The remote tribal PATSENDRI village of Chhattisgarh now MODEL COLONY for India

The adage that small is beautiful applies perfectly to a village called Patsendri in the Saraipalli block of the Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh.

The village today is a model colony. It has been developed under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), wherein convergence is being sought between various physical work-related schemes and social sector schemes.

Further expanding this initiative, which is a part of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the District Administration has now initiated convergence of various social sector schemes in Patsendri. It has also created a self-sustainable model for capacity building, employment generation, development & positive use of social capital, with a focus on the Patsendri Community.

The Model Colony is a one-stop solution for transforming lives.

The convergence of schemes has led to the development of a colony, wherein the houses, community hall, drainage, CC road have been built under PMAY, toilets are built under NREGA, electricity connection is provided under the Saubhagya Yojana, transformers, poles, etc. are provided under the Mukhya Mantri Majra-Tola Vidyutikaran Yojana, & water supply is provided under the Nal-Jal Yojana by the Public Health Department.

The innovative idea has led to behavioural change among the owners towards a more cohesive and responsible community. The onus now lies on the 84 households who manage and maintain the benefits provided by the schemes and also negotiate for other social capital investment in the colony.

The Model Colony with planned structure has bestowed a feeling of ownership rather than an individual estranged house.

For capacity building of the residents, various social sector schemes have been converged to create a self-sustainable model for employment generation, and for the development and positive use of social capital. So much so that the Patsendri colony now serves as an outreach centre for the nearby areas.

Impact

The impact of the model colony has been manifold as building toilets, drainage, community hall, houses under PMAY resulted in improved health, helped build social capital, improved the social status of households, and resulted in reducing the spread of water-borne diseases.

Providing cooking gas under the Ujjwala scheme meant there is reduction in deforestation as well as air pollution.

Skill development aided in reducing poverty and provided financial stability.

Establishment of a model Poshan Vaatika provided a source of income to Self Help Groups(SHG) and improved health of children in Primary Health Centres.

The development of PMAY houses on the lines of a model colony not only provided the beneficiaries with a pucca house, but also gave them an opportunity to live in a community.

Key Takeaways

1. The primary learning is that social capital is inherently present in the citizens, and the government just needs to act as a catalyst to channelize this resource in the positive direction. By activating the social capital present in the Patsendri beneficiaries, the government is witnessing a surge in awareness as witnessed by the rise in demand for various Government to Citizen(G2C) services.

2. The development of PMAY houses on the lines of a model colony not only provides the beneficiaries with a pukka house, but also gives them an opportunity to live in a community.

3. Various government departments are able to access the beneficiaries easily due to clustered access, and this has led to an increase in the socio-economic status of the residents.

4. PMAY provides the beneficiary with a house but does not help them with improving their livelihood status. By converging various skill development schemes, the district administration has been able to improve the livelihood opportunities available to the beneficiaries.

5. The beneficiaries under PMAY earlier faced various issues like lack of documentation, uncertainty about their eligibility status due to lack of convergence. In Patsendri, however, various departments have come together to resolve such issues and have provided the facility of insurance, developing Self Help Groups, etc. to the beneficiaries. The departments are also working together by sharing best practices, sharing the list of beneficiaries, responding to the needs of the beneficiaries, and so on.

6. The SHGs created in remote areas lack connectivity to the market. The Patsendri model has improved connectivity of Self Help Groups with the market.

7. Many times, the beneficiaries misuse the money intended for house construction and have no incentive to return it. The Patsendri model has helped in building social pressure which can increase utilization of the funds for the intended purpose.

It may be noted that the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched by the Prime Minister in January 2018 with the vision that renewed focus and incisive interventions in the most backward districts of India are imperative to achieve inclusive and holistic growth.

Anchored by NITI Aayog, the programme rests on the three pillars of Convergence (of Central and State schemes), Collaboration (between Centre, State, District and Citizens) and Competition (among the districts through NITI Aayog’s Champions of Change dashboard), with the underlying spirit of mass movement. Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are the programme’s core areas of focus measured through 49 key performance indicators.

NITI Aayog has identified 117 districts as ‘Aspirational Districts’. These districts have been selected on the basis of composite index which includes published data of deprivation enumerated under Socio-Economic Caste Census, Health &Nutrition, Education and Basic Infrastructure.