Dated - 30 to 31st Dec 2009

Place - Mandpam Sabhagar, Orai

Supported By

PARMARTH & Action Aid

 5th Annual Convention
of
PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH
(30-31st December 2009)
Context

Pahuch Vikas Manch is a Community Based Organization emerged during

course of implementation of PARMARTH Samj Sevi Sansthan, Bundelkhand.
Pahuch Vikas Manch has emerged as visible and credible membership based
organization in the district of Jalaun with more than 10000 women and men
members. Since it inception from 2002, Pahuch Vikas Manch has been working
on the agenda of Fear, Exploitation & Starvation with the support of larger civil
society groups and common villagers. It has taken the issues of drought &
livelihood more specifically and demonstrated progressive examples in
addressing the immediate needs of the drought affected poor and marginalized
community members. It has also facilitated the community processes towards
ensuring access over social and food security scheme in favour of eligible
families through collective action.

Since last five year, the region is facing regular drought, which has not only
affecting the livelihood of the community members but it has weakened the
community coping mechanism. Even government welfare and food secuirity
schemes are not effectively implementing. Pahuch Vikas Manch was
instrumental in making PDS, ICDS and Mid Day Meal schemes functional in few
operational villages, but still reach over welfare and food security schemes
among eligible families over these schemes is limited. Drought Proofing
Programme and welfare measures are also not being effectively implemented
due to weak governance.

Observing the present vulnerability factors and deprivation conditions of the poor
& marginalized community groups, Pahuch Vikas Manch has facilited a pressure
building process by organizing its 5th Annual Convention at Orai, Jalaun. The
prominent social activist will attend this convention and provide their solidarity to
Pahuch Vikas Manch in their endeavor.

Report of ANNUAL CONVENTION OF PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH – 30-31

December 2009

PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has organized its 5th ANNUAL CONVENTION at

Mandapam Sabhagar, Orai, Jalaun on 30-31 December 2009. More than 1000
members of Pahuch Vikas Manch
along with community members,
panchayat members, development
service providers, media functionaries,
social activists and other
representatives of diversified civil
society groups were present in the
convention. National and Regional
leaders of Dalits, Small & marginal
Farmers and other leaders of community & women based organization were also
present in the convention. Mr. Colin, Lawyer & Legal Experts, Human Law
Network, Dr. B.D.Sharma, National Leader of Mazdoor & Farmer, Mr. Ambrish
Rai, National Convener, Lok Sangarsh Morcha, Mr. K.K.Rai, Lawyer, Supreme
Court, Allahabad & Director, Human Law Network, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi,
PVCHR and other regional leaders has attended the annual convention.

All present members have witnessed the strength, zeal and progressive move of
PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH, which they have traveled over the years and dent in
the lives of the drought & ravine affected community members in the region.
PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH with the support of local village level organization i.e.
Mahila Mandal, Gram Chetna Mandal and Village Water & Sanitation Committee
has been working on Food, Work, Livelihood and Dignity agenda in the region.
During the convention discussion and interaction was held mainly on Food,
Work, Livelihood and Dignity issues of poorest, dalits & marginalized community
groups and action agenda has been worked out.

CONVENTION started with National Song followed by introductory remarks by

Shri Ramkrishna Shukla, Convener, Aapda Nivarak Manch, Bundelkhand. Mr.
Sanjay Singh, Director, Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan has introduced the
present members

Mr. Nathuram Bodh, Convener, PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has presented the
annual progress of the MANCH. He has also brief about the PAHUCH VIKAS
MANCH i.e. it a nonpolitical community based organization, which is working for
securing rights & entitlements of the poorest, marginalized and socially excluded
groups. It was established in year 2002 for taking up the agenda of poorest,
marginalized community members’ small & marginal farmers of 25 villages of
Rampura & Madhogarh Block of Jalaun District of Bundelkhand region of Uttar
Pradesh. In the journey of last 7 Years, PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has played
lead role in collective assertion of rights & entitlements in favour of the poorest &
marginalized community groups with focus on dalits & women groups. He has
also informed that PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has mainly taken the agenda of
Food, Work, Livelihood, Debt, Agriculture and Dignity and favoured the
associated members as well as common poor & marginalized villagers in the
region. He also shared about progress of MANCH as PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH
has spred its arms in more than 300 villages of all 9 blocks of Jalaun district of
Uttar Pradesh with10582 regular members. PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has gained
its own images and credibility in the region and developed institutional linkages.
Nathuramji has also shared about focused programme implemented in the year
2009.
Dr. Lenin has addressed the
meeting and informed about the
Bundelkhand Package but he also
cautioned that local level planning
and community awareness is very
much needed for ensuring effective implementation of Bundelkhand Package
Programme. Middlemen and vested interest groups are not supporting the poor
community member and present political system is also not much interested for
the well being of the poor villagers. Problems in agriculture of Bundelkhand
region is also reaching to Maharastra & Andhra Pradesh and it require serious
intervention for addressing the problem related to agriculture. He emphasis on
collectivization processes for realization of rights & entitlements over services,
welfare schemes and government programme.

Mr. Bhupender Nishad, Lawyer, Supreme Court expressed the present

economic condition and increasing price of commodities, which ultimately
affecting the poorest & marginalized families. These categories of community
members are forced to migrate for managing their livelihood. Stock of grain
equation in our country is also affecting the poorest as we all know about the
failure of PDS. Marketing of agriculture product of small & marginal farmers is
also affecting the gain of the farmers as they are getting low prices of their
agriculture product through middlemen.

Mr. K.K. Rai, Lawyer, Supreme

Court, Allahabad has addressed the
participants by saying that judiciary
never support and progressive to the
poorest and marginalized groups. He
further highlighted the present
anomalies in effective
implementation of the NREGA
programme. Though NREGA is
progressive move by the government but when it reaches at panchayat level than
it become challenging for the representatives of panchayat members. Panchayat
members along with implementing bodies get extra benefits / advantages by un-
favouring the eligible community members. Land Rights, NREGA entitlements
and other development agenda always need collective assertion by the poorest &
marginalized community members. One side the small & marginal farmers of
Bundelkhand are committing suicide due to debt problems but in other region of
the country i.e. In Vidharva and Punjab region farmers are acing problems due to
use of GM seed. Assertion over services, welfare schemes and government
programme always require collective assertion exercise under the leadership of
community & women based organization.

Further participants has been organized into four different groups for group
interaction on different four agenda – Right to Work under NREGA and
Livelihood, Right to Information & Challenges, Water Management &
Environment, Right to Education, Women & Girls’ right, Sanghthan.

Highlights of NREGA/Food Security

 Need to extend number of wage workday in a year

 Need to provide incentive and recognition of best performing gram

panchayat under NREGA

 Government programme / drought proofing should be properly

implemented in favour of small & marginal farmers

 Women should get wage work under NREGA as per the norms of 33%
reservation

Highlights of Right to Information Act

 Need to clarify about payment norms among the community members –
sometime BPL cardholders have to pay charges for getting information

 Need to organize right to information day in a month

Highlight of Water Conservation & Management

  Need to respect local village level water micro plan by the panchayat and
government implementing bodies

 Need for promotion of organic farming practices in the region

 Need for afforestation in the region on priorities basis

 Extraction of Ground Water Use need to be check in the region

Highlight of Right to Education

 Government teacher attendance and timing should be closely monitored

 Teacher pupil ratio should be make1:30

 Village Education Committee needs to make functional in the region

Highlight of Women & Girls’ Rights

 Participation of women should be encouraged in planning, implementation
and monitoring & evaluation of the programme

 Need to facilitate the women gram sabha in the region

 Timely payment of widow pension

 Capacity building of women panchayat members for effective discharging

of their rights & responsibility

 Joint account of Women & men

 Women entitlement over land patta of agriculture land and homestead

land

Highlight of Sanghathan
 Timely dissemination of information about government programme,
services and welfare schemes

 Risk management plan for reducing the incidens of violence against

leader of community based organization

 Need to organize community programme

  Alliance building with like minded regional, state and national association /
groups / networks

Cultural programme was organized in the evening of 30th December 2009.

Second day convention was started with songs. Further each group has
presented the outcome of the group discussion. Further representative of
PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has welcomed the members of panelist – Mr. Kolin,
Right To food Campaign, Dr. B.D.Sharma, National Leader, Mr. Ambrish Rai, Lok
Sangarsh Morocha.

Mr. Ambrish Rai has addressed the

participants and highlighted the
present existing unequal practices of
social & economic dimension in the
society. He shared about the
struggling pattern of dalits &
marginalized community groups as
they are facing multiple ranges of
problems. There means of livelihood is
not very gainful and they struggle throughout the year for meeting their livelihood.
Middlemen and local moneylender are unknowingly exploiting them and
development service providers are also supporting them in realizing their social
security schemes, food security schemes and other government programme.

Mr. Kolin has further expressed about

the roles of National Right to Food
Campaign that how it has initiated the
struggle of entitlement realization over
social welfare & food security schemes
through legal intervention (PUCL). But
he also expressed that the entitlement
realization of the social welfare and
food security schemes in the
Bundelkhand region is very disappointing and even complaints / violation
reporting are not coming by the community members or leader of the community
based organization frequently. He shared about the information of formation of
Commission under the leadership of Retd. Judge, Supreme Court, who will camp
in the villages of the Bundelkhand region and assess the present condition of
vulnerability of the dalis & marginalized community groups and status of
realization of social welfare & food security schemes in favour of eligible
community members.

Dr. B.D. Sharma has highlighted the

wage discrimination aspect of labour
during his addressing. He also
highlighted the aspects of debt
problems of the community members.
He stressed about the need of
community control over water, forest
and land resources and these resources
should not transfer in the hand of
multinational companies. He highlighted the strength of Small & Martginal farmer
that today’s FARMERS ARE NOT POOR BUT THEY ARE BEING EXPLOITED
and discriminated in the existing government policy. He also requested for
collective assertion process of claiming rights and asserting entitlement under the
leadership of community based organization.

Further open discussion was held, in which the participants has clarified their
doubts and asked for information related to redressal of their problems.

At the end of session, the representatives of PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH has

shared about the priority agenda of the MANCH for the year 2010

 To make hunger free Bundelkhand

 Mobilizing the community members towards realization of their

entitlements over social security and food security schemes
  Strengthening the NREGA UNION for getting 100 days wage work
employment under NREGA

 Analysis of suicide cases of starvation death and farmer suicide

 Increasing the violation reporting and complains redressal mechanism

 Networking and Alliance Building with like-minded groups on the Drought

& Livelihood agenda

 Facilitating the panchayat election voter campaign and encouraging for

emergence of progressive SCs, STs and women leaders in the PRIs
bodies.

 Prevention of Child below 6 years from malnutrition

Mr. Nathu Ram gave vote of thanks to all participants and guest of the
programme. He especially thanks to the members of PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH
who has contributed in cash and kind for successful completion of the Annual
Convention of the PAHUCH VIKAS MANCH.
IN MEDIA EYES.,..