Telangana health profile soon after TRS comes to power: KCR

The Chief Minister wanted people to question TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu and Congress leaders over their failure to complete pending projects in erstwhile Mahabubnagar district during their previous regimes.

In its next term, the TRS government will be implementing the health profile scheme of all citizens of Telangana State. The government which had successfully implementing the Kanti Velugu scheme, also plans to conduct eye surgeries in January after returning to power as well as deploy medical teams for conducting dental as well as ENT screening for all the citizens shortly.

Making the announcement during the Praja Ashirwada Sabha held at Jedcherla in Mahabubnagar district on Wednesday, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao stated that soon after the elections, the government will constitute ENT and dental teams who will conduct the screenings for problems related to ear, nose, tongue and dental on the lines of Kanti Velugu eye screening camps. “Both the schemes will be implemented one after the other soon. We will prepare health profile of every citizens of the State including his/her blood group,” he urged.

He questioned why either Congress or TDP failed to implement schemes like Kanti velugu, KCR kits and other such scheme to provide better medical services to the poor and the needy. “It must be because they lack humanity,” he declared. He said unlike Congress and TDP, TRS does not divide people on the basis of caste, religion or region, and the government schemes are an indication in this direction.

The Chief Minister wanted people to question TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu and Congress leaders over their failure to complete pending projects in erstwhile Mahabubnagar district during their previous regimes. He pointed out that Chandrababu Naidu and the subsequent Congress governments have turned erstwhile Mahabubnagar district into a district of migrants.

“Chandrababu Naidu adopted the district but failed to take up any development programmes during his tenure as the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Since the separate State formation, he has been attempted to obstruct the Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme and seeking votes from the same citizens of Palamuru region without any shame or guilt for the injustice meted out to them by him,” he said.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

Telangana Elections: TRS banks on development in Gajwel

Gajwel, situated at about 60 kms from Hyderabad, has a total of 2,27,934 voters, including 1,14,362 male electors, 1,13,554 female voters and 18 others. Rao’s main rival in the contest is Vanteru Pratap Reddy (Congress), the nominee fielded by the “grand alliance” (Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti).

In the December seven Legislative Assembly polls in Telangana, Gajwel in Siddipet district is a key constituency as TRS Chief and Caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is seeking re-election from the seat.

Gajwel, situated at about 60 kms from Hyderabad, has a total of 2,27,934 voters, including 1,14,362 male electors, 1,13,554 female voters and 18 others. Rao’s main rival in the contest is Vanteru Pratap Reddy (Congress), the nominee fielded by the “grand alliance” (Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti).

On behalf of other major parties, Akkula Vijaya of BJP is in the fray. Pratap Reddy took on Rao in the 2014 Assembly elections as well (in undivided Andhra Pradesh) as a TDP nominee and he managed to get 67,303 votes against 86,694 votes secured by the TRS Chief.

Narsa Reddy of Congress had obtained 34,085 votes then. Pratap Reddy has since joined Congress and is banking on the combined strength of TDP and Congress.

However, the TRS is relying on the massive development works and welfare schemes undertaken during the last over four years of its government to ensure an emphatic win for Rao. The major development works include improved roads, power and water supply, an education hub (of academic institutions), market godowns and hospitals and other infrastructure facilities.

“Eighty per cent of the polled votes would be in favour of us. It would be outright (win),” Rao’s political secretary S Subhash Reddy told PTI. He cited 24-hour power supply to farm sector, copious supply of fertilisers, ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support scheme and farmers’ insurance scheme as examples for some of the welfare measures undertaken by the TRS government.

Rao’s nephew and irrigation minister in the Caretaker government T Harish Rao, who is the TRS candidate from neighbouring Siddipet segment, has been leading the TRS campaign in the constituency.

Pratap Reddy, however, alleged that the TRS government has failed to implement its promises, including three acres of land for Dalits, students tuition fees reimbursement, employment generation and drought relief for farmers.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

How Upper Caste Anger on Dalit Atrocities Act May Impact Madhya Pradesh Elections

To take the case of Malwa region only, in Mandsaur, Ratlam and Ujjain lakhs of upper castes marched across towns to register their anger against the BJP, led by small, disorganised outfits like Karni Sena and Samanya Pichhda Alpsankhyak Kalyan Samaj (SAPAKS).

In September, one month after the NDA overturned the dilution in SC/ST Atrocities Act by the Supreme Court, protests led by upper castes and OBCs broke out all across Madhya Pradesh.

To take the case of Malwa region only, in Mandsaur, Ratlam and Ujjain lakhs of upper castes marched across towns to register their anger against the BJP, led by small, disorganised outfits like Karni Sena and Samanya Pichhda Alpsankhyak Kalyan Samaj (SAPAKS).
While the visible anger against the BJP, which is trying to win a fourth term in MP, has subsided, this substantial section of society, which in recent elections voted overwhelmingly in favour of the BJP, is looking to exact its ‘revenge’.

“Jab Thawarchandji [Gehlot] hamare paas aaye vote maangne, humne unse kaha ki jab aapne hamare bacchon ke baare mein nahi socha to hum aapke bacche ke baare mein kyun sochein?” says Bhairav Singh Solanki, a regional Karni Sena leader.

Union Social Justice minister Thawarchand Gehlot is facing huge backlash from the small but influential section of Rajput voters in Alote, where his son Jitendra Gehlot is fighting for a second term.

Thawarchand has been campaigning here for his son for past several days. On Monday, he welcomed UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to a rally in Taal, in an attempt to assuage the popular dissent. In his speech Adityanath, who himself is a Rajput and has on several occasions talked glowingly about “Rajput pride”, talked about bringing in “Ram Rajya” and invoked “Ram Janmabhoomi”.

However the widespread anger against the government which is being seen by the upper castes and OBCs as having sided with the SC/ST community is far from over.

“Jab Supreme Court ne ek baar is Act ko sahi kar diya to fir aapko kya zarurat thi usmein ched chad karne ki? Iska seedha matlab to yahi hai ki aapko ek jaati vishesh ke hi vote chahiye. To fir unhi se vote mangiye na,” Rajpal Singh Dodia says in Alote.

Gehlot’s son has been prevented from entering several Rajput dominated villages here like Negrun, Pipliya Sisodia, Babuniya, Lasudiya. In these villages Rajputs have put up signboards asking BJP candidates to stay away. Such no-entry villages can be spotted not just in Ratlam’s Alote but across the Malwa region.

Although it may be premature to predict that the upper castes and OBC leaders are getting automatically polarised towards the Congress. “Hame yaad hai jab sansad mein SC/ST Act pe BJP sanshodhan laa rahi thi tab Digvijaya khamosh the aur Scindia Jee table baja ke uska swagat kar rahe the,” says Vijender Singh Solanki, a Raput, in Ratlam town. A lot of local journalists and businessmen too privately express similar emotions.

In some seats like Jaora and Ghatiya, upper castes have decided to show their anger against both the BJP and the Congress by supporting strong Independent candidates as well.

There are 82 reserved seats in MP’s 230 seat strong Assembly. In the rest of the seats, the upper castes and OBCs command great influence. It was perhaps with this in mind that CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan prevented release of the film Padmavati, later Padmaavat, and wrote on his official Twitter account the misuse of the SC/ST Atrocities Act will not be allowed.

Around 10 km away from Bhuda, in Mandsaur, a Rajput dominated village called Kittukheri came into limelight earlier this year, when, like several other Rajput dominated villages it put up posters saying they will vote NOTA in the upcoming elections angered by the BJP’s support to the stringent provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

“Amit Shah says in Chhattisgarh that till the BJP is in power reservation will not go. If this is the case we have clearly no future under the BJP regime,” says Dharampal Singh Rajawat.

“We all voted for Narendra Modi in 2014 because he said he will bring back black money, he will deposit money in our accounts, he will build Ram mandir. What happened to all those promises? If they can ban currency notes why can they not build Ram mandir?” asks Upender Singh.

“And what happened to the Kashmir problem? At least 40-45 people from our village are working in the Army most of who are posted in Kashmir. Does Modi think that Rajputs are born only to be posted on the border and die? We were also part of the Kisan andolan in Mandsaur last year we saw what their police did to our farmers,” says Karu Singh Hada.

There are around 7,000 Rajput votes spread across Kittukheri, Munderi, Borkheri, Band Pipliya, Jarha and Aakli—nearby Rajputv villages. Locals here say that they’ll do whatever the leaders of Karin Sena ask them to do. “We are not allowing BJP leaders or workers inside our villages. Only Congress people are being allowed and only on the condition that they give us in writing all that they’re planning to give us. So on the voting day we will decide between the Congress and NOTA,” Rajawat adds.

The BJP candidates did not win by a huge margin in 2013, Rajawat further adds. “Even if they lose just 50 voters per village, compared to last time, the BJP will be routed from here. Last time there were 2 families supporting the Congress and eight supporting the BJP. The situation this time could be exact reverse.”

In some sense though, the BJP is suffering a unique, mostly silent anger not just from the upper castes and OBCs but from the SC/ST community as well.

“Look how they treated Chandrashekhar [leader of Bhim Army]. The BJP talks in our favour but have they ever appointed a senior party functionary from our caste? Neither has the Congress actually, but over the past few years one thing we have realised is that “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Bheem” don’t go together,” says Vinod Parihar, a local Bhim army leader in Alote.

There is a widespread polarisation of Dalit voters here because cases of atrocities against Dalits are more frequently reported. Dalit grooms who take out their wedding processions are regularly attacked and in some cases not allowed to sit and eat with upper castes. Recently, a Dalit groom went to his wedding wearing a helmet. His photo became popular on social media.

Parihar says that since Dalit parties are not strong in this region, the Dalits have decided to support the the Congress to defeat the BJP.

Upper caste anger against the SC/ST Atrocities Act is also bringing some other smaller players like SAPAKS (Saamanya Picchada Alpsankhyank Kalyan Samaj Sanstha) into the folds of regional politics.

A local journalist who has been reporting on regional politics here says the whole district was chock-a-block with people. “Even national parties here haven’t been able to gather as many people here as this small outfit did. They got huge traction. Which is why being a party focused on upper castes, it is a threat both to the Congress and the BJP.”

Sunil Bansal was a local BJP leader who has now joined SAPAKS that became a political outfit in October this year. He goes from door to door asking for votes but without much fanfare. “My party is batting for the rights of 78% people who suffer from the SC/ST Act and reservation politics. My constituency is the government servants and you don’t find people around me because I’ve told them, for their own good, to sit quietly. We will emerge as the kingmakers here, you’ll see,” Bansal says.

Meanwhile, the RSS is also in full swing here, quietly carrying out a door-to-door campaign while calling it a voter awareness drive.

“There are a couple of things worth noting. After three successive terms of the BJP, people worry about the consequences which is why even those who are fed up of the BJP don’t want to say it overtly, fearing consequences if it comes to power again. Secondly, the RSS we have seen kicking in just 4-5 days before elections. But this time they started their work almost a fortnight ago,” says the local journalist.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

MP Polls : Digvijaya Singh Sidelined In Madhya Pradesh To Hide Failure: PM Modi

Election in Madhya Pradesh: Digvijaya Singh, who was Madhya Pradesh chief minister from 1993-98, has said that “his party loses votes if he campaigns.”

In an apparent reference to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that one of the senior Congress leaders is not being allowed to campaign for the upcoming assembly elections in the state as the party fears that people will recall the failure of their tenure if Mr Singh campaigns.

Digvijaya Singh, who was Madhya Pradesh chief minister from 1993-98, has said that “his party loses votes if he campaigns.”

Addressing a rally here on Sunday, the Prime Minister said, “One of the senior Congress leaders is not being allowed to campaign during these elections. The reason is that the Congress fears that if he campaigns, the party will lose as people will recall what the fate of Madhya Pradesh was during the time they were in power.”

The Prime Minister also accused the Congress of playing divisive politics and said, “Congress neither has any policy, intention, nor a leader… its leader is confused. Let the naamdar (apparently Congress chief Rahul Gandhi) write down on a piece of paper how many zeroes are there in Rs. 23,000 crore. He will get confused.”

He further asserted that these elections are not about who would win or who won’t win but about rejecting the “negative forces who have always focused on the ‘divide and rule’ approach.”

Talking about the development work in Indore city, the Prime Minister announced that as part of the Smart City project, Rs. 23,000 crore will be spent on development of seven cities in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh including Indore over five years. He added, “In last two years, the foreign tourists’ influx has increased.”

Madhya Pradesh will go to polls on November 28 to elect 230 members of the legislative assembly. The results will be declared on December 11.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

Dissent in BJP ranks in Madhya Pradesh over denial of tickets for assembly elections

Deeraj Pateriya (49), who is the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s state president and is contesting as an independent from Jabalpur North, said, “There is an attempt to finish me politically. And I want to show my popularity by contesting”.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh is battling dissent in its ranks on a scale that appears much bigger than its rival, the Congress. Among its prominent rebels is former minister and four time BJP member of Parliament, Ramkrishna Kusmaria, (75), who is contesting as an independent from two seats- Pathria and Damoh — in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.

“I gave 40 years of my life to the party and in return they did not had courtesy to tell me that a ticket will be denied to me,” he said. claiming to be hurt.

Deeraj Pateriya (49), who is the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s state president and is contesting as an independent from Jabalpur North, said, “There is an attempt to finish me politically. And I want to show my popularity by contesting”.

Kusmaria and Pateriya have joined other senior leaders, such as former state minister Sartaj Singh, who is contesting on a Congress ticket from Hoshangabad, to have publically expressed their anger at the party’s ticket distribution.

“Over 67 important party leaders who are contesting from other political parties or as independents have been expelled so far,” said a senior BJP leader at the party headquarters in Bhopal. The leaders expelled include sitting MLA from Bhind Narendra Singh Kushwah and former mayor of Gwalior Sameeksha Gupta. There are 230 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to the polls on November 28.

The BJP leader quoted above said the party has a list of at least 100 leaders working against the party but no action is being taken due to electoral compulsions. “Any action now will send wrong message to our cadre and will provide the Congress an issue to hit at us,” the leader said.

The leader accepted that it was for the first time in the state that so many BJP workers had been expelled. The number was about 20 in the run-up to 2013 assembly elections, he said. “This is the biggest rebellion in the BJP I have ever witnessed,” said Kusum Mehadele, a minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet who was also denied ticket.

The BJP has dropped four ministers and at least 45 sitting MLAs .But officially, the party rejected reports of large-scale rebellion. State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, “I don’t think there is any alarming situation for the party. Every political party faces such a situation at the election time and it would not have any impact on the party’s prospects.”

In the Congress, the scale of the rebellion appears to be smaller. “We have expelled less then 20 leaders and workers,” a state Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.He said there were not many rebel candidates unlike Rajasthan where the party had faced violent protest by workers for denial of tickets.

The only big leader to face action was former Rajya Sabha member Satyavrat Chaturvedi, whose son Nitin Chaturvedi is contesting on a Samajwadi party ticket. He was expelled.

“The BJP is battling rebellion because the party has not only betrayed the people but also a section of its workers and leaders”, said state Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta.

Political observer Bhagwandev Israni confirmed the scale of the rebellion was larger in the BJP. “This is a reflection of the political scenario. The BJP is facing a bigger problem than the Congress, unlike the previous three elections, as BJP leaders and workers realise which direction the wind is blowing.”

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

Rajasthan: Total 3,294 file nominations for polls

In Rajasthan, total 3 thousand two hundred 94 candidates have filed nominations for the polls. Record 2 thousand 242 candidates filed their nomination on the last day yesterday.

AIR correspondent reports that according to Election Department, 3 thousand 12 male, 2 hundred 81 females and one transgender have filed nominations.

7 hundred 66 candidates from Scheduled Caste and 3 hundred 69 candidates from Scheduled tribes are included in the list of candidates. One thousand 5 hundred 25 persons have filed nominations as an independent candidate.

Maximum 71 candidates filed nominations on Kishanpole Seat and 65 persons filed nomination on Adarsh Nagar seat. Senior leaders of BJP and Congress now trying to convince their rebel candidates to withdraw their nominations.

In Telangana, a total of 3,584 candidates have filed their nominations. Over 2,000 nominations were filed yesterday alone. Congress filed the highest number of 300 nominations followed by TRS – 272, BJP – 270, BSP – 182, CPIM – 64 and TDP – 52.

To take on Congress heavyweight Sachin Pilot, BJP fields its lone Muslim candidate in Rajasthan

Yoonus Khan is the only Muslim candidate BJP has fielded for the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan.

HIGHLIGHTS

BJP has changed its choice of candidate against Sachin Pilot at the last minute
Instead of sitting MLA Ajit Singh, BJP has opted for its only Muslim face, Yoonus Khan
Rajasthan is going to polls on December 7, results to be declared on December 11

After the Congress decided to field Rajput leader Manvendra Singh against sitting Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP, has now fielded the party’s Muslim face Yoonus Khan against Congress heavyweight Sachin Pilot from Tonk.

In what clearly has been a last minute change of strategy for the BJP, the party has decided to replace Ajit Singh Mehta, BJP’s sitting MLA from Tonk district, to give the ticket to Yoonus Khan.

Khan is considered a close confidante of Vasundhara Raje and the second in command in the Rajasthan government. He is also the sitting MLA from Deedwana, a constituency from where he wanted to re-contest the upcoming assembly elections.

Mehta was given the ticket in the first list itself, however, with the Congress deciding to field Sachin Pilot from Tonk, the BJP removed him to go for Yoonus Khan from Tonk, a constituency with a sizeable Muslim population.

Khan is the only Muslim candidate BJP has fielded for the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan. Apart from Mehta, the BJP has also dropped Shankarlal Kharadi’s name who was earlier given a ticket from Kherwara seat.

“The BJP may launch whosoever from here. But the people have decided that they want the Congress to win,” Sachin Pilot said in reaction to the alteration.

Both Pilot and Khan filed their respective nominations from Tonk assembly constituency on Monday.

Earlier, there was much speculation about Gehlot and Pilot contesting the assembly elections in Rajasthan.

It was being said that the senior leadership of the Congress was not in favour of either Sachin Pilot or Ashok Gehlot contesting the upcoming assembly elections. However, the matter was put to rest after it was declared that both will be contesting.

“On the orders of Rahul Gandhi and request of Ashok Gehlot, I have decided to contest the upcoming assembly elections,” Pilot said.

Pilot, while speaking to India Today TV, claimed that BJP deserves to be booted out, claiming that practical, implementable promises will be announced and the Congress will deliver them on the ground.

“I can’t predict numbers but I can tell you that with five years of work and our leaders’ contribution to make the party strong, we will get a historic mandate,” Pilot said in an interview with India Today TV.

Assembly elections in Rajasthan are due on December 7 while the results will be declared on December 11.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

Elections LIVE : Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018 – 71.93% votes recorded in the second phase

64.8% polls recorded till 5 PM

64.8 per cent polling till 5 pm in second phase of elections in Chhattisgarh says Election Commission. Though polling officially closes at 5, those still in line and have been given slips will vote. Also, bear in mind that data released till 5 pm will have been tabulated a little earlier than that officials say.

In 2013, the total voting percentage was 77.12 per cent. Poll officials estimate final numbers to be around that, or a little higher perhaps.

Voter turnout recorded at 58.47% till 4 pm

At 4 pm, the voter turnout in the second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections stood at 58.47%.

Chhattisgarh records 45% voter turnout till 2pm

Chhattisgarh records 45% voter turnout till 2 pm in the second phase of Assembly elections taking place on Tuesday.

Voter turnout at 25.2% till 12pm

At 12 pm, the voter turnout stood at 25.2% as polling for the second phase takes place Tuesday.

Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018 LIVE: With as many as 1,079 candidates in the fray, over 1.54 crore voters, including 77.53 lakh male, 76.46 lakh female and 877 transgender, will cast their votes today.

The second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections began Tuesday for 72 of the 90 seats in the state amid tight security arrangements. With as many as 1,079 candidates in the fray, over 1.54 crore voters, including 77.53 lakh male, 76.46 lakh female and 877 transgender, will cast their votes today. While polling began at 7 am in two of the 19,336 booths, the rest are following the usual time of 8 am to 5 pm. To ensure peaceful polling, over one lakh security personnel have been deployed and extra vigil is being maintained in Naxal-affected districts of Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund, Kabirdham, Jashpur and Balrampur.

The ruling BJP holds 43 of the 72 seats, with the party sweeping several areas in the Chhattisgarh plains in the 2013 elections. The Congress is confident of consolidating its position and overturning deficits in the plains with farmer anger against the BJP.

There is a third element for the first time in a bipolar state, after Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s Janata Congress Chhattisgarh and the Communist Party of India (CPI) joined hands to contest the polls.

Ahead Of Rajasthan Polls, WhatsApp’s Training Programme Against Fake News

Aiming to address the challenge of misinformation during the upcomimg Rajasthan Assembly polls, WhatsApp today conducted training for community leaders in Jaipur, in partnership with the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), the Facebook-owned mobile messaging platform said.

The education workshop encouraged WhatsApp users to see themselves as “agents of change” by addressing socio-behavioural change and empowered them to spot false news.

The training will also enable them to differentiate between rumours and opinions; shared subsequent steps to tackle instances of false news and tips to stay safe on WhatsApp.

“WhatsApp is proud to have played a part in helping millions of people in Rajasthan to freely connect with their loved ones anywhere in the world. These trainings are a key part of our strategy to help people stay safe and limit the spread of harmful rumours this election season” said Ben Supple, Public Policy Manager, WhatsApp, in a statement.

The curriculum further delved into how users can contact fact-checking organisations like Altnews and Boom Live to accurately verify information when they are in doubt.

The training was attended by over 100 participants including from local government administrations, law enforcement authorities, college students, NGOs and community leaders who are dedicated to the technological empowerment of their society, especially villages and semi-urban centre.

“While the problem of misinformation is not restricted to rural areas alone, it is the rural population that majorly lacks access to alternative news sources for sake of verification,” said Osama Manzar, Founder and Director, DEF.

“We see education as the only solution to this problem, and we know that when we teach them some basic verification techniques, they’re going to tell at least two other people about it, creating a ripple effect and potentially fighting misinformation.”

Additionally, WhatsApp and DEF will organise workshops as a part of their Community Information Resource Centre (CIRC), where they will conduct training sessions targeted at grassroots communities in rural areas across five states in India, the company said.

In August, WhatsApp was asked by the central government to take steps to stop the spread of disinformation on its platform.

WhatsApp roped in New Delhi-based non-profit DEF and initiated a series of educational workshops in 10 key election states including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.

The Remotest Villages in Rajasthan Are Getting Education, Thanks to Women Like These Two!

I had an interesting conversation with two feisty women from Rajasthan this weekend. These two women had chosen to be educators at the Ekal Vidyalaya School in rural Rajasthan.

The Ekal Vidyalaya is based on the principle of one school-one teacher. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, a non-profit organisation, involved in education and village development in the remotest rural and tribal villages of India, established these schools.

This initiative is benefitting nearly 500 students in rural parts of Rajasthan, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh. About 150 teachers are spearheading this project.

As a part of this initiative, 30 Ekal teachers from Rajasthan and five members of the leadership team were invited for a 3-day teacher-training workshop to the Heritage Xperiential Learning School in Gurugram. The workshop focused on helping the Ekal teachers experience the use of different classroom management tools and teaching strategies to engage students in the learning process.

We, at The Better India, caught up with Savita Devi Meena, from Sadaldi village in Rajasthan, and Kamla Joshi, from Udaipur.

It was in 2012 that Savita began her teaching journey. She primarily teaches children between the ages of six and 14.

When asked about why she took to teaching, she answers, “We come from a very interior part of the country. If the child in the village wants to study, they have to travel at least 15 kilometres to get to the school. This becomes one reason why children refrain from attending school. It was an attempt to change this that pulled me towards this profession.”

She goes on to say that since becoming a teacher, she feels very empowered and enjoys being in class with her students. “To know that because of us, so many students are being benefitted, is something that I cherish,” she says.

The importance of training programmes

“Being here and learning the practices followed by schools in the city is helping us. One of the important things I will take back is the “circle-time” that the students here follow. I feel that our children will learn a lot from all this,” says Savita.

Circle-time is when the teacher and the students sit down and speak about their day, what they learnt during the day, what they would like to explore, and discuss anything they find interesting.

In terms of exposure and availability of infrastructure, the Ekal schools are rather behind. However, both Savita and Kamla are hoping to take back enough from the training programme to help their students.

Education, a tool for social change

Savita speaks about how there has been a shift in the way people in the village think. She narrates, “There was one girl student who was very keen to study, but she had an alcoholic father who not only stopped her but also made life difficult for everyone in the house.”

She continues, “A group of women from the village got together and intervened and ensured that they counselled not just the alcoholic father but also convinced the mother to let the child study.”

The child is now in class 8 and has been doing very well since.

Mahila Mandal

A strong group consisting of the village women forms the Mahila Mandal. From solving personal issues to looking at larger social change, the women of the village are a formidable force.

“We have helped so many families–rehabilitated drunk men, helped families financially, and stopped child marriages,” she says.

Coming from a place riddled with superstitions, Savita narrates another incident, which furthers strengthened her belief in education. “A lady had been branded by her in-laws as a ‘witch’, and they had thrown her out of the house. With nowhere to go, the lady had given up on life. It took the entire Mahila Mandal to convince the in-laws otherwise.”

Both Savita and Kamla are very certain that educating children is the only way they can bring about social change. With such fierce ambassadors in these villages, the students sure are in good hands.

Note: RSS Feeds taken from Respective Websites.