Manab Jamin, a project of Society for Equitable Voluntary Actions (SEVA) has completed two decades of developmental works in Bolpur- Sriniketan block of Birbhum district of West Bengal. SEVA has tirelessly and persistently facilitated the staff members of Manab Jamin to grow and keep the developmental works apace. Manab Jamin is now working at Bolpur-Sriniketan Block and Illambazar Block of Birbhum District.
The project area is rain-fed mono-cropped area and located at arid zone where the land is undulating consisting of Red Laterite and Vindhya Alluvial soil. Rain is very unpredictable and it does not come when it is needed the most and comes when it’s not expected. The temperature reaches to 46 o C in the summer and drops down to 7o C in winter.
Manab Jamin is working with Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and under privileged section of people for the betterment of downtrodden population.
Agriculture
The area is mostly mono-cropping with rice which is entirely raid fed. The area has a substantial number of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. The project area is near the town of Bolpur, Dist. – Birbhum, however, the area is underdeveloped and has a large population of landless farmers. The constraints to get higher agricultural production are mainly due to non-utilisation of resources through adopting various sustainable agricultural systems. The agricultural development programmes must stress on the utilisation of rainwater through water harvesting and adopting a sustainable cropping system. Only agricultural development programme can tackle the aforesaid problems including extension of benefits to the landless farmers. The main thrust of the program is to grow two crops where only one crop is grown at present, with the existing
resources.
Relay Cropping
In order to grow two crops in place of one grown within the existing resources (Rain fed) a programme of Relay Cropping was done where seeds of Lentil or Khesari or Linseed or Tori mustard singly or in mixtures were broadcasted in standing paddy field 21 days before the harvesting of rice, after draining out of standing water. After the harvesting of main paddy crop, the seeds broadcasted in the standing paddy crop continue to grow till the harvesting by utilizing residual moisture and residual nutrients The total yields of the main crop and the Relay crop out yielded the mono-crop of rice.
Backyard Orchard
To support the nutrition of project area various fruit plants play an important role. The target had been to provide at least five (5) fruit bearing plants to all the families in the project areas. With this objective in the initial years we supplied to each family 2 Mango plants, 1 Coconut plant, 1 Citrus plant and 1 Guava plant. The survival rate of these plants was almost 100%. Presently saplings of bettle nuts, coconuts, lemon ets are sold before monsoon at a token amount from the Mirjapur campus to encourage the practice of orchard. In 2021 dragon fruit plants are also sold to create special interest in this regard.
Kitchen Garden
Mushroom Cultivation
This is a very popular programme adopted by the women in the villages. They have produced vegetables organically in their Kitchen Garden and improved their food-habit to take green vegetables in their regular diet. It has also generated some extra income for the women by selling a part of their production. The mothers of the children of Manab Jamin Shishu Kendras are provided with seeds of various vegetables, including papaya saplings at times, to motivate them to continue this practice of nutritional garden.
Social Forestry
Social Forestry had been a part of primary activities of Manab Jamin. Forest seedlings grown in seedbeds before the onset of monsoon were utilised in planting in fallow lands and banks of canals, rivers and ponds which helped in the reduction of soil erosion, increased the area under forest trees and thus also conserved soil and water. SHG women and members of the ST & SC families helped in raising seedlings, plantation of trees and their protection during the first two years. They became beneficiary of such plantation jointly or individually.
Education
Manab Jamin Shishu Kendra
To create awareness about Child Education and Health among the villagers, Manab Jamin Sishu Kendras have been opened to provide Pre-primary Education for the age group of 3-6 years. The children from Schedule Tribe, Schedule Caste and other economically weaker sections are given preference. Awareness programs are arranged for the mothers of Manab Jamin Sishu Kendra children to improve the environment and standard of health of these students. On completion of their pre-primary education the progress of each and every student is monitored to continue education further. Regular health check-up of all Manab Jamin Sishu Kendra students are made and corrective measures are taken. Mothers of Manab Jamin Sishu Kendra students are encouraged to form SHG groups. Presently, one Shishu Kendra is being sponsored by Sinthee Aalokbarttika and five others are being run in collaboration with Aiducatenow.
Manab Jamin Pathakendra
In different remote villages in our project areas in Birbhum it is observed that children of economically weaker sections do not get proper guidance for their school education, which make it difficult for them to cope up with the school curriculum, resulting in increase in rate of school dropouts. Hence, to reduce the rate of School dropout, Manab Jamin had started a special coaching class for the children of SC, ST and economically weaker section of the community. The children are mostly students of local primary schools. We are following the model of Bidyacharcha Kendra through their simple systematic books and direct interactive method to make the foundation of education strong. Presently SEVA is running 9 Pathakendras in 9 villages in Birbhum with the support from Isan & Kusum Paul Foundation, USA, Maryland, and 1 centre from our own fund.
Education Support program
Manab Jamin provided text books among the poor, needy and meritorious students of IX, X, XI and XII of the project area for pursuing higher studies with the kind support of Ms. Rajlakshi Biswas in memory of Prof. Sundar Gopal Biswas till the year 2019.
From 2021 an annual scholarship is being introduced for one student of Class X, to be selected on the basis of pre-determined parameters by a selection team, from economically weaker family of some identified villages of our project area in Birbhum. The scholarship is being sponsored by one of the members, Seva in memory of eminent social activist Shri Jyotsna Gupta (also MLA, Bolpur during 1977 to 1983).