Field Report and Insights,
November 23, 2023.
Context
The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in November 2014, and guidelines were provided for educational institutes in August 2015 to initiate developmental work under UBA in consultation with the district administration.
IIT Gandhinagar is a nodal for 50 other colleges in and around Gandhinagar that have adopted five villages each under the UBA initiative. This was done to aid in the proper planning of development activities. Field research was conducted in these villages, and a meeting was held with the Gandhinagar District Collector to inform officers of the scope of IIT Gandhinagar's participation in village cluster upliftment.
Figure 1 : Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan Poster
Figure 2: From Regional Workshop for Participating Institutes on "Preparing Village Development Plan" held at IIT Gandhinagar on 7 December 2019.
The Social Action and Policy (SAP) Lab at IIT Gandhinagar is a collaborative research lab set up in partnership with UNICEF Gujarat. It employs ‘behavioural insights’ for societal advancements.
SAP Lab conducted a field day at Lavarpur village, located in the Gandhinagar district. The report synthesis of interesting observations from the field day, providing a comprehensive overview of community-level interactions between the community members and the level of engagement with the local body or the Gram Panchayat.
Demographics
Lavarpur village, located 12 km from Gandhinagar, serves as both district and sub-district headquarters and is recognized as a gram panchayat, according to statistics presented in 2009. Lavarpur village has a population of 2,384 people. The village covers 431.1 hectares and has a literacy rate of 81.17%, (86.98% males and 74.98% females). The village has about 503 houses, as per 2011 Census report.
Lavarpur Gram Panchayat is a rural local body in Gandhinagar Panchayat Samiti and part of the Gandhinagar Zila Parishad, encompassing eight wards, and four schools.
The majority of the population is Hindu. Around 80 per cent of the population is Patel. Other castes present include Gajjar, Vanakars, Prajapati, Chauhan, and limited number of Muslims.
Insights
During the team's visit to Lavarpur, we aimed to meet the Sarpanch (head of the village) at the Panchayat Office. Though the Sarpanch was unavailable, a chance conversation with a chemistry teacher from Swaminarayan Gurukul provided insights into the village's demographics and community engagement levels.
Surrounding the Gram Panchayat Office, the recently constructed school supported by private investors and the 'chauraha' in front of the office served as communal meeting spaces, particularly during festivals. Residents from neighboring villages, including Firojpur, gathered here during such events.
The presence of an SBI bank, a dairy cooperative, and fully constructed ‘pakka’ houses near the office reflect certain developmental aspects. However, the under-constructed houses near the river, stagnant and untreated sewage systems, and lack of proper waste disposal highlight existing challenges and neglect in infrastructure maintenance.
There is a significant gap in meeting the demands for basic infrastructure, even with programs like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) in place.
Lodging facilities for school children, particularly boys from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, were observed. However, the dilapidated state of the building and inadequate facilities are due to the absence of government-aided funding.
“The funds are currently being managed through the personal savings of the manager/owner and informally through their connections with people working with the government.”
Despite the availability of spaces and opportunities for community-building initiatives, residents do not seem to utilize them effectively.
Community-based sports and library initiatives in schools captured interest mainly among younger individuals. A significant portion of the population does not use the community library space near the school, as many possess smartphones.
The absence of a tea shop in the village poses a challenge, as it eliminates a potential space for local magazines or newspapers, limiting opportunities for community engagement through such mediums.
The persistence of social hierarchy within the village complicates efforts for individuals to engage in daily activities and fosters a sense of community.
Internal dynamics revealed that the village is divided into various "societies," typically composed of 20-30 members from the same family. Interaction with those "outside their society" is infrequent, although major festivities, such as Navaratri, bring them together near the Panchayat office.
While the prominence of the Patels is evident, interactions with residents from other castes, such as the Thakurs or Vanakars, are noticeably absent.
Although the team could not gather insights from local body members, we believe it is crucial for the local body to participate in community-building activities and possess the capacity to influence change.
Solutions
Approachability: Make the local body more approachable to the needs of the community.
Funding and Outreach initiatives: Increase the effectiveness of the existing schemes and increase government funding.
Supportive Environments: Create supportive environments sensitive to the needs of diverse populations and boost community interaction and engagement to day to day-to-day activities.
Awareness Activities: Curate activity-based community-building exercises to create awareness of sociocultural impediments, including their own fixed attitudes and biases.
Recommendations
Geared towards social and behavioural change, the Lab proposes implementing small-scale community-building initiatives as the first step to initiate dialogues amongst the community members.
Nukkad Natak/Comic exhibition/storytelling on social issues in Gujarati: Professional or community-based performers can stage short plays addressing socio-cultural issues and community development, while a comic exhibition or graphic narratives can visually depict these issues. Additionally, storytelling sessions can be organised to convey essential messages effectively.
Flea market: Organize a flea market in community spaces where local artisans, producers and villagers could interact and showcase their products. Simultaneously, invite the IITGN community to participate in this interaction.
Facilitate local magazines, newspapers, comic books and children's textbooks to encourage reading habits in a space shared by the community. Identifying local kirana or grocery stores and displaying the reading materials in the local language would significantly lead people to form reading habits.
We believe these initiatives could support a change in attitudes and prejudices by exemplifying a passionate approach to grassroots policy. The many strategies provide multidimensional community involvement, establish venues for interaction, and promote inclusion and awareness.
Conclusion
Through bringing life to these projects, SAP Lab hopes to comprehend sociocultural issues and address them, promoting constructive social change at the local level. By means of these creative endeavours, the Lab hopes to foster consciousness, diversity, and long-lasting Social and Behavioural Change in the neighbourhood.
References
Gram Panchayat (ग्राम पंचायत): LAVARPUR (લવારપુર ). (n.d.). Local Government Bodies of India. https://localbodydata.com/gram-panchayat-lavarpur-158462
Lavarpur Village in Gandhinagar, Gujarat | villageinfo. in. (n.d.). Indian Village Directory. https://villageinfo.in/gujarat/gandhinagar/gandhinagar/lavarpur.html
Lavarpur Village Population - Gandhinagar - Gandhinagar, Gujarat. (n.d.). Population Census 2011. https://www.census2011.co.in/data/village/511273-lavarpur-gujarat.html
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