Seed – Free Coaching

The activities that are to be undertaken:

A. Conduct of Community meetings:

• Formation of SHGs/CBOs of DNT, NT and SNT clusters to provide Institutional platform for democratic representative space on local governance;
• To aggregate their issues on socio economic needs;
• To conduct Training Workshop to make aware and emphasize on the need for developing strategies for convergence and for developing relation between SHGs and PRIs at GP level to bring out clarity on -What panchayats can do for the DNT, NT and SNT SHGs/ CBOs and how CBOs can support Panchayat GPDP;
• Selection of Livelihood Activities through discussion of the livelihood patterns and potential in the community like identify the key livelihood sectors in which the community poor can participate and benefit, understand the constraints, opportunities, value chains, and determine the key interventions needed;
• Discuss convergence to programmes of Local Government institution like GP, JFM, and SHGs/CBOs of DNT, NT and SNT clusters.
• Facilitate mechanisms that create a mutually beneficial working relationship between Panchayats and institutions of the DNT, NT and SNTS.
• Sensitization of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), especially at the village panchayat level to respond positively for inclusion of DNT, NT and SNT clusters /hamlets in and around villages to improve DNT, NT and SNT access and eligibility to Government sponsored social protection programs like Public Distribution System (PDS), and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

B. Community outreach Entry Point Activity (EPA) to build rapport with Community:

During the institution strengthening exercise, the community would identify the Entry Point Activities (EPA) collectively decided by the community will be taken up during the project period for creation of durable community assets to support improved livelihoods, especially of landless, poor women, public works for common benefit- like drinking water, minor irrigation, check dam. The activity/ activities are to be decided in order of priority in the General meeting of community. The aim is to create a rapport and catalyze participatory building of community institution by supporting the immediate need of the Community by undertaking Public works for common benefit supporting the immediate need of the Community to be decided in order of priority in Participatory community meeting – like drinking water, minor irrigation, check dam, creation of durable assets, to support improved livelihoods especially women given preference.

C. Selection of CCPs:

Being nomadic, impoverished and poorly educated, the DNT, NT and SNT communities are mostly unaware of their own rights and entitlements, and are not in a position to claim them. Therefore it is necessary to identify smart and committed members of the DNT, NT and SNT at the specific DNT, NT and SNT clusters level in the age group 25-45 years, both among men and women, designated as ‘Community Contact Persons’ (CCPs), who can highlight about the various issues and problems faced by their communities, their rights and entitlements, and the various Schemes of the Centre and the State. Focus would be on developing and engaging them as the community resource persons for helping in the component implementation at the specific selected DNT, NT and SNT cluster level.

The second type more qualified and experienced CCP will be of District level in the district where a number of DNT, NT and SNT clusters are found. The district level CCPs two in number in each district will be selected. Particular focus would be on developing and engaging them as community professionals and community resource persons for capacity building of SHGs and linking their federations and other collectives.

Two CCP at DNT, NT and SNT cluster level will be an active member of the specific DNT, NT and SNT cluster who need not have formal qualifications but have potential to be the community resource person for helping in the component implementation at the specific selected DNT, NT and SNT cluster level. The selection of CCPs will be done by the SRLM in consultation with five reputed persons of the Community. The cluster level CCP will be paid fixed consolidated honorarium of Rs. 3000/- per month.

a)  Role of District level CCPs:

• To communicate and coordinate with various participating agencies.
• To prepare and maintain records and other documents related to community.
• To facilitate in preparation and implementation of community welfare and livelihood activities.
• To assist as Resource Person in training programmes for the Community members.

b)  Eligibility criteria for District level CCPs:

• The CCP” should be from the DNT, NT and SNT Community (50 percent should be women).

• Age: Should be in the age group of 25 to 45years.

• Qualification: should be at least 10th pass and possess basic knowledge of community institution building, accounts / communication skills. Should have knowledge of local language.

c)  Selection Process

• The CCP shall be on contract basis for a period of one year. This may be extended on requirement basis.

• For selection of these CCP will be done by SRLM with the involvement of District social welfare officer, 2 reputed DNT, NT and SNT Community representative at district level and District Collector.

d) Remuneration

• The district level CCP will be paid fixed consolidated remuneration of Rs. 10000/- per month.

• No other allowances over and above the said remuneration will be paid.

e) Other terms for engagement 

• Will be required to work full time for 6 days in a week.

• Will be entitled for 12 days Casual Leave in a year but not more than 1 in a month.

• The contract may be terminated by giving one month’s notice.

• The contract appointment will be on purely temporary basis.

• Will have to undergo suitable training to be imparted as per the guidelines of the schemes.

D. Training workshop for SHG/ CBO members with inclusion of key selected community persons /key persons of Gram Panchayat:

Strengthening organizational capacity interventions to build capacity mainly to prepare groups to aggregate in a common platform and to aggregate groups to understand issues of access to and benefit from the various developmental schemes of Government and promoting self-help and co-operation.

• Facilitation in group formation, collective bargaining skills, conflict management, entrepreneurship, Account/ financial skills, loan facilitation, with focus on women and youth.

• Understand solutions to the problems in demanding Voter cards, BPL cards, Aadhar Card, job cards, etc and seeking work and timely payments in Government schemes.

• Enhancing knowledge base to Get included in the annual planning process of MGNREGA (the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act)scheme;

• Support to increase the participation of DNT, NTs groups under MGNREGA scheme for guarantee 100 days of paid work every year.

Training for self- help groups (SHGs) and CBO may be on:

1. Concepts of SHGs, village organizations (VOs) and block level federations(BLFs),

2. Group processes and management,

3. Regular Meetings

4. Regular Savings

5. Internal lending

6. Regular repayment of loans

7. Book keeping

8. Good Health

9. Identification of active women as trainers during the course of training

10. Microfinance operations including fund management and bookkeeping,

11. Credit prioritization plan,

12. Conflict resolution and regular Participation in Panchayat Raj Institutions

13. Social issues.

14. Access to Entitlements through Government Schemes

E. Formation of DNT/NT SHGs and CBO:

The aggregation of the poor, through their institutions, reduces transaction costs to the individual members, makes their livelihoods more viable. Strong institutions of the DNT, NT such as SHGs and their community level and higher level federations are necessary to provide space, voice and resources to them in Government welfare and developmental programmes, and reducing their dependence on external agencies. They should empower them and act as instruments of knowledge and technology dissemination, and hubs of production, collectivization and commerce. This activity, therefore, in the beginning would focus on setting up these institutions at community levels.

Community based Organisation (CBO): CBO will be the central and integral part. To this end, focused effort will be made for constitution of Community Based Organisation in each DNT/NT community locations, habitation, hamlets, Dhanis, tent colony or whatsoever local name by which the place of residing of a group of a particular DNT/NT community is known in the State/UT. With the help of CBO generation of basic data generation of community along with status of caste certificate, BPL card, Ration Card, Voter ID, Aadhar card will be done as far as possible. For formation of CBO, Rs. 15,000 per CBO will be given as incentive towards group formation and development.

In CBO general body both women and men would be organized. All these institutions will be inclusive and no adult member would be left out of them. The process of formation and functioning of a CBO would also involve the following critical steps:

• Initially meet with opinion makers in the community and village

• Identify stakeholders by location, or activity.

• Hold hamlet wise small group discussions and agree on formation of CBO.

• Documenting Process of enrolling members.

• Discussion on improving rural livelihoods and enhancing social and economic empowerment of the rural poor.

• Developing organizations of the rural poor and producers to enable them to access and better negotiate services, credit and assets from public and private sector agencies and financial institutions.

• All adult Members of the community agree on selection of Executive committee for conducting the activities of the CBO.

• The Executive Committee shall have 4 office bearers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Member Secretary. It is mandatory to elect at least one woman.

SHG: This activity should promote specialized institutions like SHGs (Livelihoods collectives), producers’ group for livelihoods Promotion, backward and forward linkages, and access to information, credit, technology, markets etc. There are existing institutions of these types at local levels formed by Government efforts and efforts of NGOs. This scheme activity would support the processes of forming and nurturing the DNT, NT, SHG institutions and strive to develop relationship with related existing institutions. The self-help promoting institutions of DNT, and NT would be supported.

This activity would ensure that at least one member from each identified DNT, NT, household, preferably a woman, is brought under the Self Help Group (SHG) for addressing livelihoods issues. For formation of SHGs, Rs. 10,000 per SHG will be given as incentive towards group formation and development.

Role of SRLM Community Professional and Community Resource Person:

The NRLM programme has built a cadre of community professionals that follow a very intensive community oriented, organic development process to build community institutions and their federations. These cadres of community professionals provide a supporting hand in formation and nurturing of community institutions and managing and leading these institutions to a meaningful cause. These are better suited to identifying the constraints and opportunities in their villages, and are much more effective in instilling confidence and mobilizing their communities. They also tend to be more accountable to their communities as they live there and enjoy local legitimacy and trust. Under SRLM a network of cadre of community professionals accountable entirely to the local institutions is widely established.

The services of these professionals would be taken to take over the responsibilities of formation of CBO and SHG for DNT/ NT clusters. These cadre are very important for facilitation in following long term perspective:

• The functional SHGs of DNT, NT once established, the facilitation team will undertake linking these to existing village level primary federation of SHGs in the area established by SRLM to provide technical assistance to SHG members and Network and establish linkages with resource agencies and thus ensure the economic and social empowerment of the poor DNT and NT households.

• The aim should be to further linking DNT/ NT SHGs to Cluster Level Federation (CLF) and Block Level Federation for giving priority to the demands of DNT/NT SHGs and their Federations in the annual plans of PRI by making suitable financial allocation, Leasing out natural resources such as ponds/tanks, market yards , dissemination of information & awareness generation on issues as Gram Shaba, health, nitration sanitation, education , taking up matter of tribal, social evil and labour related issues and providing immediate support to the vulnerable and the destitute.

F. PRA exercise/ /Rapid Community Survey (RCS)- Detailed Participatory Community Appraisal of community:

Through PRA a rapport building relationship in which a common understanding will be reached with community and within community. This will also aim at effective approach to gather information about community and their environment.

The specific community level demographic, Socio-economic and cultural primary data of the DNT, and NT community will fill the gaps in documented information about them. It will help to understand the location specific problems in a better manner and document priorities of the local community people. It will contain a description of problems being faced by the community along with their feasible solutions, assessment of need and capacity of resources in addition to the list of activities to be conducted in the community area.

Rapid Community Survey will be Participatory in which the local community members will be involved to extract and collect data & information on various aspects, as well as to understand the actual situation or status of the Community. It will be carried out by conducting group discussions, experience sharing.

G. Skill development / field exposure visit including training / tool kits distribution for value addition:

This activity would be part of continuous capacity building of the targeted DNT, NT, SNT persons and they are to be provided with the requisite skills to promising youth provide skills, production and productivity enhancement services that include technology, knowledge, skills and inputs, market linkages etc. The interested youth would be offered Transfer of technology through training, frontline demonstration. The subject may include:

• Strengthening knowledge – including training on social exclusion alongside information about health, education and livelihoods.
• Improving administrative capacity – including training on financial management, reporting, information technology, communications, leadership training.
• Focused Livelihood Development models: Innovative Technology and skill imparting for focused Livelihood Development models aimed to enable location specific DNT, NT, SNTs group focusing on their inherent skills to diversify and develop the way they make a living. These will include as per the DNT, NT, SNTs group background like Fisheries, Minor Forest Products, artisan works, Dairying and organize, engage and integrate them into value chains and markets in a profitable way.
• Exposure visits that will allow undertaking week long exposure visits to review best practices and have opportunities to interact with local employers to understand first-hand what they are looking for.