“Socially excluded communities lack knowledge of government schemes and their entitlements and rights. They also don’t know where to apply and how to avail of these schemes. In Indarpur, our Village Action Group (VAG) is helping them by accompanying them to government offices and online applications of necessary schemes. Our dream is to make Indarpur one of the best Gram Panchayats in Osmanabad, and recognised as a model by others”, says Rajeshwari Gapat, Vice President of the Indapur Gram Panchayat and member of the Village Action Group.
Women leaders across Latur, Osmanabad and Nanded districts of Maharashtra are coming together to form Village Action Groups to address the challenges that they face, and make their Gram Panchayats more socially inclusive and resilient.
Facilitated by SSP, VAGs typically represent socially excluded and marginalised communities of the village, whose voices are otherwise rarely heard by local decision makers. These groups of 10 to 15 members lead social change and empowerment by sharing information on government schemes and programmes and assisting in accessing social entitlements like widow pension, support for differently abled persons, houses and toilets under government schemes. They also work hand-in-hand with the Gram Panchayat to ensure the community has access to basic services like drainage, roads, waste management, drinking and irrigation water facilities.
In Indapur village in Osmanabad, the VAG acted as a pressure group to lobby with the local government to include vulnerable communities in development processes and build a safer community. Working with the Gram Panchayat, they were able to get 50 families of widows and persons with disabilities houses under the Indira Awas Yojana, and access to agricultural inputs like seeds and machinery for value addition. Social change is visible, as women have started to visit the Gram Panchayat and government departments, accessing various schemes and programs and attending Gram Sabhas and development meetings to air their concerns. Women have also successfully lobbied for the construction of a meeting hall which will act as a community gathering place.
Recognising the importance of the VAG, the President of the Indapur Gram Panchayat says that “the women are working with vulnerable people and showing us a pathway to work towards inclusive development.”
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
16th August, 202