The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Apna Desh is on a firm footing in the State

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Monday, Sep 17, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Apna Desh is on a firm footing in the State

Staff Correspondent

The self-help concept builds a sense of ownership

Apna Desh is alive and kicking in five districts
It will help overcome hurdles in development

Bharatlal Meena

BANGALORE: Apna Desh, a revolutionary village self-help concept, born out of the ingenuity of senior IAS officer Bharatlal Meena, Managing Director of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited and Chairman of the ESCOMS, has found a firm foothold in several districts of the state.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Meena said the concept has been accepted by the committees in eight districts. In five other districts committees have been formed and are active in their respective areas. The active committees are in Mysore, Dakshin Kannada, Gadag, Bijapur and Bagalkot districts, while groups in Bangalore rural district have also generated interest.

In Dakshin Kannada, the Jana Shikshana Trust has adopted two villages for the pilot project Naringana, and in Buntwal taluk it is called Ira. Both are working fine, Mr. Meena added. He outlined the concept of the Apna Desh: its basic philosophy being promotion of a sense of `community ownership’ of all public places like roads, street lights, drinking water facilities, cleanliness and hygiene, schools and other facilities.

The people should show a higher degree of responsibility towards these structures and manage them themselves. However, the officials and government funding will always be there to help the people.

The sense of ownership makes people more responsible towards their village. This concept can work efficiently at the micro level where the group can work towards a self-driven society.

Since there is no money generated from outside agencies, the committees need to mobilise funds. When such an environment is created, all administrative and official hurdles towards development could easily be surmounted. People will also shun the ‘not in my backyard’ attitude and rush to the common good of the villages.

In bringing this concept to life in areas where it has not been tried so far, the NGOs, the people and their representatives in panchayats should work as one body and perhaps create a `Village development council’ in every village, which should work as a shadow panchayat, Mr. Meena said.

In the words of convenor of Jana Shakti Trust, Sheena Shetty: “A spirit of mutual cooperation is embedded in Apna Desh. It gives so much freedom and independence to the people to improve their villages with the help of democratic institutions and government machinery.”

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