Gaon Sathi

[Rajkishor Mishra]

Dear Friends,

Few days back govt. of Orissa had declared to appoint of Gaon Sathi in the state. You can find details about this on the Govt. order dated 30th Jan.08. For detail please click the following link

http://www.orissapanchayat.gov.in/English/download/Gaon%20Sath.pdf

Regards,

Rajkishor

[pradeep mohapatra]

Dear Raju,

 Can You please share the learnings out of NIRD social audit process.

best,

 pradeep mohapatra

0674 2475656,
+91 9437110892
www.udyama.org
Look to Learn ------- to Know----- to Show----- to Grow The name ...

[Right to Food]

Dear Rajkishor,

 

I request you to share with us what this 'Gaon Sathi' is suppossed to do,(since we cant read Oriya). We can circulate this news and perhaps activists in other states may also like to campaign for appointment of similar presons.

 

Best Wishes

Spurthi Reddy

 

website: www.righttofoodindia.org
Email: right...@gmail.com
Phone - 91 -11 -2649 9563

[Bimal Prasad]

Dear Spurthy Reddy

 

On behalf of OREGS Watch I like to respond your query regarding GaonSathi. GaonSathi is different from Gram Rozgar Sevak. This is originally introduced in Orissa first as per prior instruction from Union Government. GaonSathi will represent voices of registered labourers/ Job card holders of the village and their needful job aspirations. He (may be she) would act as a communicator/ interpreter with concerned administration for the benefit of potential cardholders during their need. Other features of GaonSathi concept are 

 

(1) Two GaonSathis would be appointed at every revenue village. At least one of them must be female.

 

(2) GS would help engineers and officiers as representative of village for proper execution of dev schemes

 

(3) GS must be the permanent resident of the said village and within age group of 21-35.

 

(4) Minimum education level of the GS is 7th pass. But in the selection process, the highly educated applicants would be selected as GSs.

 

(5) In sceduled areas, only STs would be appointed as GS.

 

(6) GS will organise cardholders to start a job, write muster rolls, help check measurement, payment of labrourers

(7) One GS would be engaged in every job under NREGS. GS would receive an incentive only of @Rs 4/- per labourers organised by him at daily basis. There is no provision of salary or allownce for them. Suppose a GS organised 40 and 55 labourers on day 1 and day 2 respectively; then the GS would get Rs.160/- and Rs. 220/- for respective days.

 

(8) Proper training would be imparted to them to deal the above activities.

 

(9) The GS can not claim any due from the admn while there is no job going on.

 

 

Sincerely

 

Bimal Prasad
 

[Right to Food]

Dear Mr. Prasad,

 

Thankyou for the explanation. I would like to seek a few clarifications though:

 

- I present an example: The sanctioned labour strength for a particular work is say, 100. Then the GS would have to organise 100 people for that particular work under NREGA. Now suppose  the work continues for 30 days. Then the GS would earn: 4 x 100 x 30: Rs. 12,000. Is this how it works?

 

- Is the GS the person who 'recruits' (for want of a better word) labourers for a particular work- does he fill the names in the muster roll or is it someone else.

 

- Are there any identified procedures/ persons who ratify that the GS has indeed organised the number of people he claims to have done?

 

- From whom does he receive payment- the Panchayat or the BDO?

 

Looking forward to your response.

 

Best Wishes
Spurthi Reddy

 

Phone - 91 -11 -2649 9563 Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India

[Bimal Prasad]

Dear Spurthy

I am so late in responding your mail. Please get the clarifications better

 

- I present an example: The sanctioned labour strength for a particular work is say, 100. Then the GS would have to organise 100 people for that particular work under NREGA. Now suppose  the work continues for 30 days. Then the GS would earn: 4 x 100 x 30: Rs. 12,000. Is this how it works?

Ans. Yes, your calculation is right. This is to revamp the NREGA objective in Orissa. For your information, this GaonSathi system is an achievement of a NGO's advocacy effort working in Balangir dist., Orissa. The main intention is to engage the most educated unemployed from the local rural youth.

 

- Is the GS the person who 'recruits' (for want of a better word) labourers for a particular work- does he fill the names in the muster roll or is it someone else.

Ans. GS will not recruit labourers. And the connotation 'recruit' is not relevantt as per  NREGA concept. GS would organise the registered jobcard holder persons for the intended work under NREGA criteria. GS would HELP govt officials and engineers in muster roll preparation. That may mean some days as filling muster rolls. Trustworthyness might matter in that case.

 

- Are there any identified procedures/ persons who ratify that the GS has indeed organised the number of people he claims to have done?

 Ans. Without official inspection/monitoring, can anything be done? Do refer the NREGA guideline. In case you don't have, please return your request to this group to have a soft copy of the the same guideline.

 

- From whom does he receive payment- the Panchayat or the BDO?

Ans. Also refer the NREGA guideline. In most of the cases it is BDO in Orissa.

Thanks for your queries.

 

Sincerely

Bimal Prasad

09937353293

 

Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India

Orissa, India
GSM +91 9937353293

[Right to Food]

Dear Mr. Prasad,

 

Thankyou for taking time to patiently answer these questions.

 

Warm regards

 

Spurthi

 

Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India

C/o PHRN
5 A, Jungi House,

[Sushil Ray]

Dear Mr. Prasad,

I saw the answers for Spurthy. There are sincere doubt about the designed implementation of the Gaon Sathi scheme in Orissa, especially in the southern parts of Orissa. You might be knowing that untill now the works under NREGA is being implemented by the govt. officials through the VLLs. As such these VLLs are not representatives of any Jobcard holders group who demamned work. Rather these VLLs have been elected/selected by the "so called Pallisabha" which was never held. They are mostly politically active and influential people attached to various political parties working for their own and party's vested interest. As per the order of the PR Deppt. (?) and the convenion they are being elected/selected by the pallisabha for a full term of 5 years. Earlier they were working as contarctors and 
now also they are being termed as contarctors in whose name the work order is being given. 
They connive with the Sarpanch, GP Secretary and the PEOs and initiate all sorts of corruption in the field level. As they hold a BPL Card which they are not suppose to hold, they are also sometimes educated and most influential both politically, socially and economically  they will be rehabilated as the GS. I feel the criteria for selection of GS has been design to fit most of the VLLs in NREGA jobs.

You may contest this speculation but I know that this is going to be happen. We have treid to organise groups of Job seekers and get elected one of the JS as VLL and asked to provide work under the new person's leadership, but we have been told that VLLs can not be changed as they have been democraticall elected in a Pallisabha for a full term of five years. So you do not have any chance of working independent of the VLLs beyond the vicious circle of the exploitators.

Yours, Sushil Ray, RCDC, Nabarangpur, Orissa.

[Bimal Prasad]

Dear Sh Sushil Ray

 

You have rightly predicted some ground realities regarding the GS to be appointed soon. Training component and its contents, coverage are most important factors of deploying GSs. Ironically the job would be handled by NGOs on region specific basis.

 

Inspite of neither salary nor allownce, Panchayatiraj Representatives are continuing as elected community workers across the state. (I am not telling about the realities of their earning). I think, the GSs can perform relatively better in the similar fashion.

 

Sincerely

Bimal Prasad

 

--
Bimal Prasad
Patia, Bhubaneswar - 31