From water scarcity to corruption – Kherwara fights back together

By Bharat Dogra 

As the rainy season arrived, people in many villages worried about paths becoming difficult to navigate. However, in over 150 villages of Kherwara block in South Rajasthan, there was much less concern on this front. Well before the onset of the rains, villagers had held meetings to reduce anticipated problems as much as possible.

Such preparations are even more critical before the scorching summer, when water scarcity becomes a chronic issue in several villages. In earlier meetings, these communities had made advance arrangements to minimize water-related difficulties.

In fact, there is a calendar of such meetings aligned with the entire year's seasonal cycle. This enables communities to make their best efforts to resolve—or at least mitigate—the more troublesome seasonal problems.

Of course, not all issues can be fully resolved, but advance planning, consultation, and foresight can make a significant difference. Some problems are addressed through community and panchayat efforts, while for others, community leaders can approach the administration well in advance.

What is more, this alertness is not limited to routine or predictable challenges. The same unity and mobilization are evident in responding to sudden problems. For instance, when corruption was recently exposed in the construction of community cattle sheds, timely action by villagers led to several incomplete works being finished after detailed complaints were filed.

As an experienced villager, Kanhaiyalal, observes: "When the administration knows that people in these villages are alert and united, they respond more quickly and more effectively to resolve problems."

This success of unity, mobilization, and vigilance is being experienced in many different ways across several villages of Kherwara block.

How did the villagers achieve such unity and mobilization capacity? Narayan Joshi, a coordinator of these efforts, explains: "Seva Mandir is a leading voluntary organization here, and its approach begins with mobilizing people on a non-discriminatory basis. First, village groups are formed, and then selected representatives from various communities constitute village development committees. For wider problems that require solutions beyond a village, federations are organized at the cluster and block levels. These, in turn, are integrated to form the Aravalli Lok Samiti Federation (ALSF)."

Rimjhim Pandey, who heads the ALSF initiative, says: "There are some problems that can be easily taken up at the village or cluster level, but other issues require wider initiatives. This can relate to social reform efforts—for example, campaigns to reduce wasteful expenditure on marriages and other ceremonial occasions. There is also a need for broader initiatives to check irregularities that span a larger area. While improving access to government schemes and programs is always attempted at the village level, recurring problems seen in multiple places emphasize the need for wider efforts as well."

Several villagers I spoke with were eager to share their success in reducing wasteful spending on DJ music systems, excessive wedding gifts, other ceremonial expenses, and liquor consumption at marriages. Others were keener to speak about the success in curbing irregularities. Several e-mitras—who were supposed to assist people in remote villages with bank transactions—had begun cheating villagers in various ways. ALSF decided to conduct a survey across many villages in Kherwara block to assess the extent and nature of these irregularities. When several e-mitras learned of this initiative, the level of malpractice reduced considerably on its own. This improvement continued after complaints were filed, and in some cases, bank officials were invited to villages to inform residents about common problems and how to avoid them.

When crime increased in some areas, several ALSF members stepped forward to meet authorities, offering suggestions and cooperation to reduce it. This often played a helpful role in curbing crime. In some cases, courageous ALSF members like Madan Lal have even risked their lives to check trafficking. In a recent case, Madan Lal and his companions rescued a trafficked girl and arranged for her safe return to her family.

ALSF has played an important facilitation role in Seva Mandir's initiatives to protect pastures and forests, as well as in tree-planting efforts. Its helpful role is also evident in the promotion of renewable energy, and its overall work contributes to climate resilience.

Some common recurring problems related to various government schemes and programs are being taken up by ALSF members with the administration. As a result, benefits from the public distribution system, pension schemes, rural employment programs, and others have reached deserving individuals who were previously denied access for various reasons. In some cases, ALSF members from remote villages said they accompanied physically challenged persons all the way to Udaipur and even Jaipur to ensure they received pensions or other benefits that had eluded them. Problems relating to Ayushman cards, anganwadis, insurance, and housing for weaker sections were also resolved. Senior ALSF members said they can now approach not only local officials but also higher-level leaders to resolve the more serious issues faced by villagers.

Amritlal Ahaari from Kalyanpur village said that after a hospital had stopped functioning because its old building was deemed unsafe, a successful campaign for constructing a new hospital building brought considerable relief to a large number of people. A new building has been approved very recently.

Many ALSF members are involved in preparing and improving village plans in cooperation with panchayats, and in advancing larger water conservation and irrigation schemes that require wider attention.

Several ALSF members I spoke with said that taking on these responsibilities demands a great deal of time, and that they often incur personal costs in the process. Despite this, many villagers continue to come forward to take on new challenges. A strong sense of ethics and responsibility has emerged among ALSF members, most of whom trace their roots to earlier initiatives by Seva Mandir. They emphasized that this is the organization’s most important strength and must be protected and maintained. Most agreed that in villages where migration is increasing and the younger generation has not been adequately exposed to mobilization processes as in the past, maintaining a strong sense of responsibility and ethics in these fast-changing times can be a challenge. However, given the importance of this task, sustained efforts must continue.

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The writer is Honorary Convener of the Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Man over Machine and When the Two Streams Met. His website is bharatdogra.in and his YouTube channel is Bharat Dogra Save Earth Campaign