Foreword

The rising unemployment despite high growth in non-farm sector in India is causing concern
to every one. The growth in Agriculture which provides livelihood to about 50 per cent of the
work force in India and 66 percent in Rajasthan is tardy. A very sizeable number has to be
moved away from agriculture for the remaining persons to earn well. Due to continuing high
growth rate of population, annual addition to the work force is over 10 million a year. In
Rajasthan, about 8 lakh livelihoods are needed annually for over the next decade to deal with
the problem. Realizing the enormity and urgency of the task of livelihood promotion, the
State Government set up Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods in 2004.

In order to understand various facets of livelihood issues across segments, sectors and spatial
regions, RMoL has undertaken 25 rapid assessment studies, held 25 consultations and
initiated 4 pilot projects involving stake holders, academics, researchers, Government
functionaries and civil society organizations. The booklets being published now including the
present one contain our learning about complexities of livelihoods in a summarized manner,
derived from the field studies and consultations. These illuminate various facets of livelihoods
in the State and would be helpful in proper understanding of the issue and in developing
proper perspective in this regard. I do hope that all those who are concerned with the
problems of livelihoods, particularly the livelihoods of the poor, unemployed and the under
privileged would find these booklets very useful. Both the content and the views expressed
therein represent summation of views expressed by many persons and we would like to
thanks all those who made it possible for us to bring out these booklets including the State
Government, UNDP and BASIX. My colleagues at the RMoL worked tirelessly for holding
consultations and undertaking field studies. Appreciation is due to them as well.

M.L. Mehta
Deputy Chairman
RMoL
 WOMEN & LIVELIHOOD

A study
on
Livelihood Strategies
For
Tribal women in Baran
And
Proceedings of
Workshop on Gender and Livelihoods in the State

By

BASIX

RMoL-BASIX 2
Abstract

The district of Baran with a sex ratio of 909 and a Gender Development Index of 0.525 is the
poorest district in Rajasthan. As per the demographic definitions, 83.16 percent of its population is living
in rural areas and 70 percent of the families are living below the country’s poverty line. The district is
inhabited mostly by primitive tribes. The reports of starvation deaths of Saharias in 2002 and again in
2004, primarily due to crop failure, brought the area to the limelight and at the same time underlined the
need to look for efficient management of existing resources as well as alternative livelihood options in the
area. It was in this context that a study aimed at identifying livelihood strategies specifically for tribal
women in Baran was initiated.
The study is mostly based on participatory group discussions and personal interviews with tribal
women and other people in the area. It attempts to understand primarily two things, one, existing
livelihood opportunities in the tribal scene and second, whether they are consistent with women’s needs
and if women are able to take advantage of them. A deeper insight into the both, of course unfurl several
other related aspects such as the existing livelihood choices, role of women in them, the income and
expenditure pattern, the saving and credit behavior, access to resources, condition and position of women,
the socio cultural aspects that determine their lives and more particularly their involvement in an
economic activity etcetera.
The study presents important findings such as the fact that the distress of the tribal women in the
context gets tripled by being women, being poor and being tribal at the same time. With alienation of
land, depleting natural resources and forests getting scarce, traditional sources of livelihood are lost and
now wage labour for agricultural work is the main source of income for the tribal women, others being
collection of firewood and minor forest produce. Even these sources of livelihood are seasonal and
irregular, forcing them to migrate to nearby towns, where their conditions are even worse.
It finally makes suggestions for improving the lot of the tribal women. The approach presented at
livelihood creation for tribal women is holistic and encompassing all dimensions of their lives. Their
relation to land and forest has to be the key under liner in obtaining a stable and sustainable livelihood
with firm resource base. Besides, it emphasises the need to give equal stress on addressing strategic needs
of women, strengthening women’s capabilities and enhancing women’s agency.
Suggestions include empowering women through micro credit and formation of self help groups,
strengthening the forest enclosure scheme of the Forest Department, providing renewed thrust to
agriculture and water harvesting, skill development in service sector and non-traditional areas and
adopting the cluster approach for developing the handicrafts of the region.

1. Background
Reports of starvation deaths of Saharias of Baran district in 2002 and again in 2004, primarily due
to crop failure, highlighted their perilous circumstances and underlined the need to look for efficient
management of existing resources as well as alternative livelihood options for them in the district.
People at the lower rungs of the social hierarchies of caste, class, and sex are always at greater
disadvantage. The distress of the tribal women in this context is tripled by virtue of their being women,
poor and tribal at the same time. According to UNDP report- ‘Poverty has a woman’s face – of 1.3 billion
people living in poverty, 70 percent are women’ (UNDP, 1995, pp 36). This feminization of poverty is the
tragic consequence of women’s unequal access to economic opportunities.
Where women gain access to external resources, perception of their value to the household
changes, increasing their bargaining power and leading to more equitable allocation of resources and
decision making power within the household. Thus, livelihood interventions with women are important

RMoL-BASIX 3
from the point of view of poverty reduction as well as women’s advancement. It was in this context that a
study aimed at identifying livelihood strategies specifically for tribal women in Baran district in
Rajasthan was conducted.

Information in a nutshell
 The tribals constitute 34% of the population in the two blocks.
 Only 32 % of the men and 14% of the women amongst them are literate.
 Very few of them own some land and even most of those who own land don’t cultivate it themselves;
they rather work as labour on their own land.
 The average annual income of Saharia households is about 13,000 Rs and a major portion of their
income is spent on treatment of diseases.
 Wage labour is the main source of income for them but it is not available all through the year and
about 60 % of the households are forced to migrate for about four to five months.
 The extent as well as incidence of debt is high. 66% of tribal households in Kishanganj are indebted,
the average debt per household being 11,854 Rs.
 State of infrastructure in the tribal villages is also very poor and it adds to the miseries of the people.

2. Scope of the study

The study has a well defined purpose of formulating livelihood strategies for the tribal women of
Baran district. Identification of livelihood strategies for women requires a minimum understanding of
broadly two aspects. One, existing livelihood opportunities and second, whether they are consistent with
women’s needs and women are able to take advantage of them. The study, thus, specifically aims -
 To identify the existing livelihood prospects and the role of women in them
 To study the various factors that affect (both positively and negatively) women’s access to
livelihood options
 To identify and concretize livelihood options suitable for women in the backdrop of the socio
cultural constraints that shape their life.
3. Area and Methodology
The district of Baran is a natural choice for the study. With 70% of the families below the poverty
line, it is the poorest district in Rajasthan. As per demographic definitions, 83.16% of the district’s
population, with primitive tribes in majority, lives in rural areas. It has an adverse sex ratio of 909 and a
Gender Development Index of 0.525. All point to an under developed and impoverished area.
Ten villages, five each from Shahabad and Kishanganj, two of the most under developed blocks
of the district, were selected for the detailed study. The study uses both primary and secondary sources of
data. The secondary data available in the District Statistical Profile published by Economic and Statistical
Directorate was thoroughly reviewed. Other sources of secondary information are World Wide Web,
research papers, related books, policy documents, etc. However, the study is basically based on
participatory group discussions and personal interviews with tribal women, men and local leaders of the
area. A set of open ended questions were prepared and administered in the form of a semi structured
interview. To have a better understanding of the several interrelated dimensions of women’s lives, some
case studies were also prepared. In addition, discussion with villagers, NGO representatives and forest
officials provided important information.
The study is based on the Human Development Paradigm, which envisions that economic
enhancement of women would expand women’s capabilities and enlarging their choices thereby giving
them a greater control of their lives, rather than on economic growth or technical progress only. This
study also recognizes that the livelihood needs of men and women are not always the same due to their

RMoL-BASIX 4
different roles, responsibilities, and access to resources and that women’s poverty is more severe than that
of men.
4. The Findings
4.1 Tribal Women of the Area
Preference for sons, motivated by economic, social, emotional, and religious desires and norms
places women in India at a disadvantage from their very birth. As girls have to be protected, daughters are
viewed as a liability, whereas sons are desired since older parents typically rely on their sons for support
and to perform last rights or
Every day Life of Women
ancestor worship. The desire for a
She gets up at five in the morning. After retiring from the daily calls, she
son is so strong that Seema’s (a brooms the entire house; twice a week, cleans it by smearing dung on the floor;
tribal of Lakdai village in the then grinds wheat or bajra to flour in the hand grinder, cooks food – tea,
district) in-laws do not allow her vegetable, chapati, serves it to the entire family; sends her sons to the school;
any birth control measures until walks four kms to bring water, in a quantity sufficient enough for drinking,
cooking, washing utensils and other requirements of the family and then walks 6
she has a son. In other families,
km to the forests to bring firewood. She works as a wage labourer too, at times
this preference manifests in female on the roadside for breaking stones, at other occasions, on the agricultural fields,
infanticide, as evident from the where she does land preparation, sowing, weeding, hoeing, fertilizer application,
receding sex ratio. Discrimination harvesting and threshing. At times when labour is not available locally, she
against girls begins from migrates with her family to live in deplorable conditions and being exploited for
work and wages. For the work of eight exhaustive hours, she receives Rs. 30-40
childhood. A girl child is given less as wages whereas for similar nature and duration of work, her husband receives
care, nutrition and medical Rs 40- 60. While she works on field for wage, her six year old daughter stays at
attention than her brothers. Girls home to care for her younger siblings. When she reaches back home at 7 in the
are under-nourished since birth and evening, she again cooks food, washes utensils of the day and looks after the
house. She has a buffalo that gives one litre of milk and three hens that do not
remain under-nourished through
lay eggs. Taking care of them, bringing fodder for the buffalo and cleaning dung
out their critical growing years. is also her responsibility. Besides, she is the one who has to take care of the
Multiple and frequent pregnancies, health and the nutrition of the family as also look after the older people at home.
are typical of lives of tribal She is lucky the night she is not physically abused by her drunkard husband.
women. Tribal women, like Tired – a term unknown to her for it does not have any implication in her life –
she goes to sleep only to start the same cycle the next morning. This set of
disadvantaged women everywhere chores remains same irrespective of whether she is pregnant or nursing or
deprive themselves for the comfort suffering from a physical ailment. She can be anyone – Geeta, Kalli, Rama,
and well-being of other members Manbhar, Angoori, Mohini, Ramkali or Parvati. For every tribal woman in
of the family. They even sacrifice Baran, life moves along these gridlines, shaped by historical, social, cultural,
political and economic factors.
what is rightfully theirs for the sake
of others in the household. Guddi
Bai (a tribal woman of the area) sold her jewellery to pay for her husband’s treatment. When women
become burdened this way, they are unable to take advantage of livelihood opportunities.
Abysmally low level of literacy, the foundation of human resource development, is the single
most important factor that contributes to the plight of the tribal women in the region. The literacy rate of
tribal women in Baran, although almost four times that in 1991 is a low 14.2 % (2001). A study by Tribal
Research Institute, Udaipur (2004) records the enrolment rate for tribal girls aged up to 17 years as 29.1%
as against the corresponding figure of 43.1% for tribal boys. Parents have several disincentives for
educating their daughters. Foremost is the view that education of girls brings no returns to their parents.
Their future role is also recognised as being mainly reproductive or of an unskilled labourer, which
require no formal education. Girls are also confined to homes because of their perceived responsibility for
household. Another reason is men’s perception that educated women will be a threat to their supremacy.
Lack of access to health services, as amply exhibited by the presence of a Primary Health Centre
only in 4.6 % (11 out of 236) tribal villages, also adds to the suffering of women.

RMoL-BASIX 5
 Tribal women in the area are, in some ways, better off than their non-tribal counterparts. There is
no child marriage. Dowry is not a part of their culture. Second marriage is non-existent as is legal divorce.
Women need not suffer as widows for they take to remarriage (nata) after the period of mourning.
However, this is at a price to be paid by the prospective husband to her ‘owner’ (father or in-laws, as the
case may be). For all practical purposes, nata is a second marriage and the children born out of a nata
relation have similar rights to the children born of a marriage, but it is not enforceable in law.
However, despite some of these positive features, tribal women are a much-disadvantaged lot.
They do not participate in formal political decision-making. They hardly ever play an important role in
religious rituals. This inequality shows itself even in economic areas.
4.2 Natural Resources in the area
Land is a critical asset for the rural poor. It provides a means of livelihood through the
consumption and sale of crops and other products, and in many cases it serves as collateral for credit or
exchanged for capital to start up another income-generating activity. Because the landless are excluded
from these opportunities, they are often among the poorest. Without access to land, the landless depend
on employment from other farmers or non-farm income sources, but the growth and stability of such
employment also depends on the growth of incomes (and thus spending) in local farming. Off-farm
employment opportunities are often limited in rural areas with imperfect labour markets and a low stock
of human capital among the landless poor.
"Jungle hai to jivan hai, jivan hai to jungle hai" (If there is forest there is life, and if there is life
there is forest), said a woman during the group discussions. Their entire lifestyle in one way or the other
revolves around the forests and other natural resources. Women collect minor forest produce such as
tendu patta, mahua, gum, harad, baheda, karonda, aonla etc. for household consumption and sale. Some
women also add value to these products by processing them into bidis, brooms, baskets, mats, ropes and
leaf plates.
Attempt has been made to comprehend the state of the natural resources surrounding the tribal
women. The questions that were explored during the discussions were – Which natural resources are
available in abundance in the area? Which are scarce? What is the use of various natural resources in their
life? How has their availability changed over time? How far do they go to collect firewood, water, and for
grazing of animals? Who goes? What are the other problems that hinder their access to and control over
resources? How was the condition 50 year back? How was it 20 years ago? And, how is it now? How
does it impact their lives?
The insights on the primary data and the discussions are summed up below.
Alienation of land
At one time most of the Saharias apparently owned forestland, which was then converted into
arable land. A lot of this land, particularly the canal-irrigated land, was mortgaged at ridiculously low
rates to settlers and the Saharias were largely left with infertile land. Even where they owned arable land,
they could not cultivate it because of high cost of production through experimenting. Prior to 1958, the

 There has been a considerable decrease in the natural resource base because of deforestation and
resultant ecological imbalance.
 Control and access of tribals to natural resources has drastically reduced over time. Collection of MFP,
that was their traditional source of livelihood, is diminishing at a faster pace.
 There are lot of disputes over the forest land that had been allotted to Saharias. Heavy penalties are
charged from them considering them encroachers of forest land.
 The brunt of ecological degeneration has an unequal bearing on men and women. Women’s lives have
become difficult as they have to walk long to fetch water, to collect firewood, and to collect minor
forest produce.
 The upper caste people in the area and the forest officials make their access to natural resources more
cumbersome.
RMoL-BASIX 6
Saharias were working as bonded labour in fields, which were once theirs. Now, the landlords exploit
them as labourers, do not pay them the minimum daily wage and even discriminate against the women.
The Government tried to halt this process of alienation of tribal land and even reverse it. Transfer of
scheduled tribes’ land to non-tribals is prohibited through legislation. However, this has not yielded
expected results as the rich have found innovative ways of circumventing the law. The Government even
attempted to give the Saharias land rights by allotting them lands. However, this has not been successful
as most of the allotted lands were disputed, in possession of powerful trespassers and land-grabbers or
claimed by Forest Department as forestlands.
Depleting Resources
Forest, water, green pastures, land, livestock, firewood, air, and stones are the natural resources
which provide the lifeline to the tribals of these regions. But their continuous depletion has led to their
scarcity. Deforestation has affected rainfall patterns and, hence, availability of water. Pastureland has
shrunk and their distance from human habitations increased.
It is women who bear the brunt of depleting natural resources. Women, old or pregnant, nursing
or ill, have to trudge long distances, which may extend up to eight kilometres, to fetch drinking water and
firewood from the forest. Pastureland too is never nearer than two kilometres from the village.
Vanishing Jhoom cultivation
In earlier times, the Saharia tribe practiced jhoom cultivation (shifting cultivation). Under this
system of farming, the tribes would practise farming on a piece of land for at most two years until it lost
its fertility and move on to another place, to return to the original farm not before five years. This would
give the land time to replenish its fertility. Many a times, it involved clearing the forest for acquiring new
land for farming. The trees would supply the timber for the construction of their homes and serve as fuel
for domestic purposes. However, it was a sustainable form of agriculture, as the tribes never over-
exploited the forests. However, with depleting forests, this lifestyle of the Saharia tribe did not find
favour with the government. While the forest department accused the tribes of destroying forests, the
revenue department, lamented the loss of revenue, which it claimed was unnecessarily spent on the
assessment and the measurement of freshly acquired land. With excessive population pressure on forests,
jhoom cultivation is now extinct.
4.3 Tribal women and property
Virtual absence of property rights for tribal women excludes them from not only exploiting
economic and livelihood opportunities arising from them but also reduce their social standing and respect.
Women have almost no right on property and other productive resources except through men. Men get
aggressive at the mere mention of daughter’s share in father’s wealth. Some of them rationalise it by
arguing that women get property through their husbands. Others believe that giving women right on
father’s property will result in family disputes, strained relations with siblings and excessive partition of
land. Some argue that giving women property rights will result in their going on ‘nata’ more frequently.
All these arguments have their roots in the belief that sons carry forward the family lineage whereas
daughters are the parayaa dhan (some other’s wealth). Whatever, the reason, ‘When a woman’s property
rights are violated, the consequence is not just that she loses assets. The repercussions reverberate
throughout women’s
 There lives,
is a pre oftengender
existing resulting in poverty,
division of labour.inhuman living from
Women suffer conditions, and vulnerability
triple burden of productive, to
violence and disease forand
reproductive women andfunctions.
domestic their dependents’ (Human Rights Watch 2003, 30).

The work participation rate of women in the area is higher than that in Rajasthan. Proportion of
women agricultural labourers in the area are more than three times that that in Rajasthan.
 The social obligation of having a son, translates into systematic gender differences in the distribution
of subsistence resources including food, education & health care.
 There are significant inequalities in women’s and men’s access to most critical productive resources
– land and associated technology.
 Despite efforts by governments, traditional societal values and norms continue to undermine
participation of women in public life and local governance.
 They play an important role in ensuring the food security for the household and the forests play a
central role in their lives.
RMoL-BASIX 7
 Because of economic independence that she gains through sheer hard work women’s position is
better of than their non tribal counterparts. They can choose to walk out of a marital relationship and
settle with another of their choice.
4.4 Tribal women, the overworked producers
The tribal women of the region share a high burden of work. Female workforce participation in
Kishanganj and Shahbad block is 38.7% and 40.9% respectively (Census of India, 2001). This is higher
than the corresponding figure of 33.5% for the state, as a whole. Moreover, the work involves more
drudgery and strain as is evident from the proportion of women agriculture labourers in these two areas is
56.0% and 49.9% respectively (Census of India, 2001), which is again significantly higher than the figure
of 16.2% for the state.
SN Indicator (all in percent) Rajasthan Kishanganj Shahbad
3 Work Participation Rate of women 33.5 38.7 40.9
4 Proportion of main workers 17.0 14.3 14.8
5 Proportion of marginal workers 16.5 24.4 26.1
6 Proportion of non workers 66.5 61.3 59.1
7 Proportion of cultivators to total workers 67.0 31.7 40.8
8 Proportion of agricultural labourers to total workers 16.2 56.0 49.9
9 Proportion of workers in household industries to total 2.8 5.0 2.8
workers
10 Percentage of other workers to total workers 14.0 7.2 6.5

60 women in two villages, village Bheelkheda Daang in block Shahbad and village Amroli in
Kishanganj were interviewed in detail. The two villages were selected on the basis that the village
Bheelkheda Daang has an adjoining forest enclosure whereas village Amroli doesn’t have any. They
were surveyed to understand their role in the family income, their land ownership, time spent by
them in an activity, and their control over the income earned. Of the two selected villages, the
findings are as follows:

Average no of earning members per family is 2.5. Thus women play an important role in
family earnings.
 Average land holding is 4.3 bigha but women do not have any stake on land ownership.
 Women contribute to 40% of total family earnings.
 93 % of women are involved in Private labour and 80% in agriculture.
 In the village with enclosure, labour in enclosure contributes to 21% of total family
earnings and 25% of earnings of women.
 In the village without enclosure, private labour contributes to about 50 % of the family
earnings.
 Women have quite good control over the expenditure. They can spend on clothing, food
and on festivals as per their choice.
 Self Help Groups are the only means for them to do little savings.
 62 % of women are member of some kind of a group.
 42% of the women have received some kind of training.
RMoL-BASIX 8
Sources of Livelihood
i) Wage labour: Caught within the web of constant shrinking of forests and strict provisions of various
forestry laws, the tribals are left with no permanent source of income. Wage labour is the most important
means of livelihood for them. Women work for wage labour on farms as agricultural labourers and in
construction works such as crushing stones on the roadside and beldari. At times when wage work is not
available locally, they are compelled to migrate to nearby towns.
ii) Firewood collection: Another important means of income is firewood collection from the forest.
Women collect firewood from far off places and sell it in the local market for Rs 20 – 30 a bundle
weighing 20-30 kg.
iii) Collection of minor forest produce such as gum, aonla, achar, mahua are the other options. But the
shrunken forest cover and the forest laws pose a continuous threat to this option. Moreover, it is available
only on a seasonal basis.
iv) Other sources: A very small proportion of the tribal women are employed on salaries working as
aanganwadi workers, cooks for the mid day meal programme in schools or as barefoot workers for NGOs
dispensing medicines for common ailments.
4.5 Livelihood Concerns of Women
 Traditional sources of livelihood are lost and now wage labour for agricultural work is the main
source of income for the tribal women. Others being collection of firewood and minor forest produce.
 Both of these are available intermittently and hence they have to migrate to nearby towns for at least
4-5 months in a year.
 About 60% of the migrants are women and children.
 The rainy seasons in the month of July - August are most critical because during this time they don’t
get labour work even at urban destinations.
 At migrant destinations, women are exploited more than men.
 For the works they do they get wages lower than the prescribed minimum wages. For women it is
even lower, always.
4.6 Women’s choice of Livelihood Options
The tribal women have a limited exposure. Therefore, their responses are limited to the traditional
roles and activities for women such as sewing. Wages in forest enclosures and value adding economic
activities around forest are the most popular choices, signifying the importance of forest and forest related
activities in their life. Others include handicraft work, making Dari Patti, and brick making.
4.7 Seasonal variation of Labour

Livelihood Priorities of Women

60

50
no. of w omen

40

30

20

10

0
Agriculture forest forest
goatery poultry stitching Others
Labour enclosure produce
Series1 19 31 22 20 38 30 55 9
RMoL-BASIX
option
 The down written pattern of labour situation portrays the scenario of their life. There is no
permanent source of income. They are mainly dependent on agricultural labour, which can be affected by
many factors –like drought, crop pattern, insects/pests, and one’s own health. They are always on the
threshold of starvation, destitution. It is always a crisis for them, a threat to their existence.
Annual Labour Chart prepared during discussion with them depicts that for 4-5 months in a year
they migrate for labour. Even for the days for which the labour is available, it is not sufficient enough for
all the households. During rainy season, they are left to struggle with their fate – without employment,
without money, without grains. This is the time when no work is available to them, even at the migrant
destinations. Since they do not have a tendency of holding or keeping reserve grains for critical times,
their situation during this time worsens.

Seasonal Labour Availability at Local Level

35
30
25
no of days

20
15
10
5
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

labour available not available

4.8 Migration for labour

In the absence of a tangible source of livelihood, and non-availability of sufficient sources of
labour work at local level, the tribes are forced to resort to migration. Seasonal migration for employment
has become one of the most durable components of the livelihood for Saharias. They migrate to places
like Kota and Ratlam along with their family members. It is estimated that 54% of Saharias aged 14
years or more migrate every year. This migrant population accounts for about 60% of the households in
the area. Women comprise about one-thirds of the total migrants.
At the migrant destinations they stay in makeshift shelters made of polythene sheets and receive
very low wages. They usually live in deplorable conditions with inadequate provision of drinking water
and other basic services. The burden posed by a lack of access to basic facilities is borne mainly by
women and children. Obliged to work in harsh and unhygienic conditions, they become vulnerable to
diseases and occupational health hazards. Sexual exploitation of women migrant labourers is another
matter of deep concern.

Kishanganj Shahbad

24%
30%
42% 40%

28% 36%

RMoL-BASIX 10
Me n Wome n Childre n Me n Wome n Childre n
 Fig: Percentage of women migrants from Kishanganj and Shahabad in Baran district

The migrant Saharias in rural areas work as agricultural labourers and in urban areas as unskilled
construction workers. They are generally made to work for long hours and paid wages less than the local
labourers, even below the prescribed minimum wages. Taking advantage of their illiteracy and poverty,
middlemen practice exploitative recruitment practices and retain a major portion of their wages as
commission. Moreover, wages are adjusted only at the end of the season and workers are paid some
advances, which are not at all sufficient to meet even their basic requirements.

 5. National and State initiatives to address women’s livelihoods:

Employment Creation: The early conceptualization of poverty regarded it primarily as a consequence of

lack of adequate employment opportunities. Creating more employment opportunities through rural
works programme and employment schemes under different names - RLEGP, NREP, JRY, EAS, SGRY -
have been an important component of poverty alleviation strategy. These programmes were revamped
many times to address the main concerns highlighted by evaluation studies. Leakage of benefits due to
administrative inefficiencies / corruption and failure to create durable assets or sustainable employment
opportunities are two of the principal weaknesses of the employment strategies. Assurance of 100 days
employment to a household has been discontinued and an Employment Guarantee Scheme has been
introduced in selected districts. One feature of employment schemes is that majority of workers who
show up for works are women. This has been the case in Famine Works as well as in the EGS. In one
EGS district, it is reported that 80% of workers are women. The men prefer to move to higher wage
earning locations outside the village.

 Micro-credit: The micro-credit model of SHGs is based upon the notion of a viable and low cost model
of credit delivery. Self- help in this approach emphasizes the pooling of own savings and using the pool to
provide credit within the group. Linking such groups with banks ensures flow of additional resources to
the group for lending for self-employment activities. Group activities are emphasized and the concept
assumes that a group in the same occupation would be created and will provide for common requirements
of materials and marketing. In short a common group activity would be the focus of such a group to
ensure proper utilization of credit as well as timely repayment of loan even though the Planning
Commission in its report cited earlier stated that the scheme should be seen as a process of social
mobilization that would increase the collective bargaining strength of the poor. In the SHGs as actually
implemented in the state, credit delivery rather than social mobilization has been the main focus The
group is expected to ensure collectively credit use, repayment and mobilization of own savings. They do
so by managing their resources and keeping accounts etc. Reducing the cost of credit delivery and
ensuring effective utilization of credit and government subsidies are the primary focus in this approach
spearheaded by NABARD and by the banks. Such groups may or may not be women’s groups.

RMoL-BASIX 11
Self-Employment Schemes: SHGs: IRDP, launched in 1980, was the first major self-employment
programme. This was restructured under Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) in 1999-2000.
SGSY shifted focus from individual micro enterprises to group enterprises for providing credit as a major
component and subsidy as a minor one. According to the Planning Commission, “It was conceived as a
process oriented programme for the poor that regards SHGs as important and essential components. SHGs
are seen not as a collection of a few individuals for ensuring better credit delivery and utilization but as
part of a process of social mobilization aimed at strengthening the collective bargaining power of the
poor.” (Planning Commision 2001) Rajasthan has been a late starter to the concept of SHGs despite the
fact that the group approach for addressing gender concerns was first attempted in the Women’s
Development Programme. Since 2005-06, SHGs have become the ‘flavour of the day’ in most
discussions about the poor especially women. SHGs are now being promoted by the DWCD as well as by
the Department of Rural Development. NGOs and government are pursuing it quite vigorously.

 Rajasthan-specific models for addressing gender and livelihoods (Women’s Development Program –
WDP and Department of Women and Child -DWCD models)

Raising women’s consciousness (WDP): WDP was a huge learning experience that helped in better
conceptual clarity and tried to bridge the gap between feminist theory and practice. The focus was on
awareness building. The approach was participative and emphasis on processes rather than on targets. The
structure for implementation included workers from the village to the block, district and state level who
were supported by training and research inputs from a group of resource institutions and NGOs drawn
from within the state as well as from outside. WDP ran into difficulty when it began to achieve what it
was supposed to viz. questioning gender and caste hierarchies, discrimination and violence. Incidents of
protests and actions taken by WDP workers are, by now, well known. Nevertheless, apart from structural
problems within the programme, a major concern voiced by many observers and participants was whether
and how to integrate economic activities with gender awareness. One view was – and it continues to be –
that gender concerns can be addressed only by a group approach. This requires the group to be stable and
cohesive. Income earning strategies in-group formations are rejected. The argument is that economic
activities tend to be competitive and therefore divisive within a group and ii.) with out gender awareness,
the women are formally enrolled as members or beneficiaries but in fact the women’s group becomes a
front for continuation of male domination behind the scene. This critique of economic empowerment
states, “encounter with the market system generates a spirit of competition and personal ambition among
women. This runs counter to the attitude of trust and desire to ‘share’. Without trust and sharing, it is
difficult to stabilize any group – and without a stable group, women cannot look up for a predictable
structure in situations of crisis.” (Sharda Jain, Non- Economic Approach to Empowerment, IDSJ 2003).

Innovating on WDP and Micro-credit: The third approach initiated in Rajasthan by the DWCD during
the last two years is not only a combination of the WDP and micro-credit approach but has introduced
several new features. It is a fall out of the decision to revive WDP as a programme that would develop
economic participation of women along with the earlier thrust on awareness building. More than 9000
workers have been appointed to work as saathins and a structure for monitoring their activities and for
providing support to them have been put in place. Training methodology has incorporated lessons from
the training approaches followed in WDP earlier and by ICDS. Saathins have been given the
responsibility of constituting women’s groups. Their working has also been put in a more structured form.
They are required to hold meetings regularly and keep a record of them. Gender issues are discussed and
village level interventions against social evils or injustice/violence against women are worked out.
Meetings also try to generate interest and provide information about development programmes and
encourage women to save regularly. These groups are then trained and encouraged to start their own
micro-enterprises. To support this work a Women’s Self Help Group Institute (WSHGI) has been set up
at Jaipur. DWCD has created a separate unit for administering the programme. An impressive and highly

RMoL-BASIX 12
creative list of activities shows the diversity of enterprises started by women of SHGs. To illustrate,
selling coconuts in temple sites after procuring them in wholesale market, selling marigold flowers in the
Bharatpur areas surrounding Vrindaban and Mathura, taking catering contracts in haats, melas and
exhibitions organized in many places from time to time are just a few of the examples of women’s
enterprise facilitated by SHGs. Two features may be especially noted the groups are of women only
without distinction of BPL and APL households and there is no subsidy in the assistance provided. In this
sense, the approach is self-targeted and the issue of selecting beneficiaries does not arise. NGOs who
typically have multiple objectives and greater sensitivity to the needs of the poor have been more
successful in reconciling the two but government sponsored SHGs tend to shift focus on specific
objectives of the programme within which such groups are promoted.

6. Livelihood options for the tribal women

6.1 Women empowerment
“Give a man a fish
For our purpose, the conceptual framework expounded by United
and you feed him a
Nations is useful. Empowerment is defined as the processes by which women day but teach him
take control and ownership of their lives through expansion of their choices. how to fish and you
Thus, it is the process of acquiring the ability to make strategic life choices in a feed him a lifetime”.
context where this ability has previously been denied. The core elements of
empowerment have been defined as agency (the ability to define one’s goals
and act upon them), awareness of gendered power structures, self-esteem and self-confidence. Two vital
processes have been identified as important for empowerment. The first is social mobilization and
collective agency, as poor women often lack the basic capabilities and self-confidence to counter and
challenge existing disparities and barriers against them. Often, change agents are needed to catalyse social
mobilization consciously. Second, the process of social mobilization needs to be accompanied and
complemented by economic security. As long as the disadvantaged suffer from economic deprivation and
livelihood insecurity, they will not be in a position to mobilize.
One strategy which has been found to be promising is participatory institution building in the
self-help groups, often coupled with savings and micro-credit loans. "World Bank President James
Wolfensohn says that credit is "a particularly effective way of reaching women." The U.N. Secretary
General calls it "a critical anti-poverty tool for the poorest, especially women." Even Hillary Rodham
Clinton points to micro-credit as a tool that will help poor women "survive globalization."
Some of the positive impacts and potential benefits of this programme are –
 Asset creation and income increase
 It helps in providing short-term liquidity and meeting consumption needs
 It has the potential of changing gender relations within the household
 Enhancing women’s decision making power by greater economic status
 Women mobilisation and increased awareness
 Builds social capital – leadership skills and ability to work in groups and cooperate
A thrust needs to be given to this programme in the tribal region. However, it must be
remembered that this alone is not a panacea to all ills. It should be recognised that it has its limitations
and it should be supplemented by auxiliary services like business development, marketing, accounting,
etc as well as complemented by other non-financial services like health insurance and education. It should
also be well understood that women empowerment is a slow process and one should not expect results to
come overnight. For otherwise, there is bound to be some disappointment. At the same time, the success

RMoL-BASIX 13
of such programmes should be measured not only in economic terms but also from the point of social
capital building.
6.2 Forest enclosures
The tribal womens’ lives revolve around the forests. The Forest Enclosure Scheme of the Forest
Department of the Government needs to be strengthened in the region. This scheme combines forest
regeneration with livelihoods creation, by recognising the tribes as partners in forest protection and
regeneration on the one hand and providing them with usufruct rights over minor forest produce on the
other hand. It has the added advantage of resolving the long-standing conflict between the forest
department and tribes.
The concept of a forest enclosure was conceived by a local NGO, Sankalp, while implementing
Joint Forest Management, a programme of the Forest Department initiated in late 2002. An enclosure is a
patch of 50/100 hectares of forestland given to 50/100 tribal families from the same village for protecting
and regenerating the forest and at the same time deriving sustainable livelihood from it. The group is
given rights over the non-timber forest produce.
For the success of the programme, it is essential that it should be implemented in the same spirit
with which it has been conceived – people’s participation. This needs to be ensured right from the stage
of choosing a forest enclosure, formation of the group, selecting and planning the activities, executing
them, accounting and book-keeping, etc. The people who have the highest stake – the tribal women –
need to own up the programme, which is possible only if they are made to feel part of it.
It is also imperative that proper training, especially in nursery raising, team work/group work,
accounting, leadership skills, processing of minor forest produce, etc is imparted to the women. This will
go a long way in ensuring the benefits of the programme.
It is also important that women get regular income from the enclosures on a sustainable basis.
Forest regeneration has a gestation of 5-7 years. Subsistence needs of the tribal women have to be ensured
in the meanwhile. It is only then that people’s interest in these enclosures will remain alive. For this,
convergence with wage employment schemes such as Famine Relief Work, National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme, District Poverty Initiatives Program, may be explored.
To move up the value chain, the programme should also encourage processing of the minor forest
produce. Again, skill development programmes, marketing schemes and asset creation schemes for rural
development can be looked at. Another issue that needs to be taken care of is transparency.
6.3 Agriculture
Since the area as such is agriculturally rich, there is a lot of scope for agricultural and
horticultural development. Building anicuts for water storage and other water harvesting structures can
help in agriculture diversification. But looking at such options for a large scale livelihood promotion for
tribal women comes with an underpinning to first motivate tribes to work on their own field as
agriculturists. This is because tribes, for long are into practice of giving their land on patta to upper caste
people and working as labour on their own land. Such attitudinal shift will require lots of patience and
efforts.
6.4 Enterprise development in clusters
Since the women in the area are good at handicrafts, these Many little things done in many
activities including dari making can be promoted through proper little places, by many little people,
training and developing market linkages. A cluster development will change the face of the world
approach can be followed for this. A cluster indicates a sectoral and
geographical concentration of enterprises which produce and sell a range of related or complementary
products and are, thus, faced with common challenges and opportunities. It is an effective area based

RMoL-BASIX 14
development approach. It believes on the philosophy of collective strength, cooperation and achieving
economies of scale.
6.5 Skill development
Centres of motor cycle repairing, diesel pump repairing, tractor repairing, mobile phone
repairing, motor winding, house-wiring etc. form another set of options that can be viable. But for this we
need to come out of the mind set that these works can be done only by men. As is amply demonstrated by
a local NGO that gave women the training on solar lighting, hand pump repairing and to act as an
Ayurvedic barefoot doctor. All these trained women have lived up to the challenge and the new acquired
skill sets have given new dimensions to their lives.

Additional Document
Workshop on Gender and Livelihoods in the State
In addition to the above study, the Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods (RMoL) organized a state
level workshop on the subject ‘Gender and Livelihoods in the state’ in Jaipur. The details of the workshop
are attached here to create an overview of the gender perspective in the state.
The objectives of the workshop were to identify the key drivers, the key constraints and the key
solutions to women’s livelihoods in the state.
The agenda consisted of an inaugural session with a background paper presentation; case study
presentations of innovative livelihood initiatives in the farm, non-farm and service livelihoods in
Rajasthan; small group sessions to discuss the cases and identify the key drivers, constraints and solutions
to the issues presented. Other presentations included one on microfinance and one on micro insurance.
The workshop was attended by Government departments, NGO representatives and development
practitioners. The event was inaugurated by Sh. M.L. Mehta, Dy. Chairman, RMoL. The formal
proceedings started with the background note presentation by Dr. Kanta Ahuja, Retired Professor of
Economics, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. The first session included inauguration, background paper
presentation and key note address.
Extract from the Background Paper:

Agricultural sector, that includes animal husbandry, is the main sector for both men and women.
Area under forests is relatively small. The Economic Census for 1998 reports that about 70% of women
workers not engaged in agriculture are engaged in what the Census describes as ‘production and related
workers’ and in services or in unclassified categories. NSSO data for the 56 th Round (2000-01) shows that
31% of the rural unorganized sector workforce consists of women workers. For urban areas the share of
women is 27 % - for urban and rural areas taken together the share is 29%. In absolute numbers, women
work force in the unorganized sector was 3 00,000 workers (9.3% of total workers). Of these, 100,000
were working in own account enterprises (mostly livestock) and 200,000 in non-agricultural enterprises in
1998.

RMoL-BASIX 15
 The background paper dealt in detail about the key constraints like understanding of gender and
suggested that gender analysis is not only about women but also about relations between men and women,
between women and society/community and about women and decision-making, i.e. the structural
conditioning of relationships that impinge on women. It further elaborated about the quality of livelihoods
for women in the state and the national and state initiatives to address women’s livelihoods regarding
micro-finance and self employment schemes. It also discussed the Rajasthan specific models for
addressing gender and livelihoods in the areas of raising women’s consciousness, innovation on WDP and
micro-credit.

The paper highlighted the present livelihoods for women in Rajasthan and suggested for a
controlled migration as an adaptive mechanism, proper management of natural resource options and
improvement in the sectoral options like dairy and crafts.

The Keynote address was made by Ms. Alka Kala, Principal Secretary, Department of Women
and Child Development, Government of Rajasthan. She detailed out the positive and negative aspects of
women’s situation in Rajasthan and also shared the information related to constraints and strength of
DWCD.

The second session was earmarked for group discussions. Four groups were formed to discuss on
a) issues related to urban services during migration, this was led by the Ajeevika Bureau team, Udaipur,
b) issues related to animal husbandry and allied activities, the group was represented by PRADAN,
Dhoulpur, c) issues related to rural non-farm sector, this group was represented by Udyogini, Bikaner and
d) issues related to micro-credit and micro-finance and the group was represented by Centre for Micro
Finance, Jaipur and SEWA, Bikaner.

The first group highlighted the key drivers of urban services during migration as skill up-
gradation within trade, pre-placement counselling services and legal aid, provision of Identity cards,
facilitation with families of migrants (relaying of messages from migrants, telephone, remittances), skill
development linked to placement services rather than stand-alone and augmentation in negotiation skills.
The team also dealt on the constraints involved in implementing these tasks like women in general are
unable to cope with the full time job as they are also supposed to do household chores, employers are not
willing to try women out in non-traditional skills unless they have prior experience and accidents occur at
construction sites so help is required but insurance premiums are high.

The second group on dairy development listed the key drivers for the sub-sector as creation of
Self Help Groups and federating them into clusters, effective payment system, quality animal induction
and credit-bank linkages. They highlighted the constraints in terms of illiteracy, high dependence on
moneylenders, feed management and hygienic rearing, sporadic growth of units, lack of co-ordination
among different agencies in the district working in dairy and too many activities for women
simultaneously.

The third group on non-farm crafts development pointed the drivers as skill up-gradation and
product development linked to identified market segments, focus on medium market segments for volume
in production and outreach to more women, limited products, limited design requirements/diversification
to keep costs and skill expectations reasonable, mentoring of village-based business development service
providers as entrepreneurs and systems for distribution of raw material and collection of final products,
linking clusters to a central production unit at the block level. The presentation highlighted the major
constraints as women not willing to participate in forming micro-credit SHGs unless wages are first
assured, productivity among women for whom household work is important, continuing patriarchal

RMoL-BASIX 16
attitudes about women that shows that men still consider women’s contribution to be secondary and
infrastructure (transport) is poor with villages and from the district to elsewhere.

The fourth group worked on micro-credit and micro-insurance. While highlighting the present
scenario of SHGs, their savings, credit, bank linkages and loaning listed the key drivers as provision for
door to door service, products are need based and in the form of a package, regular follow up with the
beneficiaries and scheme modification based on needs. They listed the key constraints as services are very
expensive and SEWA is far from even break even since the cost of delivery is very high, Women are not
able to take prompt decisions on availing of the service as this is a new thing for them and stiff
competition from highly subsidized products e.g. government is giving free insurance services to BPL
families.

Presentations made during the workshop

Following are the two presentations made available in the document amongst many others.

Presentation One

Slide 1&2
A workshop on
GENDER AND LIVELIHOOD An Introduction to
STRATEGIES
28 NOVEMBER 2006
Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods
and
UDYOGINI location of workshop in its
and mandate.
RAJASTHAN MISSION ON LIVELIHOODS

Slide 3&4
Background Background

 Population of Rajasthan : 5.6 crore in Further,

2001
 Annual increase in population : 2.5 per capita income of state:13.1 %
percent or 11 lakh people per annum below the international accepted
 Increasing pressure on livelihood poverty line.
opportunities
 Ensuring gainful and sustainable Thus income needs to be increased by
employment to this increasing one eighth of the present level.
population is a big challenge.

RMoL-BASIX 17
Slide 5&6
Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods Mandate

 Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods (RMoL)

was set up in September 2004 under the  Formulate Appropriate and
chairmanship of Honorable Chief Minister Innovative Livelihood Strategies
and vice chairmanship of Mr. M.L.Mehta.
 Resource Mobilization and
 RMoL task livelihood strategies for the Investments
state in collaboration with govt., non
govt., private stakeholders.  Studies and Research
 BASIX-Mission Assistance Technical Unit  Assist Government Departments
(MATU) to RMoL since Dec. 2005

Slide 7&8 Methodology Adopted

The Question arises…….
State role
State
less
State mandated NGOs/
delivering but not Corporate
LH services delivering
LH services
Role
More
Why gender based livelihood strategies….?
Seeding ideas to use state’s massive resources, Filling in gaps by
bringing convergence, piloting and then mainstream into the system, Answer lies in understanding the poverty
new strategies developed and implemented
cycle of women. Because……
Livelihood Strategies and Implementation Mechanism In the existing socio cultural milieu, men
and women experience poverty differently.
Studies/ Workshops Consultative Visits and
Reviews Meetings Collaborations

Slide 9&10
Poverty Cycle of Women A number of empirical studies suggest

Economic Propertylessness Increase in economic empowerment

dependence resourcelessness

Poverty Cycle Increase in dignity and self confidence

of women Positive notion of self
Lack of access to Low fall back
economic opportunities position

Influences lives not only of women them selves

Control but also of men and children
overpower

Social, cultural and religious factors provide support.

Slide In Kerala and in Himachal Pradesh Women status in Rajasthan: Indicators

11&12
Income Index
Rapid  Gender
economic disparity
growth overall women
index value
of 0.692 - it
High labour
stood at the Jaipur 0.717 0.584
force 22nd rank
participation (out of the
Jaisalmer 0.641 0.462
of women 32) in the
Social
growth Poverty year1991 (SR 821)
reduction
Dungarpur 0.530 0.475
(SR 1027)

RMoL-BASIX 18
Slide
13&14 Road Ahead Road Ahead

 Identifying livelihood needs crafted An analysis of the impact of the efforts
specifically to suit women’s needs done so far in enhancement of women’s
becomes imperative. capabilities is crucial at this juncture.

 It can only be done from a multisectoral, Based on these analysis policies should be
and integrated perspective by rethought in order to maximise their ability
government, international organisations, to promote a more equitable distribution of
civil society, private sector and other
productive assets, wealth, opportunities,
relevant actors.
income and services.

Slide 15
Locus of Today’s Workshop

 It is in this broad purview that the

objectives of today’s workshop on
‘Gender and Livelihood Strategies’ are
located.

Second Presentation

Slide 1&2 Interventions:

Livelihood Gender
Gender & Livelihood
Asset Creation Not Gender based but
Presentation
 

 Fund Mobilisation rather Gender sensitive

 Animal Insurance
PRADAN  Animal Health & Vet-
By: S.M.Adeel Abbas Support
 Member Capacities
 Marketing

RMoL-BASIX 19
Slide 3&4
Strategies: What Worked & What Didn't
 Livelihood Promotion on Sect oral Approach  Worked:
 Federating women Self Help Groups (SHGs)-  Self Help Groups, Clusters
Clusters- Federation  Quality animal Induction.
 Credit-Bank Linkages, Micro finance
 Marketing.
 Peer pressure
What Didn’t:
 Productivity enhancement
 Feed Management

Slide 5&6 Enabling Factors

Challenges Livelihood Gender
 Project:  Women:  Availability of Water &  Women are more prone
 Breed Improvement  Understanding Intricacies Fodder to savings
 Timely & Regularly of Business.  Skilled Human  Women have sense of
Conception Of animals  Substitution of quality Resource Ownership &
Feed Management & time to Family & Project

programs.  Existing Animal health Accountability.
Hygienic rearing
 Clutches of Middle men  Building ownership & Agency  Women are main
Stake  Organized Market buffalo rearer


Slide 7&8 Disabling Factors Key Impacts: Women

Livelihood Gender Positive Negative
 Sporadic growth of  Restrictions  Increased Participation  Channel to Mobilize
Units  Literacy  Decision Making Funds.
 Co-ordination among  Household  Ownership/Stake  Psychological Stress.
Different agencies responsibilities  Confidence
 Easily Instigated  Functional Literacy.
 Mobility
 Increased Awareness.
 Risk taking ability

RMoL-BASIX 20
 Annexure I

Participatory Forestry Development Project for Saharia Tribes in

Shahabad & Kishanganj Tehsils in Baran District

Objectives

 To help the Saharia community by providing employment in forestry development works

 To utilize tribal knowledge in restoring productivity of forests
 To restore and augment productivity of forestland with special emphasis on minor forest produce.
 To strengthen Joint Forest Management efforts among Saharia tribe
 Socioeconomic empowerment of Saharia tribe through group action in managing natural resources
 To provide training opportunities to Saharia community in common resource management and land
based income generation activities

Strategy

The Project envisages use of forest resources for enhancing income of the Saharia community. The
Saharia community has been traditionally using these resources for livelihood but the participation of this
community in the management of these resources has not been institutionalized so far. To achieve the
objectives of the Project, the target group of beneficiaries, i.e., Saharia community will be given
preference over other communities throughout the implementation of the project. In the short run, the
Saharias would be preferentially employed on the forestry works. These Saharia families will be
organized into Self Help Groups and Village Forest Protection Committees. The Saharia families engaged
in the development works will be involved in the protection and management of the plantations. These
Saharia families will also share the benefits of the plantations as per JFM guidelines. The strategy of the
project would include,

 Organizing the Saharia families in a village into SHGs and assimilate them in the form of Village
Forest Protection Committees
 Providing preferential employment to Saharia families
 Assigning the task of plantation & other development activities to SHGs & VFPMCs so constituted
 Assigning the responsibility of protecting and managing the plantations to VFPMCs
 Giving preference to those forestry operations in the plantations which enhance productivity of
minor forest produce in the area apart from improving tree cover and production of grasses
 Providing training to Saharia families in group formation, JFM, sharing the produce, conversion of
forest produce, marketing and managing forest resources outside the plantation minimizing the
damage to existing forest crop
 Promoting planting of improved variety of fruit plants on the fringes of forestland, other common
land and agriculture fields
 Promoting use of bio-fertilizers, Bee keeping, cultivation of medicinal plants
 Promoting rainwater harvesting for drinking water and irrigation
 Helping in improving sanitation in the villages
 Augmenting education facilities in the villages through Paryavaran Pathshalas

RMoL-BASIX 21
  Organizing periodic Health Camps and animal camps
 Dissemination of technical know-how through village level publications
 Conducting training workshops for educating villagers
 Organizing Padyatras for generating awareness

On field Works

Stone wall fencing around enclosure; Trenching, digging, land levelling, grass cutting, check dam
preparation, construction of anicut, well

Tree species that can be planted

 Fruit trees such as aonla, mahua, ber, papaya, lemon, karonda, guava, mango, jackfruit
 Timber species such as mahua, safeda, sagwan, shisham, teak, neem, bamboo
 Medicinal plants/trees such as harad, baheda, ashwagandha, senna, tulsi, aloevera, giloya,
shatavar, safed musli, neem, guggal
 Other forest trees such as mahua, tendu, khair

Grass species
Elephant grass, lemon grass

Other Related Activities

Watershed Management, aquaculture, sericulture, livestock rearing, dairy activities, making of decorative
items out of forest resources, production of bio fertilizers and biopesticides

RMoL-BASIX 22
 Annexure II

Faces of Women’s Lives in Baran

Case 1: Seema Bhil

Seema, a lively and innocent girl, lost her mother when she was a 3-month old baby. Her father
remarried so that she and her brother could get mother’s love. Destiny, however, had something else in
store for her.
The stepmother fixed baby Seema’s marriage in Lakdai village. She harassed Seema in the
household chores at the young age of 4 years. At that growing age when kids do nothing but play, Seema
would help in cleaning, cooking and washing. She would not get enough to eat. On most days, Seema
would live on single bread. And yet, her stepmother would beat her and starve her for trivial things. When
abuse and hunger would become intolerable, little Seema would find some food and shelter at her uncle’s
house. Her life was a living hell in her stepmother’s house and her dream of going to school was
farfetched.
Seema’s life took a turn when this news reached her to-be in-laws in Lakdai village. At the tender
age of 8 years, Seema was married and sent off after ‘Gowna’ to Lakdai. But Seema was completely
ignorant of meaning of marriage, rituals like ‘Ghoonghat’ at her new home and even her relationship with
her husband. She would cry in horror when her husband approached her and would find refuge in her
mother-in-law’s room at nights.
However, Seema got lot of love and affection from her in-laws. She would get to eat whatever
she wanted. Gone were the days of starvation and physical abuse. Gradually, Seema forgot her
horrendous past and adapted to her new home. When she was 14, she became pregnant with her first
daughter. It was then that she got to know about the 3-month camp of Doosra Dashak project being held
at Bhanwargarh village. Seema became determined to get some education there to be able to raise her
child better. Hesitatingly, she convinced her in-laws to let her go to the camp for studying. She attended
the camp for 3 months.
Seema is 18years old now and is a mother of two daughters. Her in-laws will not allow any birth
control measure until she gives birth to a son. She has no support or even contact with her parents. She
seldom goes to visit them. Her husband is a good-natured man and they do not have any grudges between
them. She is happy in her home and could ask no more.
Now that Seema is pregnant for the third time, she is worried. She does not want more children.
She feels that girls are as good as boys but dare not say anything to her in-laws. She has earned lot of
affection and care from her in-laws and fears losing it all lest she should revolt against them. In her
helplessness and dilemma, Seema can hardly help thinking why God created women at all?

RMoL-BASIX 23
 Case 2: Guddi Bai

Guddi Bai is a skinny, soft spoken and reserved young woman about 30 years old. Such intense is
her concentration that she is not even aware of her surroundings while working. She is mostly quiet and
her personality somewhat suppressed. Poverty and the hardships of her life are the obvious culprits.
Guddi Bai’s struggle began almost with her birth. She was one year old when her mother died
and her father abandoned her to remarry another woman. He never came back to see if Guddi was dead or
alive. Her childless uncle brought her up like his own daughter and even sent her to school until fourth
grade. However, as is customary in the region, Guddi Bai was married at a young age of ten years. Then
she started the bitter journey of life. Guddi came to live with her in-laws when she was 15 year old. Her
father in-law had died before her marriage. She was the eldest daughter in-law and hence, responsible for
taking care of her husband and his three younger brothers.
Guddi Bai’s husband was a labour and earned very little. Guddi Bai also worked to make ends
meet. Eventually, they had three children and more mouths to feed. Her husband, however, got involved
with another woman and started neglecting his duties at home. Guddi fled to her uncle’s house to live.
However, she was constantly questioned by interfering community members and neighbours as to when
would she return to her husband. Finally, she gave in and told her uncle about her husband’s affair. He
persuaded her husband to hold to their marriage and come back to Guddi Bai and their children. They
started living together again, but only to drag their household through poverty.
There never was enough money to raise the children and cater to the basic needs in Guddi’s
home. She worked anywhere she found work, never getting a break, but nothing seemed to pull them out
of their misery. One year ago, Guddi Bai’s husband fell very ill. She had to sell all her jewellery her uncle
gave in dowry, to pay for his treatment. He got better but lost his hearing after that.
Now, Guddi Bai not only takes care of her household and three children but also works to earn
bread. She cooks for children in the mess of Second Decade project, to make her living. Before going to
work, she has to finish her household chores and send her children to school. She is determined to educate
all three of her children so that their lives can be better than her life. She hardly gets half an hour break
from work during the day. Then she hurries home to settle things for her family and returns back to work.
No matter how tough or how long the job, Guddi Bai does not lose her concentration. She puts in her best
and perseveres.

RMoL-BASIX 24
Composition of RMoL:
Sl. No. Name & Designation
1. Hon’ble Chief Minister Chairman
2. Shri M.L.Mehta, IAS (Retd.) , Ex-Chief Dy. Chairman
Secretary, Rajasthan
3. Dr N S Hegde, Chairman, BAIF, Pune Member
4. Dr Tushaar Shah, International Water Member
Management Institute
5. Shri V K Ladia, CMD, Shree Rajasthan Syntex Member
Ltd. Dungarpur
6. Shri Rajiv Jain, Managing Director, M/s Member
Sambhav Gems, Jaipur
7. Shri Dilip Baid, Chairman, Federation of Member
Rajasthan Handicrafts Exporters Association
8. Shri Brij Mohan, ED (Retd.), SIDBI, Lucknow Member
9. Shri Vikram Golecha, Ex. Chairman, CII, Member
Rajasthan Chapter
10. Shri Arun Goyal, Director, Academy of Member
Business Studies, New Delhi
11. Shri Ravi Srivastva, Professor, Center for Member
Regional Development Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi
12. Shri Vijay Mahajan, Chairman, BASIX Principal Advisor
13. Shri D P Bagchi, Former Secretary, SSI, GoI Principal Advisor
14. Shri Apurva Kumar, ED, Hotel Clarks Amer, Member
Jaipur

RMoL-BASIX 25