VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT REPORT

VILLAGE: KAINDOL
GRAM PANCHAYAT: BADHONIGHAT
BLOCK: DHARAMPUR

PREPARED BY:
Sakshi Deokar (p40147)
Diksha Jain (p40066)
Nivedha Rajarathinam (p40089)

In partial fulfilments of the requirements of VFS of the

Post graduate program in Rural Management

INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT ANAND

NOVEMBER -2019

0
 Village Development Report

Acknowledgement

Village Fieldwork Segment (VFS) based on a socio-economic survey is a unique and valuable task, that
requires the support of several individuals and organisations for its successful completion. Firstly, we
thank IRMA for providing us this wonderful opportunity of field work segment that gave a first-hand
experience of the life in rural areas.
Secondly, we thank Prof. Satyendra Pandey, Prof. Sumit Kumar Yadav and the VFS office for providing
the necessary instructions, information regarding the segment and also for ensuring our safe stay at the
villages.
We would like to express or sincere thanks to Prof. Vivek Pandey, Prof. Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan, for
their insightful sessions that equipped us with the knowledge and tools required for conducting a good
survey and further analysis.
We express our gratitude towards the host organisation at Himachal Pradesh, RUCHI, for their guidance
and support towards our fieldwork. Our profound thanks to Mr. Mahip Dagar, for his valuable
suggestions on our fieldwork and also, for the inspiring works of the organisation towards the
development of the villages in Baddi.
Last but not the least, we would like to express our indebtedness and gratitude to our hosts at the Tujjhiar
village, Mrs. Pushpalata and family, for providing us with all the basic facilities, their love and support,
throughout our stay and aiding us in several ways for the completion of the survey work.
 Village Development Report

List of Abbreviations

1 SHG Self Help Group

2 TDS Total Dissolved Solids

3 LPG Liquified Petroleum Gas

4 HH Households

5 SH9 State Highway – 9

6 ASHA Accredited Social Health Activist

7 NSSO National Social Survey Organisation

8 ANM Auxiliary Nurse Midwife

9 PDS Public Distribution System

10 Q Quintal

11 LIC Life Insurance Co-Operation

12 MGNREGS Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee

13 RUCHI Rural Centre For Human Interests

14 KCC Kisan Credit Card

15 BMI Body Mass Index

16 SMC School Management Committee

17 B/W Between

18 GO Government official

19 EP Elected Panchayat
 Village Development Report

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Village map
Figure 2: Employment diversity in Kaindol
Figure 3: Proportion of farmers who own land and cultivate
Figure 4: Proportion of crops sown in Rabi and Kharif
Figure 5: Land distribution in Kaindol
Figure 6: No of HH with landholdings in bhiga
Figure 7: Distance of nearest financial institutions from Kaindol
Figure 8: Interest rates on deposits and borrowings for villagers in Kaindol
Figure 9: Gender distribution of students in schools near Kaindol
Figure 10:Pariticipation in Governance
Figure 11: The officials responsible for decisions regarding public goods
Figure 12: Major shocks in the village
Figure 13: Major coping mechanisms
Figure 13: Climate change indicators
Figure 14: Sources of income
Figure 15: Expenditure Profile
Figure 16: Income Expenditure Relationship
Figure 17: Bawdi in Village - Pipalta
Figure 18: Status of the dams constructed in Dhamrot village
 Village Development Report

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Location and Communication

Table 2: Population profile
Table 3: Interest rates on deposits and borrowings for villagers in Kaindol

Table 4: Water and Sanitation facilities in schools around Kaindol

Table 5: Availability of health services

Table 6: Visit of Government Workers to village for the following services

Table 7: The status of the government schemes in the village

Table 8: People’s support for various welfare activities
Table 9: Sources of income
Table 10: Expenditure and Income Profile
Table 11: ODF status in the villages
 Village Development Report

METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE

Sampling Technique Snowball Sampling

No. of Household in Village 35

Households covered 21

DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE

1. PRIMARY DATA SOURCE

o HH Surveys
o Village surveys
o Focused Group Discussions
o Structured Interview
o Semi Structured Interview
o Transect Walk

2. SECONDARY DATA SOURCE

o Internal Government Records
o Census Data
o Data from Extension Worker
o Panchayat Secretary Office
o Patwari Office

OBJECTIVES:
The primary target of village fieldwork was to pick up the experience of rural life, watch
the exercises around us, while not being judge mental about what we see and watch. We
additionally needed to think about the rural elements and features in the rural economy.
 Village Development Report

1. IDENTIFICATION OF VILLAGE AND HOUSEHOLDS

Kaindol is a village located in Baddi Tehsil of Solan District in the southern part of the
state of Himachal Pradesh. This district shares its borders with the states of Punjab and
Haryana with the city of Chandigarh being about 90 kms from district headquarters Solan.
The village is located in SH9 or we can rather say that SH9 passes through the borders of
this village so there has been a development of entrepreneurship in the village. There are a
few shops alongside SH9 from where the people of Kaindol and other nearby villages buy
their day to day materials.

Figure 1: Village map

1.1.GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES:
These are the features based on the Geography of the area.
1.1.1. Location and communication

Sr. No. LOCATION DISTANCE

1 District headquarters Solan 52

2 Tehsil Baddi 17
3 Block Headquarters Dharampur 36
4 Nearest bus stand Barotiwala 10
5 Nearest Railway Station Kalka 29.8
6 Nearest Post Office Patta Naali 3
7 Nearest Telephone Facility Kaindol 0
8 Nearest Town Patta 3
9 Nearest Pucca Road Kaindol 0
10 Nearest Fair Price Shop Kaindol 0
11 Nearest store for Agri Inputs Barotiwala 10
12 Nearest Wholesale Market for Baddi 17
Agri products
13 Nearest Police Station Barotiwala 10
 Village Development Report

14 Nearest Secondary School Patta 7

15 Nearest Hospital Patta 7
16 Nearest PHC/CHC/Sub centre Haripur 3
17 Nearest Traditional Healer - NA
18 Nearest Alcohol Store Kaindol 0
19 Nearest ATM Patta 7
Table 1: Location and Communication
1.1.2. Forest cover and stream
Village Kaindol has forest cover that is around 265 Bhiga which is more than the net
cultivated area. The forest is home to a number of animals majorly monkeys and Langurs,
the other wild animals are wild bores, wild dogs, barasingas, etc. There is no stream inside
the village as such, however there is one stream which is located 4 km down hill in the
village of Tujhiyar.
1.1.3. Soil and rainfall
The soil here is alluvial in nature with high productivity and agricultural fields are
mostly located in sloping areas. Due to the lack of irrigation facilities and the shifting
preference of occupations the agriculture that is practices is basically subsistence type of
agriculture. The area receives a good amount (1400mm) of rainfall in monsoon season but
rainfall is erratic and irregular.
1.1.4. Agro Forest Resources
Since Village has Good quantum of Forest land (when compared to Agri land), there is
huge reserves of Bamboo and Khair tree. The added advantage of agro forest resources is
that its add-on to the income people earn.

1.2.DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES
These are the features that are based on the demography of the area.
1.2.1. Population and number of households
Since, Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state and therefore population of villages in
Himachal is lower when compared to other states. Kaindol has a population of 175 and has
15 household according to 2011 census. As of now there are 38 HH in the village.
PLACE POPULATION MALE FEMALE SEX
RATIO
Kaindol 175 1.06
Himachal
6864602 3481873 3382729 1.02
Pradesh
India 1339200000 72105600 67094400 1.07
Table 2: Population profile
1.2.2. Population Fragmentation
In Kaindol Hindus are prominent out of which the dominant castes are Brahmins and
Rajput.
 Village Development Report

1.2.3. Settlement patterns

Most of the houses are located on the 3 streets of the village and others are scattered.
The houses are built mostly in Pucca and semi- pucca style. The landscape is very uneven.
1.2.4. Occupation and migration
The primary occupation of the people in the village is mainly working in the industrial
hub of Baddi, Driving, Masonry work in Nearby construction sites. There has been a shift
a agriculture from primary occupation to secondary occupation. This is mainly due to the
scarcity of water, inability to mechanise their farms and due to the easy availability of jobs
in nearby towns. As far as migration is concerned there has not been any cases of out
migration or immigration as well.
1.2.5. Festivals
All the major festivals which are there in Hindu Religion are celebrated in the village.
We experienced the celebration of festival of Diwali over there. Apart from that festival
like Holi, Lohri , Sankranti etc are also celebrated. Also, there is annual competition of
Wrestling in the nearby village of Tujhiyar which held at 28th of January every year.
2. HISTORY OF SETTLEMENT PATTERN
It was though not clear when did settlement in the village started to take place, but it
was reported that it started even 300 or more years ago. Primary School was built in 1958
and electricity first came in 1970 in village. In 1972 ONGC came to enquire about gas
resources in village and it was found that the concrete evidence of oil was not there so
ONGC left in 1975.After that in 1990 water pipelines were laid in the village and in 2006
middle school was built. In 2007 anganwadi was formed and self-help group which
operates in village was formed in 2008.
3. STREET WISE FACILITIES.
There are mainly four streets in the village of Kaindol. There is no proper naming for
these streets. However, people call these streets as Handpump road, Bawdi sadak, dora
sadak and the forth one is handpump gali. The naming of these streets has been due to the
facilities located on these streets i.e. the hand pump gali is called so because there is a hand
pump located on this street, the bawdi sadak is called so because there is a bawdi or hand
pump located here, dora sadak connects to the dora village which is considered to be
different village altogether and the main road is the State highway 9. There is a primary
school located in Kaindol which is there on the hand pump gali.
3.1.Houses and their types
Houses are mainly built in Pucca and Semi- Pucca style with both double and single
storeys.
3.2.Drinking water and Sanitation
Every House in the village had their own sanitation facility. There are no public toilets
in the village and village had no sewage system. Due to the government’s policy of giving
12000 Rs for building toilets there is a toilet in every house. The people bring drinking
 Village Development Report

water from the bawdi or the step-well constructed by RUCHI. Hand- pumps are there in
the village but nobody uses this water for the purpose of drinking since this water is dirty
and not potable. In summer when there is shortage of water, it is supplied through tankers.
There are no wells or bore wells in the village to harness the ground water.
Electricity 1st came to this village in 1970. There is 24 hrs electricity in this village with
barely any power cut. However, there are less street lights located in the village. All the
houses in the village have LPG connection, however the villagers tend to cook food on
traditional chulhas using firewood. This is mainly due to the fact that firewood is available
in plenty and free in forests and adjoining the farms.
3.3.Ownership of Assets and Consumer Durables
All the families in the village possesses livestock and had land in some or other form
due to which green pastures are easily available in the village. Most of the families in the
village own some vehicles may it be a bike, a pick up van or a truck. Almost all the houses
own consumer durables like fridge, television and mixers.
Since, the village is located in mountainous regions of Himachal, so Tractors, powder
tillers or any other mechanised are not utilized in the farms. Chaff utter is the only
mechanised Asset used by the people.
3.4.Availability of Major Institutions
Most of the major institutions are located either in the nearby towns of Patta or
Barotiwala. The gram panchayat for this village is located in Badhonighat commonly know
as the panchayat of Patta Naali which is a group panchayat of some 50 villages. The only
institutions located in Kaindol are Patwari office, Anganwadi, Primary school, Veterinary
services and public distribution store.
3.5. Visit by Government Officials and Current Panchayat
Visit from government officials is quite negligible apart from those working in the
above-mentioned institutions. The general notion is that these people visit the village only
in case of emergency. ASHA workers also visit the village with less frequently. ASHA
workers help pregnant women with guidance and medical facilities like the tablets as and
when needs. The sarpanch of the village also did not visit the village after winning the
elections. The villagers fell that all the development work of the village is stalled because
the sarpanch is of another village.
4. EMPLOYMENT
Since Kaindol is located on state highway and Baddi which is an industrial hub is
located close by, the educated population of the village works in the industries of Baddi.
The uneducated individuals are involved in masonry work in the constructions taking place
in and nearby villages. Although all the villagers practice Agriculture, very few of them
practice it on large scale and sell out their surplus in the nearby markets of Baddi and
Chandigarh rest all practice agriculture on subsistence basis. Driving is the new occupation
in Kaindol. There are a number of young men driving trucks, pick ups and Mini buses and
buses. This is mainly due to the location of the village that the people are incentivised to
take up driving alongside the fact that due to water scarcity they are not incentivised to shift
 Village Development Report

from agriculture to some other occupation. Also, there are individuals working in armed
forces. There are very few or no people in the village involved in government jobs. Apart
from this all the households are in livestock rearing. But they do not sell of their surplus to
any dairy due to the absence of the co-operative or any dairy nearby. However, the surplus
is sold inside the village itself if at all anybody does not have a milching animal.
Women are observed to be hard working as they do all the household chores and in
addition to it also practice agriculture and do the tailoring work.

Figure 2: Employment diversity in Kaindol

5. Agriculture and Livestock

5.1 Crops cultivated
Agriculture is a common practise in this region, though it has become secondary in the recent
years, with the development of Baddi as an industrial region. Villagers continue to depend on
their fields for their staple food, wheat and maize. More than 90% of the households own
agricultural lands that are in cultivable conditions. However, only 2-thirds of them are actively
involved in farming. There is one household that is landless in the village, as the bank had
seized their lands mortgaged for a business loan.

Kharif Rabi

33% 29%
67% 71%

Cultivate Don't cultivate Cultivate Don't cultivate

Figure 3: Proportion of farmers who own land and cultivate.

The villagers are highly dependent on the rains for irrigation and their cropping system are also
based on the rainfall pattern. There are two cropping seasons for the villagers here: Rabi being
the winter season and Kharif, the monsoon season. The intermediate Zaid season, coincides
with the summer season, falling between kharif and rabi. Farmers don’t sow any major crop in
these months until the arrival of monsoon, because lands here are unirrigated. They rather use
 Village Development Report

the fields as gardens to grow vegetables like pumpkin, cucumber etc, which don’t require
irrigation facilities, and use them for household purposes.

RABI CROPS KHARIF CROPS

CORIANDER ARBI
DAIKON BOTTLE GOURD
GARLIC CHILLIES
MAIZE CORIANDER
MUSTARD CUCUMBER
ONION GARLIC
PEAS LADY'S FINGER
WHEAT MAIZE
TURNIP PUMPKIN

Figure 4: Proportion of crops sown in Rabi and Kharif

Major crops in rabi are Wheat, mustard, garlic and onions, and in kharif we see that Maize,
cucumber, coriander and lady’s finger are commonly produced. Very few houses sell the Agri-
produce in the market, which is a mandi 10 kms away from the village. The produce sold are
cucumber, soybean and other vegetables. The staple crops are retained for the household
consumption by all farmers and thus, we can say that agriculture contributes to the indirect
source of income for such families. To manage the expenses, the people lookout for
employment opportunities beyond the agriculture sector for the primary source of income. The
families that own more than 5 bhiga lands also have reduced their cultivation area, restricting
the production only for their family consumption. This is majorly due to crop damage caused
by the monkeys and wild boars. Threat of animals discourages farmers from expanding the
cultivations or trying new crops in their fields. As a result, there is a large number of men in
the village, who commute daily to nearby towns and industries for work.
This has further increased the burden on the women, who now take care of most of the work in
the fields and gradually began abandoning the fields are far off from home, which makes it
difficult for them to monitor and keep the animals off the farm. Some households claim that
they had lost 90% of their expected produce, to the monkeys and boars. The conditions
aggravate in the years when the rainfall is also low.

5.2 Land and Assets Owned

Kaindol is a small village, the size of a hamlet, with a total area of 220 acres approximately.
The local unit of measurement used for lands is bhiga, which equals 0.2 acres and bhisua which
is 0.07 bhiga. As we see the land utilization chart below, area inhabited by the villagers is 2
bhiga, less than 0.1% of the whole village with most area covered by forests and grazing lands.
All households come under marginal farmers, with landholdings less than 2 acres (10 bhiga).
With the hilly terrain and small land holdings, the use of mechanised assets in the village is
 Village Development Report

very low, with electric chaff cutter being the most common one. They are able to manage the
sowing, weeding and ploughing activities with the help of manual tools and bullocks, the lands
being small in area. For manure, they often buy one sack of chemical fertilizers for every
cropping season, which costs Rs. 250 per kg, and in addition, the cattle owners use the bio-
fertilized manure.

Land Distribution

Area Under Inhabitation 4

Permanent Fallow
8 Land
Seasonal Fallow
Holdings
Extent Of Pasture And Grazing Ground (in bhigha)
Area Under Forest
9
Area Under Orchards & Plantations

Gross Cultivated Area

Net Cultivated Area

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0-2 2-5 >5

Figure 5: Land distribution in Kaindol Figure 6: No of HH with

landholdings in bhiga

5.2 Livestock
The most common livestock raised by the Kaindol villages are cows, bulls and buffaloes which
are used for milk and agricultural labour. They are usually bought in pairs, at an average price
of 20000 a pair, and are found to produce at least 1.5 litres per day, which amounts to more
than 50000 a year, which is used up in family consumption. However, there are no government
cooperatives for dairy or poultry in this region. There is a private poultry organisation at
Barotiwala (10 kms away from Kaindol) where sale and purchase of poultry to villagers take
place. Also, villagers showed more enthusiasm in raising cattle than in agricultural activities,
as this involves less risk and can be managed by the unemployed ladies at home. Thus, cattle
rearing could be a profitable livelihood option, if a dairy cooperative is set up in or around the
village.
6. Financial Institutions
The village does not have any of the financial institution or facility, and there were no
prominent private money lenders as such, within the village. Over the last few years, a great
surge in the number of bank accounts is observed, which is evidently due to the Direct Bank
Transfer program by the government. Even the school going children are given separate
individual accounts where monetary educational benefits are transferred.
 Village Development Report

Distance (in kms)

Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) 15
Consumer Co-operative 44.5
Marketing Co-operative 44.5
Agricultural Non-credit Societies 44.5
Agricultural Credit Societies 44.5
Multipurpose Co-operative 44.5
Post Office 3
Insurance 17
Grameen Bank 4
Non-Banking Financial Institutions 4
Private Bank 10
Employer 10
Cooperative 10
Formal Bank 4
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Figure 7: Distance of nearest financial institutions from Kaindol

The nearest bank is the Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank, in Patta, a town that is 7kms away
from Kaindol, which also has the nearest ATM. Villagers have the post office at Patta Naali (4
kms away) that provides options to deposit money at an interest rate of 6% yearly.
 Village Development Report

Take % Rate Paid Give % Rate of

Agency
Deposits on Deposit Loan Interest
Charged
Formal Bank Yes 5 Yes 7
Cooperative No No
Private Money Lenders No Yes 20
Employer No Yes 10
Private Bank Yes 8 Yes 9.5
Non-Banking Financial
Yes 9 Yes 11.25
Institutions
Grameen Bank Yes 6.75 Yes 8
Insurance No No
Post Office Yes 6 No
Multipurpose Co-operative Yes 7 Yes 8.6
Agricultural Credit Societies No No
Agricultural Non-credit
No No
Societies
Marketing Co-operative No No
Consumer Co-operative Yes 7 Yes 8.5
Micro-Finance Institutions
Yes Yes 12
(MFIs)

Table 3: Interest rates on deposits and borrowings for villagers in Kaindol

The women in the village, are more aware of the formal process of saving money in the recent
years. There are more than 2 women Self-help groups in the village, that meet once a month to
discuss various local and personal affairs. These meetings have created immense awareness
among ladies of Kaindol on the government saving schemes and have learnt the self-
management of the household finances, taking monetary decisions by themselves. SHGs also
aid them in the loan application and payment processes, which otherwise would have been
tedious. Thus, the bank loans taken through SHGs, is the most preferred method of borrowing
money in the village, and has led to the development of several small-scale entrepreneurship
around Kaindol.
 Village Development Report

7. Education and Schools

7.1 Schools around Kaindol
Kaindol has a government primary school upto 3rd standard beyond which the kids go to public
schools in the nearby villages like Tujhiar or Bidounighat or to a private school in Patta town.
The students either go by foot, up to 2 kms or take a bus to access education after 3rd grade.
Most students prefer the government schools until 10th grade, as it is closer to home.

120

100

80

60
Female
Male
40

20

0
2014 2019 2014 2019 2014 2019 2014 2019 2014 2019
Badhonighat Kaindol Salgha Tujhiyar Tujhiyar
(Middle) (Primary)

Figure 9: Gender distribution of students in schools near Kaindol

The details of 5 government schools, where 95% of the children in Kaindol attended classes,
were gathered, with the help of their respective headmasters or school principals. The medium
of teaching in all these schools were Hindi and the overall sex ratio was observed to be close
1:1, proving the gender parity in accessing education.
Bidounighat has a secondary school where 6 of the 8 teachers are graduate and 2 teachers are
under graduate. The other 4 schools surveyed are primary schools, currently employing all
under graduate teachers who have completed high school education. Some are employed on
temporary basis to fill the vacant positions, and few others are working on a government
contract. There is an inadequacy of teachers both the primary schools, and also the school in
Kaindol has fewer classrooms where 1st and 2nd standard students are made to sit together.
 Village Development Report

No. of Functional Status of Drinking Water

Any
Units Whether Facilities
Is Toilet Separate Evidence of
Toilets Whether
School Facility Toilet OD/ General
are the School
ID Available Boys & Sanitary Urination Cleanliness of
Properly has Potable
in School? Girls? Toilets Urinals during Drinking
Cleaned? Drinking
school Water
Water?
Kaindol Yes No 1 0 Yes No Yes Average
Tujhiyar
(Primary) Yes Yes 1 0 Yes No Yes Good
Tujhiyar
(Middle) Yes Yes 1 0 Yes No Yes Good
Badhonighat
Yes Yes 1 1 Yes No Yes Good
Salgha Yes No 1 0 Yes No Yes Average

Table 4: Water and Sanitation facilities in schools around Kaindol

8. Health Services and Hospitals

8.1 Health services
The basic first aid and other health services are provided by the Health subcentre located within
the village and is open on all days of the week. The Anganwadi in the village also keep a stock
of the essential medicines and first aid kit. For other services, and emergencies, the villagers
go to the government hospital at Patta, 7 kms away.
Regular vaccinations are administered at the appropriate ages to the kids in the village, as per
the Mission Indradanush programme.
Nearest No. of hrs.
Year of Number of Days in a Week it is
Particulars Available Open
Establishment Patients/ day Open
(in kms) Per Day
Health Sub-centre 0 2002 45 7 8
Subsidiary Health
Centre NA
Primary Health Centre 6 2006 100 7 8
Govt. Hospital 7 1998 70 7 10
Family Planning Clinic NA
Anganwadi 0 2006 0 5 5
Private Clinic –
Allopathic 3 1980 20 6 8
Private Hospital –
Allopathic 17 1982 150 7 24
Private Clinic –
Alternate Medicine NA
Private Hospital –
Alternate Medicine NA

Table 5: Availability of health services

 Village Development Report

8.2 Health and hygienic conditions

There were no cases of Polio or serious illness in the 21 households surveyed. Also, there is
good awareness of health and hygiene among the villagers from various initiatives undertaken
by government and non-profit organisations. This has resulted in significant reduction of
communicable diseases in the village. The village is open defecation free, though there is one
household that do not have a toilet of their own.

Frequency of visits
Services
Health Workers Doctors Govt. Officials
Chlorinate Wells 2 4 6
Malaria Eradication - Spraying 8 8 8
Malaria Eradication - Blood slides 8 8 8
Malaria Eradication - Quinine Pills 5 6 6
Blindness Prevention & Cure 6 6 6
Immunization of Children 2 2 2
Help Pregnant Women - Iron &
2 7 6
Vitamin Pills
Help Pregnant Women - Deliver babies 8 7 6
Food Supplements - For Breast
7 7
Feeding Women 4
Food Supplements - For Children 5 5 7
General Health Education 6 6 5
Family Planning Education 6 4 5
Contraceptive Distribution 7 7 8
HIV-AIDS Awareness 3 5 8

Table 6: Visit of Government Workers to village for the following services

8.3 Water and Sanitation

Waste management at Kaindol is very poor, there is no regulated mechanism for the disposal
of accumulated domestic wastes which ends up in the public spaces of the village. The villagers
are forced to burn the dumped trash when it begins to emanate foul smells. There is no
segregation of wastes into degradable and plastic wastes, nor is there a sustainable way of
disposing them. People have no choice but to burn them all together and end up polluting the
environment.
Though these are not evident on their health right now, in the long run they can have serious
consequences.
Water facilities are available for most part of the year, through the natural springs. During
summers, when the springs dry up, there is a mobile tanker that circulates potable water to all
houses for consumption. However, accessing water for non-drinking purposes becomes a
struggle in the dry season.
 Village Development Report

Governance and Welfare Programs

9.1) Governance
The main indicator of governance in village is the impact made by the local governance. The
gram panchayat of this village (Code- 028) is located at Badhonighat (Pattanali) which is 4
kms away from the village. Through our visit to panchayat and informal discussion with the
locals nearby, we realize that the meetings are held regularly but the number of people attending
it from Kaindol village is low. From analyzing the data from household survey , following
facts were identified.

19 52 Of the participants of
% Believe that issues % Gram Sabha were
presented are resolved
Head of the households

28 38 Collectively Asked
Were passive observers
% at the meetings % Questions and
presented their issues

57 61
Attended were young Attended more than
% adults % one meeting

Figure 10:Pariticipation in Governance

These facts have following implications:

• There is no big incentive for the households to attend gram sabha meetings since they
presume that their issues would mostly not get resolved.
• Almost half of the Households are such that the head of the family, who have a great
bearing on the decision making in the house, doesn’t attend the meetings.
• Young adults, the population segment which is most likely to understand the polices
and the process attached thereof, are attending the meetings from only 57% of the
households. Hence, we can safely assume that the future of efficiency of the gram
panchayat is also in jeopardy.
• 40% of the households are such that they have attended only one meeting , indicating
the lack of communal responsibility and self -centered behavior of the people that they
attend panchayat only when they have their own personal task.
 Village Development Report

Reasons for ineffective Local Governance

Not only in terms of low attendance in gram panchayats, local governance has also failed to
deliver adequate community resources to people in the village of Kaindol. From Lack of rural
roads to unavailability of adequate water for irrigation, local Governance there have failed in
many aspects.
Following are few of the reasons which reinforce such observations.
• Kaindol falls under the panchayat of Patta Naali, which is located 4 kilometres away
from the village. Many people find distance as an excuse to not attend the meeting.
This single panchayat is taking care of around 49 villages nearby. It is therefore difficult
for the panchayat as well to operationalize in so many villages simultaneously.
• We see (Figure 9.2) that 50% of the important decisions are taken by government
officials and 40% by the elected Panchayats but none of them are from within the
village itself. This creates more delays and perception of exclusion from the panchayat
members.
• People approach the panchayat only during the time of obscurity and at that time they
wish fast results which is difficult for a panchayat to deliver.

GO- government official

EP- Elected Panchayat

Figure 11: The officials responsible for decisions regarding public goods

For efficient functioning of the panchayat, proper training of the elected officials should be
carried out. Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (Training and Capacity Building) for strengthening
panchayat, provides assistance to states for training and capacity building of elected
representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions so that they can effectively perform the functions
devolved and the schemes entrusted to them. Training and communication should not be
viewed as a single one-time intervention but should be a continuous, ongoing process leading
 Village Development Report

to enhanced sense of self-esteem and confidence. Training should cover both the “before” and
“after” election periods. Initial training and communication should reach all elected
representatives within one year. Along with that, the composition of panchayat should be well
representative of all the village under its function.

9.2) Welfare Programs

RUCHI ngo have been largely capable to spread the awareness about the available schemes of
both center and state government to the people. This is done primarily through the the monthly
Self-help group (SHG) meetings conducted in the village. There are incidences wherein the
employees from the Bank ( UCO bank and Jogindra Bank ) themselves attend the meeting and
inform the members about such Programs and other safety net schemes. However, people have
not availed benefits of many of such schemes and programs. Major schemes like Aawas yojna
are available but in village no one got grant for the same. Last year one family got money
through Swachh Bharat .Apart from that Mission Indradhanush is available through
Anganwadi. MGNREGS is there but people don’t prefer to do work as wages are low and in
Baddi (30KM), lots of work is available and is preferred mostly.

Schemes / Program Present

BPL Card – Poorest (Antyodya) Yes
BPL Card – Less Poor Yes
Other Ration Card (Above Poverty Line) Yes
Annapurna Yes
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Grameen (PMAY-G) NO
Swachch Bharat Mission – Grameen (SBM-G) Ineffective
Mid day Meal (MDM) Yes
ICDS (Integrated child development scheme) Yes
Right to Education (RTE) Yes
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Ineffective
Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS)
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Yes
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana Yes
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) Yes
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Ineffective
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Ineffective
Mission Indradhanush Yes
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) NO
National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) NO

Table 7: The status of the government schemes in the village

 Village Development Report

Shocks and Coping Mechanism

People are exposed to risks which mostly leads to alteration in their disposable incomes. They
are less vulnerable to the health hazards, natural calamity or any communal violence. The kind
of risk they are exposed to can be classified in two types:

• Mounting Debt associated with

Idosyncratic Shock cultivation
• Crop faliure

Covariate Shock • Rainfall Variability

(at village level) • Non- Usable public taps

Figure 12: Major shocks in the village

With the effective working as well as acceptability of women self help groups, people are now
having the provision to cope up with such shocks. People are now more prudent of managing
their finance.
There are three main coping mechanism which are reportedly followed by the vulnerable
household which are presented on the basis of their share of contribution.

Reduced
consumption
Loans from Self help
group

Use of their Savings

Figure 13: Major coping mechanisms

We observe a shift in the occupational structure of majority of the households which is

mainly responsible for the shifts in their type of vulnerability as well. There is a shift from
agriculture workers to casual workers with the onset of the establishment of the industrial
area Baddi, which is 18 kms away from Kaindol. Though the people were adversely affected
by the rainfall variability and crop failure, the impact was not catastrophic since their income
is partially cushioned by income from work at factories.
 Village Development Report

Climate change
It is widely accepted that climate change is taking place. In Kaindol too we found the same
perception of the people. They, however vary on the indicators they perceive, are due to climate
change. They are of opinion that although their state, Himachal Pradesh, is less affected as
compared to their neighboring states like Punjab and Haryana, there is a marginal change in
their state since last 5-6 years.

Major Climate Change Indicator For Villagers

Decrease In Water Table

8% Rise In temperature
7% 20%
Increase Variability Of
6% Rainfall rrrainfall

Gap B/W Two Rainfall

16%
Lesser Rainfall
20%

Water Table not getting

22% Recharged
Others

Figure 13: Climate change indicators

11.1) Village Response

At village level, the response has been quite dormant. In 2018 , low rainfall levels were
recorded unlike this year where records were quite high. This led to shortage of water in
previous years and few months in 2019. Sometimes, water tanks are arranged by the local
officials to meet the daily water requirement of the household. However, solution to
unavailability of water for irrigation is yet not provided.
At village level, RUCHI NGO has taken few measures to cope up with such changes. They
have installed few tanks for drinking water and irrigation in the village. Few years back, they
distributed saplings of fruiting trees so as to generate additional source of income while
ensuring environmental protection. People did not utilize them properly since there is huge
menace created by monkeys so they didn’t find any incentive to plant trees. There is a state
government scheme of solar electrification for Households as a step towards accessibility to
power supply along with use of renewable source of energy. This scheme spits the expense of
installment of solar panel in 80-20 proportion (household bearing 20 percent of the expense).
Two households have availed benefit of this scheme so far.

11.2) Household Response

 Village Development Report

When asked by household, although they are aware of the budding problem of climate change,
they have not taken any remarkable step in this direction. Even after ujjwala Yojana wherein
they receive LPG gas cylinders from central Government, many still continue to use firewood
for domestic purposes. They, however are willing to work and corporate (many) with their
local government in Green Governance.

Activities Support
Planting Fruit bearing trees alongside roads 18
Build a recycling plant for waste management 17
Solar & Wind Farm to avoid power cuts 9
Ground water recharging pits 19
Solar panels for street lights 14
Fresh water fishery 12
Convert degradable waste into bio-degradable
fertilizers 11
Table 8: People’s support for various welfare activities

Development of ground water recharge pits received maximum number of supports from the
people since it would solve their problem of unavailability of water for irrigation purpose.
Planting fruit bearing trees secured second number of supports on the condition that measures
will be taken to minimize the problem due to menace cause by monkeys. Waste management,
which is a big problem in Kaindol grabs third most support. People are not much convinced by
the use of solar panel or wind farm electricity to avoid power cuts because it is not a big problem
there. The average power cut in a week there is around 4 hours.
When asked about the willingness to pay money for these projects, people were having
diversified views. Where some agreed to pay money for at most 5 out of these 7 projects, few
also refused to pay money for any project. Most of the Households who don’t wish to pay
money is because they think its government job not theirs followed by the reason that they
don’t find that project viable enough. Similar pattern was followed when asked about the
willingness to invest labor hours for these projects.
 Village Development Report

12.Income and Consumption

Income and expenditure constitute to be one of the most important set of information in the
whole survey. As discussed before, there has been a great occupational shift that can be seen
in the data given in figure 12.1. Livestock is mainly used for their utility, that is for milk
consumption and help in farms. Although most of the women spend a big chunk of their time
in fields , only 8% of income is generated through agriculture. This is because of two reasons-
first, they produce only to meet their in house needs and secondly agriculture is prone to many
uncertainties. 14% of the population is self employed which mainly includes driving tourist
vehicles or running a shop. More than half of the population is salaried employees who work
in nearby industries in Baddi. They are monthly paid and mostly work there for 9-11 months
of the year. 8% of the population is more exposed to uncertainty regarding availability of work
since they are casual laborer. These are the ones needing employment under MGNREGA
scheme but there is no such vacancy since last one year. There are three kinds of pensioners
identified in the village – Army retired (2), old age (7), physical differently ability (3).

Percentage of
Sources of income population
Livestock 2.8%
Agriculture 8.5%
Table 9: Sources of income
Self Employed 14.0%
Salaried 55.1%
Wage 8.1%
Pension 11.4%

Livestock
Agri
Self Employed
Salaried
Wage
Pension

Figure 14: Sources of income

Income earned by households are mostly spent on their various kind of food and non -food
expenses. Very little, if any is left for the household to save. Biggest chunk of their income is
spent on food items which includes their expense on purchase from PDS shops as well.
 Village Development Report

Public Distribution System (PDS) is efficient with no signs of malpractices in the village.
Ration shops are regularly opened and is within the village itself. All the households are having
their APL/BPL/Antodaya cards and the basic food items such as rice, wheat, sugar, pulses etc
are provided to them as per their quota (decided on the basis of number of family members).
In purchase of food items, their expense varies yearly depending on the yield on their
cultivation. Since in 2018, there was big loss of output because of unavailability of water, many
households spend more on purchase of food items then previous years. Expense on sugar and
tea leaves are higher than the average expected value. Convenience items include toiletries,
personal care, electricity and telephone bill, entertainment etc. Medical expenses include both
in-patient and out-patient expenses. 20% of the income is spent on clothing, footwears,
Education and tuition fees, Expense on repair of homes etc. There were two households
identified who recently spend a substantial amount in repair of their house. One of them
received government aid as well. Savings constitute only 7 percent of the total income.
Households are getting more financially aware and are now depositing their money to nearest
bank in Patta. One peculiar thing observed in their expenditure pattern is that they spend a good
amount in wedding or other social ceremony. Since most of the kids in village attend
government schools, their expense on education is low. Only two households reportedly send
their wards to private hospital. There is no public school in the entire panchayat.

Expenditure Profile
Average saving

Medical Expense 7%

3%

expenditure on
expenditure on
food items
clothing 40%
transportation etc
20% expenditure on
convenience
items 30%

Figure 15: Expenditure Profile

As shown in figure 12.3, average income of the household is around 2.2 Lakhs Per annum .
This income however is due to high inequality in the income of household. All the households
who are engaged in diversified source of income are able to earn more. Expenditure of each
 Village Development Report

household is marginally low from that of the average income. This data have taken into
consideration one household which is most likely to distort the data That household newly
construct a home that is why his expense shoot up even more than his income. Per person
income is less than per capita consumption.

Average Income Household Rs 2,23,333.8

Average Expenditure Household Rs 1,98,408.9

Per Capita Income Rs 41,504.51327

Per Capita Expenditure Rs 77,710.34

Table 10: Expenditure and Income Profile

The following graph gives the rough idea of their expense in relation to their income level. In
most of the household expenditure is marginally higher than income. This surplus expense is
generally financed by the previous savings and borrowings. According to few of the
households, this discrepancy is escalated because of crop failure in the last season which led to
more expense on food expense.
 Village Development Report

3500
3000 Other
2500 Expens
es -
2000 yearly
Amount in 1000Rs

1500
Yearly
1000 Basic
500 Expens
0 es
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21
Household ID

Figure 16: Income Expenditure Relationship

 Village Development Report

13. CONCLUSION
During our village field segment, we came across few of the observations which further
strengthened our perception or have completely change our idea about the livelihood in rural India.
Socially, there was no sign of untouchability in the village but there is one particular dominating
community (Rajputs), but there is not any stigma attached that these particular resource is for
particular community, anyone can use the public resources. For example if Wealthy family builts
a water harvesting tank, then the families who don’t have that uses it and also vice versa. Basically
there is habit of mutual exchange but it was not a everyday practice.

In regards to labor force market, Employment opportunity in the villages is zero due to poor
connectivity, most of the younger ones and now middle age men go to industrial Town of Baddi
(30 km).They are basically into unskilled or semi skilled job and ends up getting very low pay.

When we look at the average income it is close to 3.4 lakhs, but there is uncertainity in this income
as it comes in bits and pieces, also the money which comes in pieces is difficult to account.Few
families had high income because they are having some additional, non farm source ofincome and
also engaged into Agro forest production of crop like bamboo and that adds on to their
income.Percentage average expenditure on food decreases with increase in income.

One most important thing to note down is that the accessibility to credit that once had positive
implications on villagers is not available since last one year. Self help group is trying to bridge that
gap. For example, Kisan credit card, almost 90% of the villagers have that and they used to take
loan at very low 7% and they try to invest in other secondary employment opportunity ,so there is
a scope of improvement if accessibility and regularity of such credit scheme is there.

Schooling in the village is for the namesake because villagers think that the destiny is either to go
to industrial town of Baddi or set up their own enterprise outside village there is a great scope and
need for establishment of Private school since there is not a single private school under the entire
panchayat ( that is 49 odd villages).

People rely either on Baadi (made above natural water spring ) or one public handpump available.
Public taps are installed but are not functional for many days. The seat currently is reserved for
women but she is a dummy and de facto leader is his husband, has not visited village since winning
election.

There was a shift of agricultural practice, as time passed agriculture has become a secondary
occupation for each and every people. This is because agriculture has been not enough productive
to fulfill even their consumption demand. Average production of grains in the village is quite low,
minimum 60% less than average National production in any case. In case of wheat only 55% of
consumption demand is satisfied from Agri output and rest from market.This ratio too is declining
over the years because of fluctuations in rainfall.
 Village Development Report

Villages is in footholds of mountain, so the major chunk of land is forest land, the average land
holding This space in Rabi season can be used to grow vegetables and sell it at nearby market,
but the problem is of monkeys here, as most of the crop is destroyed by them. On an average
50% to 55% crops are destroyed by monkeys as we had compared production of that household
where monkey didn’t attacked them due to fencing. No farmer in village where indulged in
Contract farming of crops. Although there is contract farming for Bamboo and Khair, it is also
because it does not require any regular watering.

We identified three major problem associated with village

1. Lack of public infrastructure – Except one school ( Primary) and a small room for
land revenue office, there is no other land for public utility. The PDS ration shop is also a
rented shop and people contribute for its monthly rental. Anganwadi is not having any fixed
location and hence changes every 10 month ( average) resulting in loosing out to its students.

2. Lack of Irrigation facilities- Complete irrigation is rainfed in Kiandol. This adds up

to their vulnerability and hike in food expenses whenever their output goes sour.

3. Attack of monkey and wild boar on crop whatsoever is grown

Solution

These three problems altogether has caused had resulted in lowering the standard of living of
villagers. Hence they become more vulnerable in case of any shocks or any announced event.

Since this village is very small a business model will not be an economical investment. Rather
than investing in any business plan, we should be more concerned about how to increase their
strength and income, so the effect of any future shock can be mitigated. For first problem some
non government organization intervention is required.

There are few indigenous and sustainable solution for the problems associated with agriculture
problem and it is bamboo cultivation. This is nothing new, since two-three families are already
doing it and on contract farm basis and they just have to copy it. Also the cultivation of Aloe vera
has a huge potential since it will keep the yield safe from monkeys and also there are many pharma
companies in Baddi with whom complete supply chain can be developed. It will be good for them
if they slowly start to shift toward agri forest product. Since the production requires much less
amount of water and investment and that too in initial stage, it takes three years for crop to get
ready. In our survey we tried to find out what percent income is affected, if a family is indulged
 Village Development Report

in Bamboo contract farming, we found that at least 15-20% increase in income is expected, taking
base income of the people who are doing this.

Also the foucus of any intervention should be generation of their income. So even if they are
working as workers in Baddi, they should be ensured about the regularity of their income and few
safety nets such as employee provident fund should be provided. This shift in agricultural practice
should be smooth and hence it will not affect family consumption basket as they will not be used
to it.
 Village Development Report

RURAL ACTION COMPONENT

IMPACTS OF THE INTEGRATED BADDI PROJECT IN 6 VILLAGES –
TUJHIYAR, PIPALTA, DHAR, DHANYON, THEDPURA AND DHAMROT
Overview of the project:
The project aimed to deliver water, sanitation, health and community mobilization to
address the poverty and health needs of the people. Rainwater collection and irrigation
infrastructure increased yields for those with land and brought clean drinking water to the
people. Health outreach workers addressed the serious issues of TB, diabetes and other
preventable treatable disease. Communities were helped to self- organize and participate in
decision making within local governance structures.
The project was implemented targeting around10000 people from 30 different
communities in and the neighboring regions of the Baddi township in Solan district and was
implemented over a period of 3 years (March 2015 – February 2018)
The project was expected to deliver the following results-
➢ Water infrastructure and irrigation
➢ Agricultural training and inputs including crop diversification
➢ Economic strengthening through savings and loans clubs and establishing savings
habits
➢ Health promotion and disease prevention through Community Health Worker outreach
and referrals
➢ Partnership with government agencies which respond to Violence against women
➢ Education of children through referrals to community education
➢ Increasing access to statutory social protection and assistance where available
➢ Strengthened community leadership and organisation through participation in local
governance
➢ Promoting gender equality and women and leaders and role models

Impacts-
1. Water infrastructure and irrigation
The water infrastructure and irrigation projects were undertaken to provide villages with
water for drinking, household and irrigation purposes. Under the project, several dams, check
dams and irrigation tanks were built along with the reconstruction and renovation of the natural
water sources called bawdi. Apart from this, Ruchi also had constructed several Ferro cements
tanks in several houses, for the household storage of water.

a. Tujhiyar -Pipalta – There are about 2 bawdi constructed by Ruchi in Tujhar and 1
in Pipalta. Construction of bawdi for water has ensured safe drinking water to all
the ` occurrences of diarrhoea and typhoid among the villagers. Villagers ensure
that the bawdi gives potable water by cleaning it at regular intervals. A man-made
open pond in the Pipalta village, has been abandoned, due to lack of maintenance and
cleaning. The structure built around the pond, is not rigid enough, and breaks away
during rains. This ruins the road next to the pond, causing inconvenience for
commuters, as this road connects Tujhiyar with Pipalta and several nearby villages.
 Village Development Report

Figure 17: Bawdi in Village - Pipalta

b. Dhar –There is one pond built by Ruchi in Dhar which has benefitted about 3
households and 1 irrigation tank which has benefitted 4 households. The irrigation tank
contains water for 10 months and the pond has water for 8 months a year. The internal
disputes in this village keeps some households deprived from reaping benefits from
these water resources. The tanks are not filled for the entire year is because of scanty
rainfall, the recent forest fires have reduced the water levels and because of the oil
drilling testing done some 4 years back.
Farmers reported having obtained more agricultural output specifically for
tomatoes as the season for tomatoes lasts longer and the benefitted household are now
able to cultivate onions and garlic which is subsistent in nature. However, the villagers
need to solve the internal disputes at village level itself so that all the villagers can reap
out benefits for irrigation and other purposes. There is drinking water deficiency for at
least two months of the year. Inability of government water tankers to reach out to the
village because of poor road connectivity further adds up to their problem
c. Dhanyon – The village is divided into three sub villages, containing 17 households. It
contains 6 water tanks for drinking purposes which benefits almost every household
in village, 2 Stepwells (Bawdi) which were built over natural springs. The bawdis
are protected by a shed that prevents the cattle and other animals to contaminate the
springwater
A check dam was also constructed by RUCHI, which was broken due to heavy
rains last year and needs to be repaired. The overflow of water from the dam also
damaged the agricultural lands surrounding the dam leading to crop loss that year.
d. Thedpura – Two storage tanks were built by RUCHI, one is being used for general
household purposes and cattle benefitting 3 households. The other tank is being used
for irrigation by 4-5 households of the village. In addition to these, there is also an old
bawdi built by the Gram panchayat, and 2 ponds (Jod) which were also built by RUCHI
before the BADDI project. Currently the ponds are used by the villagers for their
livestock only as cleaning and maintenance of ponds is labour intensive and has been
neglected.
e. Dhamrot – Five water tanks have been built separately in 5 houses, and are being used
for personal uses. There are two bawdis, one of which was repaired and sheds were
constructed over them by RUCHI under this project. They are cleaned at least 3 times
a year to maintain its cleanliness, as the entire village is dependent on these water
resources for drinking and cooking. The hand pump in the village is used for other
 Village Development Report

purposes.
Two other houses need water tanks for their personal use, as they are
dependant on the public water taps and it gets tedious to fetch water from the tap far off
from their houses.

Figure 18: Status of the dams constructed in Dhamrot village

2. Agricultural training and inputs including crop diversification

Training had been provided to several farmers in all the 6 villages. In these
training the villagers were trained regarding the types of cropping patterns to be adopted, latest
trends in agriculture and several other topics. The villagers were also trained about
vermiculture. Vermicompost and bins were built in certain households, who were mainly
dependent on agriculture for income, from all the 6 villages. This was carried out by RUCHI,
with 20% of the expenses being contributed by the villagers. Although households were given
information on crop diversification, barely anyone has applied them on their felids because of
the primary reason that agriculture is no longer their core source of income.
a. Tujhiyar -Pipalta – Since the introduction of vermicompost the output of farming has increased
for those 2 household who use it. They have reduced the use of chemical fertilizers. The output
for onions has increased to 3X
b. Dhar- One household have been benefitted so far with the construction of vermicompost. They
expressed their gratitude towards RUCHI for the success of few fruiting plants in their village.
c. Dhanyon- People at Dhanyon have been benefitted from the RUCHI projects, but they face
intense crop damage every year by monkeys and langurs. They are aware of the plants, like
aloe vera, that can be grown as an alternative measure to keep these stray animals away from
the farms, but they are still reluctant to change their cropping mechanisms. Most of the
household are either engaged in cattle rearing or in secondary sector. This also acts as a
disincentive for them to diversify their crops. There is a vermicompost constructed here,
benefitting one household.
d. Thedpura – There is not enough water resources across different crop seasons, and hence
people here don’t engage much in farming. They were provided with flower plants, like Gendha
Phool, but due to the villagers’ lack of interest, this measure had failed. Thus, attempts to
encourage crop diversification did not work here.
e. Dhamrot – Most farmers are dependent on the rainfall for agriculture. Three different
households of this village have been setup with vermi composting, and this continues to benefit
them through higher yeild and reduced usage of chemical fertilizers. However, they grow the
common vegetables and crops, have not tried any new cash crops.
3. Economic strengthening through clubs, savings and loans, and also, establishing savings habits
 Village Development Report

A common observation across all villages is that, almost all houses have a member
from the women SHG. These groups are generally, of 15- 20 members which includes a lead
and a cashier responsible for all the funds of the group, and they meet once a month. Every
member can avail personal loans from within the group, at an interest rate of 12% per year, and
is eligible to take a second loan, only if the previous has been paid. However, all SHG in these
villages ensure timely repayment of loan amount and hence maintain fluidity of the entire
process.
These women regularly visit bank for sanctioning of their group loan. Bank officials
are also invited to the SHG meetings to brief about the available saving mechanisms and
government schemes. This has helped them to understand banking habits and get familiar with
all banking options. Few women from the group reportedly told that they keep all the savings
to themselves while many others save them in their Jan Dhan Accounts.
Most of them takes loan for repair of their vehicle, purchasing livestock, marriages,
construction of their homes or shops etc.

4. Health promotion and disease prevention through Community Health Worker outreach
and referrals –
The awareness about water borne diseases and the importance of clean drinking water
was conveyed to women through SHG meetings. There were health camps held at these
villages, for awareness, testing and treatment of Tuberculosis and diabetes. Now, the villagers
have good knowledge on the symptoms of all common diseases and health conditions that they
are vulnerable to, and also know when to approach the nearby health centres in case of any
sickness. They are also taught on the prevention measures for communicable diseases and other
common illness, like how to maintain a healthy environment in and around the house
The status of ODF in villages:
Villages ODF Toilets built by RUCHI HH without toilets
a) Tujhiyar - No Yes 6
Pipalta
b) Dhar No Yes 8
c) Dhanyon Yes No -
d) Thedpura Yes Yes -
e) Dhamrot Yes No -
Table 10: ODF status in the villages

We can see that half the villages we surveyed into, are not Open Defecation free, though
RUCHI has aided to build toilets in a few households.

There is no proper waste management system in any of these villages. Garbage bins have been
constructed, but the bins are often found to be overflowing which gives a bad odour and poses
a threat to the health of the people living around it. Thus, villagers are often found burning these
piled up garbage into ashes, releasing lot of smoke and potential toxic gases into the air, as these
wastes are not segregated into degradable and non-degradable items. Plastics are also found to
be used along with firewood as a cooking fuel, which can have serious harmful impacts, like
cancer, on their health in the long run.

Promoting gender equality and participation in local governance

SHGs – The exposure of women through self-help groups have enabled them to be part of the
local governance like different welfare schemes. One big achievement is that women have
 Village Development Report

developed a habit of saving money and using it in the time of crisis. Most of the women is SHGs
are housewives, farmers or self-employed. The savings collected are given as loans for either
personal or household purposes. Besides all this the women in SHG also get opportunity to go
out of their home for educational and agricultural purposes and enrich their knowledge
Most of the women in Self help group are aware of government schemes which could
benefit them financially. There are also the instances where employees from bank visit these
SHG group meetings to guide females about the available schemes. While few household
proactively avail these benefits, few others find it less viable because of timely processing of
schemes. Women are now confident and attend the Gram Sabha meetings but only when they
need any thing for themselves. However, the households with no female participation in SHG
are still left out to reap such benefits.
One of the women, from Tujhiyar, had taken a loan from the SHG, and had used it to set
up her own street food shop at Haripur. There is another woman, from Dhanyon, who makes eco-
friendly plates, by stitching together the leaves she collects from the forests. These are the
examples, where the SHG meetings have positively impacted on the lives of the women, by
building their self-confidence and making them independent.
Recommendations/ Requests from villagers:
a. Careful planning and reconstruction or repair of dams and other structures, such that
it can withstand all weathers, and also does not damage the resources around.
b. Meet the families, of the households without toilets and equip them with the
knowledge and awareness of the government aids that are available under Swachh
Bharat to build toilets.
c. Interacting with the women at the SHGs, we observed that they are encouraged to go
the Gram Sabha and Panchayat meetings only when there is a personal need. They
should also be made aware that every meeting they miss, they may be losing out on
potential information, that would benefit them or their village as a whole. The
importance of collection action is often neglected. Villagers often depend on word-of-
mouth communication for important information.
d. Considering the small house most households possess, they wish to have one
community hall. That can be used for conducting meetings, any social gathering or can
even act like a warehouse of their agricultural produce.