ममत्व का मान ....
तुम पंद्रह के हो आज....
लगता हैँ कल की बात थी
जब हुआ था तुम्हारा जन्म
जी उठी थी मै
पुलकित हुआ था मन
ना पूजा प्रार्थना या उपासना
यूं हुआ तुम्हारा आगमन
नियति ने समझा जैसे
मेरे मन का रुदन
मूक भावों को मिले हो शब्द
सूनी गोद को सुकून
स्मित हास्य से तुम्हारी
खिल उठा रोम रोम
मेरी बाहों को भर देता
तुम्हारा स्नेह भरा आलिंगन
जगा देता आत्मविश्वास
तुम्हारा सहज़ समर्पण
न्यारी बातें तुम्हारी
उत्साहित करती मुझे
अकेले सफर में जैसे
अंतरंग मित्र प्रसन्न
ईश्वरीय वरदान या
ईशवर की छवी तुम
पूर्ण हुआ मेरा जीवन
माँ बन समझा ममत्व...
मन विमल
Saturday, 13 June 2020
Wednesday, 10 June 2020
SHG women during Covid : A gender perspective
SHG women during Covid : A gender perspective
Paapad, pickles and masala are synonymous with SHGs so much that most people imagine that women from self help groups are capable of doing just that. My initial dismay at this typecast image got transformed when I accepted two facts. One, that they if they didint do it our lives would certainly be spiceless. Secondly it was important to put forth the numerous things that they were doing.
If you observe closely women from SHGs are farmers, floriculturists , small ruminant rearers and breeders, poultry farners, food processors,, entrepreneurs and much more. In fact 80 percent of the agricultural operations are done by women.
Today MSRLM holds it's head high with 4.5 lakh SHGs, 50 lakh households associated with it. It has created 5 lakh women farners, over 8000 enterprises, more than 8000 producer groups and 15 Farmer Producer Organizations.
Women have received loans of over Rs 7700 crores from banks. They have created more than 15 lakh livelihoods harnessing capital gains of over Rs. 1200 crores.
Our heart's swell with pride when we see them efficiently managing their businesses and their confidence when they speak. The 60,000 community cadre of Wardhinis, ICRP, Krishi Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi, Bank Sakhi, BC Sakhi, Matsya sakhis are leading the community in various activities of agriculture , animal husbandry, organic farming, nutri gardens, food processing, art and craft
The real spirit of individuals reflects in adversities and this proved true for our SHGs specially in the Covid crisis.
Government of Maharashtra took the bold step of declaring the two days lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid 19 on 19th & 20th March 2020. The central Government declared Janata Curfew on 22nd March 2020 and lockdown from 25th March 2020.
This disrupted the supply chain of all agricultural commodities. People living in urban, suburban and metro cities could not get their regular supply of vegetables, fruits and grains. At the same time transportation was affected and the perishable goods of farmers became a cause for worry. They were unable to transport their fruits, vegetables and other goods for sale. It was important to liquidate their production and ensure their sale on priority within the given time frame.
The constraints of the lockdown may have lessened the demand for these commodities but the production was high. This resulted in great damage of vegetable and fruits. It is beleived that in the first 2 days almost 70 % of the vegetables and fruits were damaged.
The government soon came up with guidelines on transportation of essential commodities during lockdown. However auction was not allowed in mandis in urban and suburban areas to avoid crowding.
Rural SHG women had already risen to the occasion by providing counselling services, producing face masks and actively participating in food security management.
They now stood firmly without fearing Covid 19 and started direct selling of fruits, vegetables and grains. They either sold their own products or purchased them from farmers and sold them in the local markets, in near by villages and in cities. They also started supplying vegetables, fruits and grains door to door to houses by maintaining physical distance. The revolving fund and community investment fund provided by MSRLM came to their rescue to raise funds for their working capital.
MSRLM Umed team motivated these women and facilitated supply chain for Vegetables and fruits. The SHGs as well as the farmers could get much better price for their produce. This also reduced the losses from 70 % to 10 %. The urban residents recieved fresh vegetables and fruits at an affordable price right in their homes
Over 16,000 SHGs including 48,415 Women members participated in the supply chain management and are earning through this activity. Over a thousand outlets have been opened for sale during Covid 19.
As for the groups they have sold over 1300 metric tons of vegetables, 4800 metric tonnes of fruit like Water melon ,Musk melon ,Mango, Sapota,Pomogranate, Banana, 2800 metric tonnes of food grains like Wheat, Jowar,Bajra,Rice, Nagli, Turdal,Chana dal,Uraddal, Moong dal and Groundnut which were sold in local market as well as in distant areas. In all women have sold 20,813 MT of all commodities with a turn over of Rs. 20.43 crores
Their magnanimty and charity was evident in Nanded district where SHG women donated vegetables to the Langar run by Huzursahib Gurudwara where 50000 people have free lunch daily.
In Gondia and Satara districts SHG women supplied lunch to bankers, hospitals and other government Institutions as the hotels and restaurants were closed.
The Krishi Sakhis are facilitating collective procurement of seeds and manure all over Maharashtra. In Washim and Buldhana districts they have become the channel for distribution of seeds and manure for the agriculture department. World bank aided projects like POCRA are training them in seed production, checking the quality of seeds , seed processing etc and also facilitating setting up of units through loan and subsidy.
The journey from pickles, papad and masala to becoming producers and distributors of agricultural commodities has not been easy. Till date only 16 percent of the women in India have their names on the land records. In the absence of land ownership, women are deprived from accessing institutional credit, extension services and other government entitlements including relief measures.
The National Policy for Farmers, 2007 had recommended a broader definition of a farmer, including labourers, tenants and other workers, but the government’s definition is based on ownership of land. A farmer's definition is still based on the land title records. Most schemes require the submission of land title record, limiting the beneficiary base to landowners, mostly men. Bankers also pay more attention to crop loans and other priority lending. As a result internal lending among SHG groups and microfinance remains the only funding option for women since they have no land or collaterals.
Hopefully World Bank projects like Nanasaheb Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp, POCRA and the upcoming Balasaheb Thackeray SMART project will lead to change with women being recognized as farmers and getting their due. Till then let us gorge on the papads and pickles not forgetting to work towards a truly equitable society.
Paapad, pickles and masala are synonymous with SHGs so much that most people imagine that women from self help groups are capable of doing just that. My initial dismay at this typecast image got transformed when I accepted two facts. One, that they if they didint do it our lives would certainly be spiceless. Secondly it was important to put forth the numerous things that they were doing.
If you observe closely women from SHGs are farmers, floriculturists , small ruminant rearers and breeders, poultry farners, food processors,, entrepreneurs and much more. In fact 80 percent of the agricultural operations are done by women.
Today MSRLM holds it's head high with 4.5 lakh SHGs, 50 lakh households associated with it. It has created 5 lakh women farners, over 8000 enterprises, more than 8000 producer groups and 15 Farmer Producer Organizations.
Women have received loans of over Rs 7700 crores from banks. They have created more than 15 lakh livelihoods harnessing capital gains of over Rs. 1200 crores.
Our heart's swell with pride when we see them efficiently managing their businesses and their confidence when they speak. The 60,000 community cadre of Wardhinis, ICRP, Krishi Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi, Bank Sakhi, BC Sakhi, Matsya sakhis are leading the community in various activities of agriculture , animal husbandry, organic farming, nutri gardens, food processing, art and craft
The real spirit of individuals reflects in adversities and this proved true for our SHGs specially in the Covid crisis.
Government of Maharashtra took the bold step of declaring the two days lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid 19 on 19th & 20th March 2020. The central Government declared Janata Curfew on 22nd March 2020 and lockdown from 25th March 2020.
This disrupted the supply chain of all agricultural commodities. People living in urban, suburban and metro cities could not get their regular supply of vegetables, fruits and grains. At the same time transportation was affected and the perishable goods of farmers became a cause for worry. They were unable to transport their fruits, vegetables and other goods for sale. It was important to liquidate their production and ensure their sale on priority within the given time frame.
The constraints of the lockdown may have lessened the demand for these commodities but the production was high. This resulted in great damage of vegetable and fruits. It is beleived that in the first 2 days almost 70 % of the vegetables and fruits were damaged.
The government soon came up with guidelines on transportation of essential commodities during lockdown. However auction was not allowed in mandis in urban and suburban areas to avoid crowding.
Rural SHG women had already risen to the occasion by providing counselling services, producing face masks and actively participating in food security management.
They now stood firmly without fearing Covid 19 and started direct selling of fruits, vegetables and grains. They either sold their own products or purchased them from farmers and sold them in the local markets, in near by villages and in cities. They also started supplying vegetables, fruits and grains door to door to houses by maintaining physical distance. The revolving fund and community investment fund provided by MSRLM came to their rescue to raise funds for their working capital.
MSRLM Umed team motivated these women and facilitated supply chain for Vegetables and fruits. The SHGs as well as the farmers could get much better price for their produce. This also reduced the losses from 70 % to 10 %. The urban residents recieved fresh vegetables and fruits at an affordable price right in their homes
Over 16,000 SHGs including 48,415 Women members participated in the supply chain management and are earning through this activity. Over a thousand outlets have been opened for sale during Covid 19.
As for the groups they have sold over 1300 metric tons of vegetables, 4800 metric tonnes of fruit like Water melon ,Musk melon ,Mango, Sapota,Pomogranate, Banana, 2800 metric tonnes of food grains like Wheat, Jowar,Bajra,Rice, Nagli, Turdal,Chana dal,Uraddal, Moong dal and Groundnut which were sold in local market as well as in distant areas. In all women have sold 20,813 MT of all commodities with a turn over of Rs. 20.43 crores
Their magnanimty and charity was evident in Nanded district where SHG women donated vegetables to the Langar run by Huzursahib Gurudwara where 50000 people have free lunch daily.
In Gondia and Satara districts SHG women supplied lunch to bankers, hospitals and other government Institutions as the hotels and restaurants were closed.
The Krishi Sakhis are facilitating collective procurement of seeds and manure all over Maharashtra. In Washim and Buldhana districts they have become the channel for distribution of seeds and manure for the agriculture department. World bank aided projects like POCRA are training them in seed production, checking the quality of seeds , seed processing etc and also facilitating setting up of units through loan and subsidy.
The journey from pickles, papad and masala to becoming producers and distributors of agricultural commodities has not been easy. Till date only 16 percent of the women in India have their names on the land records. In the absence of land ownership, women are deprived from accessing institutional credit, extension services and other government entitlements including relief measures.
The National Policy for Farmers, 2007 had recommended a broader definition of a farmer, including labourers, tenants and other workers, but the government’s definition is based on ownership of land. A farmer's definition is still based on the land title records. Most schemes require the submission of land title record, limiting the beneficiary base to landowners, mostly men. Bankers also pay more attention to crop loans and other priority lending. As a result internal lending among SHG groups and microfinance remains the only funding option for women since they have no land or collaterals.
Hopefully World Bank projects like Nanasaheb Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp, POCRA and the upcoming Balasaheb Thackeray SMART project will lead to change with women being recognized as farmers and getting their due. Till then let us gorge on the papads and pickles not forgetting to work towards a truly equitable society.
Thursday, 4 June 2020
Nutri Champions and Convergence in MSRLM.....
Nutri Champions and Convergence in MSRLM.....
Hippocrates the father of medicine has said, ^Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. " This philosophy was largely neglected by many people as a result humans became more dependent on medicines than food. However times have changed and we have fully realised that even in this high-tech world, the low-tech plants are the key to nutrition and heath. Delightfully ,health, nutrition and sanitation is one of the cardinal principles which the self help groups of Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission practice.
Three years back during the visit of the world bank team to the tribal district of Palghar in Maharashtra it was observed that though families were practicing sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry their diet was not wholesome. While going to their fields they carried nothing more than bhaakri or roti with pickle or chutney and their dinner would be limited to just daal and rice. Their diet was devoid of the five vital nutrients required by the human body for sustenance and well-being.
On the one hand they could not afford to buy vegetables and on the other they had to spend a lot of their income on healthcare facilities.
The propagation of the nutri garden model by MSRLM was an ideal solution to combat both the problems.
Of course putting it into action required a lot of efforts beginning with awareness and also a change in mind set. This was made possible by our dedicated team specially the Community Training Consultants ( CTCs ) and the Community Resource persons ( CRPs).
In times of Covid 19 too they stepped forward to spread awareness against the disease, encourage hand wash, use of face masks and social distancing. They also reached out to the vulnerable families by using the vulnerability reduction fund to distribute food grains and daily needs.
Perhaps for the first time the community also realised the value of nutri gardens promoted by the CTCs as also their counseling. This was evident during the experience sharing by five CTCs during our recent online conference.
Vaishnavi Kiran More, CTC from Chiplun in Ratnagiri emphasized how nutri gardens have transformed their lives as they consume 15 to 20 varieties of green and leafy vegetables and have also earned an income from selling them. It is a matter of great pride that her customer list includes members of the Panchayat Samiti and the Block Development Officer.
Manisha There from Pombhurna in Chandrapur ensured a regular supply of food grains in the community by supporting the most vulnerable through the Vulnerability Reduction Fund.
Sneha Dinesh Ghonmode from Karanja in Wardha had always dreamt of being an ideal teacher. This materialized when she became a CTC. She derives so much pleasure from her work as it has not only helped her to bond with the community but also come closer to it. Being in the village she was more accessible than the other service providers also her personal touch helped. Besides programmes like Mission Samriddhi helped them in procurement of good quality seeds. She encouraged smaller nutri gardens when one did not have space so that they could get at least 7 to 8 vegetables. She felt the nutri gardens have been a boon during Covid 19 when earnings were low and they could not buy vegetables. She also ensured that those coming from outside into their villages got quarantined. She facilitated the delivery of a pregnant woman through internal funding by arranging meetings of SHGs with social distancing.
Aparna Dnyaneshwar Deshmukh from Madha in Solapur ensured that vaccinations were administered to children during the pandemic and organized blood donation camps. She also encouraged vermi compost and nadep compost and facilitated sale of organic mangoes online. However her ingenuity was in making barfis- sweetmeats out of an excess harvest in beetoot which she marketed successfully emphasizing its nutritive value. She encouraged breast feeding and conduct of village nutrition day. She made innovative preparations like upma, laddoos, chaklis from the take home ration which people normally found insipid. She encouraged gifting of fruits instead of clothes. at baby showers
Archana Mane of Bhum in Osmanabad district said initially ladies were not willing to listen to her . The onset of Covid 19 made them realise that her efforts in propagating nutri gardens, menstrual hygeine, use of incinerators for handling menstrual waste .
The three years of dedication on the road to nutrition has thrown up many more surprises including the nutri enterprises with cookies made of Ragi, Jowar and Bajra, papaya jam, pomegranate juice etc.
The energtic narratives by the CTCs reinforced the fact that nutri gardens stand out as model where the approach has been from bottom–to–top making it acceptable and more viable.
Nutri-Gardens have currently been developed by our 1111 trained cadre in more than 10000 villages, across 301 blocks covering 27 districts with 242 Block level demonstration plots , 4856 Community Nutri gardens and 55865 Individual Nutri Gardens.
This program is an exemplary model of community-driven and demand driven service created by MSRLM and has been of great help in transforming lives.
Hippocrates the father of medicine has said, ^Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. " This philosophy was largely neglected by many people as a result humans became more dependent on medicines than food. However times have changed and we have fully realised that even in this high-tech world, the low-tech plants are the key to nutrition and heath. Delightfully ,health, nutrition and sanitation is one of the cardinal principles which the self help groups of Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission practice.
Three years back during the visit of the world bank team to the tribal district of Palghar in Maharashtra it was observed that though families were practicing sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry their diet was not wholesome. While going to their fields they carried nothing more than bhaakri or roti with pickle or chutney and their dinner would be limited to just daal and rice. Their diet was devoid of the five vital nutrients required by the human body for sustenance and well-being.
On the one hand they could not afford to buy vegetables and on the other they had to spend a lot of their income on healthcare facilities.
The propagation of the nutri garden model by MSRLM was an ideal solution to combat both the problems.
Of course putting it into action required a lot of efforts beginning with awareness and also a change in mind set. This was made possible by our dedicated team specially the Community Training Consultants ( CTCs ) and the Community Resource persons ( CRPs).
In times of Covid 19 too they stepped forward to spread awareness against the disease, encourage hand wash, use of face masks and social distancing. They also reached out to the vulnerable families by using the vulnerability reduction fund to distribute food grains and daily needs.
Perhaps for the first time the community also realised the value of nutri gardens promoted by the CTCs as also their counseling. This was evident during the experience sharing by five CTCs during our recent online conference.
Vaishnavi Kiran More, CTC from Chiplun in Ratnagiri emphasized how nutri gardens have transformed their lives as they consume 15 to 20 varieties of green and leafy vegetables and have also earned an income from selling them. It is a matter of great pride that her customer list includes members of the Panchayat Samiti and the Block Development Officer.
Manisha There from Pombhurna in Chandrapur ensured a regular supply of food grains in the community by supporting the most vulnerable through the Vulnerability Reduction Fund.
Sneha Dinesh Ghonmode from Karanja in Wardha had always dreamt of being an ideal teacher. This materialized when she became a CTC. She derives so much pleasure from her work as it has not only helped her to bond with the community but also come closer to it. Being in the village she was more accessible than the other service providers also her personal touch helped. Besides programmes like Mission Samriddhi helped them in procurement of good quality seeds. She encouraged smaller nutri gardens when one did not have space so that they could get at least 7 to 8 vegetables. She felt the nutri gardens have been a boon during Covid 19 when earnings were low and they could not buy vegetables. She also ensured that those coming from outside into their villages got quarantined. She facilitated the delivery of a pregnant woman through internal funding by arranging meetings of SHGs with social distancing.
Aparna Dnyaneshwar Deshmukh from Madha in Solapur ensured that vaccinations were administered to children during the pandemic and organized blood donation camps. She also encouraged vermi compost and nadep compost and facilitated sale of organic mangoes online. However her ingenuity was in making barfis- sweetmeats out of an excess harvest in beetoot which she marketed successfully emphasizing its nutritive value. She encouraged breast feeding and conduct of village nutrition day. She made innovative preparations like upma, laddoos, chaklis from the take home ration which people normally found insipid. She encouraged gifting of fruits instead of clothes. at baby showers
Archana Mane of Bhum in Osmanabad district said initially ladies were not willing to listen to her . The onset of Covid 19 made them realise that her efforts in propagating nutri gardens, menstrual hygeine, use of incinerators for handling menstrual waste .
The three years of dedication on the road to nutrition has thrown up many more surprises including the nutri enterprises with cookies made of Ragi, Jowar and Bajra, papaya jam, pomegranate juice etc.
The energtic narratives by the CTCs reinforced the fact that nutri gardens stand out as model where the approach has been from bottom–to–top making it acceptable and more viable.
Nutri-Gardens have currently been developed by our 1111 trained cadre in more than 10000 villages, across 301 blocks covering 27 districts with 242 Block level demonstration plots , 4856 Community Nutri gardens and 55865 Individual Nutri Gardens.
This program is an exemplary model of community-driven and demand driven service created by MSRLM and has been of great help in transforming lives.
Thursday, 28 May 2020
Father's daughter. ...
Father's daughter.....
This morning was different. I got up with thoughts of my father who would be ninety-two today. Many people tell me that I look my father and those who know me well say that my mannerisms and behaviour are so much like him. No doubt I am my father's daughter yet I don't think I possess half the qualities that he has.
Born and brought up in Tamil Nadu in a well-to-do family his life was good until tragedy struck by way of a loss in business. All of a sudden his world toppled and their family had to face tough times. However that did not dampen his spirits. He was bold enough to accept a job far away from his home in Mumbai when he joined the Railways.
He started his career as an Electrical Foreman and rose upto the ranks of Divisional Electrical Engineer. A workaholic, I had never seen him shirk any of his responsibilities. He was so punctual that people would set their clocks on his movement. A stickler for rules, people feared and respected his no-nonsense attitude.
At home he was soft , non-interfering but a strict disciplinarian. He ruled the roost silently.
His uprightness and honesty were examples to learn from though it led to a lot of hardships. However he ensured that all of us imbibed those qualities and followed them in life. Without doubt they have enabled all of us to stand tall in our lives. His straightforward behaviour was another quality which made him different. Never one to mince words he has always been pure of heart.
A chip of the old block I may have inherited at least an iota of all these qualities. However what I like most about him is his enthusiasm and liveliness for everything. So if anyone was visiting us he would ensure that the list of places to be seen was ready before hand. They guests could certainly not leave without vsiting those places.
He is the first one even now to make telephone calls to all his children and grandchildren who are way and enquire about their well-being everyday. As for me his concern and desire to know everything about me and keep me protected even at this age is so endearing.
This morning was different. I got up with thoughts of my father who would be ninety-two today. Many people tell me that I look my father and those who know me well say that my mannerisms and behaviour are so much like him. No doubt I am my father's daughter yet I don't think I possess half the qualities that he has.
Born and brought up in Tamil Nadu in a well-to-do family his life was good until tragedy struck by way of a loss in business. All of a sudden his world toppled and their family had to face tough times. However that did not dampen his spirits. He was bold enough to accept a job far away from his home in Mumbai when he joined the Railways.
He started his career as an Electrical Foreman and rose upto the ranks of Divisional Electrical Engineer. A workaholic, I had never seen him shirk any of his responsibilities. He was so punctual that people would set their clocks on his movement. A stickler for rules, people feared and respected his no-nonsense attitude.
At home he was soft , non-interfering but a strict disciplinarian. He ruled the roost silently.
His uprightness and honesty were examples to learn from though it led to a lot of hardships. However he ensured that all of us imbibed those qualities and followed them in life. Without doubt they have enabled all of us to stand tall in our lives. His straightforward behaviour was another quality which made him different. Never one to mince words he has always been pure of heart.
A chip of the old block I may have inherited at least an iota of all these qualities. However what I like most about him is his enthusiasm and liveliness for everything. So if anyone was visiting us he would ensure that the list of places to be seen was ready before hand. They guests could certainly not leave without vsiting those places.
He is the first one even now to make telephone calls to all his children and grandchildren who are way and enquire about their well-being everyday. As for me his concern and desire to know everything about me and keep me protected even at this age is so endearing.
His prayers give us strength and keeps the family together. Therefore the earliest memories of my childhood are of us praying together as family in the evenings when we would all sing Jai Jagdish Hare. The weekly visit to the Hanuman Mandir and Shani Mnadir were a must. I remember our chats while walking to the temple and coming back. I was very much outgoing and more of a tomboy whereas my sister was docile and soft spoken. I had learnt to cycle by myself at the age of five and for some reason my sister hadn't even at eleven. My father took it upon himself that learning cycling was a must for her. He literally pushed her into it against her wishes. I remember running besides her as he forced her to ride the cycle and also her fall into a deep gutter. She came out dishevelled, shivering and severely bruised and hurt. My father was much more hurt emotionally. He felt tormented that he had pushed my sister and apologised profusely that he would never do so again. Such was the softness in his attitude. Always understanding and supporting us in every possible way. As for me , he stood by me when I chose humanities and a career so demanding and different. My parents lived with me at the places I was posted to ensure that I was safe and secure.
My mother supported him in more ways than one. She was the one who used to manage our family of six which included us four siblings. It was a tightrope walk in the salary he earned and she was the one who had to borrow or take loans to manage our lives. None of us were very demanding and we led a simple life. However sending my brother to IIT was the biggest financial challenge which they surmounted too.
Their integrity is something which is embedded in our being like their blessings. This later led us to better days on the sheer dint of our education and hard work. Each one of us excelled in the fields we chose to join and with the blessings of God life has been comfortable.
My mother's biggest grouse has been the fact that they had no home of their own but my father has been cool enough to accept his children's home as theirs. More admirable is the fact that he adjusts with all of us and our spouses and children so wonderfully that everyone loves to be with him and have him.around.
His presence electrifies the house and makes it lively with his jokes and camaraderie. His habit of playing religious music in all the rooms maybe a little unnerving at times but becomes a part of one's psyche as one gets used to it.
I am all of fifty-three yet I begin my day as my father's daughter with a call from him. My day ends with it too.
It is certainly a tall order to be my father's daughter yet I keep trying everyday to follow him as best as possible. One thing I haven't been able to imbibe is his physical discipline. He walks almost two hours daily even if it is the rooms of the house. He food is measured and he never overeats which is perhaps the most difficult to follow. According to my mother the only flaw he had was his temper which I think has mellowed through the years. It is easy to inherit flaws and unfortunately I seem to have inherited it though I too am mastering the art of controlling it and hope to achieve my equilibrium sooner or later!
On his birthday today we joined together as family on a zoom call. He was full of life in the virtual celebration asking us to sing and dance. His toothless grin and child like joy on cutting the cake made by his loving daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law was palpable. As we prayed and sang our way to joy I could feel a sense of great satisfaction and delight. A sense of gratitude too that indeed I am fortunate and lucky to be my father's daughter....
My mother supported him in more ways than one. She was the one who used to manage our family of six which included us four siblings. It was a tightrope walk in the salary he earned and she was the one who had to borrow or take loans to manage our lives. None of us were very demanding and we led a simple life. However sending my brother to IIT was the biggest financial challenge which they surmounted too.
Their integrity is something which is embedded in our being like their blessings. This later led us to better days on the sheer dint of our education and hard work. Each one of us excelled in the fields we chose to join and with the blessings of God life has been comfortable.
My mother's biggest grouse has been the fact that they had no home of their own but my father has been cool enough to accept his children's home as theirs. More admirable is the fact that he adjusts with all of us and our spouses and children so wonderfully that everyone loves to be with him and have him.around.
His presence electrifies the house and makes it lively with his jokes and camaraderie. His habit of playing religious music in all the rooms maybe a little unnerving at times but becomes a part of one's psyche as one gets used to it.
I am all of fifty-three yet I begin my day as my father's daughter with a call from him. My day ends with it too.
It is certainly a tall order to be my father's daughter yet I keep trying everyday to follow him as best as possible. One thing I haven't been able to imbibe is his physical discipline. He walks almost two hours daily even if it is the rooms of the house. He food is measured and he never overeats which is perhaps the most difficult to follow. According to my mother the only flaw he had was his temper which I think has mellowed through the years. It is easy to inherit flaws and unfortunately I seem to have inherited it though I too am mastering the art of controlling it and hope to achieve my equilibrium sooner or later!
On his birthday today we joined together as family on a zoom call. He was full of life in the virtual celebration asking us to sing and dance. His toothless grin and child like joy on cutting the cake made by his loving daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law was palpable. As we prayed and sang our way to joy I could feel a sense of great satisfaction and delight. A sense of gratitude too that indeed I am fortunate and lucky to be my father's daughter....
Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Asmita Yojana and quizzing on Menstrual Hygiene
Asmita Yojana and quizzing on Menstrual Hygiene.....
28th May is International Menstrual Hygeine Day and I was in a web conference with my team planning a facebook live session to spread the message of safe periods.
The rural development department of the Government of Maharashtra had launched the Asmita Yojana in 2018 as a one stop approach to Menstrual Management.
The scheme not only centred around spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene and management but emphasized on making good quality sanitary napkins affordable, available and accessible in the villages through the robust network of self help groups under MSRLM Umed . After initial setbacks in the tri-fold Asmita sanitray napkins things have begun to settle with the launch of the new Asmita Plus sanitary napkins in 2019.
As of date only 36 percent of women in India use sanitary napkins and most of them are urban. There is a need to make rural women more aware of the importance of using good quality sanitary napkins. We therefore decided to have Facebook live talk where menstrual hygeine and management could be explained to rural women.
Asmita Yojana has been in operation for almost two years and it was important to gauge the awareness of the scheme and of menstrual management among women. By coming up with a unique idea of conducting an online quiz on Asmita Yojana and Menstrual management we added an element of fun and curiosity.
28th May is International Menstrual Hygeine Day and I was in a web conference with my team planning a facebook live session to spread the message of safe periods.
The rural development department of the Government of Maharashtra had launched the Asmita Yojana in 2018 as a one stop approach to Menstrual Management.
The scheme not only centred around spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene and management but emphasized on making good quality sanitary napkins affordable, available and accessible in the villages through the robust network of self help groups under MSRLM Umed . After initial setbacks in the tri-fold Asmita sanitray napkins things have begun to settle with the launch of the new Asmita Plus sanitary napkins in 2019.
As of date only 36 percent of women in India use sanitary napkins and most of them are urban. There is a need to make rural women more aware of the importance of using good quality sanitary napkins. We therefore decided to have Facebook live talk where menstrual hygeine and management could be explained to rural women.
Asmita Yojana has been in operation for almost two years and it was important to gauge the awareness of the scheme and of menstrual management among women. By coming up with a unique idea of conducting an online quiz on Asmita Yojana and Menstrual management we added an element of fun and curiosity.
The quiz competition was for our community cadre of almost 60,000 Community Resource Persons, CRPs. All plans were put into action, the questions framed, the groups informed and the link created along with ten questions.
The link was to remain open for 30 minutes from 11 to 11.30 a.m on Saturday, the 23rd May 2020. No sooner were the lines opened, than the responses started pouring in.
We all have heard of science quiz, G.K.Quiz and the like but it was probably the first time an open online quiz on Menstrual mangement was held. The ladies were excited and their responded enthusiastically. When the time ended more than 29000 CRPs had participated.
We were also flooded with pictures and selfies of women participating in the quiz Some had responded from their fields, some from their homes or place of work. One CRP balanced the art of making papads while responding to the quiz.
Many sent video messages after the quiz ended. The testimonial of Ms.Priyadarshini Sudhakar Kamble of Osmanabad moistened my eyes as she confessed that after marriage this was probably the first time she was attempting something like this. She felt she was back at school and spent two days in learning about the scheme though she knew most things. Her satisfaction on getting this opportunity was palpable. She represented the hope and energy of our sixty thousand strong force of Sakhis or CRPs.
Sharmila Sunil Jogi and Vaishali Samadhaan Janjaal from Jalgaon, Navshaa Daalim Sheikh from Osmanabad found the quiz useful and also emphasized on the importance of Asmita Yojana for their well-being and as a means of livelihood.
Menstruation has always been a hush-hush affair and open discussion on it taboo. Religion, rituals and patriarchal societies attach a stigma to it so much so that girls and women experience a sense of shame to even speak about it. Added to it are the woes of non-availability of good quality sanitary napkins, water and sanitation facilities. In such an environment it is difficult to discuss such an important issue with alacrity.
The celebration of International menstrual hygeine day on 28th May every year broke the taboos by highlighting the need of healthy and hygienic menstrual management.
In this day and age too rural girls are largely unaware about menstrual cycle and with its onset of puberty choose to drop out of school or remain absent on those five days due to feelings of hesitation, shame and poor sanitation facilities. A pack of eight Asmita napkins made available at Rs.Five to girls of Zilla Parishad schools between the age of 11 and 19 has certainly eased the situation.
Asmita Yojana has also enabled over 30000 SHGs to register as traders for Asmita sanitary napkins. Till date they have sold more than one crore packets. SHGs have also been made aware of proper disposal to prevent environmental hazards.
With the increase in cases of ovarian and cervical cancer and other uterine diseases it is important that rural women are made aware of menstrual hygiene and mangement along with easy access to good quality sanitary napkins.
28th May , the international Menstrual Hygeine Day enables us to break the silence on this topic. The objective of MHD is to address the challenges faced by women and girls during menstruation, advocate policy changes and provide solutions. UNICEF also takes interest in MHM as it is a part of WASH program. This is also an opportunity for government organizations to raise awareness and increase accountability.
MSRLM Umed's unique quiz for its community resource persons was an innovative step in this direction.
The link was to remain open for 30 minutes from 11 to 11.30 a.m on Saturday, the 23rd May 2020. No sooner were the lines opened, than the responses started pouring in.
We all have heard of science quiz, G.K.Quiz and the like but it was probably the first time an open online quiz on Menstrual mangement was held. The ladies were excited and their responded enthusiastically. When the time ended more than 29000 CRPs had participated.
We were also flooded with pictures and selfies of women participating in the quiz Some had responded from their fields, some from their homes or place of work. One CRP balanced the art of making papads while responding to the quiz.
Many sent video messages after the quiz ended. The testimonial of Ms.Priyadarshini Sudhakar Kamble of Osmanabad moistened my eyes as she confessed that after marriage this was probably the first time she was attempting something like this. She felt she was back at school and spent two days in learning about the scheme though she knew most things. Her satisfaction on getting this opportunity was palpable. She represented the hope and energy of our sixty thousand strong force of Sakhis or CRPs.
Sharmila Sunil Jogi and Vaishali Samadhaan Janjaal from Jalgaon, Navshaa Daalim Sheikh from Osmanabad found the quiz useful and also emphasized on the importance of Asmita Yojana for their well-being and as a means of livelihood.
Menstruation has always been a hush-hush affair and open discussion on it taboo. Religion, rituals and patriarchal societies attach a stigma to it so much so that girls and women experience a sense of shame to even speak about it. Added to it are the woes of non-availability of good quality sanitary napkins, water and sanitation facilities. In such an environment it is difficult to discuss such an important issue with alacrity.
The celebration of International menstrual hygeine day on 28th May every year broke the taboos by highlighting the need of healthy and hygienic menstrual management.
In this day and age too rural girls are largely unaware about menstrual cycle and with its onset of puberty choose to drop out of school or remain absent on those five days due to feelings of hesitation, shame and poor sanitation facilities. A pack of eight Asmita napkins made available at Rs.Five to girls of Zilla Parishad schools between the age of 11 and 19 has certainly eased the situation.
Asmita Yojana has also enabled over 30000 SHGs to register as traders for Asmita sanitary napkins. Till date they have sold more than one crore packets. SHGs have also been made aware of proper disposal to prevent environmental hazards.
With the increase in cases of ovarian and cervical cancer and other uterine diseases it is important that rural women are made aware of menstrual hygiene and mangement along with easy access to good quality sanitary napkins.
28th May , the international Menstrual Hygeine Day enables us to break the silence on this topic. The objective of MHD is to address the challenges faced by women and girls during menstruation, advocate policy changes and provide solutions. UNICEF also takes interest in MHM as it is a part of WASH program. This is also an opportunity for government organizations to raise awareness and increase accountability.
MSRLM Umed's unique quiz for its community resource persons was an innovative step in this direction.
Nothing stops men from displaying their manliness and probably periods would have been a matter of great pride had men been getting them. It is strange that almost forty percent of the world's population experiences menstraution yet it is looked down with a sense of shame. Several issues need to be addressed till women accept their menstrual cycle as something natural and normal like peeing and overcome the feeling of shame. Till then we have to keep working to create a period positive approach....
P.S. Catch me live on MSRLM's Facebook page talking about Asmita Yojana, Menstrual management and Hygiene in English at 3 p.m and in Marathi at 4 p.m. The winners of the quiz competition will also be declared thereafter.
P.S. Catch me live on MSRLM's Facebook page talking about Asmita Yojana, Menstrual management and Hygiene in English at 3 p.m and in Marathi at 4 p.m. The winners of the quiz competition will also be declared thereafter.
Thursday, 21 May 2020
Stories of hope : Umed MSRLM
Stories of hope : Umed MSRLM
Tucked in the interiors of Yawatmal district is a village Ghatanji. Most of us in Maharashtra may possibly not even have heard of Yawatmal leave alone about Ghatanji village.
Yet strong-willed women who have been toiling hard in their villages despite the fear of Corona Virus exist here.
Lakhs of lives have been adversely affected and their means of livelihood have dwindled due to the spread of Covid 19. Each one of us is facing different challenges and difficulties and struggling with restrictions.. Businesses are crashing and access to fresh fish, fruits and vegetables is a dream
Under such circumstances, the block mission management unit of Ghatanji came up with a novel initiative to support rural women by enabling them to sell vegetables, fruits and fish. The women are members of self help groups of MSRLM Umed and are already involved in producing vegetables and fish.
With markets closed during the COVID 19 lockdown their business was disrupted due to the perishable nature of their products which mainly included fruits, vegetables and fish.
The active intervention by Pravin Bende working as the Block Mission Manager of Ghatanji came to their rescue. Pravin made efforts to contact the local Police Station and explain the marketing plan of these commodities. He assured that they would abide by the rules made by the authorities and also maintain social distance. His efficient communication with the appropriate authorities facilitated sale of 3000 Kgs of fish from four ponds due to which the SHG women could earn Rs. 3 Lakhs. They continue to earn on a regular basis due to the channel established by Pravin. Additionally they are also making face masks which has great demand due to Covid 19.
The District team facilitated them by furnishing them with orders for masks from various departments. As a result 173 women from Ghatanji sold 65,000 masks earning Rs. 6,50,000. They have earned Rs.1,47000 from fruits and Rs. 58500 from vegetables. Their willingness to work hard and the support by block team led to this transformation.
East or west MSRLM Umed proves to be a standing example of hope. On the western coast of Maharashtra, in Chiplun block of Ratnagiri district is Anjali Chalke, a self-made woman who also metamorphosed challenge to opportunity.
Anjali had stared a nutri garden in 2017 and was benefitting from sale of vegetables. The members of their group were engaged in several activities and managing multiple businesses. In fact the micro-enterprises model by the 45 Micro enterprise consultants MECs has resulted in creation of over 1500 small and medium enterprises.
Anjali completed training in poultry and took the bold step of establishing a poultry with popular indigenous breed vanraj and giriraj. She bought 100 chicks of the breeds and even constructed a new shed for them. The covid crisis struck just when the birds were ready for sale. Not one to lose heart and hope she decided to sell the birds locally. Villagers were also happy to get indigenous chicken as safe food. Anjali could sell all birds and make a profit of Rs 17,000. There has been no looking back as Anjali has ordered for 200 chicks again. Additionally she earns Rs.1200 per week by selling fresh vegetables like brinjal, cluster beans, bottle gourd, amarthanthus from her Kitchen garden. Here too the district team led by the block manager Amol Katkar has been of great help.
Tucked in the interiors of Yawatmal district is a village Ghatanji. Most of us in Maharashtra may possibly not even have heard of Yawatmal leave alone about Ghatanji village.
Yet strong-willed women who have been toiling hard in their villages despite the fear of Corona Virus exist here.
Lakhs of lives have been adversely affected and their means of livelihood have dwindled due to the spread of Covid 19. Each one of us is facing different challenges and difficulties and struggling with restrictions.. Businesses are crashing and access to fresh fish, fruits and vegetables is a dream
Under such circumstances, the block mission management unit of Ghatanji came up with a novel initiative to support rural women by enabling them to sell vegetables, fruits and fish. The women are members of self help groups of MSRLM Umed and are already involved in producing vegetables and fish.
With markets closed during the COVID 19 lockdown their business was disrupted due to the perishable nature of their products which mainly included fruits, vegetables and fish.
The active intervention by Pravin Bende working as the Block Mission Manager of Ghatanji came to their rescue. Pravin made efforts to contact the local Police Station and explain the marketing plan of these commodities. He assured that they would abide by the rules made by the authorities and also maintain social distance. His efficient communication with the appropriate authorities facilitated sale of 3000 Kgs of fish from four ponds due to which the SHG women could earn Rs. 3 Lakhs. They continue to earn on a regular basis due to the channel established by Pravin. Additionally they are also making face masks which has great demand due to Covid 19.
The District team facilitated them by furnishing them with orders for masks from various departments. As a result 173 women from Ghatanji sold 65,000 masks earning Rs. 6,50,000. They have earned Rs.1,47000 from fruits and Rs. 58500 from vegetables. Their willingness to work hard and the support by block team led to this transformation.
East or west MSRLM Umed proves to be a standing example of hope. On the western coast of Maharashtra, in Chiplun block of Ratnagiri district is Anjali Chalke, a self-made woman who also metamorphosed challenge to opportunity.
Anjali had stared a nutri garden in 2017 and was benefitting from sale of vegetables. The members of their group were engaged in several activities and managing multiple businesses. In fact the micro-enterprises model by the 45 Micro enterprise consultants MECs has resulted in creation of over 1500 small and medium enterprises.
Anjali completed training in poultry and took the bold step of establishing a poultry with popular indigenous breed vanraj and giriraj. She bought 100 chicks of the breeds and even constructed a new shed for them. The covid crisis struck just when the birds were ready for sale. Not one to lose heart and hope she decided to sell the birds locally. Villagers were also happy to get indigenous chicken as safe food. Anjali could sell all birds and make a profit of Rs 17,000. There has been no looking back as Anjali has ordered for 200 chicks again. Additionally she earns Rs.1200 per week by selling fresh vegetables like brinjal, cluster beans, bottle gourd, amarthanthus from her Kitchen garden. Here too the district team led by the block manager Amol Katkar has been of great help.
Umed means hope in Marathi language and MSRLM Umed has been the hope of many such lives. Today MSRLM has 4.5 lakh self help groups and almost 50 lakh households with over 20 lakh enterprises. With hope on our side nothing can stop us, not even Corona.....
Thursday, 14 May 2020
Online training : Bringing learning to people.....
Online training : Bringing learning to people.....
Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission works for the empowerment of women through community based organizations. It is backed by National Rural Livelihoods Mission's robust ideology and methodology which ensures social and financial inclusion leading to sustainable livelihoods. World Bank's investment has added great value to this effort.
Capacity building is the mainstay of NRLM and special efforts are made to ensure that the community cadre and staff are trained appropriately.
The annual action plan prepared before the end of every financial year is the culmination of several rounds of discussion and is finally approved by the Empowered Committee under the Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. The states then undertake a series of workshops for actual implementation.
This year due to the Covid 19 pandemic holding workshops was not possible. On the one hand offices were closed and the staff was allowed to work from home but on the other hand agricultural operations were to be continued in the villages.
The communities were facing extreme hardships with no place to sell their goods as local mandis were closed, markets shut and animal husbandry crashing. Combating these problems and preparing for the ensuing Kharif season was vital.
Most of the livelihood activities undertaken by MSRLM is related to agriculture and animal husbandry. They form an integral part of the annual action plan.
Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission works for the empowerment of women through community based organizations. It is backed by National Rural Livelihoods Mission's robust ideology and methodology which ensures social and financial inclusion leading to sustainable livelihoods. World Bank's investment has added great value to this effort.
Capacity building is the mainstay of NRLM and special efforts are made to ensure that the community cadre and staff are trained appropriately.
The annual action plan prepared before the end of every financial year is the culmination of several rounds of discussion and is finally approved by the Empowered Committee under the Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. The states then undertake a series of workshops for actual implementation.
This year due to the Covid 19 pandemic holding workshops was not possible. On the one hand offices were closed and the staff was allowed to work from home but on the other hand agricultural operations were to be continued in the villages.
The communities were facing extreme hardships with no place to sell their goods as local mandis were closed, markets shut and animal husbandry crashing. Combating these problems and preparing for the ensuing Kharif season was vital.
Most of the livelihood activities undertaken by MSRLM is related to agriculture and animal husbandry. They form an integral part of the annual action plan.
Communicating the approved plan to the members of the SHGs and community cadre who are essentially agriculturist was extremely important and online training came to our rescue. In this we were supported by Parth Knowledge Network Ltd, a technology company which has been authorized by Government of Maharashtra to provide broadcasting services.
What we wanted was not a broadcasting platform alone but an interactive medium like Google Duo Meeting which could be used by the presenters and the participants and integrated with the broadcasting platform. Once that was combined it was easy to plan the sessions.
The objective of the online workshop was to orient the mission staff and cadre about AAP-2020-21 priorities and key activities proposed to be taken under different thematic components and guide them. So there were sessions on capacity building, farm and non-farm livelihoods, convergence, DDUGKY-skilling. One session was specially held for Cluster Level Federation Managers on their roles and responsibilities.
When it comes to online teaching and learning the content is most important. If the content is not designed masterfully all efforts could be wasted. A lot of attention was paid to the training modules to make them interesting. It was also important to ensure that the trainees were not distracted but remained engrossed in the sessions. The sessions were therfore kept short.
Different methods were used to make this online learning program more effective and interactive using lectures with power point presentations (PPTs), videos and direct question and answer sessions with trainers.
This online learning platform allowed key participants to ask questions during live session on behalf of all participants connected from block office, homes and villages. Experience sharing and learning session were also arranged during live sessions. The facility of Video conferencing and messaging made trainings more interactive and effective. Rest of the participants provided one common WhatsApp mobile number to send their questions or queries.
No training is complete without heartfelt feedback and this online training designed an E-feedback form in regional language (Marathi) on “Google form.” comprising of 10 simple closed ended and 3 open ended questions. Most participants were satisfied with the online workshops and found it as good as classroom training.
While government machineries across Central, State and District are struggling to combat corona virus with limited resources the SHGs have risen to the occasion to face the extraordinary challenge of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 outbreak. They are mitigating shortfalls in supply of face masks & sanitizers and are actively providing vegetables and food, creating awareness among the rural community and even providing banking and financial services at doorstep through the existing network of Bank Sakhis /BC Sakhis at district level.
Despite challenges during lockdown the community cadres, institutions, field level staff are making efforts to plan and promote livelihoods. MSRLM undertook online training workshops to guide and facilitate field level team in planning and execution.
The experience made us realise that online training is one way of staying ahead with the times. We could train almost ten thousand staff and cadre using the digital platform. Knowledge sharing till the community cadre became simple and easy. Additionally it was extremely cost-effective as transport to training centres and cost of training centers was avoided.
People found it convenient to attend the training from their homes or offices. All they needed was access to a smart phone or computer and the internet which most had.
Learning and development strategies are constantly evolving in the modern world.
It is important that government institutions, especially those like NRLM and SRLMs promoting business enterprises through community organizations adapt to new technologies for training and capacity building.
It is only then we can ensure that the communities don't lose their business opportunities.
Online training proved to be an effective way to ensure that SHGs explore the opportunities available to them. As for us, our biggest learning was that to motivate action all we needed was to bring learning to people instead of people to learning !
What we wanted was not a broadcasting platform alone but an interactive medium like Google Duo Meeting which could be used by the presenters and the participants and integrated with the broadcasting platform. Once that was combined it was easy to plan the sessions.
The objective of the online workshop was to orient the mission staff and cadre about AAP-2020-21 priorities and key activities proposed to be taken under different thematic components and guide them. So there were sessions on capacity building, farm and non-farm livelihoods, convergence, DDUGKY-skilling. One session was specially held for Cluster Level Federation Managers on their roles and responsibilities.
When it comes to online teaching and learning the content is most important. If the content is not designed masterfully all efforts could be wasted. A lot of attention was paid to the training modules to make them interesting. It was also important to ensure that the trainees were not distracted but remained engrossed in the sessions. The sessions were therfore kept short.
Different methods were used to make this online learning program more effective and interactive using lectures with power point presentations (PPTs), videos and direct question and answer sessions with trainers.
This online learning platform allowed key participants to ask questions during live session on behalf of all participants connected from block office, homes and villages. Experience sharing and learning session were also arranged during live sessions. The facility of Video conferencing and messaging made trainings more interactive and effective. Rest of the participants provided one common WhatsApp mobile number to send their questions or queries.
No training is complete without heartfelt feedback and this online training designed an E-feedback form in regional language (Marathi) on “Google form.” comprising of 10 simple closed ended and 3 open ended questions. Most participants were satisfied with the online workshops and found it as good as classroom training.
While government machineries across Central, State and District are struggling to combat corona virus with limited resources the SHGs have risen to the occasion to face the extraordinary challenge of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 outbreak. They are mitigating shortfalls in supply of face masks & sanitizers and are actively providing vegetables and food, creating awareness among the rural community and even providing banking and financial services at doorstep through the existing network of Bank Sakhis /BC Sakhis at district level.
Despite challenges during lockdown the community cadres, institutions, field level staff are making efforts to plan and promote livelihoods. MSRLM undertook online training workshops to guide and facilitate field level team in planning and execution.
The experience made us realise that online training is one way of staying ahead with the times. We could train almost ten thousand staff and cadre using the digital platform. Knowledge sharing till the community cadre became simple and easy. Additionally it was extremely cost-effective as transport to training centres and cost of training centers was avoided.
People found it convenient to attend the training from their homes or offices. All they needed was access to a smart phone or computer and the internet which most had.
Learning and development strategies are constantly evolving in the modern world.
It is important that government institutions, especially those like NRLM and SRLMs promoting business enterprises through community organizations adapt to new technologies for training and capacity building.
It is only then we can ensure that the communities don't lose their business opportunities.
Online training proved to be an effective way to ensure that SHGs explore the opportunities available to them. As for us, our biggest learning was that to motivate action all we needed was to bring learning to people instead of people to learning !
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