The team from Arunachal Pradesh has never witnessed active participation of women in activities of panchayats before the Kudumbashree stepped in to support the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM). Neither did they know that putting an end to the animosity between the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and the Community Based Organisations (CBO) could lead to actual development until it became a reality under the Kudumbashree’s guidance. That is why they wanted to learn more about the functioning of Kudumbashree and adopt some of its successful models in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Our panchayats have become a lot more vibrant. They have started recognising the Self Help Groups (SHG). Moreover, the local bodies have started taking help from the SHGs. They have now become the first option for resource mobilisation,” Ronald Dkhar Baghwar, a block mission manager from Arunachal Pradesh, told The Hindu.
A 60-member team comprising panchayat presidents, members, local resource group members, district thematic coordinators, block mission managers, and mentors, besides the State project coordinator of SRLM paid a visit to Kozhikode from September 3 to 8 for a better understanding of the system. They visited Chemancheri and Olavanna grama panchayats and interacted with administrative panels, CDS members, Haritha Karma Sena members, and neighbourhood groups. They also visited various institutions in these panchayats such as anganwadis, Janakeeya Hotels, Gender Resource Centre, and various Kudumbashree enterprises. They studied novel projects being implemented by Kudumbashree in the district and the coordination between different departments.
“There has been a wave of change over the last two years in the four blocks where the PRI-CBO convergence system was implemented on a pilot basis. Our SHGs are now trained on their rights and entitlements. It also helped us tackle social issues such as children dropping out of school, adult illiteracy, and drug abuse,” Yagar Riran, one of the district committee coordinators said.
The other members of the group, in their presentations, appreciated the transparency in the PRI-CBO collaboration in Kerala and pointed out that they could adopt the support system provided for the elderly, differently abled people, and the children under the system. They wished to implement decentralisation of panchayat administration and include standing and steering committees within it.
