Jan Kalyan Gramin Vikas Samiti's Work

Education-Child Development

Aashray Abhiyan believes that in order to be able to have proper development there is a need for social, economic, cultural and skill awareness. Through education many of the ailments can be removed like health related, poverty, and care for the Earth and gender equality and there can be an upward movement.

Children of any society, state or country are real treasures as they are being shaped to become responsible citizens of tomorrow. That is why it is important that appropriate direction, guidance and monitoring takes place in this sphere. Taking serious responsibility for proper education Aashray Abhiyan has for the past 15 years conducted a primary school “Nano Gyan Deep Niketan” Islamganj, Maner and 6 learning centers in the urban sector.

In addition to this Aashray Abhiyan through Mother’s Care reaches out to some 125 children with supplementary educational help from KG to Class XII, they should however be members of Worker’s India Federaion.

Skill Training

Aashray Abhiyan in order to empower the young women has organized 6 skill centers in the urban sector and 1 in the rural sector

• Bhoothnath Road, Patna
• Gaighat- Patna
• Punai Chak- Patna
• Gardanibagh- Patna
• Chitokhra- Patna
• Kaushal Nagar – Patna
• Islamganj- Maner Block

After completing the training the organization makes available sewing machines with a 25% subsidy. Beside this Aashray Abhiyan also ensures that they are given guidance for personal life. We also them legal advice.

Health

Health is wealth believing in this, Aashray Abhiyan raises awareness among the urban poor to take care their health. In addition to this we also:

• Organize health camps
• Motivate women to have small families
• Connecting with government run hospital like- PMCH, Gardanibagh, NMCH ets. for health services for the urban poor
• For serious ailments like cancer, heart etc. help people to avail of MP and PM funds for health assistance
• Awakening the homeless to take care of their health

Social Security and Justice Schemes

All sections of the society need to be enrolled for schemes that can give them an upward movement and can get an all-round development, it is for this reason Aashray Abhiyan believes that with the help of social security schemes for the weak and less privileged is the way forward. The government has about a dozen schemes for the scheduled case, backward caste, the dalits and all the less privileged. Through its members- Dorothy Fernandes, Rajesh Kumar, Asha devi and Tahseen Jahan the organization has fulfilled this by ensuring that all those who are entitled for these schemes and benefits avail of the same. They have left no stone unturned to make this a reality for the urban and rural poor of Patna. There is big chunk of our elderly in society who come under this category. Those who are elderly citizens are now unable to work and find no job work to pass their time. Their loneliness coupled with their age and health conditions often find them helpless. It is for this reason many of them get mentally disturbed and are unable to meet the challenges of life.

There is a need to draw the attention of the government to these elderly of the unorganized sector who need security and assistance in many ways. Therefore, we at Aashray Abhiyan have focused our work in these areas, as unless you have some documents one cannot avail of the benefits which is their due.

• Social justice and social security schemes.
• Voter Identity cards
• Swalambhan Pension Schemes
• Birth and Death certificates
• Caste, resident certificates
• Ensuring old age and widow pensiosns

Employment and Economic Empowerment

Population explosion poses the issue of unemployment which is a matter of grave concern. There is need to educate people about family planning. The leaders of our State are just concentrating on Dalits, Mahadalits and the backward caste but they have not been able to fulfill their responsibilities. Due to this many of the youth are migrating from Bihar to other states. In order to respond positively to this issue, Aashray Abhiyan has enabled some unemployed youth and homeless people to open shops and become economically strong. In Khemni chak (Kankerbagh, Patna) Guddu Mandal was helped to open a readymade garment shop (Ma Bhagwati garment, Manglees Road, PESU Suraj Sah to open a paan shop, Santosh kumar of Bahadurpur to begin a fish business, Siya Ram Mandal to buy a cow, Shrimati Baalpatti devi begin a small hotel and Ramesh Kumar of Rajapur to open a vegetable shop. Aashray Abhiyan has also helped 12 rickshaw thela pullers to buy a rickshaw and a thela and earn a livelihood. Training has been given to women to prepare detergent (Surf) and marketing is done in the rural sector and people are eager to buy the same.

Women Empowerment and Domestic Violence

We, at Aashray Abhiyan believe that without the empowerment of half the population of the country in the social, political, ecomomic and cultural sphere we cannot even think or dream of all round development of a country. During the past 10 years, Aashray Abhiyan has organized sewing, embroidery, appliqué work for young girls and women thus providing them with a skill. Beside being skilled, at least 50% of those girls being become self employed and are today able to add to the income of the family. We believe that by empowering these women we are paving the way for a better living and therefore a better society. We have invited women to bring about a change in their mindset by adopting a new language and a new slogan in coined – Women are women’s helpers, not daughters-in-law but daughters.

We have also intervened in Nari Niketan run by the government. Our visits found many young women were languishing in the home for the simple reason of having no one to take up their case. With the help of our lawyer, Mr. Mukund Kumar, we were able to release 20 young women and repatriate them and now they are back in their homes. A lot of time was spent in counseling the families and get them to come to terms with the truth.

• Aware of the gender imbalance in society efforts have been mad to stop child marriage
• Issues of domestic violence and reconciliation between couples are also undertaken by us
• Education around dowry, rape, female feticide etc
• How women and young girl need to be assertive so that they can take their place in society are important aspects of our program. The government of Bihar by allotting 50% seats for women both at the panchayat and urban level has created history by empowering women at the social and economic level

Right to Food

Food is related to agriculture and that means farmers. But when the farmers of this state are going tough times what then can be the plight of those who have no means of livelihood. In the agricultural sector the government has failed to look at irrigation mechanisms, use of organic manure, seeds, pesticides etc. and subsides to enhance the crops of the farmers. Our intervention in 2 panchayats with the framers has to certain extent addressed some of the problems. However, land has not been transferred, mutation has not take place. In this scenario, who have succeeded in: Ensuring that the poor are enlisted in the BPL list with the help of the ward councilors and village headman.

• Monitoring the PDS and ensuring that women get proper grains and on time
• Reaching out with other schemes for the poor to counteract hunger
• Ensuring that dead pumps in the villages are revived for irrigation, distribution of seeds from the Block, educating farmers on the use of organic farming

Right to Shelter

The need for shelter is not only for human beings but for all living organisms. Everyone works in different fields in order to survive. After a hard day’s work one looks forward to going home, a place of rest where one can relax for the night. Right from the day of Freedom, no government has ever thought of those homeless who have no place to reside. Even today rural Bihar is very backward and has had no development. The basic necessities of life are not available and therefore people are forced to leave their villages in search of livelihood, food and a better tomorrow. Today the movement towards the urban areas is growing rapidly. People are migrating to cities and when they reach the cities they still remain alien’s. Finally, they come to terms with life and find a place along drains, under bridges, besides roads, near garbage pits with a plastic sheet. Right to shelter is equivalent to Right to Life of Article 21 of our Constitution but the government of Bihar has not been able to provide houses for the homeless.

Those who migrate form the villages in search of livelihood, food and a better living are known as the homeless.