This is a story which should get a wider circulation especially amongst the NRA community. Is it something to be included in the Pooswa? (subject to getting permission from the author)
Greetings, Wahid Van: assamonline@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Namens Partha Gogoi Verzonden: maandag 4 juni 2007 23:58 Aan: assamonline@yahoogroups.com Onderwerp: [asom] Self-help success in trouble-torn Assam Self-help success in trouble-torn Assam Nava Thakuria http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=14&theme=&usrsess=1&id=158228 ASSAM features in media headlines on and off because of insurgency-related issues this oil and tea rich tstate has a population of nearly 26 million and is home to many armed outfits that include the Ulfa which is fighting New Dehi for various demands that range from self-rule to sovereignty but these gun-toting youths pale in comparison with the many enterprising young men and women who endeavour to earn a dignified livelihood. The poor but radical workforce in rural Assam has started taking advantage of a few Central government schemes implemented in their locality and, slowly but steadily, these people have begun to set an example for hundreds of others. The Aditya Self Help Group has set a vibrant example of how a small band of men and women can change their lives and those of others simply by organising themselves and investing in their farms. Formed in July 2002, the Aditya SHG is based at Gomariguri Development Block in Golaghat, eastern Assam. It was formed by 13 young men and women of the area who decided to market their agricultural produce as a group. This not only helped them to cut transportation costs, but a larger product base gave them better leverage in the market. Earlier, individual farmers used to produce a significant amount of crops, but most of this produce was sold at low rates in the local markets. The demand in the local markets was and still is defiantly low. Moreover, some businessmen took advantage of the situation (abundant production but low demand) and would buy the produce cheap and benefit by selling in big markets, including Guwahati, which is around 300 km away. The Aditya group decided to transport their produce to the bigger, more lucrative markets. They began by moving their goods to nearby towns and sold to wholesalers. They benefited and soon they started networking with businessmen based in Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia for regular trade. The group now has its own people in these towns who handle the selling and also take orders from big buyers. And the benefits are twofold: they can supply the demands of bigger markets (towns) and gain satisfactory returns. As the group progressed, an official from the District Rural Development Agency in Golaghat briefed the members about the benefits of a self-help group as defined by the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna. They liked the idea and kicked off their own SHG by opening a savings bank account at the local branch of Asom Grameen Vikash Bank. The group first invested in a tractor, which proved to be a good decision because it served a dual purpose. First, the tractor helped them till their land better so they could start growing paddy, mostly sali (a kharif rice cultivated in summer). The production quantity was also good because this particular zone is not flood-prone, unlike other parts of Upper Assam. Second, they rented out the tractor to other farmers of the area for a nominal fee. With the extra money and another bank loan, they soon got another tractor. Around the same time, the group also started diversifying into new products that had a good market in the area, like tomato, capsicum, cabbage, ginger and other vegetables. In fact, the Aditya SHG is one of hundreds of thousands of successful self-help groups formed under the SGSY. The Centre launched the scheme in April 1999 with the aim of bringing about a paradigm shift in development strategy and creating employment opportunities for the rural poor with the formation of self-help groups linked with bank credit. Union ministry of rural development sources reveal that almost 2.5 million self-help groups were formed in India, of which about 500,000 are being credit linked with the banks under the SGSY. Over 7.5 million poor rural families (till January 2007) have adopted different economic activities like handicrafts, mushrooms, piggeries, dairy farming, mechanised agriculture and various ravi (cultivated in winter) crops. An Assam government source reveals that around 150,000 self-help groups were set up till December 2006, involving more than a million families living below the poverty line that accounted for around 16 per cent of the states population. State Institute of Rural Development statistics reveal that more than 2,000 such groups are being sanctioned loans by different banks over the past three financial years amounting to Rs 25 crore. Four years after beginning, products of the Aditya SHG are being marketed in various parts of the region. In fact, the group havs carved a niche for itself and sell under a brand name Aditya Vegetable Products. Now we are well recognised in the markets. We try to maintain the quality of our products, says Durgeswar Saikia, a member of the group. Along with enjoying the benefits of their success, the group also helps other farmers of the region by buying their products. For the farmers, this has proven to be a boon because they now do not need to market their produce individually and are also assured of a minimum support price for their products while they sit at home. This system has worked out so well that over 500 families of the locality now depend on the young brigade. As a part of community service, the Aditya SHG often tills the land of poor farmers and widows free of cost. Our tractors are hired by other farmers. Sometimes, we prepare the land of poor people and widows. We only charge for the fuel but often we do it absolutely free, says Biren Saikia, an advisor to the group. Though promoted and funded by New Delhi, the self-help group activities have never faced any problems from the insurgent outfits in the state. The SHG movement involves hundreds of thousands of young men and women who otherwise sympathise with the cadres of the armed outfits. These outfits, however, have of late begun to erode their mass support bases because of their many anti-people activities. And they do not possess the moral courage to put a ban on such self-help activities. More precisely, while separatist outfits like Ulfa argue that their mission will bring economic affluence to the common people in the long run, poor villagers are already witnessing the the economic benefits fetched by Centres endorsed schemes. (The author is a Guwahati-based freelance journalist.) This is a good story by Nava. More stories like this are needed..........not just stories of violence and mindless trouble. Why was this not highlighted before? Partha Gogoi
