Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) works to reduce poverty, changing lives and choices for the poorest communities in rural India. PRADAN works to a change that is sustainable, self-perpetuating; in partnership with communities, enabling them to envision a different future; igniting confidence that they can do it, they can take charge, they can make change; stimulating skills and systems so people realize their vision; instead of merely delivering services or solutions. PRADAN was formed in 1983 by young professionals who were inspired by the belief that well-educated people, with empathy towards the poor, must work directly with them at the grassroots to alleviate mass poverty in rural India. They realised that the critical gap in creating change was the absence of capable people, not material resources.

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Convergence for livelihood
creation of rural poor
Picture the Change | Change the Picture

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PRADAN in Chhattisgarh
Teams Raigarh Dhamtari Bastar Kanker Total
Blocks 3 4 3 1 11
Villages 177 112 58 15 362
SHGs 745 482 270 47 1544
Families 9495 5982 4375 617 20469
Families in
Livelihood
2640 3165 763 147 6715
SDTT supported SRI Project: 16660 families through 12
partner NGOs in 408 villages covering 11 districts of
Chhattisgarh
As on Sep 2013

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Context
• Homogenous society
Similar caste (Gond),
similar economic
conditions
• Strong social bounding
Strong social institution
(Samaj), village level
support system
• Culturally women has
respectable position in the
society.
• Gradual cultural invasion
Government officials
Other Political Movement
• Some scheme like PDS
running well
• Small and approachable
Gram Panchayat but
loosing importance and
trust of community
• Lots of government
scheme for development of
people and area- people
know it but difficult to
access
• Lack of communication and
trust between community
and department / officials
• Alienation from
government
• Farming, agricultural
labour, NTFP collection and
trading are major source of
livelihood.
• Agriculture
– Average land holding is 2.5- 3
acres but 80% household
struggling to fulfill the basic
necessities
• NTFP
– Provides 2-3 months sustenance
– Resources degrading
• Wage labour
– Seasonal migration for 2-3
months
– Strong feeling of inferiority /
backwardness
Society Resources / Livelihood Institution/ Stakeholders

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Beliefs and assumptions
•People have potential to change their own
life and influence change in lives of others .
•Changes has to happen in people – all our
interventions or interactions should lead
towards it.
•Development of area is possible only if
people collectively want it, own it and take
lead for it. We are just a catalyst,
demonstrator, co-traveller.
•Alone we cannot make much difference.
There are number of stakeholders and they
can be influenced and oriented.
•A strong, vibrant women collective and
Gram Sabha is a must for sustaining change.

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PRADAN at Dhamtari, Chattisgarh
Working with
4562 families
organized into
350 SHGs spread
over 82 villages
Started in 2007 with SHG
Demonstration CRP/ CSP/ BNV
Influencing Convergence
Women INRM
Group Participation
Area Saturation Capacity building

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The Approach
Elements
of our
Approach
Promoting
and
strengthening
women Self
Help Groups Understanding
family’s
resource base
and ensuring
utilizations
Integration of
different
programme in
INRM
approach
Scaling up
through pool
of Resource
Persons
Institutional
arrangement for
planning and
implementation
Linking
community
with various
department
and
programme
Influencing
the
relationship
among I- P- R
Approach of area saturation
 Building an area based
perspective
 Identifying poverty pockets
 Mapping potential families,
needs and opportunities
 Mapping potential activities
 Developing a proposed course
of action in each area

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The Intervention- Convergence for livelihood of rural poor
• Organised Community
• Orchard plantation demonstrated
• Linkage with field level officials of
agriculture & horticulture dpt.
• Land & water resource development
activities demonstrated
Background
• To enhance productivity of resources
(land and
• water) following NRM approach.
• Collaboration and convergence as a
basic
• approach towards creating
significant impact on
• livelihoods at the household level.
• Active participation of the
community (SHG and
• Gram Sabha) in planning and
implementation.
Central theme of intervention
Demonstrated at
one village- helped
in developing
system processes &
formats
Further replication
by PRADAN as well
as by district

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Process Followed
Hamlet or Village is taken as the basic
unit of planning
Village:
PRADAN- where about 60-70% of
households are mobilized and
organised into SHGs.
District- Gram Panchayat where
Sarpanch is proactive
Active participation of SHGs and PRIs
member based at the hamlet is
ensured
Exposure visits for SHGs and PRI
members
Hamlet level meetings after exposure
visits - whether they are interested in
such work and whether they can
pursue their plan
Plan for one year at a time- helpful for
government as well as the community

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Process Followed
A 4-5 days
event
Plan is prepared and the
task is divided amongst the
PRADAN team, CSP and
SHGs
Officials from Agriculture and allied
department to help community in mapping
plan with schemes
Present status and use of resources, potential
of using it alternatively, present status of
existing schemes in the village etc. are
discussed in detail.
• Exposure Visit
• Social Mapping / Wealth Ranking
• Resource Mapping/ Selection of
Patch
• Transect Visit
• Activity Planning & Mapping
• Documentation- CSP
• Presentation & Approval from Gram
Sabha; Application to relevant
department

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Family Village Local area /
cluster
Sub-Sector
Present situation
Visualized end state
Activities
Milestones * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The proposed operational framework

11. Resource Map
Activity Map
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12. MGNREGA and Convergence
MGNREGA
Farm Pond, Well, Land
development, CPT, Plantation
Horticulture
TSC
Agriculture
Fisheries
CREDA
Sabji Kuti,
Community Nursery,
Orchard
Borewell, Composting,
Implements, sprinkler
pipes and agricultural
inputs
Inputs for fisheries,
training
Biogas
BRGF
Forest ITDP PHED
Drinking water

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How it affected an individual family
Prabhulal Markam- Village Amlipar
•Own 4 acres of land but produce only 6 months of food for his family.
•Developed orchard in 1.5 acre of land with support from NABARD and department of
horticulture
•Constructed a vegetable nursery shed with support from MGNREGS and RKVY.
•MGNREGS further helped him to construct two farm ponds and level his 0.5 acres of
land.
•Earned Rs 25000 from vegetable cultivation, save paddy even after monsoon failure
Sushila Bai / Kisun Netam – Village Chhindbharri
•Own 1.5 acres of land out of which 1 acre is upland
•used to migrate for 45 - 60 days in a year for paddy harvesting
•Developed orchard in 1 acre of upland and farm pond in paddy field
•Earned Rs 35000 from vegetable cultivation in upland
•Completed 100 days of work in MGNREGS

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Implementation
Work planned under
MGNREGA
• By GP / departments
• PRADAN conducts training of
Mates, Rojgar Sahayak and
Technical assistants of block
before initiation of work.
• The Community monitors the
work for quality and to check
irregularities.
• Cluster- Roaster System for work
initiation and payment.
Work planned with other
department
• By concerned department with
support from SHG and CSP.
• SHG as forum for explaining the
scheme/ programme.
• CSP help the department as well
as households in documentation
etc.
Implementation

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Action plan is prepared
in the meeting for
following up with the
relevant departments.
Roles and tasks are
assigned amongst the
member.
Monitoring of Progress by Community
At hamlet or village level
through regular meeting using
monitoring sheets to help
ascertain the status of each part
of the plan
Follow up at Gram Sabha

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Efforts for Replication
The village plan is accepted as a base for planning by other departments like agriculture,
horticulture, fisheries, forest, CREDA etc.
SHGs became a pioneer in spreading the
message of INRM based participatory
planning and successful experience of
convergence.
Training of technical
assistant and mates for
planning and
implementation.
Formats
developed, System
and processes
established.
The CEO of block, PO of MGNREGA and
technical assistants from all blocks, Sarpanch,
Sachiv and Rojgar Sahayak from selected GP
participated in the event.
Orientation and training of local youth
(CSPs/ BNVs) to support the community
in the planning and documentation
process.
Workshop on NRM base planning and convergence for block and Panchayat level
functionaries and PRIs

17. Orientation of PRI and officials on NRM Experience Sharing by SHG Member
Field Visit Orientation Workshop

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The Change Process – Chhindbharri Village, Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh
 Social mobilisation through women-led SHGs
covering 85% families.
 Introduced alternate land use, development of
land and water resources and improved
agriculture practices to improve land
productivity
 Horticulture in the uplands
 INRM based resource development and
utilisation planning
 Helping community to establish linkages
with different department- convergence
 Stabilisation of paddy yields
 Diversification into seasonal vegetable
cultivation.
 All families are food
secure throughout
the year
 Each family earns an
average additional
annual income of
INR 25,400 from
farming.
 All children attend
school.
 No distress migration
PRADAN’s Intervention After (2012)
3
 71 tribal families
(85% among them
BPL) were food
secure for only 6-8
months – distress
migration was the
main survival
mechanism
 No family had any
savings.
Before (2009)
Creating A Ripple Effect of Transformation

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 Community has provided tap water
facilities to all the households
through their contribution.
 SHG members influenced
administration to sanction and
construct a heath centre in the
Gram Panchayat.
 Community has mobilised support
from CREDA for bio gas and 56%
families started using it.
 Government officials visited
Chhindbharri to assimilate learning
and replicate the approach with
other communities in the region.
The Ripple Effects

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• A mobilized and organized community is
critical, hamlet level planning facilitates
participation of poor.
• Perspective plan of the village and GP around
people’s need, aspiration, resources,
opportunities to be considered
• Whole gamut of forward and backward
linkages which do not exist, have to be
established in a way that they are sustainable
• Orchestrating convergence between a large
variety of players – Govt, NGOs, technical
institutions, banks, market.
• Requires capacity building, creation of
appropriate linkage structures, infrastructure
support
– Building people through series of
trainings, exposure and field
demonstration
– Engagement with the GP and
departments, Ensuring inter-
departmental resource integration
– Ongoing support to the planning unit
– Proper investment to identify potential
activities/piloting/prototype
development
– Facilitating appropriate mode of
implementation
– Periodic review of plan
Learning

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New Delhi – 110048 | India
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