Uttar Dinajpur Loka Kalyan Parishad

Uttar Dinajpur is one of the most backward districts of the state with 47.6 per cent of rural households living below poverty line as per the 2002 data. The district forms a part of the basin lying between Rajmahal hills on the East. The older alluvium is estimated to be Pleistocene age.Uttar Dinajpur is bestowed with a very fertile soil.The soil is very rich in nature due to the alluvial deposition which helps to grow Paddy,Jute,Mesta and Sugarcane etc.

LKP’s  Project Area in the District :

i) Under Food Security Project :

Covered all Gram Panchyats of Itahar Block in phase manner. (2005 to 2011).

Women in these backward areas have been mobilized in women led groups (SHGs). Their capacities have been enhanced and skill developed for taking up NRM based Farm and Non-farm activities to generate more income and also to manage the groups efficiently without much external assistance through various skill based training programmes and continuous hand holding.

LKP established a replicable model of meaningful involvement of the Panchayats to address the Food Security issues through various forms of DNRM which demonstrated in these blocks.

Landless SHGs were engaged in private-private/public-private partnerships (lease based agricultural activities). 

Major thrust was given to adopt sustainable agricultural practices by these Bank-linked SHGs to reduce cost of cultivation as far as possible following Non Pesticide Management (NPM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Nutrition Management (INM).

A large number of SHGs in the area were also engaged in growing food bearing plants and agro-forestry saplings, which have been utilized by the GPs.

                                                            

Credit requirement of the SHGs were initially met from the LKP’s project fund and later on gradually supported by the GPs directly.

ii) Under Information Education & Communication :

Covered all over the district ( Continuing since 2005 ). It is continuing since 2002 with the objective of the project to strengthen the grass root level democracy by improving rural local governance.  Activities involved are on one hand making people aware of their rights and obligations and empowering them to meaningfully participate in the local governance on the other hand building capacity of the local government representatives and functionaries to serve the people better.

Large number of IEC materials including audio-visual, and print materials are produced and disseminated.

Networking with other Civil Society organizations and their capacity building exercises are done. Advocacy on policy issues and legal matters at the state and district levels are also parts of these activities.

Equally important has been the organization’s strategy to facilitate formation of family based groups of the poor  represented by women as institutions at the neighborhood level which work in concert with the Gram Unnayan Samiti thereby strengthening participatory development and promoting open, direct democracy.  

 

iii) West Bengal Civil Society Strengthening Programme (CSSP), DFID Programme:

(August 2008 – October 2009) It had four major outputs to achieve:

(i) Community Based Organisations (CBOs) of the poor formed and empowered in the poorest districts and blocks of the state ,

(ii) Capacity enhancement of CSOs for analysis, advocacy and policy engagement,

(iii) CBOs, CSOs and networks adopt and promote strategies to empower and enable greater participation, inclusion and fulfilling the obligations of the poor.

(iv) Supporting networks to advocate and influence government on issues concerning functional and fiscal devolution.