GROUND LEVEL ACTIVITIES OF INDIAWIN
Project "Micro-Credit" (Adopt-A-Tribal-Cluster)
IndiaWin has adopted a tribal clan of poorest and displaced fishermen folk in the tribal interiors of Madhya Pradesh (India), in association with a local organization on the ground called "Tawa Matsya Sangh". As a first step we have created a "Revolving Micro-Credit Fund" which will extend tiny amounts of micro-loans to these poor fishermen families, to be used for purchasing new fishing nets, repairing their small boats, and for other such productive purposes in order to improve their fish yields and uplifting their livelihoods. Once the micro-loans are returned by the first batch of fishermen in small interest-free instalments, the amounts will be re-disbursed to a new set of needy fish farmers, and so on. Thereby, the Revolving Fund keeps getting recycled over and over again to create maximum value on a fixed amount of investment.
IndiaWin has already invested over Rs. 135,000 (= USD 3000) to create this Revolving Micro-Credit Fund for the tribal fishermen of the Tawa region in M.P. We are working towards expanding the scope of this Revolving Credit Fund, and expect to enhance its reach substantially in the coming times.
The following excerpts are from a detailed report received from Tawa Matsya Sangh, M.P. which serves as an insightful case study for us as to how a peoples' cooperative can achieve much better results than the government-owned agencies that are appointed to handle the welfare of the poor. People's participation and involvement and encouraging their self-sufficiency and self-depedence can yield much better results than entrusting expensive government welfare agencies to perform the tasks, that are naturally inefficient, corrupt as well as a drain on the government's resources, and resulting in no real benefits trickling down to the poorest masses.
A note on the challenges and tasks before the Tawa Matsya Sangh, (and its plan to use the donation it has received.)
Introduction
Tawa Matsya Sangh, i.e. Tawa Displaced Tribal Fish Production & Marketing Co-operative Federation Ltd., is a co-operative of tribal fishermen displaced from Tawa dam working in Tawa reservoir since 1997. It has been a successful experiment, with a marked increase in fish production, employment, fishermen’s income, seed stocking and conservation of fish, despite continuous non-cooperation and harassment from state government and other vested interests. The tribals have managed it much better, compared to earlier management by private contractor or the govt.-run MP State Fish Development Corporation.
The TMS can be seen as a model for participatory development, planning from below, rehabilitation of dam-ousters, people's management of natural resources and an alternative to privatisation and nationalisation.
Fishing Nets Fund
The Board of Directors of TMS has decided to create a ‘fishing nets fund’ to supply nets to the fisherman with the amount of Rs. 1.20 lakhs, it has received as donation. Fishermen, through their association, will receive the nets (in kind) on interest-free loan, and pay back in installments through their weekly payments of fish wages. One-third of the amount will be deposited in advance. It will be a revolving fund and fisherman (other or the same) will again get the nets, to replace their fund with its own resources.
The TMS has been supplying nets to the fisherman in a somewhat similar fashion from its earning but there was a limit to its resources. The TMS or its fisherman have not got any official aid for nets and boats from the government except from initial finance under the IRDP. After the termination of this program and a mischievous exclusion of large number of poor tribal families from BPL (Below Poverty Line) lists, it is difficult to benefit from other schemes.
The Seeds Supply
Another area in which things can be improved is fish seed. The TMS has no hatchery or fish seed-rearing farm of its own. A big fish farm near Pawarkheda in the same (Hoshangabad) district was originally conceived for the needs of Tawa reservoir only. But half of it has been handed over to Central Govt’s Central Institute of Fisheries Education and another half has been given to the Matsya Mahasangha (the state level fish co-operative federation). Both of them have failed to supply the required fish seed fingerlings. The Farm is not being utilised properly. The repeated demand by the TMS to hand over the Farm to it has fallen on deaf ears.
