Agariya Status Update- Site visit report Santosh Rohit25th July 2012 AID-Buffalo Current status of the agariyas: Strategy:

● Mass empowerment to enable public to demand and get their work done● Evolving organically and naturally with the willingness and thought processes of the

community. Avoiding prejudices● Working according to capacity and pushing beyond fatigue

Updates:

● 3 female field workers to join hands to facilitate working with women in the area● 1 female worker already recruited. She is currently in training

Current:

● Community is not in a state to stand up against industry forces by themselves● Salt production → INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL CONNECTIVITY →Market access.

Infrastructure and rural access is the missing link to economic freedom● Creating an atmosphere for dialogue, community needs to take the issue forward with

the government to exert pressure to act as necessary● Janpath ready to withdraw any support if the community doesn’t the lead the fight● Identity cards to salt pan worker families were issued similar to the MNREGA job cards● Public servants and doctors not residing in the area● Insufficient medicines being distributed● ‘Darbar’ community dominating most of the areas. Creating tensions and

demanding ‘honor’ Interview with the field fellows:Bharat bhai, Marut bhai and Ghanksyam bhai17th July, 2012

Bharat bhai- Surendranagar Marut bhai- Rajkot Ghanshyam bhai- Santalpur

Issues:● Education-Mostly self

funded schools, very large area and fewer schools

● Water-Pipelines laid and water through tanker (weekly)

● Health-Women & child health is prime concern

● Education is being

provided at only 2 places

● Exploitation by the market is the more critical issue here

● Health van visits once in a month

● Female workers needed as the ladies

● Education is a

concern● Water is supplied

once in 10-15 days● No ground water

supply here● Traders are migrating

out of the area which is also effecting the market accessability

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Agariya Status Update- Site visit report Santosh Rohit25th July 2012 AID-Buffalo

● Ration-Not supplied in the desert

● Subsidies for salt pan workers but banks do not issue loans due to lack of security (property)

● Interest waived in lieu of lower fixed selling price of 150-190 Rs/tonne by traders

● Group negotiations hasn’t still caught up well and normally it doesn’t work out as the power of traders is more

● Hindustan salt has been helping set up a fair price for the salt. They have a Price fixing committee which recommends a price based on market needs. Last year they purchased salt at Rs. 500/tonne which also affected other traders to slightly increase their prices but only sparsely

● Dena bank has issued credit cards to 60 families with AHRM acting as the guarantor. This would decrease the influence of traders

● Long term lease is seen as a possible solution

● Community has otherwise good relations with traders, AHRM and forest officials

● No MNREGA

and girls are hesitant to approach the male workers in the mobile health van

● Salt is produced from sea water here

● 10 plots owned by traders are run by mechanical methods which leaves very little brine for the traditional salt pan workers

● Land leased to agariyas have expired. Since 2001, land being selectively leased to bigger industries and not for agariyas

● Water pipeline not functional and water is being bought from tankers

● Ration does not contain all materials and is only functional in the villages and not the desert

● Salt fetches 150-190Rs/tonne in this area

● Mechanised production and processing fetches around Rs. 1200/tonne. This is done bigger companies or factories

● Change agents being encouraged from the community

to salt pan workers● Transportation of salt

to the market place is a huge problem

● Health referral center has no doctors, no ambulances, no operators and no technicians.

● Only 1 center in 70 kms

● Occupational health is still an issue

● Water should be arranged thorugh a desalination plant

● Very high need for female health workers in the area

● Very little work if at all allocated under MNREGA

● No unemployment benefits ever given

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Agariya Status Update- Site visit report Santosh Rohit25th July 2012 AID-Buffalo

implementation in the area

● During the 4 month off season, agariyas indulge in gutkas, drinking and whiling away (realxing?)

● Alternative livelihoods such as production of special traditional foods, embroidery work, achars, papads and herbal medicines

● Talking with Gujarat government to set up rural technology centers to encourage alternative livelihoods

● When talking to an agariya at the public consultations, I was told that a lot has changed in the last 4-5 years with agariyas getting ID cards, some health facilities, educational facilities and awareness through Janpath and AHRM. He said that they were better equipped to handle the situation

I have suggested advocating/pushing for special MNREGA provisions for agariyas to aid in more income during the off-season. Impressions:

● The field workers are highly motivated and are behind community mobilisation all the time

● Individually, Bharat bhai and marut bhai are the down to earth and calm workers who are more intense but Ghanshyam bhai is a vibrant personality with good communication skills

● The project thrusts the responsibility of the proper discharge of their duties with the community. This in more analogous to a public servant

● The agariya community has seen a sea of change in the last few years and are very hopeful for a brighter future

● They would want to tread a line of trust with the traders and in return want them to be more fair in their approach

● They want better market access to progress● The only post graduate (graduate?) from the community has’nt been employed so far

and this is kind of having a negative impact on others. Their line of defense being that a educated life is no better than theirs when there is no ready employment

● The employment of female field workers will be a great beginning as the better half of the population will have a person to talk with

● The availabilty of brine has been decreasing in the past many years. Be it due to industrialisation or environmental factors, there is an urgent need to have a greater exodus to alternative livelihoods

● Credit provided by DENA bank should be extended to other salt producers

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Agariya Status Update- Site visit report Santosh Rohit25th July 2012 AID-Buffalo Santosh Rohit

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