A community driven initiative (AJEEVIKA SAHAYATA KENDRA )

Dalit and Tribal communities are always core agenda of development for government and non-government organizations in India. There are uncounted numbers of centrally sponsored schemes are running across rural areas in our country to support the deprived people living in village with their unfavorable situations. Unfortunately, these schemes are not producing fruitful impact on the target beneficiaries whereas a central and state government has made efforts to deliver it with its actual objective. Due to the huge gaps between right holder and duty bearers and lack of accessibly to information regarding these schemes among the community made the allotments lengthy. There is opportunity is being created for middle man. Duty bearers are non-responsive towards the right holders who are forced to live painful life. Lack of ownership over natural resources and poor livelihood opportunity put their life in food insecurity that causes huge migrations.



Community driven Center for rights based interventions

Prgati Grameen Vikas Samiti have started a community driven initiative called MNREGA Sahayta Kendra (MNREGA Assistance Center) in its preliminary stage to increase the accessibility to livelihood opportunity thus the migration and poverty can be tackle. As these centers were in their primary stage with certain objectives, it was only serving those beneficiaries who are eligible to be benefited under the centrally sponsored schemes MNREGA but still neglected. Few villagers have job cards but no work to do. Few have applied for job but no work allotted under MNREGA. Most of them do not have even job cards. MNRGA Sahayta Kendra established at panchayat level facilitating these underprivileged communities to access the entitlement under this livelihood security schemes. Advocacy efforts were being made through these centers for job. Overall functioning of these centers had proven its means of establishment. Now beneficiaries are well aware of provisions and entitlements under the centrally sponsored scheme of MNREGA.

Pragati Grameen Vikas Samiti is working for Dalit and Tribal to ensure their rights over natural resource like water, forest, land etc. with support of Oxfam India. As we know that these natural resources are the foundation of sustainable livelihood for rural mass. Dalit and Tribal communities in Bihar are still deprived a segment of our society who has long association with natural resources and still they are dependent over natural resources. Homestead land right and Forest rights act are promising the Dalit and Tribal for their rights over property, but somehow these entitlements are unable to reach the right beneficiaries. Pragati Grameen Vikas Samiti have established livelihood assistance centers in fifty panchayats to provide a platform to the disposed communities to be united and demand their rights to land and livelihood. These centers were initially facilitating the discussions around the land and livelihood issue; therefore it started supporting the communities in generating demand of rights. Collectivized submissions of applications were being submitted to the block officials against different schemes. Follow up of submitted application were undertaken through the centers. Communities were started advocating for their rights through protest and foot march. Awareness has been enhancing regarding the rights of people over the land and livelihood.

Accessibility to the social security and livelihood schemes is being increased through these established ASKs and now it also supporting by ensuring the information flow of govt. schemes for smallholder farmers. With the positive hope, our endeavors are making smallholder agriculture a profitable agro-sector and will mobilize resources for farmers and policy reforms for smallholder agriculture in Bihar as well as recognition of women as farmer.