M.Sc.
Economics Programme
27 February–4 March 2017 | Dhar District, M.P.
Socio-Economic Survey Report
About 18 students of MSc Economics, Department of Policy Studies, TERI
University on invitation from the Madhya Pradesh Government visited Dhar
District, Madhya Pradesh from 27th Feb, 2017 to 4th March, 2017 as part of
study tour to assess the impact of the ongoing Narmada Seva Yatra. The study
trip included a survey at Mandu, followed by two surveys—a survey each in
two villages Gulati and Pipaldagadi—in the Dharampuri block. The students
participated in the Narmada Seva Yatra which was passing through Gulati, and
Pipaldagadi. The students along with the accompanying faculty also got the
privilege of meeting the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shree
Shivraj Singh Chouhan at his residence in Bhopal at the end of this visit and
shared certain basic observations regarding the impact of this Yatra on the local
populace.
“Namami Devi Narmade” - Narmada Seva Yatra started on December 11, 2016
from the place of origin River Narmada at Amarkantak. The Yatra will cover
1831 kilometres on southern bank comprising of 548 villages/towns and 1513
kilometres on northern bank comprising of 556 village/towns, thus covering
3344 kilometres in 144 days. The Yatra will be completed on May 11, 2017.
Narmada Seva Yatra is the world’s biggest river conservation campaign and is
being coordinated by the Government of Madhya Pradesh as a people’s
movement to protect an important natural resource which in some senses the
lifeline of Madhya Pradesh.
Various programmes like folk dance performance by school children, awareness
campaigns by the local influential people and a Jan Bhoj Aayojan that were a
part of the Yatra, had induced participation from the local population. The Yatra
witnessed massive mobilisation of people, including significant participation of
women, in different villages.
To assess the impact of the Yatra, students participated in household surveys; in
all about 167 households were surveyed in to villages. While in Mandav which
was away from the course of the Yatra it was observed that there was little
awareness of the campaign but in the villages Gulati and Pipaldagadi, it was
found that people could reasonated with the purpose of Yatra and showed
optimism regarding expected benefits from such a campaign, but not all
residents of these villages knew of how they could contribute to the preservation
of the River Narmada. This gap is what the speakers at various village
gatherings looked to bridge where they communicated the responsibilities that
all the stakeholders have towards conservation of the River. The speakers tried
to make it as clear as possible for the locals to be able to comprehend the
responsibilities and the tasks that they needed to perform in for sustainable
usage of River Narmada.
Based on interactions with local officials and people who were part of the
Narmada Seva Yatra Task Force, it was stressed that creating awareness is one
of the critical aspects of the Yatra and plays an important role in tapping the
benefits that accrue from such an initiative. The Yatra incorporates other
relevant socio-economic issues like Saving Girl Child, anti-liquor campaign,
Swach Bharat Mission, Skill India which is crucial to sustain the developments
that result from this initiative of the government so that the benefits derived are
passed over generations. To bestow the people with a sense of responsibility
and collective authority to contribute to the initiative, a Narmada Seva Samiti is
being formed based on voluntary membership in each of the villages through
which the Yatra had passed.
The main observations from the survey are given below:
Mandav Village (Mandu)
About 70 households were surveyed in this village. Mandav can be
characterized as a backward village with a daily wage rate at around Rs. 150-
Rs. 200 and about 6-7 months of yearly employment. In other words, for almost
half of the year, resident households did not receive gainful employment
opportunities. The area did not have proper source of irrigation that had
adversely affected livelihood security of resident households in the village.
Prolonged agrarian distress had made agriculture unviable and, over the years,
tourism had gained prominence as an important economic activity. However,
the number of people displaced out of agriculture has not been absorbed into
tourism. The village did not have a primary school and thus children had to
travel to neighbouring villages to obtain primary education. There was little
awareness about the Narmada Seva Yatra in Mandav as the village was located
away from the banks of the River Narmada and the Narmada Seva Yatra did not
pass through it. However, people did realise that cleanliness of a River is
essential as they could associate this with the Rewa Kund, an artificial reservoir
in Mandu, which is in a dismal state due to the Asti-Visarjan and other practices
like washing of clothes and open defecation that has contaminated water and
made it unusable. They indicated that given an opportunity, they will try to
make a positive contribution in this type of campaigns that promotes cleanliness
of rivers.
Gulati
About 84 households were surveyed in this village. The daily wage rate in the
village was about Rs. 100- Rs. 150 and about 7-8 months of yearly employment
as received, on average, by members of resident households in the village.
There were out-migrations to Gujarat and Maharashtra that was witnessed in
this village in search of livelihood opportunities. It was a reflection of lack of
year round employment opportunities in the village. The village had few big
landowners and most of the resident households were agricultural labourers
with no access to land. Wheat, Cotton and Maize were the principal agricultural
crops in the village. The village had adequate sources of water for irrigation
such as tube wells as it was in the vicinity of the banks of River Narmada. The
level and quality of education in this village was poor. However, most of them
were aware of the Narmada Seva Yatra. The Yatra did pass through this village
and most of the households were deeply sensitive towards the cause as they
acknowledged the need to change age old practices that were damaging the
River. The River is their lifeline due to their reliance on agriculture as an
economic activity. Majority of households were extremely optimistic about the
efforts that were taken by the government in the form of Narmada Seva Yatra.
The Yatra had indeed affected their attitude and habits with respect to River
Narmada. Most households did commit to changing their habits vis-a vis the
River for its preservation. This village witnessed major participations by women
members; they were actively engaged with other members of the village in
order to bring about a shift in living habits. Most of the women had agreed to
not use soap or detergents while washing clothes or taking a bath in the river
and they were actively encouraging others to do the same. The village at a
generic level expects that with the focus on preserving the river, it would result
in cleanliness, lesser occurrences of water borne diseases and overall
improvement in sanitation facilities.
Pipaldagadi
About 83 households were surveyed in this village. This village too was
located in the Dharampuri block at the bank of the river Namada. The daily
wage rate of this village was about Rs. 150- Rs. 200 with yearly employment
being close to 10 months. The people in this village were depended mostly on
agriculture for their source of livelihood. Wheat, Sugarcane and Maize were the
principal crops that were cultivated in this village. The proportion of
landowners and the average land holdings in this village was considerably
higher compared to the other village covered. The major chunk of the land
though was in possession of the upper caste people and most of the Dalits and
Scheduled Tribes were either agricultural labourers or construction workers
who received employment in neighbouring towns. It was also observed that the
village also possessed a better infrastructure as compared to Gulati in terms of
rural electrification and irrigation. A noticeable feature in the village is in-
migration from other villages during sowing and harvesting seasons. Except for
the seasonal immigrants, most of the people were aware of the Narmada Seva
Yatra and actively participated in it. For majority of households, expectations
from the Yatra were high and it was hoped that such an initiative is necessary
for sustaining the quality of the river Narmada. An Arti was held in this village
as a part of the Narmada Seva Yatra which had witnessed participation from the
local priests and this encouraged people to alter religious rituals that contributed
to the degradation of the water quality. In general, as a result of the Yatra there
were expectations that it would result in improved cleanliness and sanitation in
the region.
Conclusion
Narmada Seva Yatra required great deal of administrative effort. While
administrative effort is necessary, it is by no means sufficient. It has to be
followed up with continuous mass awareness campaigns. Also, implementation
of suitable policies like construction of toilets, controlling industrial effluents,
to name only a few, is urgently needed. Thus, it is extremely important in the
near future to frame and implement suitable policies for sustainable
development. The awareness that has been created from the Seva Yatra should
be passed across generation to ensure overall well being for a substantial
sections of the population in Madhya Pradesh.
