SAMUHIK MARUDI

PRATIKAR UDYAM-
BALANGIR (SMPU)
interprets
the maladies of the Deprived
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the highly saleable product of
Balangir
 
HUNGER OF THE POOREST
 
…. and it happens to be the
epicenter of ‘Poverty’ and
‘Hunger’ for decades
 
 
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 ‘Hunger’ in Balangir – The ‘A’ Factor

 Affordability Purchasing power

 Availability Public distribution
 Accessibility People’s participation

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 Why chronic hunger ?
•Breakdown of traditional coping mechanisms -
‘reinventing grain banks’

•Changes in agro practices – 100 above traditional drought

resistant seeds lost !!

•Loss of access and control over natural resources….by the

poor and marginalized

•Bankrupt Policy Imagination without people’s

participation and inefficient implementation of the
programs by an unaccountable bureaucracy and political 4
structure at all levels.
 Insecure livelihood resources
Cu l t i v a b l e La n d H o l d i n g s 50% Big farmer
50%
40% Small farmer
45%
Marginal farmer
40%
30%
Landless
35%
25% labourers
30% 20%
20%
25%
15%
20%

15%

10%
0%
5%

0%
Population Land holding

Source: Lok Yojana in 326 villages in Balangir

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 However, The Truth is that :
We have Poverty, but we are not a poor district.

We have illiteracy but we are not an illiterate district.

We have Problems but Balangir as a district is neither

a problem nor a burden on the State.

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 Restoring the Confidence of the
Marginalized Sections

   CADMB attempts to reverse the “Brand Balangir” of the

 

Past.
CADMB counters the perception of ‘POVERTY’ as an asset
to be exploited and not a problem to be solved.

Presenting the people of Balangir as poor has been de-

emphasized under CADMB intervention.
CADMB vigorously confronts the claim of the
administration and of different charitable agencies that
             

Balangir as a poor district needs and wants aid and help.

 
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 Our Perspective…
• To Consider each and every poor
and marginalized as an active agent
in the process of change rather
passive recipient of dispensed
benefits.
• Organizing and sensitizing the poor
and deprived and excluded sections
for the assertion of their rights
through ‘Rights-Based Approach’
for involving them in a politicization
process.
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BALANGIR : BASIC
FACTS
Area : 6575 Sqkm ; 14 Blocks ;
285 GPs, 1792 villages

Population: 13 lakh ( SC: 15%,

ST 23%)

Total cultivable land: 3.9 laks

Hec.

Literacy : 55%
Small farmers : 25%

Marginal farmers 42%

Agricultural labourers : 25%

One of 100 poorest districts 9

 The Paradox
• Avg. Land Holding - 1.69 hect. (state avg. 1.34;
yet 25% agricultural workforce is labourers
• Avg. annual rainfall 1200 mm ; yet only 3% land
has protected irrigation
• Per capita food production 274 kg ; yet 90%
people are below poverty line
• 6th largest food producing district ; yet 30%
population is undernourished and 10% is seasonal
migrants
• Multiethnic communities ; yet majority migrants
are STs & SCs
• 2000 primary schools ; 1 teacher per 35 students
; 5 years of DPEP ; yet 45 % dropout
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 Pauperising Issues
• Frequent Droughts (1899, 1965,
1996,2000,2001,2003)
• Migration : bonded labour, child labour
• Social disparities - caste , class and
gender
• Chronic Hunger : Starvation
&
Distress Migration has remained as a major
form of Deprivation

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 WHY DO THEY GO ?
Impact of recurring droughts
•1899, 1965, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003
Lost traditional coping mechanisms
•Forest & NTFP, Irrigation, Agriculture
Deprivation from entitlements
•Employment, wages, emergency relief, social/food
security schemes
Exploitative money lending
•Land alienation

FOOD INSECURITY 12
Migration Map of Balangir

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 To sum up…
• Drought is man-made and the apparent results
are…
• Lack of Land Rights
• Lack of Access to and Control over Land and local
Resources leads to ……

• Food Insecurity
• Food Insecurity Leads to…

• Distressed Migration
• Distressed Migration Leads ‘Distress in Migration’
and Violation of Fundamental Rights as well as
Human Rights…

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Distress Migration : A Journey
that begins in ‘Dark’ and ends
in ‘Dark’

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WHO MIGRATE
•Dalits & Tribals
•Women & children
•Marginal & Small
Farmers
•Landless Agricultural
labourers

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 FAR FROM THE LAND THAT
FEEDS ....

•About 40% of total migrants are landless

agri. labourers
•28% are marginal farmers
•30% are small farmers
•2% are big farmers

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 WHERE DO THEY GO
•Andhra Pradesh •Brick Kilns
•Carpet Industry
•Uttar Pradesh
•Construction Sites
•Maharastra
•Rickshaw Pulling & Gardening
•Chhatisgarh

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WHAT HAPPENS IN
MIGRATION
•Distress sale of
labour
•Unhygienic
environment
•Restriction of
Movement
•No-care for Left-
behind relatives
–Old/Destitute, 19

Children, Women
 VIOLATION OF RIGHTS
•Inter-state Migrant
Workmen’s Act 1979
•Bonded Labour System
(abolition) Act 1976
•Child labour Act 1986
•Contract Labour Act 1970
•Minimum Wages Act
1947
•Workmen Compensation
Act 1923 20
 And the SMPU intervenes …
•Vision
Reduction of poverty through drought mitigation
•Mission
Enabling poor and marginalized people to
exercise their rights on social justice, equitable sharing
and optimal utilization of available recourses
•Goal
Checking chronic hunger
Reducing distress in migration
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 Scaling up in 2000
• Institutionalising Lok Yojana (MLP) and
REFLECT Processes
• Creating replicable sustainable drought
mitigation models in the district
• Access to and Control over Resources
• Checking Distress Migration
• Strengthening people’s organizations at
micro and macro levels and facilitating
network
• Ensuring participation of the marginalized
in decision making of Gram Sabha
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 Marching Ahead…
Strengthening Migrants’ organizations
Formation of Migrants’ Labor Societies.
Ensuring education to migrant children
Providing legal literacy to migrants
Land for all landless
Increasing household food security
Institutionalizing micro level planning
Incorporating ICT in REFLECT
Strengthening local governance 23
 Existing Structures
VDAC (GMPC) Reflect Circles
PARTNER IN &
ORGANIZATIONS Circle level
EACH VILLAGE Info. Resource
Centers (CIRCs)

CLC Block Resource

(AMPC) Coordinators in
PARTNER IN place
ORGANIZATIONS &
EACH Cluster Resource
BLOCK Centers (CRCs)

SMPU CDAC (KMPC) District

NETWORK AT Resource
DISTRICT Center (DRC)
LEVEL

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 NEED OF THE HOUR
LIVELIHOOD
•Land-based (Land for all
Landless Poor)
•Forest-based (Control Over
NTFP collection and
Marketing)
•Non-exploitative Credit
•Employment Guarantee by
State for all (Effective
Implementation of NREGA)
ENFORCEMENT
•Migrants’ Organization
•Legal Literacy
•Legal Aid & Justice
•Inter-District Joint cell
•Children’s education
•Effective
Implementation of RTI
•Transparent utilization
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of KBK grants / funds
 Fighting Poverty Together…
• Building Alliances of the Poor and
Marginalized
• Larger Collaboration amongst the
Development Actors and Groups
• Alliance Building among the
members of the larger Civil Society
• Collective efforts towards
eradicating ‘Capability Deprivation’
and ‘Entitlement Deprivation’

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 How can we go ahead…
• Greater Collaborations among the
intra and inter District Networks and
Organizations
• Regular Sharing and exchange of
ideas
• Extending solidarity concerning all
issues affecting the lives and
livelihoods of the poor and deprived
cutting across the geographic
boundaries
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 Let us Fight Together…
• From TO-DAY onwards and as
long as the last person standing
in the row has not been heard
and has not asserted her / his
basic RIGHTS to Live Long and
to Live Well…. Our struggle will
continue….

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