STRENGTHENING THE PRIs IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

STRENGTHENING THE PRIs IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

Years back, when the Left Wing Extremism was on the rise , the then Planning Commission had convened a consultative meeting in which we, a selected group Grass Root NGOs had participated. The general consensus emerged that all the Rural/Tribal Problems would be solved if the PRIs are strengthened for effective GOVERNANCE ( Ref: Expert Group on “Development Issues to Deal with the Causes of Discontent, Unrest and Extremism” headed by Mr D.Bandyupdhyay submitted its Report in April 2008). Late Dr. B.D.Sharma under the aegis of Ministry of Panchayati Raj had headed a committee to improve the Functioning of the GRAM SABHAS. [ The Sapatapdi ( Seven Steps) of Tribal Empowerment by Dr. B.D.Sharma and the link is https://www.slideshare.net/pr…/scheduled-tribes-by-bd-sharma].

We welcome the  Government decision  that the Panchayats in Odisha will handle the issues of Migrants in all respects including the managing of Quarantine Centres. But if one looks deeply and analyse the ground reality, is the Panchayat ready for addressing the issues of the Migrants as well as managing the programmes like MGNREGS, Odisha Livelihood Missions and a host of other programmes? Have our Sarpanches and other PRI Functionaries been properly trained and oriented to manage things with efficiency and effectiveness? Have the Training Institutes ( NIRD, SIRD, NGOs) ever tried to find out why things have gone wrong ? How many Sarpanches have gone beyond the process of recovery of their expenses on their election? How many Sarpanches have challenged the wrong decision taken by the PEOs/BDOs/MLAs? Has there been an independent study how many decisions of the Gram Sabhas have been taken correctly and implemented? In how many cases, the Lady Sarpanches are the actual Sarpanches and not replaced by their husbands, brothers, in-laws? I leave it to my friends to find out for themselves.

I was involved in a Project Under Right to Information Act(RTI) under Section 4.1(b) in which the Public Authorities have to share information.  The information was seldom supplied nor demanded at the community level. The Government of Odisha  has published many Leaflets,Posters,Booklets to share information on various Government Schemes  but the outreach was very limited. For example, there was publication of a Booklet AAINA which was a compendium of various Government Schemes.  I found that in many Panchayat Offices, the these booklets were laying abandoned.  I had cross-checked with many Sarpanches who could not tell what was the Minimum Wage under MGNREGS and how different it was from the State Minimum Wage. 

Many of our friends having deep understanding of the PRIs and the prevalent System in Odisha, doubt very much if the Quarantine Centres can be managed well and with desired results. How can the QCs be made into a place of Joy and Hope? The challenges are many – a) How can the Migrants get their legitimate entitlements?, b) How can the creative energy of the Migrants be transformed to an Model Centre? Or a LEARNING CENTRE? How can the migrants have access to information? Our NGO Friends are working on a 14-Day Schedule based on decades of organising Rural camps. There can be songs and dances; Games and Sports; there can be story telling; there can be interactive sessions to share living experiences and also there can be skill development. What is important is the Facilitation. Can the Saprpanch with aid of Cutting-edge village level workers be such a Facilitator? Here comes the crucial ROLE of NGOs and NGO sponsored VOLUNTEERS. There is a need to sit together of all stakeholders and discuss the strategies how to handle a group of Migrants who have already been ravaged, exploited and marginalised? GOs or NGOs, Sarpanches or Volunteers , they must establish Model Quarantine Centres for others to replicate. I am convinced that there are many innovative ways to run a Quarantine Centres – not by Government Orders or by Text Book approach of Disaster Management but by sheer participation, learning and sharing, and Transparency and Accountability and with a touch of love and friendship! It is not a Government Target to achieve, by hook or by crook!