Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India is implementing a large number of programs for improving the quality of life in rural areas. Success of these programs depends to a large extend on the active participation of the rural people in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Over period of time, the rural fabric has suffered tears due to factors like mushrooming of local power groups, lack of unity among various communities, lack of awareness about issues concerning them, indifference of the service delivery sectors, nepotism, corruption, lack of awareness about procedural aspects of program implementation, etc. As a result, the benefits of different programs are not reaching the needy people. At the same time, many evaluation studies have also pointed out the gaps in implementation of the programs affecting the delivery of benefits to the intended beneficiaries.
In view of the above, the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has launched innovative programs of Lab-to-Land Initiatives since 2010. The main purpose of this initiative is to establish a close contact with the rural people who are the stakeholders of Government programs by creating awareness through campaigns, capacity building and training and to enable the communities to know their rights and entitlements under various programs/schemes, so that they demand improved and quality services from the local service delivery machinery. Amidst all the challenges, endeavor has to be made to design and deploy innovative means to promote dissemination of information and knowledge, encourage people’s participation, strengthen vigilance and public accountability and ensure proper delivery of benefits of the Government programs to the people at the grass root.
Considering the limitations of the existing Government machinery, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has started building a cadre of Bharat Nirman Volunteers (BNVs) under Lab-to-Land initiative in 2010-2011 in few selected block/Gram Panchayats through SIRDs and selected district administration. The BNVs are selected by the Gram Panchayat/village authority and they will provide suitable training and incentives to actively support the administrative machinery and rural areas in implementation of Government programs.
Who are BNVs? BNVs are “the last mile human connectivity” between governments and the rural households, who come voluntarily for community social services and act as a link between a group of families and host of various line departments with a purpose to help unreached to access benefits under various government sponsored programs. The volunteers are working with the PRI and Line departments in the effective implementation of the programs without any remuneration or honorarium for the services being rendered by them.
BNVs at field.
1. Each volunteer is assigned 10-40 rural households to understand their needs and to facilitate their fulfillment in partnership with government agencies.
2. The BNVs are envisaged to establish closer contact with rural households and sensitize them in various developmental programs.
3. The BNVs assist the Government Functionaries in shouldering the responsibilities of delivery public services in variety ways.
4. The BNVs create awareness about various Government Programs viz, MGNREGS, BRGF, NRLM, Rural Housing, National Water Supply, Total Sanitation, Watershed, SECC, VDB etc by motivating the community.
5. To facilitate social audit of government programs.
6. To improve quality of implementation of government programs by providing feedback on status of programs to responsible officers.
7. Accelerate the rural development as a catalyst.
BNVs at work:- In many states, the BNVs have become a big wave in rural areas within span of one year because of their unique approach and extraordinary work done at grass roots level. The BNVs have now become a strong force at grass roots level in activating the rural areas in bringing transparency and making the local service delivery machinery accountable to the people. Many villages are progressing towards achieving total sanitation, prohibition of liquor, 100% enrollment and retention, supply of purified water, universal immunization, reduced incidence of IMR &MMR and many more. The rural families are participating in the process of planning, implementation and monitoring of various welfare and development programs to achieve the development goals set by State and Central governments. The rural families can directly participate in decision making process so that they can judge for themselves what is best for their development.
As per Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Lab-to-Land initiative guidelines, the SIRD, Nagaland has chosen the Jakhama Block in 2010 on a pilot basis. Gradually this program will be replicated into other blocks and subsequently will cover all the blocks in the State. The SIRD conducted District level training (Phase I & II) in 2010 on BNVs in collaboration with Kendra Yuva Sangathan (National Youth Corps) Nagaland Zone and 110 youth attended. The BNVs training was also conducted in Jakhama Block in 2010 & 2011, and153 volunteers were trained and 50 trained as Master Trainers. The BNVs in Jakhama Block are assigned to do house to house survey. The Findings will be entered into a work dairy and after completion the report, will be uploaded to the Diksha website of the Ministry of Rural Development.
Recently, at the BNVs training program on 16th-17 February 2012 at the State Academy Hall KOhima, the Ministry of Rural Development, IEC Division, New Delhi, represented by Shri Uthy More, Director, Shri Amlanjoyty Mumjumdar, Deputy Director and Shri Ariya, Under Secretary, MORD, attended the program and interacted with the BNVs and shared the BNVs activities and involvements in other parts of the country.
The SIRD Nagaland is also proposing for the current year 2011-12, Lab-to-Land Initiatives in the four blocks of Longkhim in Tuensang district, Ongpangkong (s) in Mokokchung district, Chumukedima in Dimapur district and Sekruzu in Phek district.
Dr.Kedise Pucho
Principal, ETC, Phek
Co-ordinator, Lab-to-Land Initiative
SIRD, Nagaland: Kohima
