The Hans India: National: Sunday,
August 28, 2016.
Just a couple
of years ago the Dalit women of Chaubara Jagir village in Sonkatch block of
Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, led change from the front and compelled their
local administration to consider their needs as second to none in the area. It
was the struggle for a functional anganwadi centre that brought the women
together and gave them the strength to stand up against prejudiced attitudes.
Officially an
anganwadi centre is described as “a village centre that provides basic health
care, nutrition education and supplementation, and also conducts pre-school
activities for children less than six years”.
These days,
Dalits are at the epicentre of protests and heated political debates. This
demographic may still be largely marginalised and discriminated against, but
the narrative of gloom is slowly moving towards one that holds hope for a
better future
In other
words, it is the very basis of mother and child care at the grassroots. What
if, instead of one, there were two such centres in a village? Seems like a good
thing, doesn’t it. The Dalit women of Chaubara Jagir would have begged to
differ. For in their remote hamlet, the fully functioning anganwadi was for the
upper caste women, while the one designated to serve them was in a pitiable
condition.
Run from a
broken down shed, their children were not just exposed to the elements but were
also vulnerable to being attacked by stray animals. The monsoon season was
particularly trying because the heavy rains and a leaking roof would result in
frequent closure of the facility as well as the destruction of the already
meagre supply of dry rations and nutritional supplements meant for distribution
among pregnant and lactating women and children under six.
For years,
they struggled with this problem as no one knew how to tackle it. Who does one
go to demand repairs of an anganwadi? How does one ensure that the centre not
only opens regularly but the anganwadi worker does her duty properly?
Since there
were no answers to these questions they suffered in silence. “Things would have
gone on like this forever had Jan Sahas not started working in our area,”
remarks Reena Raikwar, a Dalit woman, who finally took matters into her own
hands with assistance from the Dewas-based non-government organisation that
empowers socially excluded Dalit, tribal and other communities in the district
by protecting their rights and building the capacities.
In order to
reach out to the community with relevant information and motivate them to claim
their rightful entitlements under government welfare schemes Jan Sahas has
established a resource centre at Sonkatch with support from the Fight Hunger
First Initiative of Welthungerhilfe, Germany.
“When Jan
Sahas volunteers came and told us that we could walk into the centre and
explain our problem I gathered a few women from the village and went there. We
told them that our children were being denied the care they deserved because
the anganwadi centre was in a shambles. That’s when they explained to us how we
could approach the senior district officials and apply for the construction of
a new centre,” Raikwar recalls.
As a starting
point, the Dalit families asked their sarpanch to take relevant action. He
refused outright. This reaction, however, did not really surprise them as their
community is used to being sidelined due to their low social status. So the
next step was to draft an application to approach the Sonkatch Sub-Divisional
Magistrate (SDM).
While the
formal application was signed by all the Dalit women in the village, around 25
of them got together to meet the SDM. When they got their one-on-one with him
they urged him to expedite the construction as their children were entitled to
a safe anganwadi.
That one
visit to the SDM’s office worked like magic as he immediately issued orders for
building a new anganwadi. Construction began a few months later. Every year,
the government introduces many welfare measures, such as low-cost housing,
subsidised food grains, free education and livelihood security.
Under the
Disabilities Act, the physically disabled, too, are entitled to various
benefits. However, being largely illiterate or semi-literate most marginalised
groups lack awareness and agency to avail of them. This is where the Jan Sahas
resource centre is bringing about a real transformation. Volunteers there give
information on all the different schemes launched and on legislation like Right
to Information (RTI) Act, Public Service Guarantee Act, and so on.
In Mundalana,
they took up the issue of availability of potable water in the Dalit
neighbourhood. With only one hand pump in the ‘basti’, families were already
reeling under a shortage when that too completely broke down. Despite repeated
complaints and several meetings with the panchayat secretary, the man
responsible for hand pump repairs, months passed with no solution in sight. The
crisis severely affected the women, physically and mentally, as they spent
hours on end trying to source water.
It was in
those dire times that they came across the resource centre. As soon as they put
forth their problem they were guided to the best and fastest way out. An
application was drafted to be submitted to Sonkatch Jal Nigam’s Chief Executive
Officer (CEO). Thereafter, a delegation called on the official to talk about
the magnitude of difficulty they were facing. Without delay, the panchayat
secretary was directed to do the needful. Such was the effect that within two
days the hand pump was in working order.
Shares Manish
Richi, a Dalit resident of Mundalana, “Once the volunteers showed us the way we
took over. We have realised that we, too, have a right to basic services.
Earlier, we used to feel powerless, but that’s not the case anymore. In future
if we face a similar situation, we shall approach the right authority in time.
We know how to go about it and have learnt how to draft applications.”
There have
been other positive impacts of the resource centre as well – it has led to the
widespread construction of toilets in several villages in the area and many who
previously didn’t figure on the Below Poverty Line (BPL) list have got their
names registered. Moreover, as per the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, the
tribals have been able to stake their rightful claim over the forest and its
other resources.
Of course,
this is not to say that there has been no backlash from the powerful elements
in the region. In fact, the resistance has been most acute in cases involving
land grabs.
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