Social accountability implies engagement of civic organisations and citizens to express demand for public services and accountability from the service providers to improve delivery of services. The lack of accountability is felt most acutely by ordinary citizens, particularly the vulnerable and marginalised for accessing the public services which are their legal rights such as right to food and right to employment. Jan Samvaad is a tool of social accountability that plays a vital role in the creation of more transparent environment in meeting the expectations of the people. It allows the citizens, civil society, and government to interact on the necessity of collaboration for effective and sustainable development.

In this regard, a Jan Samvaad was organised in Bhachau block on January 10, 2024. The Jan Samvaad was organised in coordination with the government officials and community people facilitated by UNNATI. Jan Samvaad lead to creation of critical awareness on one’s position, move away from selfblaming, liberation of internalization of subjugation or culture of silence.

The Jan Samvaad was conducted at the block level and was participated by 220 people from 10 Gram Panchayats. 16 testimonies are documented and presented as case stories to project the issues faced regarding access to public schemes. 35 people shared their testimony in the forum and was ensured to get their issues redressed after verification. The government officials shared the government schemes’ processes and the new amendments for greater information dissemination. The Jan Samvaad action taken report is shared with the government departments for further actions.

The samvaad was initiated by Mr. Kirit Bhai where he emphasized on the need of Jan Samwaad by stating the difficulties faced by people in accessing the public scheme and find potential solutions to strengthen the processes. Further, Jitendra Makwana in brevity shared the testimonies of people and field level findings highlighting on the grassroot problems. People shared their stories through mike to the representatives present on the dais.

Testimonies were majorly related to the following sectors, such as- (i) Elderly people not getting ration due to finger-print non-recognition in bio-metric authentication, (ii) No information regarding sanction and rejection of pension scheme application form (iii) excluded from disability pension due to nominal high BPL score, (iv) No information regarding sudden dockage of payment under pension schemes, (v) unavailability of work when in need, (vi) automatic exclusion to APL after new card issue, (vii) problem in making expired husband’s death certificate.

The program was concluded by Jayant Layek on use of digital information and pro-active information for quick information flow about the status of application. He further stated that this type of dialogue will enhance healthy relationship among the community and government for identifying and redressing the grassroot issues. Further it providesstrength to the vulnerable people to gain legitimate rights.

A 14-days ‘Kaam Maango Abhiyaan’ was organized in Poshina block covering 23 villages. The objective of the campaign was to develop understanding about MGNREGA to identify problems and issues related to demand for work, registration of grievances, verification of irregularities and take necessary actions. The Expected outcomes are-

• Awareness building on the provisions and guidelines of MGNREGA
• Work demand by the people
• Application for making new Job Cards
• Application for linking with Banks and AADHAAR
• Create a village level platform for social accountability

A total of 1454 people joined the zumbesh village meetings during the campaign. Out of which, a total of 1537 workers demanded for work under MGNREGA. During the campaign various issues emerged from the discussion with the village people in the village meetings. In 23 villages, the campaign was successfully conducted with the help of the village people and with the members of Eklavya Shramik Sangathan. At the end of the campaign, 1537 people are ready to request work in the Panchayat to get employment under MNREGA Act.

Anita, an 18-year-old from the heart of India's Thar Desert. In a challenging environment where women and girls face unique struggles, Anita is a force of positive change. She volunteers to support women's well-being, healthcare, and even conducts haemoglobin tests. Anita offers guidance on hygiene and breaks the silence around menstrual health.

Anita is part of a group of around 100 young girls partnering with Unnati to make a difference in their villages. They've received specialized training in nutrition and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) practices, sharing their knowledge with women and girls in their communities.

Join us in celebrating Anita's inspiring journey. Read more about her: Read the full story

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Photos: Jana Asenbrennerova/Malteser International

The 4-day residential training took place at the Neembadi Training Centre in Sanand, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The total number of participants were 38 consisting 22 males and 16 were females. The training team for the master trainers consisted of experienced individuals from UNICEF who played crucial roles in facilitating the program. The team included Tejas Deshmukh, Anshuman Verma, Rajesh Bhai, Abhishek Fullonton. The training program was honoured by the presence of Nageshwar Patidar (WASH Specialist from UNICEF), Binoy Acharya (Director, UNNATI), Vijay Parmar (Manager Trustee, Jan Vikas Training Centre), and Purshuttam Vagheda (Director, Manav Garima). The training witnessed active participation from four districts- Anand, Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, and Sabarkantha.

Assess the condition of sanitation workers and their working environment. Identify and understand different types of sanitation work and their associated cleaning processes, consumables (cleaning agents, disinfectants), and equipment. Investigate the occupational health hazards in sanitation work and develop strategies to mitigate them. Educate sanitation workers about their rights, entitlements, and well-being. Explore entrepreneurship opportunities in sanitation work to enhance financial growth.

Sanitation work is a hazardous profession that exposes workers to occupational safety risks, such as toxic gases and faecal sludge. The informal nature of the job makes them vulnerable, lacking formal social, financial, and occupational support. Despite the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act in 2013, there are persistent gaps in awareness, access to personal protective equipment, safety devices, and mechanized cleaning methods. Over 1,064 sanitation workers have lost their lives in India over the last 20 years, especially in sewers and septic tanks. To address these challenges and ensure no one is left behind, a partnership between different organisations including UNNATI and UNICEF has been established to provide training and sensitization for decision-makers at the Gram Panchayat level and sanitation workers. The goal is to promote a shift from manual labor to mechanized methods and improve the overall well-being and working conditions of sanitation workers.

Through this training, the master trainers were able to understand and empathise with the challenges and risks faced by sanitation workers in different job roles. Strengthened with technical knowledge of the legal provisions on manual scavenging to facilitate compliance and knowledge-sharing. To raise awareness among sanitation workers about their rights and entitlements to empower them with essential information.

The training sessions included a mix of interactive lectures with visually appealing PowerPoint presentations. Group activities and discussions were facilitated to encourage active participation and collaborative learning, fostering the exchange of perspectives among participants. Brainstorming sessions were also incorporated to promote critical thinking and in-depth discussions on pertinent subjects. Additionally, a field visit with interactive learning was also included.

In our efforts to improve overall well- being of tribal communities in the rural areas of Poshina block of Sabarkantha district, we are working with local communities to address the issues faced by them in bringing sustainable agriculture practices and health and wellbeing of communities, especially women associated with agriculture work and animal husbandry. During community consultations, a demand was received to provide medical services for ruminating animals during the monsoon to meet with or reduce the cost of illness treatment and transportation cost attached for care of the vaccines. To provide primary animal care, promote animal health, and reduce out- of- pocket burden on the local communities an animal health camp was organized in an interior small village called-- Chhatrang.

In the view to develop a cadre of active citizens as Citizen Leaders, a 2-day residential training program for Citizen Leaders was conducted in Poshina Block of Sabarkantha District.

The training aim to:

• Develop perspective on developmental issues
• Develop perspectives on Tribal development issues
• Visioning of a leader and developing problem solving, communicating and collaborative skill
• To develop the capacities of CLs who can further play a vital role in planning, implementation and monitoring of development initiatives in the villages
• Understanding their roles and responsibility as a Citizen Leader with co-operation, collaboration and assertion of rights.
• Understanding the development dynamics of the region and promotion of people’s participation for issue-based advocacy - presenting issues in different platform and addressing issues of most vulnerable.
• Develop technical skills on use of web-based portals
• Impart knowledge and skills on the conduct social audit, community base monitoring, physical verification, Gram Sabha and Jan Sunvai.
• Develop understanding on the importance of strengthening Gram Panchayats for strong local self-governance.

The training was participated by 32 Citizen Leaders. The Citizen Leaders were newly associated with UNNATI and thus the training was more focused on perspective development towards the current pressing issues faced by people. During the training, the participants stayed in the centre which provided an opportunity to share experiences, thoughts and learnings. The methodology involved group works/ exercises, simulation exercises, use of experiential learning tools, practice of web-based portals, dialogical lectures, film show and ice-breaking exercises.

Citizen leader training was organised on June 28 june, 2023 in Bhachau where 26 CLs participated.

The purpose of the programme was to develop understanding on citizen leadership, community development and organization, governance and empowerment.

Citizen leaders shared their work towards social development and community mobilization in their locality. Further, focussed discussion was done on building community institutions. A plan of action was prepared on community monitoring, increase access to schemes and increase digital literacy on use of government portals.

The program ended with enchanting slogans on ensuring entitlements of citizens.

A block level Jan Samvaad was organised in Poshina block on April 25, 2023. The programme was done in coordination with the government officials and community people facilitated by UNNATI. The objective of the Jan Samvaad was to create a platform for discussion on issues faced by the people at the grassroot level infront of the government officials and CSO for its redressal and further strategy formulations. The Jan Samvaad was participated by 130 people from different villages of Poshina, government officials (District Social Security, District Child Protection Officer, ICDS Supervisor, Medical Officer- PHC Chandrana, Taluka Health Officer- CHC, Nutrition Coordinator), representatives of Aadiwasi Jan Jagriti Sangathan, representatives of EklavyaShramikSangathan, representative of SEWA, Action Against Hunger and VIKSAT.

The samvaad was initiated by Mr. Kirit Bhai where he emphasized on the need of Jan Samwaad which creates a healthy environment for discussion among the community and service providers to highlight the issues and discuss on redressal/ solution. Further, field level findings of Community Based Monitoring (CBM) were shared by Bhuvan Rathwa where he highlighted issues of exclusion.

Virendra Bhai in brevity shared the testimonies of people in front of the representatives present in the dais through live speaking on mike. 15 people spoke about their grievances and struggles in accessing entitlements. Testimonies were majorly related to the following sectors, such as- (i) inaccessibility due to age difference in Aadhaar card, (ii) non-payment against work done in MGNREGA, (iii) excluded from disability pension due to nominal high BPL score, (iv) wrong entry in name in Aadhaar card, (v) unavailability of work when in need, (vi) automatic exclusion to APL after new card issue, (vii) problem in making expired husband’s death certificate, (viii) no proper flow of information about the process of gram sabha for resolution of issues

The officials from the departments shared the process of access to various entitlements and the steps to be considered for zero application rejection. The health department officials ensured that the village level health facilities aremonitored for effective delivery and for any complaint of irregularities, people can connect the department higher authorities directly. For the BPL score issue, they can get a resolution in the Gram Sabha and submit the copy to the department for further processes. They concentrated more on proper information dissemination about the provisions and guidelines of the schemes for effective reach.

The program was concluded by Mr. Kirit Bhai on use of digital information and pro-active information for quick information flow about the status of application. He further stated that this type of dialogue will enhance healthy relationship among the community and government for identifying and redressing the grassroot issues.

A one-day training of PRI representatives was organized at UNNATI Rural Training Centre, Bhachau on 21st April 2023. A total of 14 PRI representatives attended the training. The major objective of the training program was to develop the capacity of panchayat representatives for strategic engagement of Gram Panchayat to ensure full entitlements.

The discussion was on the strategies to be followed in making a developed panchayat. The PRI members were oriented on identifying issues related to health, education, women empowerment, Anganwadi centers, employment, MGNREGA, NFSA, and pension schemes. The PRI members formulated strategies and actions to be taken involving various stakeholders for redressal and advocacy.

Discussion was done with PRI members on the role of G.P. in disaster risk reduction and being in a high-risk zone, Bhachau representatives and other stakeholders need to have perspectives and create awareness with community on the risks, from safe housing technologies to the safety of women, children, and the elderly.

Resources were developed where different funding/financial resources were identified. A discussion on the planning of direct and indirect funding was strategies for effective illustration and monitoring.

A one-day training of Citizen Leaders was organised at Unnati Rural Training Centre at Bhachau to develop understanding on Concept of citizen leadership, Role and responsibilities of citizen leaders, Features and characteristics of citizen leaders, Leadership skills in community development, Social inclusion and exclusionary practices, Need of public programmes related to Employment, Food, social protection and health and Issues faced while accessing the entitlements and action points.

During the training Citizen Leaders skill, motivation towards social cause, potential, perspective towards the concept of citizen leader was mapped and analysed for further work in community development in Bhachau. Total 22 citizens leaders were present during the training program from 18 panchayats in Bhachau block.

UNNATI and All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) organized a workshop on Swachh Survekshan 2023 at the Radisson Hotel, Jodhpur. The workshop aimed to understand the processes, indicators, and assessment of the Swachh Survekshan 2023 toolkit and to emphasize the importance of involving the community in waste management efforts.

The first session was focused on the importance of the Swachh Survekshan 2023 toolkit, the responsibilities of Urban Local Bodies towards waste management, and the significance of involving the community in these efforts.

The second session was conducted by Dr Harbhajan Singh, BCC specialist and Specialist in Institutional Development and Governance, who conducted a highly interactive session. The session focused on the Swachh Survekshan 2023 toolkit, a comprehensive guidebook which includes various modules covering different aspects of waste management, namely segregation, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal. He also shed light on what all parameters are checked during the actual on-ground assessment.

Dr Singh also talked about various challenges and how Urban Local Bodies can prepare for these challenges during the assessment. He also extended his hand to support the ULBs along with Unnati’s support for technical, training, and procurement aspects with regard to Swachh Bharat Mission.

The event experienced several thought-provoking discussions and Q&A sessions. Shri Mohd. Yusuf, brand ambassador of Jodhpur Nagar Nigam and Shri Sumit Maheshwari, IEC Expert at Jodhpur Nagar Nigam also shared some of the best practices from around the world, emphasizing how they can be adapted to local contexts.Mr Yousuf, promotes segregation at source in the city through his own efforts, while Mr Maheshwari promotes 3 R activities (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) by reducing single-use plastics products.

UNNATI and All India Institute of Local Self-Government was a valuable learning experience for all participants and we look forward to continued efforts towards a cleaner environment.

UNNATI participated in the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group organized under India's Presidency of G20 by the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM). The Curtain Raiser event's theme was – "Learning from Disasters: Memorialising disasters, learning, building back better, investing in resilience".

The objective of the Curtain Raiser event was to convene different stakeholders both from disaster substantive streams and the community to leverage disaster memory for a resilient future amidst uncertainties. This interactive panel session was organized to provide a platform for all the participating countries and organizations to share their experiences of disasters, particularly geophysical disasters and how they have used learning from a disaster to design a green, inclusive and resilient future.

Dr. P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Honorable Prime Minister of India, chaired the event. The panel members were – Mr Kamal Kishore, Member Secretary, NDMA, India; Dr RadityaJati, Deputy Minister, National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), Indonesia; Ms Rita Missal, UNDP, USA; Mr Rajeev Kathpalia, Architect, Smritivan, India; Mr Agostino Goretti, Italy; Ms Nabetani Amy, Volunteer interpreter and storyteller, Japan. Dr Anshu Sharma, Co-founder of SEEDS India, moderated the interactive panel discussion.

The exhibition stall set up by UNNATI in the flagship G20 working group on Disaster Risk Reduction covered the following six themes: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) towards Building Community Resilience, the role of the Inter-Agency Group (IAG) Gujarat, Risk-Informed Gram Panchayat Development Plan, SurakshaSathis, Promotion of Disaster safe housing technologies through the Technology park at Kutch, and Promotion of School Safety. Delegates from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and UNDP were interested to know more about the Mainstreaming of DRR in the Development approach undertaken by the organization. Further, Vikrant Mahajan, CEO of Sphere India and Nisarg Dave, Director of Disaster Management, GIDM had a brief discussion on the CBDRR approaches undertaken by UNNATI in its recent initiatives like SurakshaSathis.

Two days Citizen Leaders (CL) training organised in Poshina. 14 women and 16 men participated in this training.

Under National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) UNNATI organised two L-3 level training for Rajkot District (Jasdhan and Vinchia Taluka) and Kutch District (Lakhpat Taluka) during December 26 - 27 and 29-30, 2022, respectively. Gram Panchayat representatives and Pani Samiti members participated in the trainings. There were 64 participants In the Rajkot training and 51 participants in the Kutch training. The District Water Supply Unit and WASMO District Unit Head addressed the participants. They highlighted the importance of JJM in making household level tap drinking water available, importance of community management in maintenance of water supply infrastructure and collection of tariff. They also communicated on importance of ‘purtu pani, samaysar pani ane suddha pani’ (adequate water supply, regular water supply and contamination free water). Other sessions are on strengthening local water resources, rainwater harvesting, convergence of schemes, stakeholder participation including women and vulnerable sections of the community like Dalits, Muslims, Kolis and Maldharis in improving water resource management. The Rajkot group visited Rajsamadia Gram Panchayat of Rajkot Taluka and Kutch group visited Kanakpar Gram Panchayat of Abhadasa Taluka. In the exposure visit they saw and discussed about functioning of Pani Samiti, maintenance of water supply infrastructure like water collection sump, motor and valve, pipelines and electric supply, water testing, equitable distribution mechanism and conflict resolution process. In the feedback, the participants find the training motivational and informative which they showed willingness to improve and strengthen their respective village water supply envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister.

A two-day state-level convention of community water leaders and practitioners was organised on November 24-25, 2022 at Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This convention provided a platform for open learning and sharing with a hope to bring out further areas of research and enquiry, diverse experiences on the leadership provided by vulnerable groups, ideas for innovations as well as examples to follow and replicate on resilience building and moving towards people-centred policy advocacy. Additionally, it was a great opportunity for Jal Sahelis to meet and interact with other water leaders and champions. Our latest book Rag Maruj: Stories of talaab in Thar Desert featuring 16 Talaab of western Rajasthan, their history and their current community governance practices was also launched during the event.

Jal Shakti Mantri, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat attended the convention and addressed the representatives of the program. He appreciated the collaboration of Jal Saheli Group and Panchayat for water resource management and mentioned that it should be actively promoted.

Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India and IAG Gujarat held a workshop on Climate Change and Urban risk resilience at Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) Ahmedabad on November 22nd. UNNATI is the secretariat of IAG Gujarat. The workshop focused on a study which was conducted in two vulnerable slum areas of Ahmedabad highlighting the need of resilient and inclusive city approach so that the urban systems, communities, and infrastructure can endure shocks and harsh weather that minimizes the vulnerability of the citizens. It had participation from around 50 representatives of different agencies working on Urban issues.The discussions which took place during the workshop will help in designing further initiatives to tackle the need for climate change adaptation in the city.

We present you a report of 'Shamlat Shodh Yatra' on Community Water Resources Management in Western Rajasthan made by UNNATI and supported by European Union. The yatra was conducted in 6 districts of Rajasthan covering 40 villages. As the name suggests, it primarily involves a team moving from village to village and holding discussions with people and key informants to understand and document the governance mechanisms.

In an emergency response, the role of a local community is paramount since they are the first responders during the initial 72 hours. It was decided to develop community-based volunteers of around 120 members in four districts including Gir-Somnath, Porbandar, Amreli and Anand. These volunteers will be trained on the issues of early warning and evacuation, rescue and first aid, relief coordination and management, emergency need assessment, and facilitating the recovery process in the community. These 120 volunteers will be trained by four master trainers in each district. The ToT (training of trainers) was organised for these 16 master trainers of four districts. These trained master trainers will organise and conduct three rounds of trainings for at least 30 members of volunteer groups in each of the districts. This local cadre will not only be helping the community to work on DRR and Climate Risk Adaptation but will also be leading the process for response in an emergency.

In order to prepare a climate and disaster risk informed, child-friendly, gender-sensitive Gram Panchayat Development Plan at Banaskantha, Gir-Somnath and Kutch, a taluka resource group of 31 members were trained on October 18, 2022. The training was focused on a concept of Gram Panchayat Development Plan, process of preparing a plan and a strategy to include disaster risk and gender and children specific issues into the development plan. At the end of a training, the district level resource group identified GPs to do a pilot planning, preparing a pilot GPDP in their respective districts. The pilot GPDP will be prepared in November and shared with the district authorities. The authorities shall use this model plan to popularise and scale up in their districts. This training was primarily attended by local representatives and volunteers of the respective districts.

A school event had been organised by UNNATI at Navodabera’s Government Higher Secondary School on October 17. The students of classes 6 to 12 were informed about the local environmental status of water resources, workings of Gram Panchayat as well as Biodiversity in this event.The prime objective of this event was to improve the understanding of these students through practical exercises on the subject of local flora and fauna. We formed three groups of the students and conducted a tour of the village under the guidance of local resource persons and experts. This tour covered Panchayat Bhawan, village well, Anganwadi Centre and fields after which the students presented their learnings from the tour.

UNNATI organises these events in all the local schools of the area. The understanding of students is developed by connecting these environmental subjects with local matters.

A workshop was organized on Methods and Process of Preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan in Jodhpur on 10 - 12 October. 13 civil society organizations from Rajasthan participated in this workshop. It was organized under the European Union supported project for capacity department of CSOs. On the first day, the methods of participatory needs assessment and steps in conducting the GPDP was covered. On the second day, a field exercise was organized to provide hands on experience on needs assessment and consultation with the community and Gram Panchayat representatives. On the third day, organisational plans for GPDP facilitation and mutual support were worked out. The workshop was co-hosted by the Rajasthan chapter of National Coalition on Natural Farming.

The representatives of UNNATI met with the Minister of Jal Shakti, Government of India, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on the 9th of October 2022. The main purpose of the meeting was to inform him about the efforts being made by UNNATI to revive traditional water resources. We also wanted to invite the minister to the upcoming Water Leader Convention of Western Rajasthan. During the meeting, we presented him with a coffee mug from UNNATI, which had a photo of the Shram Daan (Volunteer Physical Work) done by women. Mr. Shekhawat appreciated the efforts being made by UNNATI and also invited us to take a look at the efforts and resolutions made by him in the district.

Unnati’s founder and Director Binoy Acharya paid a visit to Sadguru Water and Development Foundation in Dahod. He met the Co-founder Ms Sharmishta Jagawat and other colleagues and discussed contemporary issues. Sharmishta Ben was one of the board members of UNNATI.

The training of the representatives of the Gram Panchayats of Patodi Panchayat Samiti was held on September 27th. The prime objective of this training was to create an understanding of the utility of water sources, pastures and other natural and traditional public resources, their linkage to life and livelihood and their protection, conservation, development and management in the current context. Apart from this, the focus was on the development of these resources and on natural farming in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan. Some of the important matters are mentioned below:

• In order to encourage and motivate various village panchayats to implement the provisions, information was imparted about the management system and legal provisions of water sources, Chargada and natural resources with the help of engaging activities and games.
• Awareness of equipment resources and library along with natural farming was spread. It was also assured that suggestions which are given by public representatives will be implemented. They mentioned that documentation can be developed on the basis of practical usage which measures how much area can be harvested with the help of crop cutters and bund makers. The cost of drivers and petrol should also be noted. Furthermore, demonstrations should also take place in some centres so that people are motivated to use them.
• On the launch of the training, the Block Development Officer Ukaram ji Patel addressed the representatives and gave an inspirational speech about participation in training.
• In what ways can infrastructural development complement human development and what can Gram Panchayats do to achieve sustainable goals were some of the main subjects of the discussion. The focus was put on activating local committees to strengthen their implementation, review and monitoring while planning these goals.

To conclude, the public representatives agreed to consider the water sources, other public resources and natural farming during the preparation of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan.

Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) convened a Program Development and Review Committee (PDRC) meeting on 6th September 2022 on School Safety and Security inviting various Government Departments including Unicef and UNNATI. Subsequent to it UNNATI developed a training module and made it available to GIDM for rolling out the training. The first round of Master Training of Trainers (MToT) was organised for Samagra Sikha on 26th to 28th September 2022. Samagra Sikha of Gujarat has identified 217 MToT participants who will cover 50,000 primary and secondary school. UNNATI is proud to be associated with this initiative as a Knowledge Partner along with Unicef.

The ‘Rozi, Roti aur Samajik Suraksha’ campaign has been ongoing in Poshina block of Sabarkatha as a tool of Community-Based Monitoring process. It aims to achieve an improved delivery of public programs ensuring full access to the entitlements for vulnerable communities. The campaign will cover all the 59 villages of Poshina block focusing on five focal public programs and schemes- Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, PDS linked ration entitlement under NFSA, MGNREGS and pensions.

During the campaign, village meetings are held in a common public place where people can receive various information regarding public programmes and schemes.

Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) is conducted as a tool for Social Accountability to track the quality of public service delivery, leading to the creation of an empowered people's voice. The process includes (i) Information camp (ii) Verification - actually received v/s entitlement using both manual and electronic information, Eg. Checking ration entitlements using My Ration App, (iii) Sharing/ Presentation/ publishing the information on verification at the village level and collection of testimonies, (iv) Promote civic action to improve the situation, (v) Sharing of information with GPs and holding Gram Panchayat Coordination Committee meetings (GPCC) with the service institutions for redressing local bottlenecks and improvement, and (vi) Unresolved issued are taken up under a grievance redressal process with higher authorities by the community representatives.

UNNATI organised a two-day participatory training program for community facilitators, program associates, program co-ordinators and new employees of the organisation on August 5th and 6th. The training program was organised to ensure staff development on social development perspective and organisational systems. The training was divided into ten sections lasting two days and running from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm at Bhachau Rural Campus. A total of 25 participants from different field offices and verticals had participated in this training programme.

The training enabled the employees to understand their work and role in the organisation while also, strengthening their capacity to make good decisions, engage effectively and promote positive change within the sector.

The sessions consisted of interesting games and activities to develop an understanding of social development perspectives and groupwork. Participants also sang songs in between the sessions to maintain the high spirits of the training. The participatory activities and tools served as an important first step in the process leading into actual staff development training.

A residential training for IAG Member organizations was planned for orienting organizations who are working directly with the community in disaster-prone areas, on the following topics:

• Climate Change Adaptation,
• Disaster Risk Reduction and mainstreaming it in development planning, and
• Emergency Response Coordination and Management.

With representation from 30 organizations, the three-day workshop provided an in-depth understanding of global issues such as Climate Change and Disasters, and of local-level implications of these phenomena. The experts who were invited to conduct thematic sessions- Mahesh Pandya (Director, Paryavaran Mitra), Mr Shwetal Shah (Technical Advisor, Climate Change Department, Government of Gujarat), Tapan Patel (Co-Founder, Centre for Integrated Development), Dinesh Patil (Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF, Gandhinagar), Janki Joshi (Consultant, UNICEF, Gandhinagar), Pratima Singh (Asst. Professor, Architecture and Planning, Nirma University) and Shyamnarayan Dave (WASH Specialist, UNICEF Gandhinagar)- shared their years of knowledge on specific topics and also discussed how local level implementation of these global concepts. The participants also shared their experiences on the last day and elaborated on how they were able to relate the discussions with issues they were identifying on the ground. The participants also have been suggested to come up with a plan on how a risk-informed lens can be developed and implemented by them in the coming months.

Despite the education being transitioned from offline to online, the learning outcomes were not achieved fully. Instead, public and private schools witnessed a severe rise in dropouts, learning losses, and an increase in the digital divide.

Summer camps were organised in our LAMP project at Bhachau and Sindhari centres of UNNATI. The camps primarily focused on students entering 9th grade from 8th grade. These camps had introduced various teaching and learning materials to teachers, facilitators as well as students which proved to be extremely resourceful as part of the whole education process. While it focused on outdoor activities such as sports, crafts and team-building exercises, it also infused core subjects such as maths, science, and English teaching to help spark children’s enthusiasm for learning. Various experiments were performed using science kits to explain the activities of chapters. We also reused the resources and materials which had been created and utilised earlierin ‘Welcome English’ programme.

According to the meetings which were held with the parents of these students, the camps increased children’s self-confidence by allowing them to try new things, develop skills and overcome challenges in a supportive environment. Children were greeting and communicating in English language in their houses and neighbourhoods. It provided a rich setting for developing positive youth outcomes that support success in schools as well as lives.

A summit presenting 'Youth for Climate Action' will be held on June 5 to commemorate World Environment Day of 2022. The summit will discuss, debate and deliver on climate solutions and strategies. It is being organised by Elixir Foundation, UNICEF India, Earth Day Network, Gujarat Youth Forum, UNNATI & GEER Foundation, bringing together stakeholders from Government, Private Sector, Civil Society & Young people who shall discuss the role of youth in mitigating climate change.

All are invited to join us on 5th June 2022, 10:30 am - 1 pm

Venue: GEER Foundation, Gandhinagar (Transport from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar & vice versa will be arranged. Details provided upon registration)

REGISTER HERE: https://www.gujaratyouthforum.org/events/youth-for-climate-action/

Receive a free participation kit and certificate for being a part of the event!

Challenges faced under 'Apna Khet – Apna Kaam' Scheme in NREGA

The government of India has made conscious efforts to make a permanent improvement in the livelihood of rural families by shifting public works towards the works of personal benefits under the ‘Apna Khet – Apna Kaam’ scheme in NREGA. Under this scheme, primarily, SC, ST as well as BPL families and after them, marginal and small tenants are benefitted, so that their land can be developed and there can be a permanent improvement in the livelihood of the families. The works under this scheme mainly include land development in the fields, digging, land levelling, Plantations, horticulture, Goat Shelter etc. Works upto 3 Lakh rupees have been allowed under this scheme wherein the expenditure upto 1.20 Lakh for the material items have been approved.

A lot of eligible beneficiaries have been deprived of the benefits under this scheme. During the delimitation of Panchayati Raj Institutions in 2018-19, the residents of some families left their important identity documents such as voter cards, identity cards, Aadhar, job cards in one panchayat and agricultural land in another panchayat. Due to these issues, their applications have not been accepted by the Gram Panchayat. Families who do not own a land are also ineligible to benefit from the scheme.

Shamlat Samvad will be discussing these challenges and their possible solutions on June 2, Thursday from 3 pm to 4 pm. This will be the second dialogue in the episode and it will be held through the virtual platform of Zoom. People will share their experiences and attempt to strengthen the action and advocacy.

UNNATI organizes Shamlat Samvad on the first Thursday of every month for continuous sharing, discussion, learning, and adaptation. It is a series of online dialogues on water governance that is being organized to protect, revive and better govern the traditional ecological resources.

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A one-day workshop was held at the Taluka Panchayat Office, Lakhpat Taluka, Kutch District, on strengthening Risk-Informed Gram Panchayat Development Planning (RI-GPDP). UNNATI and SETU Abhiyan team have helped Panchayats in preparing Risk-Informed GPDPs, facilitating the process with the newly elected PRIs. An orientation workshop of one day was held for the Sarpanches, Talathis and Ward Members from those 16 GPs where RI-GPDP planning was facilitated. The purpose of the event was to share the experience of GPDP planning and orient them on how to implement it. The workshop was jointly organized by UNNATI and SETU Abhiyan, supported by UNICEF, Gujarat, where the Taluka Development Officer Nakhatrana Taluka, Assistant Taluka Development Officer Lakhpat Taluka, Kirit Parmar (Chief of Program Operations, Gujarat) and ChaynikaPasari (Program Associate) from UNNATI, Manish Acharya (Director) and Gopal Bharwad (Team Leader) and Heena Yadav (Community Facilitator) from SETU, and Shyamnarayan Dave (WASH Specialist) Kamini Katiyar (DRR Consultant) and Tejas Deshmukh (WASH Consultant) from UNICEF, Gujarat were present.

‘Ambedkar Jayanti’ is observed every year on April 14th to acknowledge and honour Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s countless contributions toward the development of a modern India. The day is significant to Scheduled Caste communities in particular, as Dr Ambedkar primarily advocated for them as a lawyer and a social reformer. On the occasion of his 131st birth anniversary, Unnati paid a floral tribute to Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar who has been guiding us to strive for equality, liberty and freedom over the years. We reminisced the social movements led by him for the upliftment of the marginalised sections of the Indian society along with his contributions to the understanding of socio-economic and political issues of India through his scholarly works on caste, religion, culture, constitutional law, and economic development.

A small quiz of ‘How well do you know Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’ was organised at the internal level to initiate a conversation between members, which was followed by a short documentary that shed light on lifework of Dr Ambedkar and the significance of Hindu Code Bill.

Dr Ambedkar had envisioned a society that will be educated, capable and progressive, where social justice and equality would be easily available for all the sections of the society. His philosophical and political stances on equality and equity are relevant even today.Unnati has, since its inception, worked on these teachings of social inclusion and empowerment. It has been our core belief to engage with grass-root organisations and communities to ensure the entitlements and rights of Dalits, Women and Persons with Disabilities.

We pay tribute to his legacy and stand firm to uphold the values and principles that strengthened the country.

The Inter Agency Group, Gujarat, is a collaborative platform for NGOs, CSRs, academic institutes, networks, and government bodies to work in a coordinated manner to bring improvements across the entire spectrum of emergency, including preparedness, recovery and rehabilitation, thus, adopting a “Build Back Better” approach.

A State-level Consultation of the IAG – Gujarat was held on March 29, 2022, to develop an action plan for strengthening coordination to improve disaster preparedness and response. This consultation was sponsored by Unicef Gujarat Office. 54 IAG members, including members of IAG Working Group (an advisory body), International and National NGOs, representatives from CSRs, IIT Gandhinagar, Officers from Climate Change Department, Government of Gujarat participated in this consultation. Currently, IAG has more than 150 member organisations. During the first part of the consultation, the coordination and challenges faced during the response and recovery in the recent disasters of - Cyclone Tauktae (May 2021), Saurashtra Floods (September 2021) and 2nd, as well as 3rd wave of Covid-19, was discussed. In the second half, Shri Bipin Talati, IAS, Joint secretary, Climate Change Department, Government of Gujarat and his colleagues made a presentation on Climate Change concerns and proposed to hold training for the CSO representatives. Along with this, it was proposed to strengthen district-level IAG, with local leadership to make prompt, faster and coordinated response. The representative from Unicef – Gujarat office, Mr. S. Dave in his address mentioned mapping out the capacity of the members on various parameters for effective response, according to which, capacity development interventions can be designed.

The Public Health Engineering Department of Badmer hosted a ‘World Water Day’ program on March 22nd of 2022. The celebration focused on acknowledging the work of Jal Saheli members of Patodi and Sindhari blocks and honouring them for their innovative efforts to protect community’s traditional water resources. The Superintendent Engineer Mr Bharat Singh Ji applauded the efforts of Bhikhi Devi, Chhagni Devi, Vanu Devi from Sindhari Block and Sundar Devi, Bhanwari Devi, Jyana Devi, and Bidaami Devi from Patodi block. These Sahelis have been active for water conservation in their own respective villages which primarily includes conservation of water sources, stopping illegal mining, and maintaining protocols of rainwater harvesting, etc.(Jal Saheli Groups are promoted by UNNATI under a European Union supported project for Water Governance and Combating Desertification.)

Jay Bhim Mahila Kisaan Sangathan set out to organise the annual convention of Mahila Kisan Sangathan at Patodi and Sindhari Centres of Rajasthan in collaboration with UNNATI on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Here is a quick wrap of both the events.

At the convention in Patodi, women farmers shared their experiences with each other and were determined to work together for further development of Sangathan. The women imparted their knowledge about improved methods of organic farming, horticulture, mass selling as well as preparing quality seeds. The convention was attended by President of Patodi Mamta Prajapat, Member of Social Welfare Trust Rashida Bano, CPO of UNNATI - Swapni Shah, Secretary of IDEA organisation Ganpat Lal Mehra, Head Constable Dhanaram and other Sarpanches. 40 women were felicitated by mementoes and certificates of honour for the excellent work they have done on issues related to public service including organic farming, horticulture, goat rearing and vaccination. A total of 1200 women including 734 women of Mahila Kisan Sangathan participated in this convention.

The Sindhari convention also witnessed great enthusiasm and participation from nearly 1300 women which included 700 members of Jai Bhim Mahila Kisan Sangathan. The women participants arrived at the venue singing songs of women rights and women’s unity. All of them were commemorated with a ‘Turban’ wrapped around their head and felicitated by mementoes and certificates of honour. The convention was attended by many dignitaries including CPO of UNNATI Swapni Shah who addressed the women of the event and emphasized that the objective of this event is not only to listen to each other’s stories but also to strengthen the faith of the sisters.

A district-level education consultation was organised at Bhachau centre on March 11, 2022, as a part of our Learning and Migration Program. The program has been an educational intervention in terms of offering support to the elementary students of Bhachau taluka in Kutch district. This consultation event was organised to appreciate teachers' innovative efforts towards improving the quality of education and in turn, strengthening the governance of schools with the help of community and SMC members.

The event consisted of panel discussions followed by a Q&A session and a small felicitation ceremony for the winners of an international art competition. Teachers, SMC Members, PRIs, Parents, CSOs and Government Officials attended this consultation and were active participants in discussing issues pertaining to elementary education. The discussion covered subjects of new educational policies and their impact on children's social and mental dilemmas, Primary Education during Covid times, Government schemes related to primary education as well as issues and conditions faced by girls during primary education. It was followed by class demonstrations wherein teachers, staff members of the organisation and others showcased the teaching and learning material being used at Learning Resource Centres under the program.

The consultation was well received by the participants. On the whole, there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm and learning.

Unnati organisation’s director, Binoy Acharya, had the pleasure to join the National WASH Conclave – 2022 event as a panel member. The event was held during February 23 – 25, 2022 on a virtual platform. The objectives of the conclave were to bring the government and WASH sector players on a platform to deliberate on sector approaches and strategies for improved and sustainable WASH services by Panchayats, facilitate learning and sharing of best practices of various WASH programs for scaling up and discuss ‘Call for Action’ for advancing WASH in Panchayats by all sector players.

The event was attended by Representatives and Officials from relevant ministries of Government of India, State Governments, including District, Sub-district and GPs along with sector professionals from Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations, Private Sector, Academia and Media.

The experiences and insights shared by panellists were valuable and invigorating for the participants.

Introduction

This radio program is one of the most important activities to broadcast the information amongst the community. Jal Saheli members can listen to the radio through their smart-phones and/or radio.

This weekly radio program of 15-minutes covers the topics related to sustainable agriculture practices, protection of biodiversity, community management of water bodies and other common property resources and issues along the same lines. These episodes are made in conversational Marwadi language with appropriate local folk songs playing in between to engage people's interests.

Listeners are encouraged to share their stories, problems and related concerns after every episode.

Date: 3rd February 2022 to 31st March 2022
Day and Time: Every Thursday at 1:15 PM- 1:30 PM
How to Access: Akashvani Jodhpur Station under the 'newsonair' app.

In local language, ‘Shamlat’ refers to the common land and water resources or the Common Property Resources (CPR). As the name suggests, ‘Shodh Yatra’ is a methodology for participatory research wherein the team would move from village to village, interacting with communities and some key respondents (local leaders, old people, PRI representatives) with the aim of tapping into the font of traditional knowledge about CPR, learning from it and documenting it for further dissemination and use.

This trail of the yatra is covering 40 villages of Baap tehsil of Jodhpur district in Western Rajasthan. Western Rajasthan is part of the Thar desert, one of the most populated deserts in the world with flourishing life and livelihood. Even though the region has a very low rainfall and frequent droughts, rather no doubt because of it, the region has developed local traditional wisdom for water harvesting and management of water resources. Unfortunately, this wisdom and technology has been slowly dying out for various reasons, chief among them being the creation of piped drinking water and lack of community management of the existing resources. There is complete neglect in the management of CPR, particularly traditional water harvesting bodies like nadi, talab, johar (ponds) and their catchments (agor), oran (community forest) gauchar (grazing land) etc. Money is being spent on the resources through public programs like MGNREGA but lacking the inputs of traditional knowledge, many a times they do harm to the resources rather than rejuvenating them.

The community water resources still have their relevance especially for the resource poor, their lives and livelihoods. Also, if management of CPR is not addressed, it will have the potential to adversely impact the fragile desert ecology leading to desertification and the like. The yatra will be a means for facilitating discussions and dialogues around the forgotten resources and provide motivation for community action.

The yatra will focus on understanding and documenting below mentioned aspects. Each water resource will be a different story from which learning will be drawn out.

• Governance mechanism for the resource over time
  • for maintenance of the resource (rules for cleaning, desilting, use of soil etc at different times of the year)
  • usage of the resourc
  • decision making and conflict resolution

  The tool for discussion will be historical transact. The discussion will also generate stories and examples of local leadership, community participation and social inclusion that will also be documented.

• Technical aspects in the construction, maintenance and rejuvenation of resource – The aspects include parameters for selection of location, size of resource, effective utilization of natural catchment, parameters that decide the strength of the paal, or the measurements of the nikasi etc. The knowledge of the community is not yet very deeply tapped and documented. Discussion on this aspect is sure to yield important dos and don’ts useful in the current efforts being made for rejuvenation through public programs. It will have the capacity to guide works undertaken through MGNREGA on CPR rejuvenation.
• Examples of climate adaptation practices by local communities in their lives and livelihoods.

Ms. Deepa Sonapal, a long-time associate of UNNATI offers her ‘ Shradhanjali’ to Shri Pincha ji.

Shri P K Pincha, was the first visually impaired / disabled person who held the post of Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE). This post was mandated as per the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995. Pinchaji was also the first disabled person to be appointed as the Special Rapporteur with National Human Rights Commission. As a strong advocate of disability rights Pinchaji could be credited for several landmark judgments while he held the post of CCPD. Demonstrating great courage and conviction he did not falter from summoning his own department for non-compliance. Prior to his role as CCPD he had moved the courts to enable banking rights for the blind. Apart from his noteworthy contribution to emancipate the lives of persons with disabilities Pinchaji also worked for the rights of other marginalized groups while he was the Programme Manager for ActionAid in Assam. Pinchaji soul departed from the earthly abode in the early hours of July 26, 2020 after an illness. He will always be remembered and acknowledge for his contribution to the development sector.

The association of Pinchaji with UNNATI could be traced back to the year 2010. An advisory committee was formed to undertake a research on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in India particularly in education and employment. Incidentally the same year we had the opportunity to meet Pinchaji, while attending a National level conference on disability, where he was the key note speaker. His clarity of perspective on disability rights led to informal discussions through email and phone on the rights of persons with disabilities and how a New Law in the context of UNCRPD is the need of the hour. Subsequently in 2012 the 1st draft of the proposed New Law was prepared and again an opportunity was created to discuss this with all disability rights ‘think tanks’ of the country including Pinchaji. Pinchaji has written notes and suggestions on the proposed New law and these were placed at the National Advisory Council (NAC) meetings formed by the UPA government. The civil society was also consulted in this process and we actively participated in these debates and discussions and emphasized on including a section on including Social Protection and Social Security for persons with Disabilities as a majority do not have access to education and employment and are poorest of the poor in our country. We solicited views and the insights gained from on-going discussions with Pinchaji, over the years, has contributed greatly in building our perspective on disability and how to emancipate the lives of persons with disabilities through our interventions.

We had the honor of Pinchajis presence when he had visited UNNATI’s office at Jodhpur in 2015 to address the partners at a training on Mainstreaming Disability, as part of an European Union supported project on, ’Improving Access to Information on Public Schemes’. Pinchaji had a fine sense of humor and easily connected to the participants and communicated candidly aspects whereby the disabled were incapacitated in daily life. The confidence demonstrated and live examples demonstrated from the experience shared when he was the CCPD moved heart of the participants. Lately, to build the perspective on contemporary issues confronting the disability movement, Pinchaji had uploaded a series of talks in English and Hindi that could be accessed at YouTube channels. These would continue to inspire those who would like to take a peep into lives of persons with disabilities. We pay our homage to the departed one with prayers for the soul to rest in peace.

• Familiarization about the process of Village Development Plan under Intensive Participatory Planning Exercise–II and financial devolution as proposed by 14th Finance Commission.
• Develop understanding on the reasons for poverty and exclusion and build a linkage with the poor quality of delivery of services
• To help build a vision for developing a model panchayat

• Primary schools – scholarships, mid day meal
• Aanganwadi – Integrated Child Development Scheme – nutrition and immunisation for children between 0-6 years, pregnant and lactating women and adolescents
• Social protection and security – old age pension, niradhar old age pension, widow pension; disability identity card, disability pension, palak mata pita, manav kalya and manav garima yojana; MGNREGA and Indira Awas Yojana.

• Orient the participants on disability as a social construct
• Build a conceptual understanding on the paradigm shift from the charity and medical model to the social model of disability
• Develop an understanding on the different kinds of barriers that limit the participation of persons/women with different types of disabilities
• Build understanding on the legislation and policy, both present and upcoming, related to disability
• Develop understanding on mainstreaming disability in development process through case example; and
• Evolve specific strategies for effective delivery of public services for the person/women with disabilities in the on-going developmental activities/programs.

• Share the objectives, key components and logistics of the ELE programme events for 2013-14 and their schedules
• Discuss and finalise the logistics of the ELE programme
• Discuss the role of the English teacher in enhancing English language in their schools, challenges and how these can be overcome
• Acquaint teachers with the monitoring and support in ELE programme
• Learn about experiences of teachers of the previous relay of Std IX programme (Feb-Apr 2013)

1. Rajasthan Lok Sewa Guarantee Adhiniyam or Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act 2011. (Section Officer, Prashasanik Sudhar Vibhag)
2. Right to Hearing Act 2012 (RTI Manch)
3. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana in Rajasthan (State Nodal Agency, Rajasthan)
4. MGNREGA Samvad (Renuka Pamecha)

1. Community monitoring of health services under NRHM in Rajasthan and its impact (Center for Health Equity, Prayas)
2. Challenges and issues of malnutrition in Rajasthan and the status and requirements of nutrition centers (Consultant, Gender, Youth and Governance)
3. Experience in facilitating community monitoring of Right to Education (RTE) entitlements and quality of education in primary schools (Pratham)
4. Social security services and issues of women from the minority community (Vividha)

• Independence of the facilitating organisation is a necessity for institutionalization of any social accountability mechanism, whether social audit or community monitoring
• There is need for correct and evidence based information
• Simplification of steps and formats for information collection, verification and dissemination and role clarity are key for increasing the scale of social accountability efforts
• Findings need to be communicated in a non-confrontational manner. This will increase the confidence of the people to raise their voice and provide scope to the governing and the delivery mechanism to take corrective action
• Continuous consultations are required at different levels to strengthen the system in an enabling manner
• Facilitating organisations also need to concentrate on ways to strengthen the program apart from playing the role of watchdogs

1. Developing understanding of the various participatory tools on Situation Analysis and Capacity Assessment
2. Understanding its applicability for DPOs in the changing context
3. Suggestions for making the tools accessible for persons with visual impairment and other disabilities: hearing impaired, cerebral palsy and orthopedic disabilities

• Perspective building and situation analysis (SA)
• Building effective institutions and DPOs
• Self-capacity assessment (CA) of their respective DPO

1. ADD India supporting ATTD a DPO federation in Tamil Nadu represented by Ms. Jaishree Mukherjee (Executive Director. ADD India)
2. Sama Foundation supported KARO a DPO in Karnataka (Mr Paul Ramanathan, Executive Director, Sama Foundation)
3. Rashtraya Viklang Manch – in two states Rajsthan and Madhya Pradesh (Mr Sonu Golkar, Secretary and Dr Victor Corderio founder member)
4. Sanchar supported DRG, a DPO in West Bengal (Ms Tulika Das, Director, Sanchar)
5. National Association for the Blind, Sabarkatha district branch, Gujarat (Dr Bhaskar Mehta, Vice President, NAB, India and ms Praveena Mehta, Joint Secretary, Nab, Sabarkatha)
6. Disability Advocacy Group, Gujarat (Ms Neeta Panchal, Secretary, Mr Parag Panchal and Ms Kinneri Desai, members)

1. Understanding vulnerability and social exclusion
2. Reflection on governance and good governance including various characteristics of good governance
3. Decentralization, concepts and types
4. Devolution, Status, Activity Mapping
5. Rights based Acts and Good Governance – Role of CSOs
6. Social Accountability concepts and tools