Agony of PAPs

Let me first expand the world popularly known in Industries for R&R work and later as a part of CSR work.  PAPs is project affected people. As the initial step of land acquisition process for establishing a plant, the land of villagers are taken and their homes are also crushed down. In recognition these people are given compensation according to the policy and some part the way it is negotiated with the villagers. So those whose land has been taken or homes are crushed are listed or recognized as project affected people by the company for extending special attention in future. 

The days of neglect is over when there was none to listen the pain of displaced people and also they were not given compensation. Now the reputation of companies are on stake how they are treated to their PAPs and people living in the village in the vicinity of the company. So as a part of R&R policy, PAPs were given land to make home, some of them also got regular job in the company, company hires their vehicles on priority basis, contractors have to compulsorily  give job to PAPs and many development schemes are taken by companies for overall development of PAPs in the field of education. PAPs get medical facilities in the company on discounted rate while their co-villagers have to pay full fees (company do not recognize the indirect damage done to the villagers and hence they are in not priority list for R&R work).

In spite of all these facilities given to the villagers, how meager work have been done, but it has raised their living standard, but still they are unsatisfied. 

Why? PAPs have agony. Why? This question be addressed well. When  requested for joining the department, many authorities suggested not to go their as PAPs would pressure for meeting their demand. Seldom they care what is their pain, how could they be addressed? 

The agony is emotional. Our Indian society was agrarian society. Land was considered sacred. It was not thought to sell land offered by parents. If we think as economic man, land offered by parents are the initial capital and selling those land shows their incapacity to produce more and earn a lot. Later this economic tendency would have turned into emotional relationship. Again humans remind their past by the story written on the wall, on the roof of their home and parting with them means parting with the their history, their ancestors. 

In stead of their home, now engineers were given quarters to live. Engineers are human being having much advanced facility. The exposure to high standard living gave dream to PAPs. Children of  engineers are going in good convent school, but PAPs living outside the boundary are unable to send their children in those schools due to hefty amount. (It is most probable that their children might not excel in academy even they get education from these school with the guidance from home, but PAPs thinks their children would progress as they are not able to pay hefty fees). The situation becomes even worse when the fees is hiked for them, but the fees of children remained the same. This is the other major reason which gives agony to PAPs.

The PAPs talk with all with a sense of ownership. 

If honestly speaking companies has to do much more to be a responsible organization not only for PAPs, but also the other villagers living in the close vicinity (say 5 or 10 km). Ultimately the profit will go in treasury, so why not spend a large part of them say (10% in stead of .5%) directly on behalf of companies for the overall development of local children and community. 

  

Can you raise the price of labour?

Even in reputed PSU, unskilled labourers who constitute the major part of labour force in the industry are given mere Rs. 174 conforming the minimum wage act for eight hours continuous work in severe condition. It is the price decided by policy makers for the mere existence of labourers? All engineers and workmen are given the gift of profit every year, but the labourers always get the minimum possible wage decided by the government. Can it not be Rs. 200 or more?

In stead the dragon of contract system eats some parts of their wages. Except a few gifted labourers, all have to be satisfied with mere Rs. 110 or Rs. 120. Some amount is eaten by the contract. There are cases where the men of contractors collect Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 from labourers for keeping them on job.

Unfortunately they are disorganized and they couldn't afford to unite. Secondly there is not much use of giving cash money to them unless given education how to manage family well and develop aspiration for the betterment of their children. Without that they would waste their money on extra wine.

How to check this problem?

1. Develop some way to check all the above mentioned wrongdoings.

2. There is need of research over contract system.

3. To improve the government school or opening specialized school for the children of labourers should be in priority.

4. Awareness program should be organized for the labourers.

Finally companies have to change their motto of making profit, and believe as the agent of change. Specially in the case of PSU, performance of one station should be measured in both terms, in terms of profit and utilization of that profit (at least 10%) on the development of local community with special focus on labourers. If labourers from outside are coming, they should not be allowed to live on company's land or otherwise they should be given a small home to stay happily.

Thinking the problems of labourers is incorrigible in the interest of the company must be changed and one should think that there is always a innovative way to be found out where company as well as labourers would avail.

Without that we keep reading news, "Rural poor earns Rs.17 a day".

State is simply committing fraud on the rural poor

UP 10th board result declared. Hardly some students were declared failure. We have been working for improving the teaching standard of school. There we found very difficulty to teach students nomenclature of triangle and angle to the tenth class students. My friend Rahul (got 13th rank in IES) got exhausted and finally left the class. But thanks to the government policy for shining paper work declared almost all of them pass with flying color. This simply fraud on education. Getting first division without having any merit will leave them no place. With false dignity they will accept job in farm or labour job in industries and they will easily get tended to crime. 

Today I visited many schools in the vicinity of NTPC Rihand. It is shocking and mockery of education that there is no there is one or two teachers for teaching five to eight classes. 

As I visited many location I found people are living in the lap of nature happily. What kind of education they should be given should be topic of debate. For making bridge their pattern of living and modern way of life enabling them to utilize modern technology in their circumstances should be given more stress rather pushing all of them for elementary education with similar curricula.

Teach as an innovator and not as a teacher

Evening class for underprivileged children have been going in EDC for nine months. Although many children are coming regularly they are not following the rules. Volunteers teaching with dedication pay little attention to those small things but game changer. 

Reading habits which they lack must be founded among them if we desire better result.  Today they are not reading five pages a day, how would they learn things. Repeated inquiry about the number of pages they studied will bring good result. 

Beyond Ideology

Personally I always admired India and loved Bharat as if it is my religion, my faith. I always read about the legends of India and took inspiration from them to work for the betterment of weaker section of society. 

With passage of time I got acquaintance with groups working for the establishment of some ideas. Although they all are demonstrating for the betterment of people, they all are very bitter among each other. 

We must have some principles in our life and we should abide by those principles always. Principle gives strength to work for truth. 

As we are working in social field and we are coming in contact with many people, we should stick with our own principle while working with existing group with their own principles and ideals. 

Empowerment of poor, giving quality education, annihilation of caste the extent possible, developing sense of dignity are some ideas which propels to work in society. Developing mutual trust between poor and rich, lower caste and upper caste, Islam and Hinduism are our peripheral goals. 

Society is multidimensional and so human mind is. Different people have different bent towards some issues. Those who have bent for the poor, must stay united over this topic, how deadly they in oppose for a particular issue. 

Jean&Reetika@Rihand Nagar

29 May 2012 was a great day for Prayas team who started writing its script three years back (15 August,2009 precisely) in Shivaji Nagar, a colony of labourers nearby Employee development center of NTPC Shakti Nagar. Later it was well established with various wings and developmental dimension at NTPC Rihand Nagar (NTPC Mauda is other key center).  Prof. Jean Dreze and Prof. Reetika Khera on invitation of Prayas team visited Rihand Nagar to see the development activities conducted by youth like us. It was a proud day for Prayas and we felt  privileged getting clicked in picture with them.

Sirsoti, the neighbouring village of NTPC Rihand, is the center of activities of Prayas since July 2011. As a part of visits of these eminent professors, a meeting of villagers were organized. More than seventy five villagers were turned up although they were  very shorty informed. During meeting they shared their problems, expectations from NTPC and the benefits they got because of this organization. Jean Dreze took special interest in knowing the conditions of MGNREGA workers and also went with them to their homes to know their family conditions. Many of labourers are not aware about MGNREGA scheme and they thought jobs have been created by Gram Pradhan. After inquiry it was revealed that payment is delayed by months and in some cases by a year.

Jean and Reetika also took special interest in visiting Gandhi Dham, the colony where sweepers, who work in power plant and in the township, have been living since NTPC was established at Rihand Nagar. Within half a hour many of them gathered at one point and as usual started venting out their problems. Both professors, getting emotional and feeling pinch in their heart by knowing their problems, listened them patiently. As villagers are oblivion about making arrangement for sitting, they simply sat down on the ground.  Then some of them brought chairs and implored us to seat on the chair. Jean refused to take seat. One lady asked, "you are good people (specially in officer and powerful term rather generosity), so please have seat." Dreze professed," Do not think us different. When you will start thinking you and us, the same, you will not have any problems in life." Jean and Reetika were deeply moved by knowing that their children were not able to go school because government schools are located at far distance and they are unable to pay fees in public schools. Their cards (Ration card, BPL card) are now dysfunctional as they are declared part of NTPC township and not of Gram Panchayat. Probably their names have also been removed from voter list. There is no light, shortage of water and dismal condition of locality. Later Jean told them to cooperate with  Prayas team who would work for their education and would take care of other stuff. Reetika passionately expressed her desire that NTPC should take responsibility for arranging a vehicle for these children, to enable them to go school. Before leaving the place, Jean made them speak in corus, "Ham sab ek hain (we all are the same)".  

Late night Jean spent one hour with Prayas team and appreciated their work and also inspired them to continue with this always. All teams members were feeling enlightened with him, although none of them except me were knowing his greatness. He promised to be our mentor.

  Jean Dreze who came India for one year for his educational purpose, decided to stay here after seeing prevailing acute poverty. He had conceptualized and drafted the first version of the NREGA. His co-authors include Nobel laureate in economic Amartya Sen, with whom he has written on famine, and Nicholas Stern, with whom he has written on policy reform when market prices are distorted. He is currently an honorary Professor at the Delhi School of Economics and was a member of the National Advisory Council of India in both first and second term. Reetika Khera is professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. 

25 percent seats in private schools for poor children

After enlightenment followed by American Independence war and French Revolution for establishing the idea of liberty, justice in society developed notion in intelligentsia about education being a public good. Later socialist idea made state responsible for ensuring free and compulsory education for all and legitimated constitutionally right to education. In democracy ensuring people to be educated is compulsion for making it successful as government is decided by universal franchise. 

Today Government is incapable of giving quality education to all. Riches of this country ensure education to their children by paying hefty fees to private institutions. Because of this private institutions government officials pay little attention to improve the dismal condition of government schools and hence these institutions are now not meant for students, but for teachers and upper officials for getting salaries making them incapable of sending their children to government schools.

Because of this aloofness poor students can't dream of getting better education. A country with socialist outlook can't ignore this fact and it has right to interfere in institution for pursuing the idea of equality. So now 25 percent seat in each class in each school including private ones except the minority schools are reserved for poor children. 

Besides many critics by capital class, one basic idea was discussed that poor children would become victim of inferiority complex while sitting with rich children. I believe many problems would come, but while staying together, studying together they would overcome all these feelings and with time they would start developing sympathy for each other. Today in cities because of lack of poor people or middle class personnel, children of rich class would not like to go mediocre malls as they thinking mediocre people are coming. This sense of divide, alienation from ground reality must be eliminated, then only we would be able to develop responsible future leaders. 

Chance of getting students poor as well as rich children together, would address this problem well.