时间：2022-08-08 05:37:26
I was quite happy in the corporate world – with Airtel in Jaipur – and was leaning towards starting my own business. But before I realised it, I had been named the new sarpanch of my village Soda, in Tonk district of Rajasthan. It was because of what my family’s three previous generations had done for the village. I took up the responsibility because if I did not come forward to help develop my village, how could I expect outsiders to do so? In spite of the many schemes that exist in the name of rural development, there is something amiss. The reason I came forward was to try and bridge the gap between the village and the government, the corporate world, individuals, NGOs, and other agencies.
The post of sarpanch is really just ornamental. There are neither powers nor funds that the pan-chayat can use at its discretion; it is completely at the mercy of local government officials.
The negativity of bureaucrats at the district and block level, as well as of local politicians is a huge hindrance to getting things done. They seem threatened by an educated, seemingly capable person, and all their energies are channelled towards hampering her work. Such people thrive on casteism and bribes, so much so that even without legal documents or proof of any wrongdoing, they “stay” panchayat projects.
In my village, a Central government project– Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra – which would have been the first to see completion in the district in August 2010, was stayed by the block-level SDO. In spite of the then Collector telling him to vacate the stay since it had no logic behind it, the SDO persisted, ignoring his senior’s order! The current Collector and the new SDO – both of the same caste – now want us to change the location of the Seva Kendra, in spite of a large amount of money having already been spent on its construction. Do they not realise that this is taxpayers’ money being wasted?
The only power a panchayat has is the right to propose a list of projects the village wishes to undertake. This is then sent to the block and the district headquarters for approval and sanctions. However, while we wished to see water-related projects sanctioned first, the district headquarters sanctioned an anganwadi, or crèche, which in a drought-hit zone is not the need of the hour!
I believe there is a strong need for educated and responsible citizens to come forward, if we want to see our nation develop. It is also important that individuals, companies, or- ganisations, and NGOs participate actively in providing support to rural areas.
For example, a water conservation project in Soda entailed fresh digging and strengthening of our largest reservoir covering an area of 100 acres. The estimated cost was `3.5 crore, calculated by government engineers. All water in our village has been declared unsafe, even for agriculture, owing to high levels of natural contamination in it from fluorides, chlorides, other minerals, and its salinity. Rainwater is the only source of “safe” potable water, and that is what our project aims to conserve.
The state government could not support this project as it prohibits use of machinery for rural development – even in the 21st century – but told us we could take it up independently. I had hoped for support from the NGOs and corporate houses, but in vain. Most companies I tapped were already selling their products and services in my village, but refused to help because my village was not close to their plants or units. I had no choice but to turn to my immediate family, and two friends of my father’s. The only outsider to help was a young entrepreneur from Delhi, who contributed`50,000 on hearing an interview of mine on an FM radio channel. I was able to collect `20 lakh. With this amount, we were only able to dig afresh 10 per cent of the total area. For the remaining project, we are still awaiting help.
Yes, it is challenging and often also frustrating. But there are many good people within the system – from ministers to senior bureaucrats– who one does not read or hear much about. Such people have been my support and motivation. One person alone cannot bring about the required change. More people need to plunge in to effect the change all of us wish to see. In addition, instead of blaming the system, we need to realise that we are citizens of this nation and we have our responsibilities towards it. We should act accordingly.