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CASE STUDY

Kanjars: A way forward towards the mainstream
The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, classified the Kanjar Community as a criminal tribe. Of course, after independence, the term ‘criminal tribe' was removed from the statute book, but the tribal communities such as Kanjars, Sansis, and Pardhis continue to be discriminated socially and by local law enforcement authorities even today. The social conditions of Kanjar Community have not much changed even after sixty years of independence. They are still involved in criminal activities. The Kanjars are mostly landless and don’t have much livelihoods options. People from other communities also do not support them to come in the mainstream.
*Socio-Economic Condition* Most of the houses of Kanjars are one-room habitations; the families live under most insecure conditions. The dilapidated houses reflect the pathetic economic conditions of the households. Child marriages have also been observed. Sona Bai of Kisan Puria village is only 16 years old, but has three children from her marriage to Sodan. Access to welfare programs is minimal though there are cases where land and houses have been allotted in some villages.
Education services rarely reach the villages though overseas volunteers have been conducting informal schools. Villagers are involved in illicit pursuits: electricity theft and country liquor production. *Challenges* There was a grim situation in Kanjar villages of Patan and Gangdhar block in Jhalawar district, most of the households in 18 villages were reeling under a cumulative debt. The death ritual, called mauser, wherein each household had to make cash contribution was the prime reason for debt accumulation. Another reason for higher debt, in villages of Gangdhar block, had to do with the legal litigation expenses. The challenges were to start behavioural change process, improving their resource base and developing livelihoods options for poverty elimination and also to improve their incomes. *For a tribe who is culturally isolated, socially insecure and resource poor, getting out of debt trap was critical for the Kanjar to join the mainstream.* *Initiatives taken by Rajasthan Mission on Skill and Livelihoods (RMoL)* Started in Nov 2009, rehabilitating the Kanjars in Jhalawar district by Rajasthan Mission on Skills and Livelihoods (RMoL) through IFFDC with support from UNDP. The project aims to not only develop a comprehensive understanding of the tribe's past but relate to it in devising inclusive livelihoods options for the stigmatised community. Through the project, the Kanjar people have been supported for driving licenses to thirty five persons and provision of six well deepening machines. Sense of *Collective Action* for livelihood among the community developed after the intervention of RMoL.
*Tank of Collective Action* Two of the eight Kanjar hamlets, Narayanpur and Titarwasa, in Patan block have now got 2,000 litres capacity water tank each to augment water supply for household purposes. The tanks were filled with water pumped from wells owned by individuals in each of the hamlets. The tanks were a spinoff effect of well deepening work undertaken by the project in these hamlets. While the deepened well in Titarwasa was owned by an individual, the one in Narayanpur was a community well.
Since hand pumps in both the localities had failed to meet the growing demand, the need for tapping additional sources of water supply had been felt for a while. A resolution submitted to the district administration for providing a water pipeline from nearby overhead tank had been pending for consideration. However, the collective actions by the households in each of the kanjar hamlets had eased the situation. A monthly fee of between Rs 10 and Rs 15 for each of the households was indeed a bargain for the convenience it offers at the doorsteps. *It shows, how indeed the water sharing system gets managed and the source gets protected for sustained supply would need to be closely monitored over time?* Of additional interest would be the comparison between individual ownership and community-owned water source. Without doubt, these are early days and there is great enthusiasm amongst 83 households in both the hamlets over the success of their collective action.
*Skill Development Initiatives* In another nearby dera, Chandiakheri, a stitching centre was imparting training to ten women. The two-month training was helping them to learn a skill wherein they were not only stitching clothes for their own families but were doing so for other households too. After completing its two-month tenure in Chandiakheri, the stitching centre moved to other villages and so on. It was really challenging to motivate the women for attending the training at the centre.
*Future Strategies of RMoL* The needs of Kanjars are to be identified for better implementation of programmes. It has also been planned to provide more skill trainings, informal education and the security guard training. The adult education system for Kanjars up to the level of 8th standard will be developed to meet the clause of basic qualification for training under Security Education (RISE). A comprehensive project for Kanjar Community for their skill and livelihoods promotion will be prepared and a mechanism will be evolved for sustainability of the programme.
Success Stories

Empowerment through Bandhej work

Ms.Firdosh kasima is the resident of Madina colony in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. She is old aged lady. She is an aanganwari karyakerta since from 1984.She has four children and her spouse is a meter inspector in electricity department. Under her guidance total 44 SHGs are formed. She convinces other ladies of her village by door to door to form SHGs and earn money by developing own enterprise, instead of wasting your time. Earlier her economic condition was not good, only by Rs.4000/month. She had to manage her big families. Then she thought to start a bandhej work, lahenga, etc. She started earning from this work.
She convinced other nearby ladies to do work together. Then one SHGs name Adarsh formed in 2001. Slowly 4-5 SHGs formed and they are engaged for the same work. They made Bandhej cloth in stock, sell them in Exhibition and earn money. Exhibition occurs 3 times in a year. In Jodhpur exhibition occur on 1st January and in Jaipur it is on 1st March. They sold their homemade products only in exhibition and their neighborhoods according to order.

Ms. Firdosh became guarnteer for each and every SHG during sanction of their loans. Now a days she has 4 SHGs I,e.Mukkadar, Anjuman,Raunak, and Adarsh they are coming for taking training of Bandejh work from her. She gives them 2-3 hours per day for the same at her home only.
Now her saving is Rs.2000-2500/month and she also gets Rs. 1663/month from Aanganwari. On 11 December 2007 she met with Ms.Basundhara Raje, honorable chief minister of Rajasthan on the occasion of women loan mela at Jaipur. Where she took this Bandhej clothes and got award for employment generation. Now Ms.Firdosh kasima is very famous and prestigious lady.

Empowerment through Ashapura restaurant

THE JOURNEY OF A MICRO ENTERPRENEUR

Lela and Kamala are the resident of Bedla village in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Both the ladies are middle aged belong to backward class &economically are also in BPL category. The spouse of both the ladies were illiterate, unemployed and without any assets. Evidently both of them came from extremely poor households who hardly had any means of reasonable subsistence. Ironically both the ladies were introduced to the concept of self help group (SHG) by Ms. Mamta Chauhan, Sathin of DWCD (Department of women and child development). They were totally dazed when they came to know the concepts and utility of a SHG.

They immediately decided to become a member of Janki Mata SHG in their village. The SHG is 9 month old, had 10 number of members, all contributing Rs. 50.00 amount of saving per month.
One of the immediate benefits accrued to Lela and Kamala was by way of their skill development. They got unique opportunity to learn the skill of tailoring, making of artificial jewellary and other entrepreneur skills. Their membership in the group and the inputs from DWCD imbibed in them the traits of self confidence, motivation and entrepreneurship instinct.
Hence they decided to connectively open a tea stall/restaurant in their village because they felt this could be remunerative business. In order to open the tea stall they received a capital of about Rs. 6000.00. They borrowed this amount from their SHGs which was extended by the group at the rate of 1.25% per month to be repaid in 12th this month. They hired shop at Rs.500 per month.

The husbands of both the entrepreneurs came forward to extend the helping hand in managing and running the restaurant. Today Ashapura restaurant has become famous for the tasty samosa and the hot tea it serves to its clients. Both the ladies collectively earn Rs. 2000-2500 per month from this Endeavour. The Ashapura restaurant has clearly broad forward the entrepreneurial skills of the Leela and Kamala.

Dona making: A successful Microenterprise
Dona Making leads to Socio-economic empowerment

Suraj a middle aged lady of Bijanwas village in Udaipur district of Rajasthan has a family of four children, mother-in-law and her spouse Mr. Karan Singh. Karan Singh was a labour contractor earning his livelihood from the booming business of construction taking place in the district. Albeit due to his ill fit he got struck with a serious ailment. Due to his indisposition he could not undertake his job and was soon jobless without any sustainable income. This lead to precarious condition of his family wherein it became difficult for them to survive. Suraj Kuwar is lady with multidimensional personality. She was not only dynamic responsive but also innovative, she had the talent to make various consumer items like carry bag made up of clothes, earthen stoves, stitching and tailoring etc.

She was able to earn responsible amount of income from her multiferous activity. It was only her entrepreneurial instinct which decided for taking up the business of Dona making.

Dona is made out of a paper. The special paper is moulded with the help of an electrically operated machine to give a shape of bowl which is used for various activities. For this enterprise she uses to collect the raw material from a local vendor Keemat Ram. She goes 2 times in one month for bringing raw material for dona making. She expense her own money Rs.15 on transportation, labour charge is Rs.45/- . After making the Dona she is paid a sum of Rs. 49.00 for every 1000 Dona made by the same vendor who supplies the raw material. She belongs to Durga SHG was form in 25 june 2008. Till date she has made total 10,000 dona and her saving is Rs. 350/- . This way Suraj is able to earn.