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The TARAgram Yatra 2022

The TARAgram Yatra 2022

The year 2022 marks the 10th edition of the TARAgram Yatra. Since its inception in 2010, the Yatra has become a platform for social innovators, changemakers, and policymakers to come together to experience on-ground action and deliberate to advance a compelling, practical, and solution-oriented vision for the well-being of people and the planet.

The Yatra is a unique experience of social impact and learning of both theory and practice.

Bundelkhandi Goat : बुंदेलखंडी बकरी

Brief information about Bundelkhandi Goat:

bundelkhandi-goat

It is native breed of Bundelkhand region spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Bundelkhand region, spread over southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh (MP), including 7 districts of U.P. (Jhansi, Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Lalitpur and Jalaun) and 6 districts of MP (Sagar, Panna, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhhatarpur and Datia).
 
Bundelkhandi goat is black in colour with medium to large sized cylindrical and compact body, long legs, narrow face, roman type nose, medium horns, long hair on body, black eyelids and muzzle, pendulous ears and bushy tail. The animals are hardy and able to walk long distances, therefore, highly suitable for grazing.
These goats are mainly reared for meat purposes. It is highly adapted for harsh climatic conditions. It can gives twins and some time triplets also.

Out of 2.47 million goats in Bundelkhand region, considerable numbers (about 70%) belong to Bundelkhandi goats which is  yet to be recognized as breed. Apart from recording observations from the field , a flock of 120 goats is  being maintained at ICAR – IGFRI for characterization and performance recording. Further, application has also been filed for registration of this breed.

by:
Dr. Deepak Upadhyay
Scientist, ICAR-IGFRI, Jhansi
Principal Investigator- AICRP on Bundelkhandi Goat

 

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS OF BANDA DISTRICT : Satyam Tripathi, JNU

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS OF BANDA  DISTRICT
- Satyam Tripathi, JNU

INTRODUCTION

The City of banda is situated on the side of river ken .Its main development is seen only in one sides of the river .The total geographical area is 4456.802 km2 and the altitude varies between 3 to 427 m. It is extending from north to south is about 104.60 km and west to east is about 94.50 km. It is situated in Fatehpur District (U.P.) northeast, Hamirpur District (U.P.) northwest, Mahoba District (U.P.) west, Chitrakoot District (U.P.) southwest and Madhya Pradesh (State) south and southwest .Banda is a district of Uttarpradesh which lies in the Bundelkhannd region . District Banda comes under division ChitrakootDham which was constituted in the year 1997.In the year 1997 Banda district has been divided into two districts namely Banda and Chitrakoot. To provide efficient administration the district is administratively divided into 04 tahsils namely Banda ,Naraini , Baberu and Atarra. For implementation and monitoring of development scheme the district isdivided into 08 Development Blocks namely Jaspura, Tindwari, Badokhar Khurd, Baberu, Kamasin , Bisanda, Mahuva and Naraini. Total area of the district is 4408.0 Sq. Km. The rural area covers4347.7 Sq. Km. and urban recorded 60.3 Sq. Km. There are 437 Gram Panchayats and 694 Revenue villages with 657 inhabited villages and 37 uninhabited villages in the district. In urban area there are08 Statutory Towns. Statutory Towns comprises of 02 Nagar PalikaParishad and 06 Nagar Panchayats. Banda district has a urbanization Of 15.3% which is even below the average of state 22.3 %.Banda district has a population density of 408 person /sq.km which is half of the state average of 829 person /sq.km .In district of Banda the sex ratio is in very dismal condition which is 863 female per 1000 of male population .Literacy is 66.7 % which is 1% low below the state average of 67.7%..The decadal growth rate of population is 19.8% which is below the state average of 20.2%.  

regional-development-analysis-banda-district

BRIEF HISTRORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DISTRICT

The district is named after the headquarters town, Banda, which is said to have derived its name from Bamdeo, a sage mentioned in Hindu mythology as a contemporary of Rama. Bamdeo is said to have had his hermitage at the foot of a hill later called KhutlaBonda, the name by which a locality of the town is still known. The first glimpse of the early history of the district is obtained from stone arrowheads and other implements discovered in 1882 AD at various places in the district. Specimens of Neolithic tools, rough sketches of birds, beasts and human beings have been found in this region. Pebble tools and low hand axes have also been discovered in this district. In prehistoric times this region seems to have been inhabited by primitive people like the Bhils and Kols.The earliest known Aryan people associated with this region were the Chedis whose king, KasuChaidya who is said to have made a gift of ten kings as slaves to his priest, was praised for his liberality in a "Dana Stuti" found at the end of a hymn in the Rigveda.. It was due to activities of these Chedis, who are said to have had one of the most ancientlineage among the Aryan people of India, that this region was brought under the Aryan way of life.About the middle of the fourth century B.C., this region was annexed to the Nanda Empire ofMagadhaThe end of Kushanarulesynchronized with the emergence of Nagas who succeeded in capturing Padmavati, Mathura, Vidisa,Kantipuri and its surrounding regions. The most important Naga rulers who ruled over this regionwereBhavanaga, Ganapatinaga and Nagasena but were conquered and ousted by the Gupta emperor,Samudragupta about the middle of the fourth century A.D. As a result this region passed into the hands of the Gupta monarchs and continued to be a part of their empire till the beginning of the sixth century. When king HarshaVardhan (606-47 A.D.) established his supremacy in north India, the region was included in his dominion nd it was during this period that we get first historical notice of Bundelkhand. The most mportant event of Dhonga's reign was the final severence of all connections with the Pratiharas. About 1017 AD. Sultan Mahmud attacked the Pratihara Kingdom of Kannauj and compelled its ruler Rajyapala to enter into a humiliating treaty, including recognition of Muslim supremacy. Throughout Aurangzeb's reign the area covered by the present district formed part of the suba of Allahabad but in 18th century the Bundelas took Kalinjar and Chhatrasal, their leader, was recognized by the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah (1707-1712 A.D.) as ruler of Bundelkhand. The present district of Banda was ceded to the British by the treaty of Basscin in 1803. British administration began with the arrival of Captain Baillie, agent for political affairs in Bundelkhand. The growing discontent of masses was two measures namely, the land revenue settlements and the annexation of Awadh. On June 8, 1857, a large number of prisoners who had escaped the central jail at Allahabad crossed over to Mau in the east of the district and excited the people to action. Government property was destroyed, buildings gutted, a treasure containing rupees was plundered and even the records of the court were destroyed. By February 1858, the revolutionary flame was in full blaze and the popular character of the freedom struggle was manifested. But the fire of revolution was extinguished completely by British on 6th June 1858.After 1858 a new feature began to appear in Banda. Trade and commerce began to grow owing to the constructions of the rail and road. During the close of the 19th century the activities of Arya\Samaj led to great social upheaval among the backward local populace. A campaign was launched in the district for using indigenous goods, especially Khadi or homespun cloth. Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu and Acharya J.B. Kripalani were on a hurricane tour of whole of the Northern India in order to gathersupport for the newly launched Civil Disobedience Movement after the failure of Simon Commission. They came to Banda in November 1929. In 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement was started in Banda, along with the rest of the country. The first phase of the movement comprised violation of the salt Act. Congress volunteers and other people of the district responded by manufacturing contrab and salt at Dus Maidan near Karwi. During the Second World War the people of the district started amassivecompaign against the war fund. In 1941, thousands of congress members as well as other people of the district launched Individual Satyagraha against the war fund campaign and courted arrest.

Population

1. Population growth and distribution

The growth of population in Banda in period 1901-1921 shows negative growth rate due to the effects of famine, cholera and plague in North India generally and in this region particularly. The period 1921-1941 marked gradually increasing growth rate but not very high. The period 1941-1971 noted stagnant and relatively low growth rate as can be seen in graph which is almost horizontal showing a constant growth rate. In the period 1971-1981the growth rate increased drastically from about 25.49 to to 29.13 i.e. nearly doubled. From 1981 to 1991 the growth rate remained high but it came down significantly in 1991 to 20.94 but after that it was more or less constant in 2001. From 2001 growth rate of 21.30 ,it came down to 19.83 in 2011 which was very minimal change witnessed in 2011. This was due to the stagnancy of birth rate . 

Table 4. Decadal growth rate of population in Banda district, 2011.

regional-development-analysis-banda-district

The district comprises of total 319963 households. The number of households is much greater in the rural area compared to urban areas. Of the total household 85% of the household are rural where as the remaining 15% households are urban. Only 0.2% of the households are institutional showing that the District is devoid of institutional activity

The average household in the district is 5.6 which is even less than the average household size of the State which is 6. The rural and urban areas have nearly the same household size, even in urban area is very slightly low. This  is because the urban areas of Banda district are devoid of any industrial town and hence workers and labors not migrate here to work and stay in a congested household, so that household size can increase.

3. Age-sex structure

About 36.4% of the population of Banda is under young-age dependents (0-14 years of age) which is very high, and 9% of the population are old-age dependents (60 years and above).

The age-sex pyramid shows that there are more percentage of males than females in the young age group, signifies the preference of boys over girls and the issue of female feticide. Also the over-all male population is slightly greater than female population in the entire age group except the age group between 25-39 years. This shows that the males in this age group of 2539 years emigrated for job opportunities and for workings in informal sectors of other large cities of India and abroad. 

regional-development-analysis-banda-district

The base of the pyramid is wide and the top is narrow and looks like Rapid Growth Pyramid.The narrower top of pyramid shows that the death in old age is high where as the wide base shows that birth rate is very high and also comparatively less population in the age group 0-4 years shows that Child Death Rate is high.

The age-group 0-4 years shows the less number of children due to the child death rate and also due to decreasing fertility to some extent. This may further continue and then the pyramid will become bulge in the middle showing the demographic dividend, in future decades. The population pyramid shows that the dependency ratio is very high.

Sex Ratio

The sex ratio of Banda district is 863 (in 2011) which is less than the state average which is 912.The sex ratio in 1901 was very high i.e. 985 females per thousand males which reduced drastically in the next decade as shown in the trend bar graph. This shows that the famine and epidemics of very early 20th century affected the females most than males. The sex ratio decreased from 985 in 1901 to 832 till 1991. After 1991 it again started increasing little bit as can be seen in the graph. This can be seen as the impact of liberalization that people start gaining education,but still it is very low. Due to this most of the men are bachelor here and not able to marry and find brides. Unemployed persons are generally unmarried here.

regional-development-analysis-banda-district-4.jpg

The child sex ratio is very low as can be seen through population pyramid, i.e. there are less number of females born in the age-group of 0-4 years compared to the male population in the same age group, showing the preference of boys over girls.

4.2. Literacy

Average literacy rate of Banda in 2011 were 66.67% compared to 54.38% of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 77.78 and 53.67 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 69.28% and 36.78% in Banda District. Total literate in Banda District were 1,002,937 of which male and female were 630,626 and 372,311 respectively. In 2001, Banda District had 670,986 in its district. Literacy rate in rural area is 64.16% and urban area is 79.85%. There is not much difference between male literacy of rural and urban but female literacy is very low in rural areas i.e around 50% as compared to urban areas i.e around 71%. Female child is generally not imparted with education that is the reason of overall low literacy of female in the district. 

अजयगढ़ का नामकरण

अजयगढ़ का नामकरण

अजय गढ़ मध्य प्रदेश के पन्ना जिले में पन्ना से 35 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर स्थित है | यह नगर अपने चंदेल कालीन किले के लिए प्रसिद्ध है यह चंदेलों के किले कालिंजर के बाद सबसे महत्वपूर्ण किला था; जब कभी कालिंजर का किला किसी शत्रु के हाथ में आ जाता था तब अजय गढ़ किले में चंदेल पुनः प्रयास कर कालिंजर को जीतते थे |

(कविता Poem) महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा (by श्री बाबू लाल जैन, दिगौडा - टीकमगढ)


(कविता) महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा


babulal-jain-tikamgarh

(श्री बाबू लाल जैन, दिगौडा - टीकमगढ)

महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा
दीन हीन जन का प्रतिपालक, करत बहुत ही सेवा
महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा॥

कामधेनु सम कल्पवृक्ष यह, महुआ जिसका नाम।
पत्ते फूल और फल इसके, सब अंग आवें काम ॥
नहीं कोई इसके सम देवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा ||

मुरका लटा मिठाई इसकी, डुबरी फूली दाखें,
हरछट के दिन चना चिरोंजी, संग मिल इसको खावें।
पूजन में संग इसको लेवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा ॥

फोड़ गुली को बनते धपरा, तेल निकलता उनसे ।
खाते और बनाते साबुन, जम जाता घृत जैसे॥
बेचकर वस्त्र स्वर्ण लेवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा ॥

पत्ते भी बन जाते इसके, बकरी का भोजन।
काट टहनियां जला रहे हैं, कुछ इसको दुर्जन ॥
प्रभू जी इनको समझ देवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा॥

गुली फलक तो रसगुल्ले सम, पशु जन के मन भावें,
लपकी गाय गुलेंदर खाने, महुये तर पुनि पुनि जावे।
बच्चे बीनत करत कलेवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा॥

वृक्ष कभी यदि उखड़ जाये, तो लकड़ी आती काम।
फाटक खिड़की चौखट आदिक, बनकर शोभित धाम॥
करत यह भारी जन सेवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा॥

अटा अटारी की पटनोरें, करी मियारी बनतीं।
पलंग पीठिका बेंड़ा खूंटी, मजबूती बहु धरती॥
लकड़ी बहुत काम में लेवा, महुआ है बुंदेली मेवा॥

Bundelkhand Saur Urja will setup 1200-MW solar power project in Jalaun

bundelkhand-solar-power-project

Bundelkhand Saur Urja will setup 1200-MW solar power project in Jalaun.

The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has granted in-principal approval for the setting up of a 1200-MW ultra mega solar project in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs 4,800 crore.

Diwari Dance of Bundelkhand बुंदेलखंड का दिवारी नृत्य



Divari Dance of Bundelkhand बुंदेलखंड का दिवारी नृत्य

Author - डॉ. जनार्दन प्रसाद त्रिपाठी  (एम. ए., बी. एड., पी. एच. डी.) 

बुंदेलखंड की सुबह - Bundelkhand ki Subah

"बुंदेलखंड की सुबह"

ये
सूखे शजर की
शाखों पे उगते सूरज

ये
बादलों के किनारे
जो सूरज की रौशनी से
चाँदी हुए हैं
इनकी ज़मीन से ऊंचाई
और, बुंदेलखंड की प्यास की गहराई
समान ही तो है

लोकतंत्र की स्याह दीवार पे
अन्नदाता के लहू के सुर्ख़ छींटे

ये हमीरपुर, महोबा में
बबूल के पेड़ों पे झूलती लाशें,
पलायन को मजबूर कदम
ये सब सरकारों के
चहमुखी विकास का
परिणाम ही तो है

उम्र के इस
सत्रहवें पतझड़ में
बुंदेलखंड का दर्द महसूस
करने की कोशिश
नाकाम ही तो है

जन्मभूमि से विरह
का दर्द,
प्रेयसी से विरह
के दर्द से कहीं
अधिक होता है

बावजूद इसके
पलायन इसलिए
क्योंकि
लोकतंत्र में नाउम्मीदी
का सूखा
बुंदेलखंड के सूखे से कहीं
अधिक है

ये बर्बश चमकता सूरज
और, तपिश सा जीवन

बस की खिड़की से
झांकते हुए ये पल जो ठहरा
इस पल में ना जाने
कितने प्रतिमानों के प्रतिबिम्ब
टूट गए

गोया,
किसी ने फेंका पत्थर
स्थिर जलाशय में

By:
मनीष कुमार यादव

 

(Research) Scientific Management of Natural Resources for Sustainable Development with special reference to BUNDELKHAND (THE SAGAR DIVISION)

Scientific Management of
Natural Resources
for Sustainable Development

with special reference to
BUNDELKHAND
( THE SAGAR DIVISION )

(SECTION - 1)
STATUS OF RESOURCES

  1. Background: Chapter I 
  2. Bundelkhand- The Sagar Division: Chapter II 
  3. Water Resources of Sagar Division: Chapter III 
  4. Agriculture & Horticulture: Chapter IV 
  5. The Forests: Chapter V 
  6. Industriousness of People & Industries: Chapter VI 

 

(SECTION - 2)
REVIEW, PEOPLE’s PERCEPTIONS
&
SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES

  1. Reflection on Resource-Status: Chapter VII 
  2. Potentials of Bundelkhand Chapter VIII 
  3. People’s Perceptions of Problems & Opinion Chapter IX
  4. Managing Sustainable Alternatives: Chapter X

 

dr-bharatendu-prakash.jpg (397×389)© 2013
Dr. Bharatendu Prakash
M.Sc.,D.Phil.
Silver Jubilee Vikram Sarabhai Fellow

Phone:  07682-244005
Mobile:  09425814405 , 09452508251

 

(Research) Study of Marketing Strategies of Cottage Industry and Its Implications



(Research) Study of Marketing Strategies of Cottage Industry and Its Implications

Authors:

Kanishk Verma
Junior Research Fellow, Department of Sociology
Bundelkhand University, Jhansi

and

Dr. Jitendra Kumar Tiwari
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Bundelkhand University, Jhansi



Abstract : 

Bundelkhand Ground Report - New hunger games in jobless Bharat by Sayantan Bera

New hunger games in jobless Bharat

by Sayantan Bera

A ground report reveals the rural landless poor are struggling to find work, and cutting down on staple food items.

CHITRAKOOT/PANNA : It is well past 2 in the afternoon, but the wall clock hanging in Seema’s bare room is stuck at 10.15am. But that is not the reason why this mother of a month-old child, is yet to have a morsel of food. A meal—rotis or wheat flatbread, and a deep red and watery curry with potatoes floating in it—has been cooked. But Seema is waiting for her husband to get back home. By eating late, she will “save" a meal. That will help buy some milk for her other child, a two-year-old girl.

The thatched roof of the single-room mud house in Dafai, a village in Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh, is pockmarked with holes. Seema’s husband Sanjay, a graduate, works as a casual worker in and around the village. But it has been difficult to find work of late. At times Sanjay earns just ₹100 a day working as a porter or a construction labourer; on most days even that paltry sum eludes him. Therefore, the family’s spending on food was cut drastically.

bundelkhand_hunger_games_seema_mother
Seema, a young mother from Chitrakoot, skips meals to save and purchase milk for her two-year-old daughter.

Seema’s two-year-old daughter has a diet of rotis with salt. The girl is yet to bite into fruit, any fruit. Staples like pulses are cooked rarely and the family seldom buys vegetables other than potatoes or tomatoes. “My life now revolves around paanch rupiya ka tel aur du rupiya ka masala ( ₹5 worth of oil and ₹2 worth of spices)," said Seema.

Consumption slowdown

Last week, as the winter crept into the arid Bundelkhand region spread across the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Mint travelled to three districts, Chitrakoot, Banda and Panna.

And the ground reality of a lactating mother like Seema starving herself to save on a meal is ironic and sad—the central government’s foodgrain stocks are overflowing (an excess of 30 million tonnes over buffer norms) but there is little effort on its part to extend the food safety net.

Seema’s family is excluded from the subsidized food scheme that guarantees a modest 5kg of grain per person per month under the National Food Security Act, 2013. In Dafai there has been no survey since 2016 to include new beneficiaries. Newly married women and young children have been left out, pushing families to the brink of starvation.

bundelkhand_hunger_games_midday_meal
At a primary school in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, nutrition content in midday meals often falls short of prescribed norms

 

The situation is made worse by inadequate supplementary nutrition schemes offered in centrally funded Anganwadis (child care centres) and pilferage in midday meals for school children. The latest spike in retail food inflation driven by a rise in prices of vegetables, onions and milk —a 10% increase year-on-year in November—hasn’t helped matters, pushing families to the brink. Seema wanted to study but was married off; now she is unsure if her children will ever step into a school.

Chickpeas to the rescue

In the face of twin adversities—falling incomes and rising food prices—the landless poor in rural India have fine-tuned their food choices. In Bundelkhand, a common sight today is women plucking tender chickpea leaves from the field, the only greens in their diet. The winter crop in its infancy is a nutritious addition to the chilli-roti-salt diet of households—it’s not rare to spot a child chewing on uncooked chickpea leaves or an elderly woman relishing it with green chillies.

It is this chana saag, along with subsidized food from the public distribution system (PDS), that is saving many from acute hunger.

bundelkhand_hunger_games_gas_ujjwala_yojana
Rajni, 16, said her family is too poor to refill the gas cylinders that were distributed for free under the Prime Minister’s Ujjwala Yojana

Take for instance Genda Bai, a woman in her mid-30s who lives in a remote tribal hamlet named Jamunehai in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district, which is famous for its diamond mines. Around 3.30pm when this correspondent reached her mud-plastered courtyard, she was eating the first meal of the day with her daughter, 9-year-old Shish Kumari. On the plate was boiled rice cooked with turmeric and salt. Forget pulses, there was not even potato or tomato.

On my request Genda Bai spread out the grocery items from the kitchen. All she had was a kg of rice, a bag of wheat, a few shrivelled green chillies, one tomato, two small-sized onions, a pack of coriander seeds and 200 ml of mustard oil. The children in her house had never tasted milk.

bundelkhand_hunger_games_genda_bai_ration
Genda Bai, a tribal woman from Panna in Madhya Pradesh, displays her entire stock of groceries

What’s for dinner? “I will cook only if we are hungry," she replied. The wheat and rice she gets from PDS lasts not more than a week. So every morsel is to be saved. Her husband, who has not found work in more than a week, was in the forest, collecting wood; a head-load will sell for ₹50 in a nearby market. When asked what she may purchase if she had ₹500, Genda Bai stubbornly refused to answer. It is pointless to dream about food when you have no money, she said.

No jobs for the asking

In their struggle to put food on the plate, families in this village have stretched themselves thin. Most send the elderly and children to look after crop fields of upper-caste landlords. The wheat and mustard crop need protection from wild animals and stray cattle till it is harvested. For this 24/7 work spanning five months, families are paid in kind—about 200kg of wheat or ₹4,000. This translates to a wage of ₹27 for every 24 hours of work. This poorly paid job is reserved for the elderly and children. But this also means no child in the village goes to school, missing out on even the meagre midday meals.

Amid the ongoing jobs crisis, the rural employment guarantee scheme failed to keep up to its promise—till date about 1.77 billion man-days of work was generated under the scheme in 2019-20 (April to December), far short of the 2.68 billion man-days in 2018-19.

In the three districts that Mint travelled to, the complaints were similar: too few days of work on offer and wage payments delayed by more than a month.

Drinking a meal

At 12.30 in the afternoon last Tuesday, the children in Pathroudi Primary School in Chitrakoot were having a mock fight with their plates. It is time for the midday meal. The day’s menu, painted on the walls outside the school kitchen, states they will be served pulses cooked with vegetables along with steamed rice.

The rice is ready but the lentils are a sight to behold. It looked more like watery gruel with a few strands of spinach thrown in. On a child’s plate it emerged as an island of rice floating on a green lake. As children fiddled with the food, a teacher urged them to drink it up.

Under the centrally sponsored Mid-Day Meal Scheme, children from Class I to Class V are entitled to vegetables and pulses worth ₹4.50 per day, in addition to rice and wheat that is supplied from PDS, fuel for cooking and monthly payments for cooks. The day Mint visited this school, 49 children were present.

The pulses—that are served with rice— were cooked with just 250 grams of greens and half a kg of pigeon peas. Clearly, a fraction of the sanctioned amount has been spent by the school teachers and village local bodies who oversee implementation of the scheme. The experience was no different in all the three schools that Mint visited in Bundelkhand. “There is hardly any monitoring of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme or problems faced by families while accessing subsidized food grains," said Raja Bhaiya, who heads a local non-profit Vidya Dham Samiti.

The Aadhaar factor

The use of technology like Aadhaar— introduced to reduce corruption and pilferage—has meant additional hardship for families. Around 12 noon on 11 December, the subsidized PDS shop at Parmai village in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district was teeming with people. They were waiting for electricity supply to be restored so that the biometric authentication machines could work.

bundelkhand_hunger_games_aadhar_biometric_authentication
Families in Parmai village in Banda complain that biometric authentication failures and slow internet speed force them to make repeated trips to the ration shop

Women and elderly who were waiting complained that Aadhaar-based authentication failures are common. Worn out by daily labour, their fingerprints do not match easily; the internet is painfully slow; and they are forced to make two-three trips to collect a month’s quota of ration, waiting for hours on end every time they visit.

Soon enough there was a brawl, with some pushing and shoving thrown in. A young man shouted at the shop owner, complaining that his 70-year-old mother had to repeatedly visit and some family members’ names were deleted from the system without a reason. This seems to be a common problem. Many households complained their names were dropped from the beneficiary list arbitrarily. They were asked to enrol again online, then visit the block headquarters to get an approval—a process which takes more than three months.

Then, there’s the most common form of corruption, which is providing families less than their entitlement—19kg of grains, say, when they are entitled to 20kg every month.

For those in the queue, the biometric authentication test is no less than clearing an exam. There is relief on their faces when they pass the test. Failure means going back to the end of the queue again. Authentication failures reach up to 20% on some days, said the PDS shop owner Rajendra Kumar. “We have been strictly instructed not to provide rations if authentication fails, otherwise the licence will be cancelled," he added.

Half an hour’s ride from Parmai, a middle- aged Budhiya was not in a state to talk about any of this. She sat in a corner of her open kitchen, draped in a white sari, her face hidden behind a veil. Two days back, her husband, a casual worker, committed suicide while she was away with her children. There was neither food nor money at home.

Her children, a girl and a boy in their early teens, did not speak a word. Perched by the roadside, they sat with steely faces. They seemed prepared for a future that will be no better than their parents’.

COURTESY: MINT

Akash Chaurasia : Progressive Farmer from Sagar, Bundelkhand

Akash Chaurasia is a progressive farmer from Sagar (MP), Bundelkhand. His Multilayered Farming technique is gaining appreciation from all quarters of society. With low cost and innovative farming technique,he earns nearly 15 lakhs from his 2.5 acres (1 hectare) farm through multilayered crop techniques and other allied agriculture practices like producing manure (vermicompost), bio-pesticide, milk products etc.

आकाश चौरसिया सागर (मप्र), बुंदेलखंड के एक प्रगतिशील किसान हैं। उनकी बहुस्तरीय खेती तकनीक समाज के सभी क्षेत्रों से सराहना प्राप्त कर रही है।

पूरे बुन्देलखण्ड मे पानी अकाल (Bundelkhand in grip of Water Scarcity)


पूरे बुन्देलखण्ड मे पानी अकाल (Bundelkhand in grip of Water Scarcity)


 

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