Block Field Work Learning Report

Block Field Work Learning Report

Name:                                                 Gajraj Singh Solankee

Enrollment no:                                             M2017DTA005

Name of the Agency:                       Center for Dalit Studies 

Name of the Course:        Dalit and Tribal studies & Action

Name of the Field Supervisor:                    Prof. Bodhi S.R.

Introduction –

During our thirty days block fieldwork; we were in block placements in the Siddipet district of Telangana state. There, we worked under Block Placement in the Center for Dalit Studies and also participated in many institutional activities. Practical-based social work for a professional social worker requires a combination of theoretical and practical education. Both types of education are important in order to become social workers for the students of social work, and through the regional education experience, they are required both in and outside the university class. In classroom and area settings, the learning process for students is important to help students acquire, practice and improve essential values, skills, and knowledge. By working with the community, it is an important step in becoming a competent and ethical professional social worker, and thus, it can be seen as a development process. Under Block Placement, we have focused more on the practical work in the field, especially the process of governing policies, rules and procedures for them and the process of finding and understanding the factors affecting them and learning about the oriented nature of learning. Field learning plays a major role in social education and in this way these social work areas are especially important for us to understand the process of learning for us in education.

The objective of the block field work –

1. To develop methods of working in partnership where there are differences in power, caste, ethnicity, gender, age, culture and other differences in status. 
2. To develop the ability to recognize and value the expertise/experience of individuals, families, groups, and communities of Dalit and Tribe groups. 
3. To develop an awareness of discrimination, social disadvantage, prejudice and different forms of oppression
4. To develop strategies that challenge oppression, discrimination, exclusion, disadvantage and other forms of inequality/injustice based on caste and tribe background.
5. To evidence in practice the ability to listen, respect and promote the views and wishes of oppressed/service users within the context of engagement either in social movements, peoples organizations or State Departments. 

Learning through or participated in the activities-     

The organic agriculture workshop

In this workshop, about 25 women of Purusa took part in this workshop from four villages of Raipur, Naskal, Bona, and Chalme. The workshop was encouraged by Mr. Kishan Pantraj, who has been training various groups of farmers on organic farming in the village for the last eight years. In this workshop, he told us about many ways of working in agriculture and at the same time, by reducing the use of chemicals in agriculture, we can easily prepare fertilizers and medicines from our daily use, Due to which the cost of agriculture can also be reduced. Along with this, he told about drip irrigation, how we can produce crops even with less water. Thus the profits of the farmer can be increased further. Most of the farmers in this workshop belonged to Scheduled Castes, who were given land by the Telangana government through three acres of land distribution scheme. Through this workshop, we got an opportunity to connect with people and understand the challenges of agricultural work. We have seen there that people are actively participating in organic farming, because in the state of Telangana, due to water scarcity agriculture work is getting difficult. We saw that the farmers are now heading towards organic farming. In this workshop, I got an opportunity to connect with people and understand the usefulness of organics.

Right to Education-

There has been a long history of the movement for the rights of children in Telangana state. Like all the country, child labor and education have been a sensational issue even in Telangana, a long struggle was fought against these issues in the country by many social workers. After that, the law of education was made in 2005. There was no awareness of the fundamental rights related to the children in the community, which gave every child many rights as well by the "Right to Education". Education is a very important issue today. Every child should get a free and compulsory education while we see that most of the children are stuck in some kind of child labor. Therefore, to break this series, a movement was launched which included the civil society organization involved in creating awareness among the community. With the workers related to this movement, we got an opportunity to participate in one day workshop with them. There we got an opportunity to know and understand the issues of child labor and the law of education rights in 2005. 

I have an observation of many type programs and schemes like 

SC/ST special development fund act

Analyzed the schemes of social welfare department etc

Learning and Reflection-

During block fieldwork, I learned to write a report, learned to write an article on the blog, as well as participated in other programs organized by the organization, which gave me an opportunity to better understand those issues. In this session, I have got the opportunity to know the many rules and regulations related to the scheme run by the government, policies run by the Dalit community. During my fieldwork, I have participated in various types of activities at various levels. After that, in this area, we have learned how to interact with our target group. How can we work together with people in this area, what are their issues, and how those issues are resolved? How the organization creates different strategies for those issues.

Developed professional skills to implement social work theories and methods in practice in the block field work-

During the working of my fieldwork, I got a chance to know and understand a variety of things. I learned about professional skills and communication skills with my filed work like of talking with the community, interacting with the government department, addressing of people in the workshop etc. During my fieldwork, I have tried to use social work theory and social work methods.

Developed of Understanding of agency and administration-

During block fieldwork, I got an opportunity to understand the work of the organization. I have observed how the organization works to make policies and schemes effective in governance within the government. I also understood the structure of the organization.

Learning of Policy level –

During our block fieldwork, I have learned a lot about the work of government policy level. Government policy is made to apply what kind of grassroots up and know how many changes in social policies so things got a chance to learn and understand.

The work of policy analysis is very important in the field of social work. All the policies and schemes of the state are made for marginalized communities. For this, it is very important for us to learn the policies of policy analysis.

Learning to write articles-

During the block placement, I have developed a skill for writing articles. Writing articles or research on any issue, adding new facts about that issue and developing skills to write it in professional language. Developing a skill writing profession is very important for the professional social worker, so I have developed this skill during this block placement.

 Levels of the Intervention -

Social work is often divided into three broad practice categories: Micro, Mezzo and Macro. Micro-social work is the most common practice, and directly with a personal customer or family. Mezzo social work is done on an intermediate scale, which includes neighborhoods, institutions or other small groups. Macro-level social work is a large-scale intervention that affects the entire communities and systems of care. During the block area's work, we have worked at all these levels, in which we are in association with the community in different villages of Siddipet district.  Have talks. At the same time, we have also held meetings with the district administration regarding various issues, plans, programs, and policies.

MICRO LEVEL     

                                           (Individual, Landholder, and Beneficiary)

MEZZO LEVEL

                                              (Families, Community)

MACRO LEVEL

                                 (Legal System with Government, Administration, and Groups)

We have applied and integrated social work theories and methods in the fieldwork setting-

Social work theory generally works on evidence obtained through the scientific method. One theory can explain human behavior when we try to learn about events occurring in the community around us scientifically. It is a human trait in which whatever happens in our conversation, we gather in search of its causes, and research what is the reason behind them, by telling us how humans behave on some excitement or humans. We react and we try to connect them with each other. We have tried to implement social learning theory in our fieldwork.

By - Gajraj Solankee

Block Placement Siddipet ,Telangana

Introduction

I, Vijendra Kumar, along with Bodhi Chakma and Gajraj Solankee was placed in the center for Dalit Studies( CDS) Siddipet, Telangana. Mr.Mallepalli Laxmaiah is the chairman of the CDS.

Centre for Dalit studies is a nonprofit organization established in 1999. It works towards creating awareness about social, political and economic rights of Dalit communities.

It also works with government on policy-making and analyses the welfare schemes.

Tasks

The state of Telangana has introduced many welfare schemes for Scheduled Caste and Schedule tribe people in the state such as Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, Residentials schools, and Land purchase schemes etc. So We were given the tasks to analyze these welfare policies of Telangana Government.

Land purchase scheme: In this scheme up to 3 acre land is provided to Dalit families in the name of a woman. In order to empower landless Dalit family, this is great has been taken at the policy level by the government as 3 lakhs Schedule caste families are landless in the state and 3 lakhs Dalits families are having less than 3-acre land.

Therefore the government promised to give these 6 lakhs Dalit families 18 lakhs acre land as each family up 3-acre land. But still only 13662.37-acre land has been distributed to 5378 Dalit families. So the government has done less than one percent (0.75%).

If we see this scheme at the policy level in terms of poverty eradication and to empower the landless Dalit this is the great scheme I have come across but when it comes to implementation on the ground it is just a scheme. During my research, I have across many farmers who got the land were saying the land which has been given us has

●       Not having irrigation and water facility

●       Some parts of the lands are not cultivable

●       Having no electricity and Bore facility

●       Patta land converting assign land and found problems

Therefore we met with the head of SC corporation department. He was discussing with farmers about these problems that there are going through but it has been 4 years since this scheme was implemented what these government officials have been doing. When I asked him after meeting that there is no water facility and electricity how they will cultivate the land then he said we are working on that.

These I have seen him in the two-three meeting with farmers but he never came up with a solution he used to say in every village that we are working on that.

One thing I also have come across is that the government has taken away some farmers land for the industrial purpose with the promise that it will give 6 lakhs against each acre but still there are many farmers who have been not paid a single amount against their land.

Kalyana Lakshmi scheme is an also a welfare scheme initiated by Telangana government to alleviate the financial distress of SC and ST families by giving Rs. 100116 during their girl's marriages. The scheme empowered the bride and their families to take better decisions in regard to the choice of the bridegroom, timely arrangement of the marriage and the overall expenses for the wedding. Due to financial constraints, parents often make compromises or they have to marry off their daughter in before 18 years.

So since this scheme was launched with 51000 Rs. the child marriage rate has also come down now people do not marry their daughter before 18 years.

Table : Application registered and beneficiaries under Kalyana laxmi scheme

Year	No. of districts	No. of application registered	No. of  beneficiaries	Percentage
2014-015	10	5452	5115	93.81
2015-016	10	32419	30620	94.40
2016-2017	68	24101	22454	93.16
2017-2018	68	26049	25223	96.82
Total	156	88021	83412	94.76

The data has been taken through RTI in August 2018

If we see the above table about 95% application has been given the amount which is a good percentage but still, 4609 applications (88021-83412) are pending. And the 2018-2019 data are not included in this which shows 24712 application has received and only 12535 are the beneficiaries

If we included 2018-19 data then total no. of the pending application becomes 16786 which yet to be paid.

The Kalyana Laxmi scheme has been a good initiative and society has a great impact of it but still, some steps need to be taken to make this scheme more successful and more beneficiary towards the society. As we see lots of applications are still pending and there is no transparency whether that there are pending or they are being rejected. The education criteria could be included which would help in girls education or the  Amount can be set according to brides education qualification. A lot of welfare schemes and measures for rehabilitation are available to prevent child marriage of girls. But, there is very little focus on boys as the NFHS survey says that 18.1 percent of men in Telangana are married off before they attain the legal age of 21 so to curb the child marriage of boys grooms age also should be mandatory in this scheme.

Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS): TSWREIS is running 268 residential educational institutions (from 5th standard to Undergraduate level) in the state of Telangana under the Ministry of Scheduled Caste Development, Government of Telangana.

The state has a good model of schools which providing quality education deprived and marginalized students with good facility food, surveillance, resident and water, and sanitation.

We have visited some junior colleges and felt that it could be the good model of schools for other states. We were quite satisfied with teaching pedagogy which they have but we were not satisfied with water and sanitation facility over there.  

Learning

Research: while working with CDS on policy-making and policy assessment I learned Research skills because we had to lot of research to understand the work and understand the impact of the policy.

Policy and Implementation: We make big policies or schemes but when it comes to implementation we are failed. Any welfare schemes are useless if it is not being implemented on the ground. Giving 3 acres land to landless farmers is a good initiative but only 0.75% landless farmers got land even the government could not achieve 1% of its target.

Intervention in the policy level: Many Dalit and tribal activists working towards the empowering the Dalits and Tribals in terms of educationally, socially, economically and politically by working in different ways. But I feel that, after working with CDS,  we can influence a mass public by making a good welfare policy or scheme which can bring a sustainable development.

Power distribution or centralization: During research, I have come across a Sarpanch from Ananthasagar village who is a Dalit. I found that the village had a good governance by sarpanch. He delivers all schemes or services on times like 2BHK house, Old Age pension, drinking water and so on. He has set up a good surveillance system in his village so they can prevent theft and murder incidents in villages. In a small village, a sarpanch is working towards the empowering the village why at every stage of governance it is not happening like this.

Socio-economic situation of Dalits and tribals:  whenever we used to visit we see the Statue of  Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar before entering the village. We have visited many villages and in most of the villages, I found statues over there. There are not merely statue they show the history of the struggle of  Dalits. Every statue of  Dr.Ambedkar  has a history.  And we found that Dalits are aware of their rights. They have a good household and they were not all illiterate. Although caste discrimination is existing they struggle. But when it comes to tribal people their condition is not so good. They are very marginalized and deprived than Dalits.

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Data Collected by RTI  on 20/08/2018

Understanding Policy Making: Reflection and Learning

The third semester block placement was placed in the southern state of India called Telangana. Telangana was a new state that came up in 2014 from Andhra Pradesh.  I was placed in an Organization called Centre for Dalit Studies for a month. Is a non-profit organization which work in a policy level intervention to create awareness on social, political and economic rights for Dalit communities. They emphasis on building and ensuring equal rights and entitlement.

For the welfare of the marginalized communities the Telangana government modified the ACT. No.1 of 2013 to Telangana State Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Special Development Fund- Planning Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources (ACT No. 18 of 2017). Mr. Pallepalli Laxmiah (Chairman, CDS) had played a major role in the process. CDS has given many suggestion and recommendation in the enactment of the Act. My activity and task was to work on the government policies that are bought under with Special Development Plan. I have visited the communities and tried to study about these schemes on the ground level in the Siddipet district.

In this study I have tried to do the analysis on the basis of interactions, observation and data from the government.

Following there are detailed accounts of activities done with reflections.

A.    Organic farming

I visited in a nearby village called Konapur where organic cultivation was done. It was organized by the Dalit Bahujan Resource Center. There are around 14 individuals from four villages Rayathpur, Naskal, Bonala, and Chalmeda desired for the workshop. The workshop was encouraged by Mr. Kishan Mudiraj, who is an organic farming activist for the last eight years in the village. Most of the farmer belongs to the Schedule caste were present who got the land under the land distribution schemes of Telangana government.

Reflection

It shows that people are actively participating on the organic farming because there are no irrigation facilities as well as because of water scarcity. Farmers are shifting towards organic farming as also they the fertilizers are much higher in cost and farmers cannot afford. It was a workshop that help me in understanding about the uses and how to increase the agriculture cultivation without extra investment. Most of the participant were interested in listening to the lecture on and were ready to take training on organic farming.

B.     Visit to SC and ST hostels and residential schools.

Student belongs to minorities stays in the hostels in Siddipet district. The Telangana Scheduled Caste Residential Educational Institutions Society is administering the Residential Educational Institutions for quality education of SC girls and boys in the State.

Reflection

While interacting with the student’s we came across the problems they are facing and the responsible department have been ignoring even though complaint are been made.

1. There is only dal and rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner only on Sunday there is non-veg in dinner. Even there are complaints regarding it to the warden, it’s still the same there is no change in the menu.

2. In the ST hostel the ground floor student doesn’t have any bed. The SC hostel doesn’t have any bedding in the rooms.

3. There is less bathroom regardless of the number of students. And there is no daily cleaning of the bathrooms. The students take bath and wash their clothes outside the hostel.

4. The hostel doesn’t have any library all they have to learn in the colleges itself.

5. In the SC hostel there is a room for a computer lab where cooking utensils are been kept.

6. There is no health lab in the hostels for the primary medical purpose.

7. As per the observation there is no cleanliness and hygiene regarding the hostel mess or kitchen.

After looking to the following problems in these hostels the big problems faced by the student are due to the least facilities provided by the government. Because when we talk about the development of a community, education plays a vital role and hostels for the marginalized community’s plays a larger part in the progress of it. The central and state government allocate many budget and funds for the development of these communities. However, the implication doesn’t reach out to the grassroots level.

If the government doesn’t take serious note in the monitoring on the implementation of these schemes than there is no success in reaching the objectives. As well as the center and state government should also increase in funds in order to reduce this kind of problems that these hostels students are facing, for which the enrolled students in the hostels should get a proper quality based education.

C.    Meeting of SC Corporation with the villagers.

The meeting was held in Rampur village with the objectives to aware the people about the ongoing schemes and programs and how they can apply for it. It is a kind of orientation regarding the schemes from the SC Corporation. Mostly to provide the village with Pilot Project, related to agriculture and allied activities, transportation, crop and vehicle loan etc. The mission was to provide financial assistance for income generating assets to the poor Schedule Caste. To provide finance in economic support schemes. It also looks after the overall development of the Schedule Caste.

D. An interview with a child rights activist

A movement was emerged from the community in 1993, which was based on the “Child Right” and education was one of the principal motives of it. In Andhra Pradesh, child labor was extremely visible in every village children were working on cattle rearing, household work, landlord houses etc. There was no awareness in the community about the fundamental rights that state every child from 6 to 14 years have right to get an education. Some of the parents who think that their children should get an education they send their children to the school while other children go to landlord houses to work. So, in order to break this chain, a movement was started which include civil society organization involved in building awareness in the community. At the state level, at first M Venkatarangaiya Foundation was established. He was one of the freedom fighters in the independence movement of India. He started the movement in his community by providing a lamp to every household in the village for the children to study at night.

LEARNINGS

After working for a month in the Siddipet district and visiting the communities I had developed understanding on Policy Assessment, how policy are been made and implemented in the real ground level. The organization was a think tank based in Telengana. The majorly in researching and providing policy recommendation to the state government. I as an intern had a great learning in terms of working in action based research organization. At the end of my field work days I felt a professional growth within me. I learned to work with the organizational structure.

Apart from this through my field visits, I get in touched with the rural areas of Telengana. Visit made me well equipped with land based issues and conflicts in the rural areas. The implementation of recommended policies from our organization in amalgamation with government polices made me realized that the fight for bringing back the social justice at macro level.

Along with these setting tried to relate the policy making into theoretical framework. The importance of making policies to provide a macro level change and intervention in the society for the marginalized communities. Although from my personal view and experience, the policy making can be a bigger loophole for the marginalized communities because most of the policies that are made are not implemented as required. It may be a developmental model but the real scenario can be on the periphery of it after analyzing the data.

MACRO LEVEL UNDERSTANDING OF POLICY MAKING (THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK)