ON NEW YEAR DAY, IS THERE ANYTHING TO CHEER?

ON NEW YEAR DAY, IS THERE ANYTHING TO CHEER?

I wish all my friends a Happy New Year.

At the moment , I am torn asunder between Arvind Kejriwal’s rise and rise to power and glory on one hand and Noam Chomsky’s book ON WESTERN TERRORISM  from HIROSHIMA TO DRONE WARFARE ( co-authored with Andre Vltchek) on the other.  I am excited by the success of Aam Admi Party and very much depressed by the genocide of ordinary people. Chomsky gives as account that 55 Million people have been exterminated systematically  after World War II  which is an indication of the mindset of the most powerful and rich. Chomsky and and Vltchek have borrowed a word UN-PEOPLE from George Orwell  which was simplified by one of my friends as depopulate.

I look at Kashipur where I have lived since last 33 years and all other tribal regions of the country. The declining tribal population indicates that there an attempt by the state, market and non-tribal race to depopulate them by mining and industry, disease and deprivation, dehumanisation and devastation. There is a systematic plan to un-people!

HOW RELEVANT IS GANDHI TO ME , VIDHYA AND YOU!

HOW RELEVANT IS GANDHI TO ME , VIDHYA AND YOU!

Thanks to all our friends who have congratulated Vidhya and have expressed joy on account of her getting Jamnalal Bajaj Award. As you know, the Bajaj Awards have a co-relationship with Gandhian values and ideals. Mahatma Gandhi has symbolised struggle for truth, freedom and non-violence. He has also symbolised Antyodaya- the upliftment of the the marginalised. We in Agragamee have tried to emulate this but with all our limitations!

On 16th November , a day after Vidhya received the Jamnalal Bajaj Award, the Bajaj Foundation had organised a day-long trip to Wardha to have a look at Sevagram of Gandhiji , Paunar Ashram of Vinobaji and various institutions set up by Jamnalalji Bajaj. The whole visit though quite exhausting has made tremendous impact on me and Vidhya. Reading Gandhi’s writing about Hind Swaraj, Gram Swaraj, My Experiment With Truth and numerous other books is one thing and visiting Sevagram to see Bapu Kutti and Ba Kutti is another. One wonders how the life must have been when Gandhi was living there and deciding the historical movements with other leaders – Nehru, Patel, Kalam and Jamnalal Bajaj. The places where he was writing or where he was praying or giving Darshan to the visitors, have been preserved and still many visitors from the locality and well as from all over the world are visiting to internalise Gandhi and his path of truth and non-violence.

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CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY: SEPTEMBER 8

CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY: SEPTEMBER 8

Literacy is much more than an educational priority – it is the ultimate investment in the future and the first step towards all the new forms of literacy required in the twenty-first century. We wish to see a century where every child is able to read and to use this skill to gain autonomy.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General

"Go to people.Learn from them.Live with them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But the best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will all say we have done it ourselves." ( Lao Tsu in 604 B.C. -Quoted by Myles Horton and Paulo Freire in the book WE MAKE THE ROAD BY WALKING )

Dear Friends,

Greetings from the SRC(Agragamee) Rayagada!

On Sept 8, 2013, the International Literacy Day will be celebrated all over the world. As SRC, our staff and educationists who support us have gone to Delhi. We are celebrating local events at Kashipur and at Koraput. We wish we have the ability to celebrate it in every village and every Gram Panchayat and, above all, every district. I am sure the Government of Odisha must be doing that through the State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA).

We all have been involved with the Total Literacy Campaign for many years but we are also aware that the percentage of illiteracy and especially Female Illiteracy remain quite high in some pockets. This has been analysed in the findings of Census 2011. The Government, therefore, has launched Saakshar Bharat Programme in selected districts of the country. In Odisha we have 19 such districts and SRC(Agragamee) Rayagada has been entrusted with 11 districts. We are trying to reach out to the communities, PRIs, Civil Societies, the Administration, the Media and the Intellectual. Academics requesting them to help us in achieving our goal to make every one literate. I do request all our friends to get involved in the Literacy Campaign and make serious efforts to make everyone literate. You will agree with me that making literate is not the only responsibility of the Government. It is a collective responsibility.

The aims of Literacy, as you know, are for life-long learning, for empowerment and for social change. The only way to improve the quality of life, for good governance, for livelihood security and for making every one the equal citizen of this country is by achieving Total Literacy. The is the way to strengthen our democracy in all dimensions.

I request you to take a minute off and visualise your role and responsibilities to join the literacy campaign in our state and in the country. Lets us build a formidable alliance I am sure of your positive response. Am I not?

CAN WE FLY LITERACY FLAG ON INDEPENDENCE DAY?

CAN WE FLY LITERACY FLAG ON INDEPENDENCE DAY?

On August 15, we all shall fly our Tricolour and celebrate once again that our country is a Sovereign, Secular Democratic Republic as envisaged by our Freedom Fighters and makers of India. But somewhere, there is a bit of ugly feeling that many of our fellow citizens are not having the basic Roti, Kapada , Makan and, above all, ajeevika. We also have many people still illiterate especially our women as today; the female literacy levels according to the Literacy Rate 2011 census are 65.46% where the male literacy rate is over 80%.  The female literacy among the Scheduled tribes in Odisha is 42.5%- much below the national average. . Despite having Total Literacy Campaigns and many other kinds of efforts, the percentage of female literacy has not significantly improved. In the entire country, the female literacy has needed special attention and hence Saakshar Bharat Programme has been launched with a lot of hope and positive visualisation. The Government and Civil Society Organisations have been seriously engaged but can we set another example in the Country and din the World that our female literacy rate is comparable to the developed countries!

The National Literacy Mission has designed a Literacy Flag and has formulate a pledge so that after hoisting the National Flag, the Literacy Flag is hoisted in every Gram Panchayat and men and women take the pledge. We all who are concerned with the issues of low female literacy must hoist the Literacy Flag and take ledge to make all women literate and send all the girls to school.

The Adult Literacy for  the poor and the toiling mass have been visualised  by leading thinkers and practitioners like great  Mahatma Gandhi, Antonio  Gramsci, Paulo Freire.  They have demonstrated that the Empowerment and Literacy go hand in hand resulting in the breaking the shackles of poverty and marginalisation.  On Independence Day, we have to revisit the Pedagogy of the Oppressed and evolve suitable strategies to combat illiteracy in the changing contexts of our society.

I am attaching the Literacy Flag and the Text of the Pledge. Our friends will hopefully respond to my request of hoisting the Flag and take the Pledge.    

    

TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD OR NOT TO KILL

TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD OR NOT TO KILL

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.  They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.  That's why it's a sin to kill a mocking bird."(A Quote from the book by Harper Lee).

Like some of the best books of the World, I had enjoyed reading To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee more than 40 years back. A month ago , I saw the film made on the book  in which Gregory Peck got an Oscar for best Actor playing the role of Atticus, the lawyer and the father of the little girl Scout  who has narrated the book in her words. Atticus, a white lawyer in White South of US was defending a black Tim Robinson who was falsely implicated. The all white jury had given the verdict convicting Tim who was unfair despite Atticus proving that Tim was innocent. Tim was killed while escaping the prison. Atticus and his motherless children (Jem and Scout) were the point of attack of the racist white. Finally, the law and the society stood for him and his family. The Dignity was restored.

In United States of America and in the entire World, this book was a best seller and so also the film was a great hit.  It had created tremendous sensation and went into several editions. Harper Lee, the Pulitzer Award Winning author of the book had indicated that the novel had been autobiographical to some extent.  However whether   there been was any dent on the discrimination in terms of the class and colour, race and religion, is a big question. Recent legal debate on the killing of black boy Trayvon Martin in US   and suicide/murder on Dalit youth Illavarasan in Tamil Nadu do indicate that the society has hardly changed.  

For a few nights, I could not sleep after seeing the film as I thought more and more of our society which has been rife with discrimination and hatred. One who stands for the poor and marginalised, is insulted and humiliated. One who stands for the rights of the underprivileged gets implicated. However, we all have to fight the ravages of the Society collectively and like Atticus should firmly believe that the mocking birds are not to be killed. Never.   

Implementation of Right to Information Act - More Intensive Collaborative Efforts Required

I was happy to participate in the Inaugural Session of the State Level RTI Convention held at Rourkela on 24th September. It has been organised by the Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhiyan ( Rourkela Chapter ) . The Chief Speaker was Mrs. Aruna Roy. I shared the Podium with Mr. Sahdev Sahoo ( ex-Chief Secretary ) and Mr. Gopal Nanda ( ex-DGP), Dr. Akshay Samal and Mr. Pradeep Pradhan. It was a great feeling to share some thoughts with the RTI Activists. It was an impressive show by the organisers. Thanks to the activists in and around Rourkela.

It is heartening to see that so many RTI Activiists are there to take forward the implementation of the RTI Act and share a collective vision envisaged by Mrs. Aruna Roy and her colleagues in the RTI Movement. There are many challenges but they have to be overcome. Mrs. Aruna Roy gave a call to work om one or two cross cutting issues in which all the activists across the country will be involved. We all agree that to sustain the Democracy in its true form in this country, one of the most non-violent and powerful tools have been the RTI Act.We all have to use it. We all have to defend that attack on the Act and those whistle-blowers who have been using the Act for a cause.

In my address I also suggested strategies which could make the whole process more broad-based. One thing which has not drawn much attention so far is the Section 4(1) (a), (b) of the RTI Act indicating Suo Motto and Proactive  disclosure by the Public Authorities. All the activists are working like WHISTLE-BLOWERS and are in a confrontation mood with the administration. It is inevitable that barring a few in the administration, most of the authorities stonewall the process of providing information. The activists have to run from pillars to posts to seek and get quality information. They run to the Information Commission but perhaps do not get an immediate hearing. In Kashipur, ordinary people file RTI Applications and they have to run 20 times from far away places to the Government Offices and get frustrated. The Officials also often mock these Information Seekers. Thus,  Confrontation becomes inevitable. This approach is valid to some extent but will not take the RTI Activists very far.

Under Suo Motto Disclosure, the Public Authorities  are bound to share information in public domain. A close look at section 4(1) and the provisions indicate that information has to be shared at all levels. The ordinary citizens must be given all the required and relevant information by these Public Authorities about numerous Schemes and Programmes, Acts and Policies, and the proposed Acts and Policies. The sharing information in the Internet is not enough. It should be available to the people at door step. The RI Act should not be confined to the Civil Societies but to one and all including the Government, Corporate, NGOs , Media and Political Parties etc. who are termed as Public Authorities.  This requires a Collaborative Framework and an act of moral persuasion notwithstanding the legal provisions. We the Civil Society Activists have to have greater interface with the Public Authorities so that there would be more sharing of information.

We do need the support of retired Govt. officials in the RTI Fora but we also need the serving officers. Imagine the impact, if in the inaugural function, the current  Chief Secretary and the DGP are sharing the Podium and are addressing the RTI Activists. That would have made much more sense and would have given the right kind of message.

To make the RTI movement in Odisha a success , to my mind, both the strategies - Confrontation and Collaboration - have to be institutionalised. I am sure Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhiyan will take note of my suggestions.

LETS SHED THIS HYPOCRISY

The recent tragic deaths of 25 children in Chhapra, Bihar due to the insecticide poisoning of the mid-day meal and also food-poisoning of mid-day meal at several places in the country have raised many questions on MDM- management, quantity and quality, appropriateness of cooked food and overall approach to Nutrition Security of our children.

We provide food to our children in Mukta Gyana Kutir but with a difference. We do not provide cheap food. We ensure quality and quantity, taste and timing, the joy of giving and sharing. During summer, the children have ragi porridge in the morning as the morning classes start followed by a lunch. The children get some seasonal vegetables/spinach every Saturday to add to the MDM. The children have a plot in the campus to grow their vegetables to make curries. The teachers are joining the children for food. The School Management Committee consisting of parents discuss the MDM in their meetings appreciate that their children are always looking healthy and happy.

The MDM and its management is a collective responsibility and can not be simply the responsibilities of the teachers and the Government. If there is so much discussion on fighting malnutrition among the children, why can't there be adequate provisions to ensure quality and quantity? Why it will be cheap? Why there will be scams in MDM? Why there will be insecticides in the MDM? All these are indicative that we do not love our children though we advertise that they are the future of our Country. Utter Hypocrisy!

Mrs. Tulsi Munda gets Doctorate and Mrs. Sumani Jhodia faces Non-bailable Warrant: Two Manifestations of Tribal Development

We all congratulate Mrs. Tulsi Munda , the well-known tribal woman leader of Odisha for getting an Honorary Doctorate from the Central University, Koraput. She has been recipient of many awards including Padmashree. She is one of  the most well-known face of the tribals in Odisha and has been on the podium of many events organised by the Government, Corporate and the Civil Societies. She is the symbol of the crowning glory that an humble tribal can achieve. She has also become the spokesperson of the tribals on many an occasion expressing views on mining and industrialisation, displacement and development, identity and culture and many more. The Government has always sought her opinion in many issues. The ruling power elite have always wanted to put her on the pedestal and have made her iconic. But her critics have questioned her when she has kept mum over many sensitive issues affecting tribal lives and livelihoods. Questions have been raised when she gives an impression of being co-opted by the establishment. Eyebrows have been raised when the entire corporate sectors support her organisation with financial grants, vehicles, buildings, manpower and other infra-structural support.  Whatever it may be she has to be praised for her ability to rise to the occasion and be a leader of her community. Surely, there will be many laurels coming in  Mrs. Tulsi Munda’s way in future. It is already written on the wall.

Mrs. Sumani Jhodia came to the lime light when late Chief Minister Biju Patnaik had appointed her as one of her Advisers in early 90s recognising her articulation and her profile of courage. Coming from a modest Paraja Community she was in the forefront of many struggles and movements  fighting for her rights, entitlements and justice. Once she was given the Police Power by the Government to stop liquor business and she broke many liquor shops with the help of tribal women of her area. She had taken up a range of issues in support of the tribals for rights over land, minor forest produce, tribal self-rule, right to information and for development with dignity for her community. Once late Biju Patnaik offered her a vehicle and she refused politely saying that an ambulance should come to her local hospital. She got prestigious Stree Shakti Award from the Government which she used for the development of her community. In the Tribes Advisory Council she had opposed the transfer of Tribal Land and collided with the power that be resulting in the  loss of her membership. She refused an Award by Nalco protesting the Maikanch  Police firing in Dec 2000 killing three innocent tribes. Due to the conspiracy by the promoters of industry, Jhodias  have lost the tribal status though they are Parajas. Mrs. Suman Jhodia is running from pillar to post to get back her tribal status and secure justice. At the moment she is on bail from the High Court as  she has been implicated in non-bailable cases. Two cases are related to anti-liquor campaign. The third case is where she led a group of people to Block Office to demand better implementation of various development programmes of the Government. She is a symbolic resistance to the attack on all the tribals of this country.     

The Tribals  to day are at a cross-road – whether to follow the foot steps of  Mrs. Tulsi Munda or Mrs. Sumani Jhodia. The choice is absolutely theirs.  

Amma Canteen: Tamil Nadu Shows the Way

          Amma Canteen: Tamil Nadu shows the Way

                             Achyut Das

During my recent visit to Chennai, I had the opportunity to visit an outlet of Amma Canteen launched by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mrs. Jayalalitha. I had read a lot about this historic effort and also had visited the websites to know more about that. I was excited that the Government is promoting these Low Cost Canteens to sell Idlis @ Re1/- per one, Curd Rice @ Rs.3/- per plate, Sambhar Rice @ Rs.5 and Pongal Rice  @Rs.5/- per plate. Anyone can have the breakfast and lunch which will cost Rs.18/- per person (5 Idlis for breakfast, Pongal and Curd Rice for Lunch). The Amma Canteen is planning in a big way to supply Chappattis too. In these canteens, any one can eat but can not take away outside. There are already 200 such canteen set up in all 200 wards of the City and  are being expanded to many cities of Tamil Nadu. Amazing!

I visited one of the Canteens early in the morning when the things are under preparation. One unit is managed by an SHG Group of 12 women and all are trained. Each one gets a salary of  Rs, 9000/- per month. Job chart is there for each one – cleaning, cutting the vegetables, cooking, and serving. There is fixed time for breakfast and fixed time for lunch. Idli mix has to be prepared one day before so that it is properly fermented. Each Canteen is designed with a lot of imagination to have place for cooking, store, dining space, and with proper water supply and electricity. Place is absolutely neat and clean. Huge cooking vessels are supplied. There is a water filter for every one to get pure water to drink after the meal.  Women are wearing caps.  Which is required while doing the work?  The provisions are centrally provided. One supervisor looks after the supply, accounts and over all management. There is quality control. This Canteen I visited is serving 5000 persons on average who are mostly labourers, auto-drivers, Masons, students, working class women etc. No hassles whatsoever.

I was trying to communicate with the women asking them a range of questions on their background, their training, salary, attitude and aptitude towards their work, drudgery of doing the same thing again and again and also the economics part. The women are happy that they are feeding 5000 people in two shifts. An air of affirmation is visible on their profile.

Is the Amma Canteen a correct approach to remove hunger and starvation? Is it confined to urban and peri-urban pockets catering to the need of the labourers pouring into the cities from the villages in search of livelihood? How much is subsidised? How long this kind of Public Sector ventures will survive? Is it the only alternative that   the rations  are supplied centrally?

I strongly feel that to combat starvation, hunger and malnutrition etc., such kind of Amma Canteens could be one of the strategies which the state can adopt. It is not free-food. It is affordable. It is part of the culture and not imported from outside or foreign countries like CARE feeding or Danish Biscuits or WFP food supplements. Tamil Nadu had the distinction of introducing Mid-day Meal in 80s under the leadership of the then CM late Mr. MG Ramachandran and the whole country adopted it.

Some critics of Amma canteen are asking about economics of the whole thing and unsustainability part of it. I think this is the best use of the subsidised rice and other food grains.  This could be another innovative way of ensuring Food Security for All. I think of Odisha where such canteens should be started in the high risk villages and Panchayats known for hunger and starvation deaths. Odisha is drowned with the ignominy of   Jhintu Bariha’s starvation death.  A time has come to do something so that the state does not allow any one to have starvation death. At least one such canteen is opened in every Block Headquarters of all KBK Districts to start with. I know there will be several questions like where is the infra-structure, assured electricity, water supply, trained women from the SHGs, supply line, quality control etc.. But if there is a political will, it can be arranged.

 We may not have Idlis and Pongal rice , but we can have Khichdi, Shattu, Murhi with curry, even rice and dal easily cooked and sold. It can be delicacies from the local millets which the tribal love. Odisha has a history of subsidising the corporate in thousands of crores. Why can’t it subsidise food for the hungry?

CAN WE REDUCE IMR AND MMR?

CAN WE REDUCE IMR AND MMR?

Two Days back, the newspapers in Odisha State (India) had reported that even though the IMR in the state has been reduced from 75 per 1000 in 2005 to 57 per 1000 in 2011. It is a matter of great concern. Similarly, the MMR in the state is higher than the national average .i.e. 258 per 1000 in Odisha compared to 212 per 1000 at the National Level.  Despite much effort both by the Government and NGOs, there has not been significant change.  The suggested figures are much higher in tribal areas of Odisha, The question comes whether the Nutrition Programme is really reaching the target group or not? Also whether the Anganwadi workers and Asha Karmis are playing the expected role or not? Whether access to health care and infra-structure, safe drinking water, information and basic food and livelihood is ensured or not has become a big question. All these indicate that the state of Odisha is far from reaching the Million Development Goals (MDGs).

It has always been suggested that to reduce the IMR and MMR to a satisfactory level and achieve the distinction of reaching a target below the National Figures, there is a need to identify HIGH RISK areas. There should be a Mission and try out the following:

1.      Intensive Mass Literacy Programme including Female Literacy

2.      Prepare more number of Barefoot Doctors and Volunteers

3.      Operationalise a Convergence Programme under a Collaborative framework under which the Government, the NGOs and Civil Societies, the Private Sector, the Panchayati Raj Institutions, the Doctors Associations, the Media etc. will build up a front to achieve the goals.

4.      Give rewards to those villages and Panchayats who have minimised the IMR and MMR.

5.      Express a Political Will by all Political Parties

6.      The International Agencies like UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank must act proactively rather than produce glossy Reports.

7.      Prepare Innovative Programmes with Community Participation.

8.      Publish Citizen’s Reports to highlight why things are working or not.

9.       Expand Health Infra-structure and change the scenario of 8 Doctors and 4 beds per 100,000 populations.

10.   Earmark special budget for the High Risk Areas.

Please send your feed back to me and take the debate further.