SECTORS OF INTERVENTION: Elements of MANTRA

Self Governing People's institutions

The starting point of all Gram Vikas' activities is the community. Development of community based management systems is vital for enabling transfer of responsibilities to the community to allow for eventual withdrawal of Gram Vikas over a defined period of time. This opportunity is taken beyond this narrow definition and used as a process to enable communities to build experience of democratic and participatory governance in the true sense. The premise is that the engagement with the development process initiated by Gram Vikas is a springboard to enable the community to tackle all other development issues that it faces in a holistic manner.

100% Inclusion - building social and gender equity

Gram Vikas works in villages only where there is agreement of 100% of the families to be part of the development process. From each family, there must be at least one adult man and a woman who are part of the general body. In the initial period in each village there are separate general bodies, till women gain confidence to articulate amongst a larger group, especially before men, and men begin to show greater acceptance of women's opinions. Social and gender equity are key concerns in establishing new structures for democratic governance in the village.

The general body elects a representative committee consisting of nine (or eleven) persons, with equal number of men and women, ensuring that all sections of the village community are represented. Members of the executive committee or others are nominated to sub-committees which are formed on the basis of specific activities undertaken in each village (eg. sanitation committee, education committee, health committee, etc).

Village committees are registered under the Societies Act 1860, giving them institutional autonomy to access, generate and utilise funds. Most committees have monthly meetings and sometimes more frequently depending on the activities in each village. The status of finances is shared periodically to maintain transparency in transactions. The details of major activities and financial contributions are also put on public display in each village.

Community funds

Each village has to find ways to raise community funds and manage community assets. In initiating the water and sanitation programme an average of Rs.1000 per family is raised at the start of the programme through equitable contributions by families.
Villages also identify recurring sources of income, including forest patches, developing community horticulture, leasing in and undertaking scientific pisciculture in village ponds.
Communities in tribal areas are encouraged to manage grain banks (which is a traditional practise in several communities) and seed banks.
These initiatives build experience among communities to make collective decisions, work out benefit sharing formulae and manage their assets and resources effectively. The funds that they manage also enhance their confidence, while at the same time increasing their sense of dignity.

Each village influences its neighbour, and the work spreads through a demonstration effect. Leaders from villages, which Gram Vikas supports, become ambassadors and influence their neighbours and villages where they have relations or where seek to build relations through marriage! There is an effort to develop clusters of villages, so that a critical population (at least 20%) is covered in each Panchayat. These clustered villages often form an area committee and make collective representations to the Panchayat and Block.
Members of Panchayats are part of the village level institutions nurtured by Gram Vikas. Over time men and women showing leadership potential are also encouraged to participate in Panchayat elections and the like.
Area committees, or clusters of villages in Panchayats are organised to lobby for issues of common concern, including function of schools and health centres, facilities under the public distribution system, forest management, and development of roads and markets.
Capacity building of village institutions is an ongoing process in our work with village communities and happens through workshops and discussions in structured training sessions as well as practical handholding and support. At the start of interventions all elected / selected leaders (men and women) go through leadership development programmes. There are follow-up workshops to these in subsequent years. The follow-up in the field includes accompanying the leaders and building their confidence especially in interfacing with the external environment.
Functional literacy programmes are organised for women leaders to enable them to understand and participate in management effectively. Leaders are also trained in preparing proposals for the government.

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