Welfare wizards: Giving tribals a title role

Measuring the impact of empowerment and advocacy campaigns can be tough. But the eminent jury, chaired by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, made the task look all too easy.

While all finalists in the NGOs section were appreciated for their work, Dhas Gramin Vikas Kendra was declared the winner. Dhas, based in Alirajpur district 399 km from Bhopal, has been working with Bhil tribals since 1982.

The work of the other finalists was commended as well. People's Watch, nominated for educating children in classes VI-VIII on human rights issues had done significant work. The third NGO, Setu Charitable Trust, works in improving the lives of sex workers and provides them with free ART.

But eventually, the jury concluded that the Dhas initiative deserved kudos for their consistent work through two decades. As Sunita Narain said, they've put in "solid work" .

The three finalists in the corporate sector — RTINation, Svayam and Srinivasan Services Trust — work in important areas. While RTINation uses technology to help file RTI queries online, Svayam — promoted by the Sajjan Jindal Charitable Trust — works towards creating access to public places for the disabled.

In the end, Srinivasan Services Trust (SST) won over the jury. Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh chose to "put his money on SST" and the jury supported his choice.

Started by TVS Motor chairman Venu Srinivasan in 1996, the Trust supports self-help groups in income generation, agri-extension , skill training, literacy and nutrition programmes. It has extended its services to include garbage collection, constructed toilets, improved infrastructure for schools and helped in access to potable water. When SST started, it began welfare work by building roads and water tanks, renovating schools and organising health camps. But soon it realized that it wasn't really helping generate means for livelihood. "We gave and they took," SST chairman Ashoke Joshi told TOI.

That's when SST decided to empower women through grassroots development. They facilitated bank loans for women to set up their own small enterprise. The first such project was a chapati-making initiative near TVS's Hosur factory. The women earned up to Rs 2,000 a month by preparing chapatis that were bought by the factory canteen. "The women strengthened our will, too," said Joshi, who joined the NGO post-retirement . SST now has 130 staff and works in 1,000 villages in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka , Maharashtra and Himachal.

Choosing a winner in the government category turned into an interesting debate. Contenders were DM of Singrauli, P Narahari and a World Bank-funded water sanitation project (Swajal) in Uttaranchal. The jurors wondered if the initiatives were not essential governance. Should government be rewarded for doing its job? The jury chose not to award this category yet. As Aruna Roy said, "Government is doing well in several areas but word of the award is yet to reach."