities are again in the process of being
displacedwithprivateplayerssettingupfivesuperthermalpowerandthreeminingprojectsinthe
area. However, there is a change brought about by the sustained struggle of ousters and civil
societygroupsalloverthecountryforabetterdeal.
DAY3
The group went to the Mada village to look at the execution of MNREGA and Total Sanitation
programme.FirstwevisitedaroadconstructionsitewhichwasbeingexecutedundertheMNREGA
scheme.ThenwevisitedasitewheretheTotalsanitationprogrammewasbeingexecuted.
UniqueFeaturesofMNREGA:
TheMahatmaGandhiNationalRuralEmploymentGuaranteeActaimsatenhancingthelivelihood
securityofpeopleinruralareasbyguaranteeinghundreddaysofwageemploymentinafinancial
yeartoaruralhouseholdwhoseadultmembersvolunteertodounskilledmanualwork.
UniqueFeaturesofTotalsanitationprogramme:
Total Sanitation Campaign is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural
areas with broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation. The project is being
implementedinruralareastakingdistrictasaunitofimplementation.
VisittoRoadconstructionsiteunderMNREGAscheme:
Road construction was undertaken in Mada Village under MNREGA, the Engineer visits the site
everydaytoseetheprogressoftheworkandaccordinglycalculatesthewagestobeprovidedfor
the workers. The biggest problem faced by the workers working in the MNREGA scheme is the
transfer of their wage, it takes place through electronic transfer and it takes lot of time for the
moneytobedepositedintheworkersaccount.Attimesittakeseven23monthsforthemoneyto
bedeposited.
VisittoasitewhereTotalsanitationprogrammewasexecuted:
Thetoiletwasinaverybadstate.Thetoiletdidntevenhaveadoor andtheseptictankwasso
shallowthatitwasstinkingoutside.Sothevillagershaveabstainedfromusingit.Thiswasamajor
problemwiththisprogrammesimplementation.
Day4
VisittoAdivasiHostel:

Next we went to visit the Adivasi Hostel which was setup by the Government for the tribal
students.HerethetribalstudentsofSingrauliaregivenaccommodationsothattheycanattendthe
schoolswhicharenearbyandcanalsogetfacilitieslikefoodandmedicalamenities.
Thiswassetupwithaviewtoencouragethetribalstosendtheirchildrentoschools.Itwassetupto
bringthemarginalizedtribalsintothemainstream.
Someofthestudentsnarratedhowtheirlivesusedtobebeforetheycametothehostelsandhow
itisnow.
Talkingtotheauthoritieswecametoknowthatthemajorsourceoflivelihoodforthetribalswas
fromthesaleofminorforestproducelikewoodandsomemedicinalplants.Thedevelopmentof
India has completely bypassed these tribals and their way of life is still the way it used to be
hundredsofyearsago.TheyarealsooftheopinionthattheIndianForestActhasgonealongway
inensuringtheirlivelihood.
This initiative gives them an opportunity to come into the mainstream. Although this initiative is
verybeneficialforthemtheytendtonotvalueitandaccordingtotheauthoritiesitbecomesvery
difficulttoconvincethemtosendtheirstudentstothehostels.Theyclaimthatifthetribalscome
outthemselvesforhelpitwilljustbeamatteroftimebeforetheyarebroughtintothemainstream
becausetheyfeelalltheGovernmentmachineryisinplacetotakecareofthem.
Day5
VisittoL&TTrainingCentre:
L&Tasapartofitscapacitybuildingeffortsandalsotogivebacksomethingtothepeopleof
Singrauliinitiatedaprogramfortraininglocals.Thetrainingcenterimpartsskillsintwovocations
oneisMasonryandtheotherisBarBendingwhichisgenerallyrequiredforconstruction.
ItwasestablishedtoservethepeoplewhoweredisplacedbecauseofthelandacquisitionbyL&T
foritspowerplantbutnowanynativeofSingraulicanenrollhimselfforthevocationalcourse.
The course is conducted in batches of 30 for a period of 3 months. 1 month the course runs in
Singrauliand2monthsatITIinMumbai.After3monthsthestudentsareabsorbedbyL&Tandif
theychoosetheycanworkatsomeothercompanyalso.
ItisaveryimportantinitiativebyL&Tandisverypopularamongstthelocalsandalsoservesasan
exampleastohowasociallyconsciousCompanycanmakeadifferencetothelivesofthepeople.
MeetingwithexecutivesofPradaanNGO:
PradaanisanNGOwhichisworkingactivelywiththeSelfHelpGroupsinSingraulidistricttomake
themfinanciallyselfsustaining.

Itsbasicmotiveistopreventthevillagerstofallintothetrapofchronicdebtandtoalsoprotect
themfromthevillagemoneylenders.ItmotivatesthevillagerstomakesmallsavingswhichaSHG
poolsintomakeacorpusoffunds.FromthisfundamountsareloanedtothemembersoftheSHG
for their use at interest rates which are markedly lower than that charged by the village
moneylenders.TheinterestchargedbytheSHGis50%whereasthatchargedbythemoneylenders
is120%annually.
Theinterestthattheborrowerspayisaddedtothepoolitselfthishelpsinstemmingtheoutflowof
themoneyfromtheSHGs.Thustheinterest,ifthemoneywouldhavebeenborrowedfromthe
moneylender, would go out from the system to someone else but now this interest stays in the
systemandcanbeusedbythemembers.
This system has been very efficient as it is provided with inherent checks and balances like the
villagersknoweachotherandcanjudgethecreditworthinessofamemberandcanalsoknowthe
utilityofthemoneylenttotheperson.Itisrunmainlybywomenastheyarethoughttobemore
savingsorientedandresponsible.Thissystemhasreallymadeaverybigimpactonthelivesofthe
villagerswhopreviouslywouldhavebeenheavilydependentonthevillagemoneylenders.
NOTEWORTHYINCIDENT:

OneofthenoteworthyexperienceswasusvisitingaRuralSchoolinBhaukhada.Weinteractedwith
the teachers and saw how a rural school is run. There were only three teachers for about 90
students with three classrooms. One of the major highlight was MidDay meal scheme
implementation. The group members also interacted with local students and tried to gauge the
working and effectiveness of the school. One observation was that the MidDay meal
implementationwasattractingstudentstoschools.Beforetheimplementationoftheschemethe
turnoutintheschoolwaslowbutthesituationimprovedafterthisschemewasintroduced.There
was a proper menu for each day of the week and was cooked near the school premise by local
village ladies. This visit was very insightful and helpful in understanding the education system in
ruralIndia.
Somemajoractivities:
"PeacefulModelofLandacquisition,Resettlement&RehabilitationinSingrauliDistrict
1) Mutually AgreeableTime LineSchedule(MATS) is a new concept that has been developed in
SingrauliforLandAcquisitionandR&R.LandacquisitionofficeralongwiththeProjectHeadsofthe
CompaniespreparestheMATS.
2)EntirelyNewMethodforresettlementwithoutuseofforce.
3) Placement Based Skill Development Programmes & Restoration of Livelihoods of the PAPs:
(i)Free Industrial Training (ii)Free Computer training (iii)Women SHGs which are into

Stitching/embroidery, Agarbatti making etc. (iv)Creating Selfemployment opportunities


(v)Employment opportunities at the R & R Colony are being provided through the training
programmesunderSGSY/CEDMAPtoselfhelpgroups.JobfairsorganizedforunemployedPAPs(vi)
Other SelfEmployment opportunities thru a) District Industries Centre (DIC) b) Antyavsayi
Corporation (SCWelfare)c) ST WelfareCorporation d) OBC Welfare Corporation. (vii)Employment
through Cooperative societies of PAPs. (viii)Allotment of shops in the R&R colony and the staff
colonyexclusivelytoPAPs.(ix)Dairydevelopmentactivitiesarebeingtakenupinabigway.
4)LandAcquisitionandIndustryInformationSystem(LAIIS)&webbasedhttp://singraulidist.org/
5) Tripartite agreement between district administration, company and registered labour co
operatives.
6)EmploymentactionPlanforcompanies.
7)School,Anganwadis&HealthFacilitiesforPAPs&theirchildren.

Majorlearning(s)fromtheentireexperience:Thedistrictcollectorwithsomuchtomanageina
district is a perfect example of a successful manager .In our district sensitive issues like land
acquisition and the rehabilitation of the villagers was done in a peaceful manner which is an
exampleofperfectexecutionofideas.Governmentdesignpoliciesandallocatefundsfortherural
developmentbuttherealchallengelaysintheexecutionofthesepoliciesforexamplethemidday
meals,wherethequalityoffoodservedwasnotsatisfactoryalsousuallythereisalotofpowercut
inthevillages.Somevillagesaresoremotethatcomingtodistrictheadquarterscostsalotoftime
andmoney.Thevillagerseverydayfightforthebasicnecessitiesoflifethatmostoftheirtimeislost
intheseendeavors;todevelopthemtheymusthavebasicfacilitiesliketransportation,LPGetcso
thattheycandevotetimetothinkoftheirpersonaldevelopment.Oneofthemajorissuesisthat
thevillagersshouldunderstandthatthegovernmentistryingtoimprovetheirstandardofliving,it
for them that all these policies are designed. Unless they understand this and help the
administrationthingswillalwaysbehardtoimproveandgeneratepositiveresults.Thegovernment
is making efforts to develop the rural India, to some extent the growth is achieved, in future the
thingswillbebetterbutitwilltaketimeforthingstoimprove.

REFLECTIONSONTHEENTIRETRIP

ThoughwehavebeenexperiencingGDPgrowthratesinexcessof8%forlast2decadesandIndiais
largelytoutedasanewemergingsuperpower,theruralareasofourcountryareyettoreceivetheir
shareofgrowthanddevelopment.Wefoundthatgovernmenthascomeupwithlotsofschemesto
addressmanypressingissuesthatpeoplefaceinruralareasbutthereisstillalotofgapbetween

creation of these schemes and their execution. Our group got a chance to visit Singrauli which
produces10%ofIndiasthermalpower.Itisexpectedthatadistrictthatislargelyresponsiblefor
fueling our country economy through energy should have all basic amenities and bear a modern
outlook.Singrauli,however,wascompletelytheopposite.Theentiredistrictlookedlikeasuburban
colony. We were pained to see how local people had been totally ignored by the corporate and
governmentalsowasnotdoingenoughfortheirwelfare.Withcorporateseagertoexploitthecoal
rich region, local inhabitants have been removed and relocated at will by the corporate in hands
with the government. On paper everything appeared perfect and legitimate; however, ground
realitieswereverydifferent.Forinstance,thepeopleinrelocatedcolonieswereprovidedhouses,
access to electricity, and compensation for their land taken away for industrial use, however,
electricitysupplywasavailableonlyfor2hoursduringtheday,compensationreceivedforlandwas
oftenfarlessthanactualvalueoflandandpeoplewereunhappywiththenewhousesthattheyhad
beenprovided.Theyalsocomplainedabouttransportationfacilitiesprovidedinthesenewcolonies.
On various schemes run by the government we could feel how fruitful these schemes could be if
implementedwithfullzealandsincerity.Inthisdistrictheadquartersthingslookedimpressive.We
inparticularwereimpressedbythejansunwaiinitiative.Theofficerswereworkingbeyondoffice
hoursandwithlotofzealandenthusiasm.Thesameeffectivenessinimplementationwashowever
missing in the rural villages that we visited. Under the nirmal village scheme, every house hold is
supposedtohaveatoiletofitsown;howeverwedidntfindthesameinthevillagewevisited.Also
thequalityoffoodprovideunderthemiddaymealschemewasfarfromsatisfactory.Wetalkedto
thepeopleinchargeandfoundthatthereweremanyintermediariesinvolvedwhoweredilutingthe
qualityofgrainssuppliedtotheschool.Wewerehoweverimpressedbytheroadconnectivity.The
roadsweremetaledandingoodshapeeveninveryfarflungareas.
Wecouldfeelthegoodintentofthegovernmentinitsvariousschemesandinitiatives.Howeverwe
founddeficienciesinimplementation.Also,thereisstillalotofilliteracyandignoranceintherural
population. Educationforadultscanchangetheiroutlook towardsthegovernmentinitiativesand
makethemmoreeffective.

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