Empowering the Powerless for Entitlements through Convergence Approach

A Case Study of the Share Croppers from Ponnepalli Village - SARRA South Asia Rural Reconstruction Association

ABSTRACT: There are more than 5,000 MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Constituencies and 540 MP (Member of the Parliament) Constituencies in 26 provinces of India . Kuppam Political Constituency of Andhra Pradesh represented by Mr. N. Chandra Babu Naidu former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and the present leader of Opposition Party initiated a novel program for rebuilding the peoples partnership for achieving participatory, integrated and sustainable development of rural communities.

Achieving convergence at various levels has remained as the challenging area for the work of SARRA. The partnership with Land Coalition has enabled SARRA to play an energetic role in operationalizing the concept of convergence into a field reality.

In Kuppam Constituency, which has 3,15,740 population with 99 Panchayaths and 740 habitations has almost 36 Line Departments with more than 3,500 professional manpower representing Government Agencies. All the Line Departments have their programs in the villages, the departments operate in a parallel fashion. Co-ordination or convergence of the initiatives of the various line departments is a major missing dimension.

During the past 5 years 1999 to 2004 Government of Andhra Pradesh initiated peoples partnership program by promoting Parallel Peoples Organizations with the help of different departments. The parallel bodies like the Women Self Help Groups (SHG's), Education Committees, Health Committees, Water Users Association, Drinking Water Committee, Joint Forest Management Committee etc., were established. The federations of various committees were promoted at the Panchayath, Mandal (Municipality), District and State Levels, but the various peoples organizations had no scope to achieve convergence either at the panchayath or municipal levels. South Asia Rural Reconstruction Association (SARRA) functioned as a critical and contributing partner for achieving convergence of Line Departments by empowering the Panchayath Raj Institutions (PRI) as the centers of convergence. Since the panchayaths are the Village Level Government Institutions, which have the constitutional mandate for achieving participatory, integrated and sustainable development of the rural areas, SARRA as an NGO filled the critical gap that existed between the line departments and different peoples organizations by enabling Panchayaths to function as the grass roots focal power point for achieving convergence. Each of the Line Departments adopted 3 or 4 panchayaths so that there is a better co-ordination between the 36 line departments. Peer review of the progress to achieve excellence in convergence were reviewed by a team consisting of GO - NGO - CBO steering committee. The pilot program has important lessons and implications in addressing the policy issues.

Ponnepalli Village - A Case Study on the efficiency and effectiveness of convergence model for achieving entitlements offers valuable lessons and insights for the development practioners, administrators, policy makers and international developmental agencies.

Ponnepalli Village Case Study on convergence:

Ponnepalli village, which is located in Kuppam Political Constituency of Andhra Pradesh, is a resettlement colony, which has 60 years of history. Since Kuppam area was dominated by a feudal family for more than 900 years (1066 to 1947) the farmers didn't enjoy right to ownership to their lands. The feudal family which is known as Zamindar with the help of their associates (Jodidhars) collected the rents from the share cropper families.

Government of India abolished feudalism in 1947 immediately after the Independence . The abolition gave a big opportunity to the share croppers to obtain entitlements for the land that they have been cultivating. The long term subjugation of the peasants by the feudal family, massive illiteracy, ignorance, poverty didn't permit the people of Ponnepalli Village to organize themselves for obtaining the land entitlements.

During 1950 a business family from Chennai purchased 50 hectares of land from the feudal family, which was being cultivated by the 60 families from Ponnepalli Village . Instead of evicting the families the business person used the families to cultivate the land as the share croppers and agricultural laborers. 60% of the area was planted with eucalyptus so that the business family is in a position to obtain big credit form the nationalized banks through the hypothecation of lands under their ownership. Only 40% of the land area is being cultivated by the farmers from the Ponnepalli village, as the population expanded in Ponnepalli village they could not obtain sufficient employment as share croppers. Hence more than 150 adult members usually migrate to Bangalore and participate as brick, kiln workers and in the construction activities. Migration is a chronic phenomena in the Ponnepalli village.

During October 2003 the bank authorities from Chennai visited the Ponnepalli village and started surveying the land with the help of Local Government Authorities. The peasants from Ponnepalli village challenged the bankers and the Government Agents for their illegal act of surveying the land under their possession for more than 3 decades. The bankers informed the people of Ponnepalli that the land lord had pledged the land and the bank has to collect more than 25 Million Rupees, hence they have the power to auction the land.

The people of Ponnepalli Village informed then that they have no business to enter the lands under their possession for more than 30 years, they also exhibited the rentals receipts. They informed the bankers that it is better for the bank to auction the land under their possession by fixing the Government Rates The local people informed them that within a month they will be in a position to raise adequate capital from the Micro Finance Institution which has been functioning in their Mandal through the involvement of the Women Self Help Groups.

Since the Ponnepalli village has witnessed the emergence of Education Committee, Health Committee, Drinking Water Committee, Youth Clubs and Farmers Clubs. SARRA facilitated in bringing all the Community Based Organizations under the umbrella of Local Panchayath. Suseelamma the Ward Council Member of the local panchayath filed a petition in the Panchayath Council and Mandal Development Authority by informing them about their right to Land Entitlements which is under their possession for the past 30 years.

Some of the big and politically influential farmers from the local area were approaching the bank authorities for purchasing the same land. The Village Federation consisting of various Community Based Organizations under the leadership of Ward Council Member invited the big land owning families and informed them that they should not nurture the idea of purchasing the land which they have been enjoying for the past 3 decades. The convergence committee sent their application to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for his intervention so that they are in a position to buy the land by paying the rates prescribed by the Government. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh alerted the District Revenue Authorities inorder to assist the people of Ponnepalli village to purchase the land from the bank.

Since judicial processes of land settlement takes a long time the share croppers decided to construct their individual houses in the lands which have been cultivated by the family members. The convergence committee consisting of the Panchayath president, Mandal Development Officer and SARRA Representative negotiated with the Government for providing liberal credit to the families for constructing their dwellings on the lands that they have been cultivating. Apart from the housing program the convergence committee helped the families to obtain support from the irrigation department to drill 3 tube wells for undertaking joint farming. The Women's Co-Operative Society, which is a Micro Finance Institution helped the families to purchase 35 Milch Animals, 120 Sheep and introduce 15 Brick Kiln Units. Facilities for primary education were introduced so that children have access to schooling facilities. Since a high school was established at a walking distance the girl children are able to participate, the convergence committee constantly negotiated with the government authorities and the people in political power to provide greater opportunities to the families of Ponnepalli village for achieving land entitlements, access to irrigation water, improved crop production, dairy development and non farm enterprises like the brick kiln units.

Since the families were participating in chemical agriculture SARRA assisted the convergence committee in promoting alternate agriculture practices or Organic Farming. 10 demonstration farmers were identified and selected they were capacitated and helped to enhance their capacity to promote Sustainable Agriculture practices. The training and exposure visits of the farmers enabled them to recognize the need for their participation in the Sustainable Agriculture Programs, which is environmental friendly. The families are participating in intensive, integrated and eco friendly farming operations by adopting package of practices like Composting, Vermi Composting, promotion of Nutrition Garden, Horticulture, dairy animals, small livestock, other Multipurpose Trees etc.,

Thus the convergence approach for the development and empowerment of indigenous people is enabling them to achieve dignity through their higher and deeper levels of participation in planning and achieving the basic entitlements to overcome hunger, poverty and marginalization. It is necessary and essential to achieve convergence of various line departments that are operating at the village level. Leadership capabilities have to be enhanced by promoting various committees at the village level so that they have a significant opportunity to participate in the decision making. The Panchayath Raj System, which has the constitutional mandate of gender in governance and the mandate to achieve participatory, integrated and sustainable development needs to be nurtured and strengthened through the facilitation of NGO Sector. Co-operation, collaboration and co-ordination of the GO - NGO - CBO is a vital factor for addressing the critical issue of entitlements in Asia, Africa and Latin America.