Public Policy from Grassroots initiatives

It narrates the process innovations in building large scale public investment programs on dalit lands based on grass-root experiences and draws out the lessons learnt in public policy influence. The paper is based on the case study of Comprehensive Land Development Program of Government of Andhra Pradesh, in which WASSAN has played a key role. SDC-IC AP NGO Program's support is discernable in several ways in this effort.                                          

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The Case of Comprehensive Land Development Program

It narrates the process innovations in building large scale public investment programs on dalit lands based on grass-root experiences and draws out the lessons learnt in public policy influence. The paper is based on the case study of Comprehensive Land Development Program of Government of Andhra Pradesh, in which WASSAN has played a key role. SDC-IC AP NGO Program's support is discernable in several ways in this effort.

Lands are being assigned to the dalits and other poor since several years. Much of these lands are either government waste lands or the lands obtained as a part of land reforms. These lands are characterized by higher slopes, low soil depth and are infested with scrub vegetation and stones. These lands many a times constitute the sole asset base of the dalits who are usually dependent on wage labour. These lands are starved of care and investments. There are very meager public investments on these lands. Even the watershed development programs failed to make the required comprehensive investments on these lands.

Several initiatives are promoted by SDC-IC A.P NGO Program and others on development of assigned lands. The initiative of Deccan Development Society on 'Dalit Watersheds' clearly articulated the intricacies of addressing the issues of livelihoods, food security, sustainable agriculture in a comprehensive way. WASSAN has taken up a research study on the impacts of this experience (On the Margin: Dalits and Their Lands). The study clearly brought out that having food grains sufficient for 4 to 6 months from owned lands has not only improved the household level food security but also improved their negotiating ability on wage rates increasing the wage incomes. Other experiences of PAS, MARI, Krushi and several others also brought in valuable lessons. WASSAN has documentation on all these experiences spanning a decade and has evolved a strategy for AP Rural Poverty Reduction Program supported by the World Bank. But this was never grounded.

The neglect of regenerating the assigned lands in the watershed program was repeatedly brought out in several policy meetings with the government. This was brought out in a focused way during the Annual Network Meeting of WASSAN in 2004 followed up in the e Project Directors' workshop in 2003. A case was built for considering the assigned land development as a sub-plan within the watershed development plans. During the same time the inconsistency in the NABARD funded RIDF -watershed program with participatory watershed approach was also brought out. The then Commissioner, Rural Development could then boldly put forth an exclusive program for developing assigned lands by recasting the RIDF watershed program, which has an annual budget of about Rs.3000 millions. The program is packaged as Comprehensive Rural Development Program and was launched on November 19th, 2004 under the name 'Indira Prabha' . The program has a great political appeal as it mixes Dalits and land development.

WASSAN has taken up several consultations with NGOs having experience in this issue while formulating the program. The government has given the assignments to WASSAN to draft the process guidelines for the program based on wider consultations, to develop capacity building modules, to train all the district officials on the program processes and to develop a technology manual for the program.

The negotiations at the government level with NABARD have failed to get a total approval for the program as designed; the Bank did not agree for providing facilitation costs. The program has been launched with all these deficiencies. The program funds will be directly transferred to the village level federation of SHGs. Two batches of RIDF funds to the extent of Rs.500 crores were earmarked for the program - the highest investments ever made on these lands! There are several gaps in the operationalisation of the program.

While the policy work still continues, the main focus is on the implementation issues. It is felt that unless the dalit community stakes its claim on the investments and without strong civil society monitoring, the program would not be of substantial benefit to communities. Work has been initiated in this direction to build civil society pressure on proper investments in this program in collaboration with Inter Cooperation, Centre for World Solidarity, Centre for Dalit Studies, Dalit Bahujan Shramik Union, A.P. VVU, CRSD and other labour unions. The efforts are as follows:

• A People's Monitoring Committee on CLDP is formed in partnership with several Dalit Organisations and labour Unions. The monitoring committee has started compiling field level monitoring data in about 200 CLDP projects. A public hearing is being planned towards end-November. The labour unions are playing an active role in this monitoring.

• A campaign has been initiated in three mandals in Mahabubnagar district along with Dalit Samakhya to mobilize the primary beneficiaries of CLDP.

• Programs on land-revenue literacy has been initiated. This is to build several resource persons who can help the community in addressing land-survey related issues. WASSAN is partnering with 'Shakti' and A.P.VVU in this effort.

• Programs on developing capacities of support persons are also taken up.

• A network program is initiated to develop 10000 acres of land in partnership with the Commissioner RD, AP Academy of Rural Development, 16 NGOs in several districts and WASSAN. This program is envisaged to generate positive experience on CLDP in a large scale. Government is paying 10% as facilitation costs directly to these NGOs while the main program funds are derived from the regular channels.

• Proposals are mobilized in 3 mandals to the extent of Rs.20 millions in partnership with the Mandal Mahila Samakhyas in Mahabubnagar district. These are being considered by NABARD.

SDC-IC is supporting this civil society initiative. A combination of professional support, civil society pressure group, dalit organizations owning up the program and good examples are envisaged to create a multiplier impact of the program.
 

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