vss final

REPORT ON VILLAGE STUDY SEGMENT

Submitted by:

Soumyajit Auddy(10201053) Rakesh Kumar(10201039)

MBA-RM 2010-12

(VILLAGE STUDY SEGMENT REPORT SUBMITTED FOR PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ON RURAL MANAGEMENT)

HOST ORGANIZATION

VSS CO-ORDINATOR

AGA KHAN RURAL SUPPORT PROGRAM (INDIA)

Prof. Jyotirmayee Acharya Assistant Professor, KSRM

REPORTING OFFICER

FACULTY GUIDEProf. Nandini Sen Assistant Professor, KSRM

Mr. Mukesh Chandra Development Specialist, AKRSP(I)

KIIT SCHOOL OF RURAL MANAGEMENT (KSRM) BHUBANESWAR, INDIA

VILLAGE STUDY SEGMENT (MBA-RM 2010-12)

AcknowledgementFirst and foremost, we are thankful to Prof. (Dr.) L. K. Vaswani, DIRECTOR, KIIT School of Rural Management for placing the Village Study Segment (VSS) fieldwork Component as a part of our course curricula. We would like to express our gratitude to Professor (Dr.) Jyotirmayee Acharya, Coordinator, VSS to facilitate throughout by playing different roles as mentor, coordinator and supervisor and for inputs and moral support for designing and completion of the report. We are thankful to the faculty guide Prof. Nandini Sen for her/his guidance and assessment of this report. Prof. Nandini Sen inspired us greatly to work in this project. Her willingness to motivate us contributed tremendously to our project. We also would like to thank her for referring to us some example that related to the topic of our project. In order to complete fieldwork successfully, I would like to present special thanks to all the research participants and villagers who provided their valuable time and made our stay meaningful and study valuable. Besides, we would like to thank Mr. Atul Kumar, the administrator of the Aurai Spear-HeadTeam of AKRSP(I) and Mr. Mukesh Kumar, the knowledgeable security guard of AKRSP(I) whose valuable inputs contributed immensely towards successful completion of this report. Finally, an honorable mention goes to our parents, Mr. Swapan Kumar Auddy, Mrs. Mallika Auddy and Mr. Jhabu Lal Sharma and brother, Mr. Subhash Kumar for their understanding and support to us in completing this report. Without the help and continued support of the abovementioned people this report would not have seen the light of the day. We are also extremely happy to reveal our special thanks to our classmates for their inspiration.

-Soumyajit Auddy(10201053) -Rakesh Kumar(10201039)

Table of Contents CONTENTS PAGE NO.

Executive Summary.1 Chapter 1-Village Profile of Ghanshyampur Village...2 1.1 Location...............................................................................................2 1.2 Demography.2 1.2.1 Festival and Social Customs.......3 1.3 Landholding Pattern............................................................................................5

1.3.1 Agricultural Productivity....................................................................................................5 1.4 Livelihood...6 1.5 Infrastructure..6 1.5.1 Road6 1.5.2 Education7 1.5.3 Health..7 1.5.4 Power Supply..7 1.5.5 Local Market...7 1.5.6 Communication...8 1.5.7 Post Office..8 1.6 Institutions..8 1.6.1 Panchayat8 1.6.2 Gram Kachheri8 1.6.3 Aanganwadi Kendra...8 1.6.4 Moneylenders..9 1.6.5 Banks and Financial Institutions.9

1.7 Government Schemes..9 1.8 Participatory Rural Appraisal.9-11 Chapter II-A Report on Rural Action Component....12 2.1 Introduction13 2.2 Key Problem Areas13 2.3 Formation of Grameen Jagrukta Sangathan...14 2.3.1 Introduction...14 2.3.2 Objectives of Formation of Grameen Jagrukta Sangathan...15 2.3.3 Method of Implementation...16 2.3.4 Factors Determining Success16 2.4 Generation of Alternative Livelihood for Women and Senior Citizens17 2.4.1 Introduction..17 2.4.2 Objectives of Generation of Alternative Livelihood17 2.4.3 Method of Implementation...18 2.4.4 Factors Determining Success....19 2.5 Generation of Alternative and Renewable Electricity.19 2.5.1 Introduction...19 2.5.2 Objectives of Generation of Alternative and Renewable Electricity20 2.5.3 Method of Implementation...20 2.5.4 Factors Determining Success21 2.6 Experience as Grassroots Level Worker..21

2.7 References22 Chapter III-Organisational Profile......23 3.1 Organisation Profile...24 3.2 AKRSPI.24 3.2.1 About the Organisation.24 3.3 AKRSPI Bihar.....................................................................................................24 Chapter IV-A Report on Livelihood Portfolio Analysis of Ghanshyampur Village(Theme Paper)26 4.1 Background of the Study...27 4.2 Introduction...27 4.3 Caste System..29 4.4 Primary Occupation.......30 4.5 4.6 Landholding Pattern..32 Migration and its Role in Impacting Livelihood...34

4.6.1 What is Migration.34 4.6.2 Migration in Ghanshyampur.35 4.6.2.1Overview.35 4.6.2.2Destinations of Migration...35 4.6.2.3Conditions of Work.36 4.6.2.4Migration among Higher Castes:An Interesting Fact.37 3.8.1 Reasons for Migration in search of Livelihood38

4.6.4 Impact of Migration for Livelihood: The Pros and the Cons...41 4.6.4.1Impact on Migrants.41 4.6.4.2Impact on Families..43 4.6.5 The Role of Panchayat in Inducing Migration for Livelihood.45 4.7 Alternative Livelihood Option...47 4.7.1 Formation of Dairy Cooperative.48 4.7.2 Objectives of formation of Dairy Cooperative.49 4.7.3Method of Implementation49 4.7.4 Factors Determining Success...50 4.8 Conclusion...51 4.9 References51 Chapter V-A Report on National Service Scheme..52 5.1 Introduction53 5.2 Aims and Objectives of NSS.54 5.3 Our work under National Service Scheme.54 5.3.1 Awareness among children about NSS and importance of Education.55 5.3.2 Quiz Competition..55 5.3.3 Singing Competition.55 5.3.4 Open Speech Competition56 5.4 Poliomyelitis56 5.4.1 Causes Incidence and Risk Factors...57

5.5 Activities on Polio Vaccination Day.57 5.6 References.57

Photographs..58-59

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYAs part of the Theme Paper we need to do the Livelihood Portfolio Analysis of the villagers of Ghanshyampur: The methodology we used for gathering the data and analyzing the same to achieve the desired results are are Participatory Rural Appraisal(PRA), Focused Group Discussion with villagers in Ghanshyampur and Informal Group Discussions with villagers in Ghanshyampur and Vaishali. We also conducted one-to-one interviews with villagers and also used inputs we got from visits to places like Sudha Dairy in Muzaffarpur. We also used data gathered from 32 households during household surveys for our analysis. As part of Rural Action Component we generated four ideas namely: Formation of Grameen Jagrukta Sangathan, a club to promote awareness among villagers about their fundamental rights. Generation of alternative livelihood for women and senior citizans in the village. Generation of Alternative and Renewable Electricity. The methodology we used for arriving at these ideas are Focussed Group Discussion with villagers in Ghanshyampur and Informal Group Discussions with villagers in Ghanshyampur and Vaishali. We also conducted one-to-one interviews with villagers and also used inputs we got from visits to places like Sudha Dairy in Muzaffarpur and HPS plant in Runni Saidpur. We also used data gathered from 32 households during household surveys for our analysis. The data we gathered from FGD are as follows: Ghanshyampur village is on the banks of the Bagmati river. The village is more than 100yrs old. Every year during the monsoon the village used to be flooded by Bagmati river. Soil in the Ghanshyampur region is very fertile and sustains a variety of crops. Yield is 2.5-4 mounds per Katha. Caste system prevails in the village. Ghanshyampur panchayat existed from the formation of panchayats. The village school is very old. Revenue village is Ghanshyampur No fertilizer is provided from Panchayat. Rs. 10000 is taken as bribe from the villagers on account of Indira Awas Yojana by the Mukhiya. Maximum people have migrated to Jaipur and Mumbai. During floods people used to migrate to higher grounds. Skin disease along with diarrhea and malaria are prevalent in the area.

1|K II T SCH OOL OF RU RAL MANAG EM ENT

1.Village Profile of Ghanshyampur Village1.1 LocationGhanshyampur village comes under Ghanshyampur panchayat and it is located 8kms. North of the Aurai block office. It is bound on the south by the Ring Dam of Bagmati river built by the Government of Bihar in 2008, on the north by National Highway 77, on the east by chaur or low lying agricultural land filled up by flood water and on the west by the irrigation canal, a tributary of Lakhandeyi river.

1.2 DemographyThe statistical data of Ghanshyampur village as per the 2001 census is presented below: Number of Households Total Population Male Population Female Population 957 5363 2864 2499 Population below 06 yrs Population below 06 Male Population Female Total Agricultural Labor 189 Marginal Agriculture 111 below 1110 614

06 496

Marginal Agriculture Labour 78 Male Literate Population Male Literate Female Literate 1702 1171 531

Labour - Female Illiterate Population Male illiterate population Female population 3661 1693

illiterate 1968

No of Households Main working population Main Working Population Male

957 335 119

Working Population

1784

Main Working Population 216 Female


Main Casual Working Population

117

Total Casual labour Main Casual Working 95

Main Casual Working Population 22 Male Number of SC Male SC Population Number of ST Male ST Population 676 345 0 0

Population-Female

Female SC Population

331

Female ST Population

0

1.2.1 Festivals and Social Customs .The villagers have different social customs. They celebrate different festivals. Main festivals of Hindu celebrated in Ghanshyampur are Makarsankranti, Saraswati Puja i.e. Basantpanchmi, Holi, Durga Puja, Deepawali and Chhatt. Festivals of Muslim are Eid, Bakr-e-eid, Muharram, Chehallum and Shab-e-baraat. Makarsankranti : The day on which sun enters in the Capricorn i.e. Makar Rashi, Hindu people celebrate it as Makarsankrati. People take bath in early morning on this day, some go to take a dip in holy rivers and worship lord Sun. After taking bath they eat beaten rice and curd (DahiChuda) along with till candy (teel- kutt). Generally it is celebrated on 14th January. Saraswati Puja: Saraswati Puja is celebrated with the incidence of spring season. People worship the idol of goddess Saraswati. Beautiful idols of goddess Saraswati are kept in each schools, because goddess Saraswati is called as the goddess of knowledge. On the next day the idols are drowned in the rivers or ponds. Mahashivratri: This is come in March. On this day people especially young girls, fast for whole day and worshiping of Shiva God. Holi: Holi is the festival of colors; it is celebrated in the month of Falgun. People apply colours on the face of each other even on the face of enemies and also hug each other. Delicious dishes are cooked on the eve of Holi. Dahi Bada and Maalpua are the main dishes of3|K II T SCH OOL OF RU RAL MANAG EM ENT

Holi. They wear new dresses in the evening. People in the village also drink local Liqour and eat goat meat. Guru Purnima: This is come in April. On this day villagers take sweet and sattu, and enjoy that day. Ramnavami: This also comes in April on that day they worship Ram God. Dusshera: All villagers enjoy this festival. This festival is celebrated because on this day lord Ram got victory on King Ravana. They burn Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbkarans statues. Durga Puja: Durga Puja is celebrated in the month of Ashwin . People worship goddess Durga for ten days. Goddess Durga had killed the demon Mahishasur after ten days of battle. So this festival is celebrated for the defeat of evil. Beautiful pandals are made where idol of goddess Durga is kept. After ten days the idols are drowned in the rivers. Deepawali: After 20 days of Dashahara Deepawali is celebrated. It is the festival of light. It is said that lord Ram had returned back to Ayodhya after killing Ravana on this day. People light candles and earthen lamps at the night and worship lord Ganesha and goddess Laxmi. Children light crackers. Chhat: Chhat is very special festival of Bihar. People stand in rivers or ponds and worship setting and rising Sun. It is celebrated in the month of Kartik , the day of Chhat comes 6 days after Deepawali. Eid: Eid is the most important festival of Muslims. It is celebrated in the month of Ramzan. People use to keep fast which is called Roza for 30 days, after that the moon of Eid rises which brings Eid on the very next day. People wear new clothes and go to mosques for their namaz. They hug each other and distribute sewai. Bakr-e-eid: The other name of Bakr-e-eid is Qurbaani. On this day people give sacrifice of goat or other animals and distribute meat to their friends.4|K II T SCH OOL OF RU RAL MANAG EM ENT

Muharram: Muharram is celebrated in the memory of the war of Ali- Husain in the battle field of Karbala. People do procession with Tajia ( towers made up of paper and bamboo). They play with swords. Chehallum: It is celebrated 40 days after Muharram. It is also called as Chalisma. Shab-e-baraat: Muslim people celebrate Shab-e-barat to remember their ancestors. They read Quraan Shareef whole the night and light candles in the night.

1.3 Landholding PatternThe land ownership pattern in the village is slightly different than other places. The Minority community has the land ownership up to some extent. Yadavs and Bhumihars are the major land owner but in the small sizes & also fragmented. The Bhumihars & Yadavs are in better position than others. Some of the Muslims are in better position but most of the them are in the trap of poverty due to landlessness & high unemployment. Other Backward castes practices contract share cropping by taking the land on the lease for 3 years @ 200-300 per kattha per year. The up lands fetches little bit higher prices for the lease up to Rs 600 per kattha. The poor person in Bhumihars and Rajputs also practices the share cropping by taking the land on the lease. Some of the Yadavs also found to practices this. Landlessness is high in the Mushers community. The migration is very high in the village. They migrate to New Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. The Mushers & other backwards castes used to practices Farm & Non-Farm labor even at the source and at Destination place.

1.3.1 Agricultural Productivity The main crops grown in the block is mainly Rice, Wheat, Maize, oil seeds, tobacco andPulses Rice is main crop grown here after 3 years. The low lands are facing the problem of water logging for more than 3 months. The up lands of the areas are used for the rice cultivation. Wheat is also grown here. Rice & Wheat is the major crops grown mainly by Minority community and also by backward castes (Yadavs, Paswans, Kurmi, Chamars and also some of


the Harijans) on taking the land on the contract basis. Vegetables are mainly grown by the Kushwaha (Koeri) both by land owner and also by landless (on contract land).

Crops Productivity per Kattha 1. Maize:150-200 Kg 2. Wheat:60-80 Kg 3. Rice:50 -60 Kg 4. Oilseeds: 20-30 Kg 5. Pulses:30-40 Kg 6. Potato:600-800 Kg 7. Tobacco: Source: Field Visit

1.4 LivelihoodDaily wage labor is the main source of livelihood for the people of this block. The land is very fertile as it is Flood affected area. The livelihood mainly depends upon the community of the population from which they belongs to. It means that in which occupation they are engaged for their Livelihood totally dependent of their community. The cropping pattern also depends on the Community from which they belong to irrespective of land holding size. It means that what they grow will be dependent of their community like Kushwaha will grow mainly maize & vegetables; Rajputs & Bhumihars will grow Rice & Wheat. Due to flood the Distress Migration is also seen in the block. Before the Major Dam which was constructed 3 years back namely Yojana Dam this area used to be totally flooded for minimum 3-4 months. No farm practices were done before 3 years during season of rice due to severe flood.

1.5 Infrastructure1.5.1 Road The road to the village is in a dilapidated state. In many parts the roads have broken and submerged in the canal water. The main road to the village is non-metalled and only brick-soled.6|K II T SCH OOL OF RU RAL MANAG EM ENT

The roads become extremely slippery and dangerous for travelling in the rainy season due to the use of loose mud for soling. Plying on the roads after sundown is an equally dangerous and risky affair. 1.5.2 Education There is only one school in the village. It is a secondary government school. The name of the school is Utkramit Rajyakiya Madhya Vidyalaya. The school is till class VIII. There are 320 students and only three teachers. No mid-day meal is provided at the school. Attendance in the school is very low. The name of the principal of the school is Smt. Krishna Thakur. 1.5.3 Health The Health condition of the village is satisfactory. Only at the time of flood and post flood the epidemic conditions prevail. There is no PHC or subcenter in the village. The Government Hospital is available at Aurai Block office. Some of the Private clinic is also present at the Block & Runni saidpur but the facilities are very bad there. Most of the people prefer to go to Muzaffarpur for their treatment. Tuberculosis & some of the water borne diseases like typhoid are commonly seen in this block. Malaria is prevalent in the rainy seasons. 1.5.4 Power Supply There is no electrification in the village.

1.5.5 Local Market The local market for the village is only at Block office for only day to day practices. The main market is at Sitamarhi & Muzaffarpur which is about 20-25 km from the villages. Some of the Villages like Shailla Balli, Pitaujhia prefer the Runni Saidpur for the market as it is nearer than Aurai market. The Aurai market is local market and seems like rural market only. There is lack Supply in the market. The people used to prefer Runni saidpur & Muzaffarpur for the Marketing purpose. Small Haats for the essential items on 3 days a week occur (Tuesday & Friday, Sunday). Even for the agricultural inputs people used to prefer Muzaffarpur as there variety of products with reasonable price is available. The people also not prefer the Aurai market as they have to pay the Poverty Premium there. People prefer to do daily uses


marketing from Runni saidpur as it is at a distance of 5-10 km from some of the villages.

1.5.6 Communication There is no fixed line telephone connection in the village. Most villagers have one mobile phone which they use for communication.

1.5.7 Post Office There is a post office in the village. The post office is used by villagers to send mail. Official documents and pension for senior citizens are also disbursed by the post office in the village.

1.6 Institutions1.6.1 Panchayat There is a Panchayat Bhawan(building) in the village. The Mukhiya or the head man of the Panchayat belongs to a different village. He never comes to the Panchayat Bhawan for holding Gram Sabha or for other official works so the building remains unused by the villagers and is in a dilapidated state at present.

1.6.2 Gram Kachheri The concept of Gram Kachheri is a newly introduced in Bihar. It looks after the administrative and civil disputes and gives decisions and verdicts accordingly. Although the Sarpanch is head of the Gram Kachheri, but in Ghanshyampur village the proceedings of the Gram Kachheri are completely influenced by the Mukhiya. 1.6.3 Aanganwadi Kendra There is an Aanganwadi center in the village which looks after mother and child care. There is one Mukhyasevika(supervisor), 3 Sevikas(workers) and 5 Sahayikas(helpers) in the Aanganwadi center. The Aanganwadi center mostly helps the mothers and children of the Scheduled Castes.


1.6.4 Moneylenders Moneylenders are the prime source of credit for the villagers of Ghanshyampur. The moneylenders mostly belong to higher castes with large landholdings. The moneylenders charge very high rates of interest on every loan varying between 15 to 20 percent per month. They do not keep mortgages however they acquire the lands and make the villagers work in the fields without payments in case of defaulters. 1.6.5 Banks and Financial Institutions There are no banks or financial institutions within the village. There are two nationalized banks namely The State Bank of India and Central Bank of India at the Aurai Block Office which is 12kms from the village and four nationalized banks namely The State Bank of India, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Allahabad Bank at Runni Saidpur which is 9kms from the village.

1.7 Government SchemesThe government schemes active in the village are MNREGS Scheme, the BPL Scheme, the Senior Citizen Pension and the PDS Scheme. However the implementation of these schemes is extremely faulty in the village as very few villagers have got benefits of these schemes and there is rampant corruption among the officials in charge for the implementation of these schemes.

1.8 Participatory Rural Appraisal(PRA)We used PRA to understand the village, its resources, the lifestyle the villagers follow and to have interaction with the villagers. The tools we used as part of PRA are: Social Map Resource Map Chapati Diagram Seasonal Map to understand the cropping pattern in the village Time Line Problem Tree9|K II T SCH OOL OF RU RAL MANAG EM ENT

The photographs of the PRA tools we used and their diagrammatic representation are shown in the following pages.

10 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T


A REPORT ON RURAL ACTION COMPONENT


2.1 INTRODUCTION India lives in her villages -Mohandas K. GandhiIndian villages constitute a greater portion of the total geographical area of the country. It is a known fact that a major portion of the India`s total population resides in the villages. Whenever we think of a village, the first picture which comes to our mind is of lush green agricultural fields, cattle mulching in the backyards, men busy with their plough and women taking care of children or doing their household chores. The villages of India can broadly be divided according to the regions of their locations like Eastern Region, Northern Region, Southern Region, Central Region, North-East Region and Western Region. One of the main differences between Indian villages of different regions is the used language. The original form of most of the ancient languages in India can be found in the villages. Aga Khan Rural Support Program(India), our host organization, is one of the largest NGOs of the world. It has been working in 22 countries worldwide and for the past 25years in India in the state of Gujarat. The organization has started its operations in Bihar a couple of years back in the districts of Muzaffarpur and Samastipur. It is for the first time that AKRSP(I) has started its operations in the Aurai block of Muzaffarpur district with its development activities in the villages of Ghanshyampur and Bharthua which is presently our area of operation. In the village of Ghanshyampur, we will be doing our Rural Action Component (RAC) which is an integral part of our VSS segment.

2.2 Key Problem AreasDuring our stay in the village and doing household surveys, we have identified certain key problems. They are described below: Casteeism prevails strongly in the village as a result of which allocation of resources in the village is highly uneven. Most of the resources are controlled by the upper caste Bhumihar Brahmins and Maithil Brahmins. The lower caste people have no or very low landholdings. Almost the entire youth have migrated from the village to other states in search of livelihood. There is no alternative livelihood in the village. The village does not have electrification. There is no Public Health Center or PHC subcenter in the village.13 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

The Panchayat is apathetic and the Mukhiya is a corrupt person. There is no proper infrastructure or skillset development center in the village. People have very low level of awareness. Most people have no idea of BPL or NREGA card. Few who have the card do not know the current wage rate under the NREGA scheme. Based on our findings we have decided to implement the following activities under Rural Action Component with support of our host organization. They are as follows: Formation of Grameen Jagrukta Sangathan, a club to promote awareness among villagers about their fundamental rights. Generation of alternative livelihood for women and senior citizans in the village. Generation of Alternative and Renewable Electricity. Since Ghanshyampur village is a new area of operation for AKRSP(I), the activities could not be practically implemented. However we have proposed the same to our host organization based on our observation and analysis.

2.3 FORMATION SANGATHAN2.3.1 Introduction

OF

GRAMEEN

JAGRUKTA

We started our household surveys in the Ghanshyampur village from 20 th January 2011. From the very first day we observed casteeism prevails very highly in the village. The people of higher castes have marginalized the people of lower castes. Flow of information is completely restricted among different castes. The key issues that we have noticed in the village can be enumerated in the following sub-points: Lack of Information Sharing The village consists of different castes namely Kayasthas, Bhumihar Brahmins, Maithil Brahmins, Yadavs, Machhwaras, Mallas, Chamars, Dom, Teli, Kurmi, Halwai and Musahars. Some of these castes possess specific skillsets like the Yadavs are traditionally good livestock keepers, Machhwaras are traditionally good fishermen and Kayasthas are learned people. But csteeism prevails so highly in this village that the castes who possess these skillsets will not share them with other castes which can enhance peoples livelihood and help in collective development of the village. To show how strongly casteeism prevails in the village we have presented the following case study:


CASE STUDYWe were doing the household survey of a household in Takia Tola. The household was very poor and belonged to Halwai(OBC) caste. The household didnt have a handpump of their own and used to bring drinking water from community handpump. Water is a precious resource for them. As we were doing survey, a buffalo came and started drinking water from the bucket which contained the households days quota of drinking water. A child of the household started beating the buffalo to refrain it from drinking the water. The childs mother harshly scolded him and allowed the buffalo to drink. We came to know that the buffalo belonged to a villager of higher caste and if it is refrained from drinking the water the household will be socially boycotted and even forcibly stopped from using the community handpump by the dominant castes. Lack of Infrastructure Infrastructure in the village is in a dilapidated state. There is no road in the village. Even in these dry winter months we had to go for household surveys in the village treading through ankle deep canal water and puddles of mud. There is no electricity in the village. The village school is a secondary school till class VIII with 320 students and only three teachers. Midday meal is not provided in the school. There is no Public Health Center or subcenter in the village. There is no proper Panchayat Bhawan in the village.

Vey Low Awareness among People A very alarming fact fact we have noticed in the village is that people have very low level of awareness. The Panchayat Mukhiya is a corrupt person and all sorts of malpractises and injustices are practiced in the village. No mid-day meal is provided in the village school. 30 out of the 32 households we surveyed in the village have not been provided Indira Awas Yojana. All 30 of these households do not know the amount provided under the Indira Awas Yojana scheme. 28 of the 32 households do not know what is BPL scheme. 20 of the 32 households do not know about NREGA scheme or 100 days job card. All 32 households have no idea of the current wage rate under NREGA scheme. Almost the entire village do not know the levels of escalation for redressal of their grievances. The villagers think that Mukhiya is the last level of escakation and have no idea of Block Development Officer or District collector.

2.3.2 Objectives of Formation of Grameen Jagrukta SangathanThe principal objectives of formation of Grameen Jagrukta Sangathan are: To promote inter-caste mixing of people to facilitate sharing of knowledge and skills. To create a common platform for villagers for redressal of grievances. To raise awareness levels among villagers of their fundamental rights.15 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

To generate and promote ideas for betterment of livelihood and development of village.

2.3.3 Method Of ImplementationThe principal objective of the formation of Grameen Jagrukta Sangathan is to form a villagers society which will work towards collective development of the village. The implementation of the organization will be such that it will have a perpetual existence and will not break apart after a few days. The club will be formed in Ghanshyampur village. There is a 20sq. mt. concretised and roofed platform in the middle of the village which will be the head office of the organization. Any villager may become a member of the organization by paying a nominal membership charge of Rs.20. The monthly subscription for each member will be Rs.10. Villagers from any caste will be allowed to become a member of the organization. The core committee will consist of 20 members. Each member of this committee will be elected by the members of the club. The key positions of the committee are listed as follows: President Joint Secretary(one male and one female) Treasurer Development Secretary(in charge of development activities) Cultural Secretary(in charge of cultural activities) Group Representative(responsible of redressal of grievances to authorities of escalation) 3 Facilitators who will always be in stand-by and will help in mediation in case of disputes or seeking funds for development

The entire subscription money will be used for development of village. All club members will convene at the office everyday in the morning for 30 minutes where a newspaper will be read to them informing them of any government schemes or plans being carried out. At the same time, grievances, if any , of the villagers will be noted down. The core committee members will meet every weekend along with other members to discuss agenda on redressal of grievances and discuss and debate on issues of development. Twice every month the Group Representative will meet with authorities of escalation to present villagers grievances. The club will organize cultural programs and encourage participation from all castes. With time as the members of the club will expand, the club will organize other activities like sports, skillset development activities and promotion of Self-Help-Groups.

2.3.4 Factors Determining SuccessWe have conducted one Focussed Group Discussion and numerous Informal Group Discussions in the village and found the following factors which will determine the success of the organization:


Motivation of the villagers to work together. Common problems of the villagers. Presence of women in every household. Presence of few learned senior citizens in the village will provide required guidance. Bonding among the villagers due to apathy and neglect of the Panchayat.

2.4 GENERATION OF ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD FOR WOMEN AND SENIOR CITIZENS2.4.1 IntroductionThe household surveys of the 32 households that we have done in the village have shown a unique but alarming fact. Earning members from 28 out of 32 households we surveyed have migrated to different states or cities in search of livelihood. The earning workforce consisted mostly of middle-aged men and youth. As a result there is hardly any middle-aged men or youth left in the village leaving behind the vulnerable women, children and senior citizens. The situation of livelihood in Ghanshyampur village is grim. The daily wage rate in Jaipur is Rs.120130, in Mumbai it is Rs.150 and in Bihar it is a meager Rs.50. these are the three places where almost the entire workforce has migrated. The savings will invariably be very low in costly cities like Jaipur and Mumbai given the present wage rate. As a result in some months the men could not send money to their family in the village and as a result poverty in the village never reduces. The average daily wage rate earning of the 32 households we surveyed comes to just Rs.105 which is way below the minimum wage rate under NREGA Scheme. One day while we were doing household survey we met an old man in the village who had a sewing machine and was earning his livelihood knitting and mending stitches of clothes of villagers. This is when we developed our idea of generating alternative livelihood. Our idea is also based on a similar project being undertaken in the Vaishali village in North Bihar. Our idea is to increase the livelihood of the villagers by training them on knitting, sewing and tailoring.

2.4.2 Objectives of Generation of Alternative Livelihood for Women and Senior CitizensThe principal objectives of generation of sewing, knitting and tailoring as an alternative livelihood option are listed as follows: Increase the per-capita income of the villagers and thereby improve their standard of living. Curtail the migration period of the earning workforce from the village. Engage the womenfolk and senior citizens of the village to productive work.17 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

Prevent the youth of the village from migration to earn livelihood so that they can devote their time to education and other skillset development activities.

2.4.3 Method of ImplementationThe first phase of the implementation of this idea will be the formation of a group of 10 people consisting of women and senior citizens of the village. Each footpedalled sewing machine costs Rs. 5000. At the initial phase our host organization will provide 10 machines and train 10 villagers on sewing, knitting and weaving for one month. The machines will each cost Rs.5000 and the machines will be provided on contract that the villagers will payback 60% of the cost within 6 months. Our host organization will establish contacts with tailors and garment manufacturers in the nearby districts of Sitamarhi, Runni Saidpur and Muzaffarpur. The tailors and garment manufacturers will place orders with the villagers for making, sewing, knitting and doing embroidery work on garments. The tailors and garment manufacturers will provide the villagers with raw materials like needles, cotton reels, cloth etc. All expenses for repair and maintenance of machines will be handled by our host organization at minimal charges from villagers. Transport to and from the manufacturer to the villagers house will be organized by the manufacturer or tailor. From the Informal Group Discussions we did in the Vaishali village, we came to know that each villager is paid Rs.150 by the tailor or garment manufacturer for making each pair of shirt and trouser and Rs.180 for making each set of salwar kameez. In order to generate demand in the initial phase the villagers of Ghanshyampur can charge Rs.120 each for a pair of shirt and trousers or Rs.150 each for a set of salwar-kameez. There is huge demand for clothes almost round the year especially from the month of November to July which is the lagan or the wedding season in Bihar. People in Bihar are known to dress well and wear modern outfits in weddings. The three months of August, September and October are known to be the lean season for garment manufacturers especially tailors when there is not much orders placed with the villagers. However even in this lean period the villagers can generate good income as they can buy raw materials in this period and convert them into finished garments and sell them in the markets of Muzaffarpur, Runni Saidpur and Sitamarhi districts. All three markets are well accessible and Sitamarhi and Runni Saidpur lies within a distance of 8kms. October being a month of festivities will bring good profit to the villagers. Sitamarhi being a tourist spot will have stable demand for garments and cloth-based artwork throughout the year.each villager on an average can knit two pairs of shirts and trousers or two sets of salwar kameez in a day. If we consider that a villager will knit one set of shirt and trouser and on set of salwar kameez per day and assuming zero downtime for maintenance and repairs, the monthly income of each villager will come to [(120*30)+(150*30)]=Rs8100. Now 60% 0f Rs5000=Rs.3000. This means the villagers can pay back 60% of the machines cost to our host organization within one month. A committee will be formed comprising of these 10 members. A fixed percentage of every months income will be deposited with the committee which will be used entirely for purchasing new and sophisticated sewing machines, training more villagers and maintenance of the machines. In this way every household in the village can have an average daily wage rate of18 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

almost Rs.300 throughout the year which is sure to improve the standard of living of the villagers and reduce the migration time of the earning members of the family.

2.4.4 Factors Determining SuccessThe observations we made in the village have prompted us to believe the following factors which will contribute towards success of the idea: Presence of women and/or senior citizens in every houhold of the village. Urge among villagers to improve their own standard of living Presence of nearby market and stable demand round the year. Potential to form Self-Help-Groups. Absence of mainstream sources of livelihood like agriculture.

2.5 GENERATION OF ALTERNATIVE RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY2.5.1 Introduction

AND

The very first day we went to Ghanshyampur village for our first transect walk, we observed that there are few wooden poles dug in the soft soil with rusted wires going over them. As we spoke to the villagers we came to know that the village does not have electricity connection for the past 10 years. Electricity first came in the village during the period of 1987-88. But in 2-3 years most of the electricity poles got washed away in the floods and the ones that remained stood as remnants of the past. For the past 10 years Ghanshyampur village has been living in the dark ages. The villagers use candle and kerosene for lighting purposes. The villagers have to borrow generators for irrigation and lighting purposes during festivals and occasions from neighboring villages. For irrigation purposes villagers are charged Rs.80 per hour for a maximum of 2 hours for a diesel pumpset. For lighting purposes villagers are charged Rs.60 per month for lighting two electric bulbs for a maximum of 2hours each day. We stumbled upon the idea of generation of alternative and renewable electricity as we were visiting a husk power plant in Runni Saidpur village. As we googled on the internet about this power plant we found a report by the renowned newspaper The Times Of India. The excerpt of the report is quoted below: Husk Power Systems(HPS), a company dedicated to rural electrification which provides reliable and affordable power to the poor using waste rice husk, is setting up a first-of-its kind Husk Power UniversityMr. Gyanesh Pandey, the brain behind HPS said, We currently employ close to 300 villagers. By 2014 we plan to recruit more than 2500 field workers to join the Husk Power Team. We are actively seeking passionate and experienced candidates to take up a range of challenging posts in Bihar .HPS today owns and operates 60 small scale power plants which convert waste biomass into sustainable, non19 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

polluting and affordable energy that is lighting up villages and improving livelihoods. The business has electrified 125 rural villages impacting 1.5 lakh households and the company has plans to impact 2000 villages by 2014. Husk Power Systems can take up Ghanshyampur village as part of their expansion program. The villagers will be able to irrigate their fields and light their homes at low cost. At the same time there will be skill development and employment for the youth as a result of which income of the villagers will increase.

2.5.2 Objectives of Generation of Alternative and Renewable ElectricityThe principal objectives of generation of alternative and renewable electricity are as follows: Electrification of the village Provide electricity at cheap rates Provide skill development and employment for the youth Increase the income of the villagers Maintain a clean and green environment

2.5.3 Method of ImplementationThe method of implementation can be exactly similar to the power plants in Dharharwa or Runni Saidpur villages. In the first phase our host organization will approach Husk Power Systems for setting up of a plant in the Ghanshyampur village. The village has a population of about 2500 in 500 households. The husk power plant works by converting gas from burning husk into energy which drives a turbine and generates electricity. Each 30 kilowatt plant requires an investment of Rs15 lakhs which can be funded partly by HPS and partly by our host organization. The installed plant needs an area of only 30 sq. mts. for its operation. The husk can be bought from the villagers which will provide a source of income for them. Every 30 kilowatt plant has the capacity of lighting up 500 houses at the rate of 2-3 CFLs every house.HPS charges every household Rs.40 per month for 2 CFLs operating 8 hours a day and Rs.50 for each diesel pumpset operating3 hours a day. This means villagers will be able to save Rs.20 for lighting and Rs.30 for irrigation and at the same time can light up their homes or irrigate their agricultural fields for longer periods of time. The plant will need trained professionals for its operations. HPS has set up Husk Power University, its own skill development center where local villagers are trained on various skills from plant operator to book-keeper depending on the level of education. Minimum salary for a job role is Rs.5000 per month and it increases with knowledge, skill, expertise and experience. The youth population of Ghanshyampur village who have migrated from the village to earn livelihood will be trained in different skillsets and employed for operation and maintenance of the plant at monthly salaries. The burnt husk will be used as fertilizer and sold to the villagers at nominal rates. With optimum utilization of the plant, the20 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

capacity can be increased which will enable villagers to buy sophisticated electrical sewing machines as we discussed as part of an earlier plan in the section Generation of Alternative Livelihood for Women and Senior Citizens as well as enjoying round-the-clock electricity by the villagers, thereby increasing income earning potential and enhancing standard of living of the villagers.

2.5.4 Factors Determining SuccessOur analysis of the data we collected have put forward the following factors which we believe will be the decisive factors for the success of our idea: HPS is a reputed company and has vast expertise in the field of generation of alternative electricity. Having stayed in darkness for the past 10 years and having stepped into the 21 st century the village now needs electricity. Successful implementation of similar projects in other villages of Bihar. Being a clean and environment friendly project it is sure to earn patronage from villagers and administration alike. Presence of large migrated youth population of the village.

2.6EXPERIENCE AS A GRASSROOTS LEVEL WORKERBeing from urban and semi-urban backgrounds, we have never experienced village life at this scale. In urban metropolitan cities, resources are abundant and development is manifold. In village, particularly in a village of Bihar, social dynamics is completely different from that of an urban metropolitan city. Everything here is based on and dictated by caste system. Resources are limited and scarce and in most cases controlled by a handful of people belonging to influential upper castes. Education is a luxury for the villagers. Most villagers have become frustrated of the false promises of development by the government. People here never think of collective or overall development of the village. Whenever we spoke to any villager about development, the first question they ask is, Mujhe kya milega? which means What will I gain? this mentality is extremely detrimental to overall development of the village. The villagers have been oppressed for so long that most of them have resigned to fate. They feel nothing good can happen to them. Development for them is a politicians word which is used to win elections. For them, the Mukhiya is the God and since he is corrupt they are helpless. Our mission as a grassroots level worker is to increase awareness among the villagers. Once villagers are aware of their rights and obligations they will be able to raise their voice in protest. They will be able to understand what is right and what is wrong. Our next objective is to increase the income of the villagers and improve the livelihood of the marginalized people. When different sections of villagers will have control over equal amount of resources they will be able


to come together on a common platform since no one will feel inferior to the other villager and this will be the first step towards overall development of the village. In the first two sessions of the academic curriculum we were taught about village dynamics and the challenges faced by a grassroots level worker in the development sector, but this is the first time we have been able to get a taste of them on the field. The exposure we got and the hands-on experiences we had will empower us to work as a flagholder of development in rural India for years to come.

2.7 REFERENCESwww.toi.com www.hps.com www.google.com www.wikipedia.org


ORGANISATION PROFILEAGA KHAN RURAL SUPPORT PROGRAM(INDIA) MUZAFFARPUR, BIHAR, INDIA


3.1 ORGANISATION PROFILE3.1.1 About the Aga Khan Development Network The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) focuses on health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building and the promotion of economic development. It is dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or gender.

3.2 AKRSPI3.2.1 About the OrganizationThe Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) is a non-denominational, non-government development organisation. AKRSP (India) works as a catalyst for the betterment of rural communities by providing direct support to local communities to promote activities and develop models for sustainable natural resource use and development of human resources. AKRSP (India) began field operations in 1985 and has since become one of the larger grassroots NGOs in India with more than 250 staff in 27 locations and an annual budget of $6 million. It has innovated and pioneered several efforts in areas such as participatory irrigation management, joint forest management, rain water harvesting, watershed development, preventing salinity ingress and alternative energy to empower rural women and marginalised communities. AKRSP (India) is active in over 1000 villages in four environmentally challenged and economically vulnerable regions of Gujarat: the tribal block of Bharuch Narmada Surat-Tapi, coastal salinity-affected Junagadh and the drought-prone Surendranagar. Since 2005, AKRSP (India) has been working in the remote and poor districts of Khandwa, Khargone and Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh. In the Khandwa programme area, AKRSP (India) has been working with the tribal communities of Bhil, Korku, Bhilala and Barela. The key focus areas have been watershed development, participatory irrigation management, micro enterprise development and implementing the Community-based Technology Learning Centres.

3.3 AKRSPI (BIHAR)AKRSP (India) initiated its activities in Bihar in 2007 in the districts of Samastipur and Muzaffarpur. Bihar is the most backward state of India with more than 45 million people living on less than a dollar a day and the highest infant mortality and lowest literacy rates in the country. As Bihar was new to AKRSP (India), an entirely new approach and strategy was needed. Hence, a Multi Input Area Development (MIAD) approach was taken up in collaboration with AKF India. The MIAD approach is quite different from the ones that are followed in24 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh where interventions are taken up in a sequential manner with economic development leading to investments in social development. MIAD aims at working simultaneously on economic and social development through community-based approaches. Since mid-2008, a range of interventions in the domain of economic development, community institutions, education and health have been piloted in Bihar. The organizational structure of the AKRSPI, Bihar is shown in the image below.

The activities of the organization are carried out by small teams known as Spear Head Teams(SHTs). The organizational setup of SHTs is shown in the following image.


A REPORT ON LIVELIHOOD PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS OF GHANSHYAMPUR VILLAGE(theme paper)


4.1 Background of the StudyGhanshyampur is one of the largest villages in Aurai block. The village comes under the Ghanshyampur panchayat. The village has a population of almost 2000 people as per the 2001 census data. As we spent our days in the village and kept on doing household surveys we noticed some interesting facts about the village. These are: Casteeism prevails supreme in the village. Every aspect of the village lifestyle is dictated by the caste system. Landholding pattern in the village is highly uneven. Most of the land is controlled by villagers of the upper caste. Daily wage labor is the primary occupation of the villagers. In most cases there is no secondary occupation. Migration in search of livelihood is very high in the village. At least one member from every household has migrated in search of livelihood. There is hardly any middle aged man or youth left in the village. The entire current population of the village consists of women, children and senior citizens. Soil in the village is very fertile. The infrastructure in the village is completely dilapidated. There is no road, electricity or good school. This has directly impacted the pattern of livelihood in the village. The Mukhiya of the village is a corrupt person. The topics of our study are livelihood portfolio analysis of the villagers of Ghanshyampur. In our study we will find out the current livelihood pattern of the villagers, the reasons for taking up the existing patterns of livelihood and the alternative livelihood options the villagers have at the present circumstances. We will also do a detailed analysis of the incomes and expenditures of the villagers, bring out the heads where incomes and expenditures are maximum and also try to analyze how savings can be increased so as to have a better standard of living

4.2 IntroductionBihar is the poorest state in India with the lowest per capita income amongst the major states. In 2004/05, the real per capita GSDP was Rs. 4435 while the nominal per capita GSDP was Rs. 7080 which were less than half that of the neighboring state of Jharkhand. More than 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. It is also the third most populated state with a total population of 83 million. The states performance lags seriously behind others. Although moderate progress was made during the 1990s (1993-94 to 1999-00) in reducing poverty by nearly 7 percentage points, the rate of poverty reduction was well below the national average. Current projections are that Bihar is likely to fall well behind on most of the MDG targets for 2015. Bihars rank for HDI among the Indian states has remained unchanged at 15 since 1981 while its score has increased marginally from 0.237 in 1981 to 0.308 in 1991 to 0.267 in 2001. It27 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

fares very badly on a number of indicators. In the 1990s Bihar had the lowest Gender Equality Index in India, and had witnessed a decline in absolute terms over the earlier period. According to the 2001 census Bihar has the lowest literacy rate in the country - 48% against a national average of 65%. It is the only state where primary enrolment fell between 1993 and 1999, and 80% of the bottom quintile heads of household have no education. 35 Bihar is a predominantly agrarian economy with a small manufacturing base. The share of services has increased from 41% to nearly 50% of GSDP, which is roughly the same as the Indian overall average. While the share of agriculture has declined, it is still very large. According to the NSS, nearly 40% of the workforce is engaged in agricultural labour (1999-2000) down from 42% in the previous round. Cultivation and farm labour together account for 80% of employment. Poverty is predominantly rural in Bihar and is associated with limited access to land and livestock, poor education and health care, as well as low-paid occupations and social status. NSS data show that 75% of the poor were landless or near landless in 1999-2000. Although land reforms were introduced in 1950 they have been slow and ineffective. The rural poor tend to depend on agricultural wages or casual non-farm jobs for a living. Over time the proportion of non-farm laborers in the poorest quintile has increased and the proportion of farm workers decreased. Ghanshyampur is one of the largest villages in the Aurai block of Muzaffarpur district and probably one of the poorest villages of North Bihar. Ghanshyampur village is a new area of operation for our host organization and as part of our theme paper we are required to do the livelihood portfolio analysis and the cash flow analysis of the population of this region. We have done systematic sampling in choosing the 32 households for our study. We chose the samples on the basis of the percentage of the caste category, we got from the census data, 2001 so as to represent the different castes of the village adequately. As part of our study we have collected data on different aspects of a villagers life like number of adult male and female members, primary and secondary occupation of the villagers, land ownership pattern, irrigation assets, migration status, other assets, livestock, health status, income and expenditures heads, wage rate etc for our livelihood portfolio analysis and cash flow analysis we will be taking into account each of these data. Our analysis will strictly adhere to the 32 households which we believe will adequately represent the entire population of the village. The specific sets of data we will be doing a deep research on to find out the livelihood portfolio analysis are: Caste Caste Category Number of members in the family Livestock Landholding Pattern Income expenditure and savings Migration Status Daily Wage Rate

The specific sets of data we will do a deep research on to find out the cash flow analysis are:


Income expenditure and savings Daily wage rate as a result of migration In course of our analysis we will also be suggesting alternative livelihood options given the current sets of resources.

4.3 Caste SystemCaste system prevails in Bihar and has maximum impact in the rural areas. The seven different castes we have taken for our analysis are halwai, malla, dhanuk and yadav belonging to the OBC category, kayasth and Brahmin belonging to the General category and chamars belonging to the SC category. Out of the 32 households we surveyed, there are 6 halwais, 5 mallas, 3 dhanuks and 7 yadavs belonging to the OBC category, 4 kayasths and 5 brahmins belonging to the General category and 2 chamars belonging to the SC category. A graphic representation of the caste system prevailing in the village is being presented below.SC 6%

Caste CategoryGeneral 25%

OBC 69%


Caste NameBrahmin 16% Chamar 6% Malla 16% Dhanuk Kayasth 9% 12% Halwai 19%

Yadav 22%

Each household has an average of 8 members.

4.4 Primary OccupationThe primary occupation of the villagers of Ghanshyampur is daily wage labor. As very few villagers have landholding and the distribution of landholding is highly uneven, so not much people are engaged in faming or agricultural activities. Most of the villagers have migrated interstate or intra-state and work as daily wage laborers. A graphic representation of the 32 villagers of Ghanshyampur whom we surveyed as part of our research is shown in the following page.

Primary OccupationFarmer Non-agri laborer 3% 6% 19% Salaried Job Business

72%


From the above representation we can see that 72% of the villagers are engaged in non-agri labor, 19% of the villagers are engaged in farming and agricultural activities, 6% is involved in business and only 3% is involved in salaried jobs. We have calculated the savings of the 32 respondents and graphically plotted them on a trend line as shown in the following page.200000 kayasth 150000

ANNUAL SAVINGS IN RUPEES

100000 brahmin 50000 malla 0 0 halwai dhanuk yadav brahmin brahmin yadav

halwaikayasth halwai halwai halwai halwai yadav 5 10

dhanuk yadav dhanuk brahmin brahmin yadav 15 20

kayasth malla yadav yadavmalla 25 malla

kayasth chamar chamar 35 30 malla

HOUSEHOLDS-50000 Savings of Villagers on Caste Basis

From the above analysis, we can see that the peak points on the line are dominated by the upper castes like Brahmins and Kayasths of General category or the Yadavs of OBC category while the baseline or the bottom points consist of Scheduled Castes like Chamars or the recessive OBC castes like Halwais and Dhanuks.


4.5 Landholding PatternThe landholding pattern in the village is highly uneven. Most of the land is controlled by the upper caste Bhumihar Brahmins. An interesting fact to note here is that out of the 32 households we surveyed, only 14 had landholdings which means less than 50% of the sample size has landholdings. In our household survey the total landholding size by the 32 households is 12.1 bighas. Out of that the Generals have 6.8 bighas of land, the OBCs have 5.3 bighas of land and the SCs have no landholding at all. The land distribution pattern has been graphically represented in the following chart.

Land Distribution PatternOBC 44%SC 0%

General 56%

Agricultural land is abundant in the village. Most of the agricultural land in the village has been taken over by the Mukhiya of the Panchayat who himself resides in a different village and are controlled by him and his supporters. Out of the 32 households we surveyed, 8 belong to the General category, 22 belong to the OBC category and 2 belong to the SC category. Out of the 8 General category households, 4 have landholdings, out of the 22 OBC category households, 10 have landholdings and the 2 SC households have no landholdings at all. A graphic representation of the percentage of landholdings with respect to sample population is shown in the following graph.


Percentage of Landholdings with respect to Sample Population

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Total Population SC OBC General 2 22 8 Percentage of People Having Landholdings 0 45.455 50

We have also calculated the savings of the migrated villagers who have landholding and plotted them on a trend line on the basis of caste category.

Percentage

Savings of Migrated Villagers with Landholdings80000

GeneralANNUAL SAVINGS IN RUPEES

60000 40000 20000 0 -20000 0 BC 2 4 6 BC BC General BC BC General BC 8 10 BC 12 BC BC 14 General Savings of Migrated Villagers with Landholdings Linear (Savings of Migrated Villagers with Landholdings)

HOUSEHOLDS

We have also calculated the savings of the migrated villagers who have no landholding and plotted them on a trend line on the basis of caste category.


Savings of Migrated Villagers without Landholdings200000 General 150000ANNUAL SAVINGS IN RUPEES

100000

Savings of Migrated Villagers without Landholdings BC BC 4 BC BC 6 Linear (Savings of Migrated Villagers without Landholdings) BC General BC General BC 10 12 14 sc sc 16

50000

BC BC 8

0 0 -50000

BC 2

From the above two analytical trend lines we can come to the conclusion that the savings of villagers from General category are the highest irrespective of landholdings. However the trend line moves upward for the villagers without landholdings than with landholdings. This is due to the fact that for villagers with landholdings, savings is usually low since a large portion of the savings is invested in agricultural activities in the village.

4.6 Migration and its Role in Impacting Livelihood4.6.1 What is Migration?The Wikipedia definition of migration says that Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. The movement of populations in modern times has continued under the form of both voluntary migration within one's region, country, or beyond, and involuntary migration (which includes the slave trade, trafficking in human beings and ethnic cleansing). People who migrate are called migrants or more specifically, emigrants, immigrants, or settlers, depending on historical setting, circumstances and perspective.


4.6.2Migration in Ghanshyampur 4.6.2.1 OverviewA unique yet alarming fact about the Ghanshyampur village is the pattern of migration the villagers follow. When we used to go for household surveys in the village, we used to notice that there were hardly any middle aged men or youth left in the village. Almost the entire current village population consists of women, children and senior citizens. Out of the 32 households we surveyed, members from 28 households have migrated inter or intra state on account of livelihood. Migration from the village in search of livelihood used to be a necessary mean of staying alive pre 2009 when devastating floods of the Bagmati river used to ravage the entire village. But since two years the situation has changed with the construction of the ring dam around the Bagmati river. Floods have become a thing of the past and agricultural activities occur abundantly on the fertile alluvial soil left behind by the Bagmati river. However migration, as a mean of achieving livelihood has not receded and has increased over the years. Villagers from all castes-higher or lower alike have migrated in search of livelihood. Migration occurs both on seasonal and on perennial pattern. In case of seasonal migration, migration occurs during the non-cropping seasonand generally takes place for 9-10 months in a year. In case of perennial migration, migrants generally stay out of the village for entire year except a few days of the festival months. Perennial migration is generally seen among the upper General castes like Bhumihars and Kayasths who have control over resources in the village and among the absolute bottom level castes like Chamars, Doms and Musahars who have no resources at all. In between these two categories, generally seasonal migration pattern is seen among the other castes.

4.6.2.2 Destinations of MigrationThe two principal destinations where the maximum villagers of Ghanshyampur have migrated in search of livelihood are Jaipur and Mumbai. Some have migrated intra state to te districts and towns of Bihar like Patna, Chhapra and Muzaffarpur. The villagers who have migrated intra-state generally belong to the Chamars, Doms and Musahars of SC category. The choice of destination of migration is strongly determined by social networks-villagers from a particular caste tend to go to the same destination and into similar occupations. Distance and transport facilities or living conditions are not as important in determining the choice of destination.35 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

In Jaipur, the migrant laborers from the Ghanshyampur village generally engage in stone quarries as daily wage laborers with an average wage rate of Rs120-140 per day. Accommodation and two square meals are provided by the quarry owners. In some cases medical facilities are also provided by the privately held stone quarry owners. This means the daily wage laborers in Jaipur has a monthly income of Rs3600-4200. The average daily expenditure in Jaipur is Rs70-80. This means the average daily savings of each worker is Rs.5060 which means average monthly savings id Rs.1500-1800. The savings is a little more if medical expenses are provided by the quarry owners. The laborers are able to send the savings back to their families in the village. The laborers from the Ghanshyampur village who have migrated to Mumbai generally engage in masonry and daily wage labor in ironworks. The average daily wage rate in Mumbai is Rs.150.

4.6.2.3 Conditions of WorkAccommodation and two square meals or at least one square meals are provided by the masonry contractors or ironworks owners. Mumbai being an expensive city, expenditures are very high for the migrant laborers. But at the same time Mumbai presents multiple income opportunities. Most of the migrant laborers here work as apprentice laborers in food joints or tea stalls or drive taxi on contract or hire basis. This increases the income opportunities of the migrant laborers. The average daily wage rate can go up to as high as Rs.350. This means the average monthly income reaches up to Rs10500. The average daily expenditure for a migrant daily wage laborer in Mumbai is Rs200. So the average daily savings of the migrant daily wage laborer is about Rs150 which tallies up to Rs1800 per month. The laborer is able to send the savings back to their families in the village. The choices of livelihood in case of migrant laborers dosent depend on skill sets or education. It generally takes place on the basis of family or caste lineage. For example if a senior villager of Kurmi caste is engaged in masonry it is generally seen that other villagers of the same caste will engage in similar occupation irrespective of possessing certain distinct or other sets of skills. Work in these cases is learnt in chela-guru (master-apprentice) setup. A villager will work under the tutelage of his senior caste member for some years before breaking off and working on


his own. As long as he works in the master-apprentice setup he needs to share his income with his master. In the course of Focused Group Discussion and numerous Informal Group Discussions with the villagers, we found that the marginalized Scheduled Castes are the utmost sufferers in the village. They generally work in derogatory and errand jobs in and around Bihar. The condition of the Chamars, Doms and Musahars are the worst. By caste they belong to the lowest layer of the social pyramid. Since caste system prevails supreme in the village, they are not allowed to have access to any resources in the village since they are regarded as untouchables by the upper castes. They could not migrate interstate as well since caste system prevails in migrated form of livelihood as well. They are not allowed access to the jobs being held by other villagers of higher castes than them. Consequently they work as sweepers in government buildings or roads, waiters at cheap hotels or garbage cleaners in and around Bihar particularly in towns like Muzaffarpur, Patna and Chhapra at a meager wage rate of Rs50 per day. They are generally provided accommodation and three meals a day. Their average daily expenditure is Rs 30 per day which tallies up to an average daily savings of Rs20 or average monthly savings of Rs600. This is the main reason why the condition of the marginalized Scheduled Castes is the worst among the villagers in Ghanshyampur. Child labor is mostly found among the poor and marginalized Scheduled Castes.

4.6.2.4 Migration among Higher Castes: An Interesting FactA very interesting fact about the villagers in Ghanshyampur is that even people from higher castes namely Bhumihars and Kayasths have migrated in search of livelihood. This happens despite the fact that these castes command considerable resources including land and many of them are highly educated. Permanent migration is also seen among these castes. It happens due to multiple reasons. The Kayasths are known to be learned caste. Most people from Kayasth caste including women are well educated and since there are no employment opportunities in the village, they have migrated permanently to the metropolitan cities and have taken up government or private service. They permanently stay out of the village and return for only a few days during the festival season. The story with the Bhumihar Brahmins are however different. The Bhumihars have maximum landholdings in the village. In spite of this, they migrate interstate37 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

and work as daily wage laborers in stone quarries, as masons or as contract laborers in others agricultural fields. The educated Bhumihars migrate permanently to metropolitan cities and take up government or private services. A couple of years back, before the ring dam was constructed, Bhumihars used to migrate in search of livelihood since most of their agricultural lands used to get flooded. Despite the recession in flooding, practice of migration still continues. Though the Bhumihars have agricultural lands, farming is hardly done on the lands by the villagers or their families. Bhumihars belong to upper caste. It is a taboo for them in Bihar to work in their own fields. In other villages the Bhumihars employ laborers of lower caste to work in their own fields. In Ghanshyampur, since there is hardly any middle aged man or youth of lower caste left in the village, there is no one to work in the fields. Another reason why farming is not practiced by the villagers is that before the ring dam was built two years ago there wasnt any advent of agriculture for decades due to disastrous floods of the Bagmati river. So most of the villagers do not even know the farming techniques or utilization of land. Consequently the land remains unutilized or the Bhumihars give it on lease to Bhumihars or Rajputs of other villages and themselves migrate interstate in search of livelihood.

4.6.3 Reasons for Migration in search of LivelihoodThe primary occupation of the villagers of Ghanshyampur is daily wage labor due to which most of them have migrated interstate or intra state. We have averaged the income heads of the 32 households we surveyed and presented a graphical representation below.

Average Income Heads5%

6%14%

10%

9%

Agricultural Wages Labour Salaried job 56% Livestock Business Others


From the above pie-chart we see that daily wage labor is the primary source of income with 56% contribution followed by salaried jobs and agriculture which is mostly practiced by upper castes of the General and OBC category. There is no other significant source of income of the villagers of Ghanshyampur. We have averaged the expenditure heads of the 32 households we surveyed and presented a graphic representation below.

1% 4% 2% 3%

Average Expenditure Heads3% 1% 1% 7% Food Consum

ClothingToiletries 71% Health Care

7%

EducationFestivals Social Functions

From the above pie-chart we can clearly see that food consumption is the single-most expenditure head which consumes about 71% of the total expenditure of the family followed by health care and interest payments which contribute 7% each. This happens due to the fact that each family has an average of 8 members including men, women and children. Having more number of members in a family is a significant reason for migration to earn livelihood. The middle aged men and youth consumes maximum food in a family since they are the working people and need more calories for sustenance of work throughout the day. Healthcare expenses is also more for them since they are most likely to fall sick being exposed to different working conditions. We have also graphically represented the average income, expenditures and savings pattern of the 32 households we surveyed.


Average Income, Expenditure and Savings Pattern10% 50% 40% Income Expenditure Savings

From the above pie-chart we see that expenditure for each family is very high at almost 40% and only 10% is the savings. For the Scheduled Castes the savings is much less than 10% in most cases. In this situation if the middle-aged men and youth migrate in search of livelihood, it significantly brings down the food consumption and healthcare expenses of the family, thereby reducing the total expenditure. Out of the 28 of the 32 households we surveyed, who have migrated on account of livelihood, each one reported that they are provided accommodation and at least three meals on an average per day at their destination workplace. In some cases they are provided healthcare expenses as well. Another reason for the mass migration from the village in search of livelihood is the availability of easy employment opportunities at places like Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi. The migrant villagers agree to work at cheap wage rates than the locals. They also do not complain about the living conditions or the quality of food provided to them. At the same wage rate of Rs150, laborers of the same level from Maharashtra will never work. But at this wage rate the migrant laborers from Bihar are ready to work. The migrant laborers from Bihar are considered to be physically vey fit and can work for long hours with minimum food and rest at hazardous working conditions. Another reason why the migrant laborers from Bihar are favorite choice of the contractors or stone quarry or ironworks owner of Maharashtra, Jaipur and Delhi is that they do not engage themselves in activities like labor or trade unionists which may hamper production and is generally a problem with Maharashtrian laborers. Attraction of city life is another important reason for migration in search of livelihood by the villagers. This trend is particularly common among t he upper castes especially the Kayasth caste. Due to lack of education infrastructure in the village, they migrate to big cities for education. There they get attracted to city life and permanently stay back in the cities by getting into government or private service. Mass migration to large metropolitan cities occur since these cities also provide abundant resources and multiple employment opportunities. As we discussed the earlier, the migrant laborers of Ghanshyampur also engage in other forms of livelihoods like working at tea-stalls or restaurants and driving taxis on hire or contract on part-time basis. The Bhumihars are zamindars by ascribed status and are forbidden from doing petty jobs like daily40 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

wage labor in ironworks, as masons or in others agricultural fields. Once found doing these types of jobs, they will be socially secluded. In big cities however, due to the cosmopolitan culture, they do not face this kind of situation and therefore prefer migration to earn livelihoods.

4.6.4 Impact of Migration for Livelihood: The Pros and The ConsAs we have seen from our earlier discussions, 28 out of 32 households we sampled for our household surveys have migrated in search of livelihood. Till now we have discussed about the reasons for such migration. In this section we are going to talk about the impact of such migration due to livelihoods. We will also highlight the pros and the cons of engaging in these types of livelihoods.

4.6.4.1 Impact on MigrantsThe good thing about migration is that it has increased the per capita income of the villagers. In the case of the poorest unskilled laborers it has helped to smooth income and improve food security. The migrants can send enough money back home which meets two square meals of the family. For the upper caste Bhumihars, migration has resulted in rejuvenation of agricultural activities. The money they earn in the other states are sent back home which finances the agricultural activities back in the village. The seasonal migrants come back to the village during the cropping season when they get employment in the village itself as sharecroppers or as laborers in agricultural fields though at very low wage rates. All migrant laborers return to the village twice in a year during the Holi and Diwali or Chhat. Income is lowest during the DiwaliChhat period and expenditures are very high. Income however is not very low during the Holi period because the migrants find employment and livelihood in the village, March being a harvesting month. From the numerous Informal Group Discussions, the personal interviews and the Focused Group Discussion we conducted with the villagers, nearly all migrant laborers or their families said that accommodation is provided at the destination workplace and meals are provided regularly. There is no racial discrimination or oppression at the workplace and sometimes healthcare is also provided. Due to migration, the marginalized Scheduled Casts have been able to attain sustainable livelihood. Castes like the Doms, Chamars and Musahars are socially secluded and most oppressed in the village. There is no employment opportunities for them in the village. Finding employment interstate is also difficult for them. Now due to interstate migration, they are able to find sustainable livelihood. Although the wage rate is very low, they get accommodation and meals and are able to sustain the food consumption and healthcare expenses for their families. Migration on account of livelihood has also reduced the dependency on sahukars and mahajans41 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

or moneylenders. Two years back during the time of flood, the villagers used to take loan from the local moneylenders who used to charge exorbitant rates of interest since the villagers used to have food availability for 7-9 months on an average. The villagers thus used to fall in a perpetual debt trap as they could never repay the loans and every year the amount used to increase. They were thus forced to work in the money-lenders agricultural fields without any payments. Children of the villagers were often forced into this kind of labor. The condition was much more severe for the marginalized Scheduled Caste people. They were not given loans by the mahajans since the former were regarded as untouchables. Even if loan was given to them the interest charged from them was much higher than the other castes. For most part of the year the Scheduled Castes were not even able to provide two square meals to their families. But due to migration on account of livelihood, they now have sustainable income which has considerably improved their food security. Everything however is not so good for the migrant laborers. The migrant laborers often work in hazardous conditions at the workplace. In the Focused Group Discussion and personal interviews, nearly all of the migrant laborers complained that conditions at the workplace are extremely dangerous. There is no proper equipment for disposal of the stone dust in the stone quarries or the toxins and smoke in the ironworks. The workers are not even provided basic equipments like dust or gas masks. In this context we will cite a report which appeared in The Times of India newspaper on the 6th of September 2008. Labourers dying a slow death [Jaipur]

Times of India, The, Sep 6, 2008JAIPUR: The flip side of stone with universal appeal is also occupational health hazards among thousands of stone quarry workers in the state. A large number of quarry workers die a slow death without any compensation from their employers, having no proof to link their illness to their work. "We get a lot of patients from all over the country with tuberculosis that actually is silico tuberculosis. At an advanced stage silicosis is an incurable disease that develops over a period of time, mostly among workers in silica-related industries. Many of its symptoms are similar to those of tuberculosis. In fact, TB is often a direct result of silicosis and the mining industry is a great cause of occupational diseases," said Dr Narendra Khippal at TB sanatorium in Jaipur. The sandstone quarrying has been established as the largest industry of Jodhpur where more than hundred thousand workers are employed for quarrying and related activities. Stones are primarily quarried by manual methods but now heavy machines are also used. In the process of stone quarrying, particulate matter is generated and the workers involved in the different activities are exposed to the polluted environment during working hours (8hrs/day) and this creates health problems for the workers.42 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

"Silicosis is one of the oldest occupational diseases. The working capacity of workers starts decreasing with the increase of working duration in quarries. This decrease in working capacity is because of the damages in the respiratory tract due to deposition of RSPM," said Dr Khippal. Rajasthan is the treasure-trove of sandstone with more than 90% share of Indian sandstone deposits found here. In the last decade, sandstone quarrying, processing and marketing in Rajasthan have achieved a remarkable growth and it is also a source of livelihood for thousands of workers. For centuries sandstone is being used, not only in India but all over the world for different purposes. The wide scale architectural application of sandstone can be seen in different monuments, temples and buildings in India, like the Red Forts of Delhi and Agra; palaces and buildings of Fatehpur Sikri, Deeg, Kota, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer; Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Supreme Court building and Akshardham temple in Delhi, Mehrangarh fort and Umaid Bhawan palace at Jodhpur and Rajasthan Assembly House in Jaipur. Yet it continues to pose a very real threat to quarry workers on a daily basis and kills thousands around the world every year. There are no health or life insurance policies for the migrant laborers. Compensation in case of accidental death or disability of a migrant laborer is meager and that too is not compulsory. The migrant laborers generally do not have any bargaining power or voice their grievances in case of wages. They are paid very low wages for the amount and the type of work they generally engage in. the migrant laborers are provided accommodation but it is seldom hygienic. Sometimes even basic hygienic facilities are not provided and the migrant laborers are put up in dingy slums. Most of the migrant respondents told us that they suffer from severe breathing problems and respiratory diseases at the workplace. Diarrhea, malaria, tuberculosis are also common. Due to long periods of separation from the family, the migrant laborers suffer from low self-esteem, low self confidence and low morale. This induces them to engage in activities like smoking, alcoholism, gambling, doing drugs and dangerous sexual behavior. These sorts of activities take a serious toll on the migrant laborers health and expose them to a multitude of diseases including cancer and HIV/AIDS.

4.6.4.2 Impact on FamiliesThe effect of migration due to livelihood on the families of the migrant laborers back at the village is not good either. There are hardly any middle aged men or youth found in the entire village. The entire population of the middle aged men or youth has migrated leaving behind the vulnerable womenfolk, the children and the senior citizens. There is no one to take care of the family in case of an emergency situation like death or disease of a family member. Crimes are common in the village especially theft and dacoity. Women are left without socio-emotional support and we heard accounts of women indulging in illicit relationships with men of other villages which bring drastic impacts to her own family. The migrant laborers get so low on self morale that they themselves engage in heinous crimes. In order to depict how critical the43 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

situation is we present the following incident which we came to know while interacting with a villager.

Still waiting for justice..

Today on 16th feb 2010 as we are continuing our HSS we reached to a house which is on the bank of the canal which passes by the west of the village. The canal is the main water resource of the village. The family head was not at home so we talked to his wife named Sita devi the family belongs to Hajjam (Barbers)community. The family lives in a small house of 2 or three rooms made of phush (a commonly found weed grass used to make house). The house was also not in very good condition as like the economic condition of the household. The family head along with his two boys of age 17 and 13 yrs works as Agri-labourer in tobacco field with a daily house hold earning of Rs 150 per day to feed his family of 8 members. While talking about the familys economic condition she told us that sustainable livelihood is a tough question here because of the power dynamics of the village where the people of particular castes have dominancy over the resources and as they belong to the lower caste every time they were kept deprived of their needs as well as rights. When asked the question related to family crisis that may the family may have faced during last 5 yrs, we were expecting the answer to be related to flood which is the common reason of crisis for the village but she told us some thing different. She described the whole incident which led them to major crisis for the family. She told us that she had a girl child also but last she lost her not because of her death due to some disease or some other reasons but because she have been murdered brutally. While making these statements she started crying she told about the day when this incident happened. That was a night of the summery day when they usually use to sleep in their courtyard. Her daughter also slept in the courtyard along with her family members but the was on other cot. In morning when the family members got up they found her missing they searched for her every where the whole day but they didnt find her. Their search continued for three days even the some of the villagers started searching for her. They look in each and every corner of the village they even approached to the nearby villages but they44 | K I I T S C H O O L O F R U R A L M A N A G E M E N T

didnt got her. After three days they got information that the body of her daughter has been found near the bank of the canal. The dead body was in bad condition the body was smelling and the part of the decayed body was eaten up by the foxes that is usually found in the village. The body was in such a bad condition that it was really hard to identify it. The both the hands and legs of the body were not there , the throat was cut and it was very clear that the child was murdered. The some of the prima-facie observations of the body

vss final

Documents

village study segment

impact of migration

study valuable

inducing migration

destinations of migration

objectives of generation

impacting livelihood

rural action component