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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/09/01/stories/2009090151460300.htm)
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Orissa
  

Ankur infuses life into tiny village


Correspondent

Information centre, part of initiative, rejuvenates collective action by villagers
KORAPUT: “Rahul Gandhi , grandson of Indira Gandhi, had put his signature in the visitors’ notebook of this village information centre when he had visited a few months ago to the village,” said Singuru Hantal , a proud village youth volunteer of Kandha Pungar, a tiny village in the foothills of Deomali mountain range in Semiliguda block of Koraput district. Rahul had appreciated the functioning of the centre and the collective effort of the villagers towards the development of the village, he added.
There were only seven houses in the village prior to 1993. Now there are 22 families in the village and there is an individual toilet in each of the 18 houses and the rest of the four families will have them soon. The village information centre (VIC) which had been operational over the last few months in the village as a part of Ankur, a joint initiative of the district administration and UNICEF, has rejuvenated the collective action by the villagers, he said. A work plan identifying at least five issues on a priority basis has been made in every quarter and the members sit once in every month to monitor its progress. The details of the plan is displayed on the walls of the centre along with IEC materials on different schemes of government and other agencies for facilitating the growth of knowledge base of the villages, Sabita Hantal, leader of the Maa Mangala SHG said. While application forms for different schemes were made available for reference and utilisation from time !
to time, the centre also takes up the responsibility to see that all children of six and seven years are enrolled and attended the school regularly. Immunisation for each of the infants below the age of one year was also ensured by the centre, she added.
Tomato was not grown by the villagers till sometime ago. But after the VIC took initiative in training a section of farmers on cultivating tomato with support from the NGOs, tomato is grown in good quantity and sold at Kunduli, the weekly market in the neighbourhood, Bijay Hantal, a farmer said. Now the members plan to send the youth of the village to receive training which could be helpful to the community apart from offer them good earning in the neighbouring villages and market places, Singuru said. Acknowledging the scope and the importance of the trade, the SHG members had shown interest on learning the art of stitching leaf plates and talks were in progress with the district administration to conduct a training programme at the centre itself in the near future. The village with no one, who had completed secondary education, is keen to see all the children of the village to cross the milestone soon, he hoped.


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