KUDUMBASREE : A TORCH OF PROSPERITY FOR THE POOR

Elias P. Peter*

 Kudumbasree is a poverty eradication project officially launched by the Government of Kerala with the active support of the Centre and NABARD for wiping out absolute poverty from the State within 10 years. The project was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on May 17, 1998 at Malapuram.

 The project is implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission of the State government through local self-governing bodies. It aims at eradicating absolute poverty in ten years through concerted community action under the leadership of local self government bodies. This mission is the transformation of earlier Urban Poverty Alleviation Programmes (UPAP) like Urban Basic Services (UBS) and Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP) which had been successfully implemented for improving the livelihood of the poor in urban areas with community participation.

The success of UBS/UBSP projects prompted the State Government to extend this project to all urban local bodies in the State. The local bodies in urban areas were directed to set up poverty alleviation cells and to implement poverty alleviation programmes as was done in Alappuzha and Malappuram districts. The project started by Alappuzha Municipality came to be known later as "Alappuzha Model". In this model, the poor were identified based on non-economic criteria. Nine indicators were used to identify the beneficiary families. These included - possession of a kutcha house, no access to safe drinking water and sanitary latrine, presence of illiterate adults in the family with not more than one earning member, family getting barely two meals a day or less, presence of children below the age of five, presence of alcoholic or drug addict in the family and family belonging to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. Such families were termed as a risk families.

The implementation of Poverty Alleviation Programme with community participation in Alappuzha won laurels from the United Nations. Alappuzha received "We the Peoples : 50 Communities" Award initiated in commemoration of The 50th anniversary of the United Nations. In 1994 the Community Based Nutrition Programme and Poverty Alleviation Project (CBNP & PAP) started functioning with UNICEF assistance and participation of local community in the entire area of Malappuram, considered as the most backward district of Kerala. Over 4000 neighbourhood groups of poor women were formed under this project and they started mobilising savings which touched over Rs. 2.50 crore in August last year. They were also able to channelise financial assistance amounting to Rs. 2 crore from NABARD and other agencies. Around 700 neighbourhood groups were linked to various commercial banks under the Linkage Banking Programme of NABARD. The implementation of Government-sponsored programmes for improving health and sanitation in Malappuram District was channelled through neighbourhood groups.

With the announcement of CBNP, 100 percent immunization could also be achieved in the district through the Pulse Polio Campaign. The distribution of applications for old age pension and other social security measures which routed through CBNP resulted in effective transfer process. Special programmes for the development of SC & ST were also successful. The implementation of District Primary Education Programmes (DPEP) and the convergence of various entrepreneurial activities undertaken by the District Industries Centre promoted more than 15,000 micro enterprises in Malappuram district.

For effective implementation of Kudumbasree a three-tier community-based organisation is in action. The bottom tier constitutes the Neighbourhood Group (NG) consisting of 20-40 women selected from poor families. Meetings are convened on a weekly basis in the house of NG members. Problems faced by group members are discussed in such meetings and suggestions for improving the situation are implemented. Government officials also attend these meetings for explaining schemes implemented by them. During such weekly meetings, all members bring their savings which are collected and recycled to the system by way of sanctioning loans. Women are encouraged to start small enterprises as a group. To co-ordinate activities of each NG, five volunteers from among members of the group are selected.

 Besides empowering women through community-based organisation, Kudumbasree encourages and guides them to start small enterprises. Products manufactured by such enterprises are sold through rural marketing network.

Kudumbasree has identified five primitive tribal groups in the State. Through concerted efforts and many rounds of training programmes around 400 NG be formed exclusively for them. They have also started mobilising savings and in Wyanad district of the State, the tribal NGs have so far collected Rs. 16 lakh since January 2000. By December 2001, the savings are estimated to reach Rs. 1 crore. Members of Kudumbasree Neighbourhood Groups can now get a loan of Rs. 30,000 to 50,000 from the NG itself. This saves them from all difficulties in getting a loan sanctioned by a bank. In Wyanad district Kudumbasree NGs could successfully repay 100 per cent loans taken from Banks and other financial institutions. Many small enterprises like printing press, soap manufacturing unit, food processing units and canteens are successfully run by NG members in various parts of the district. These units are doing business profitably ensuring a regular income for all members.

Kudumbasree aims at establishing 60,200 Neighbourhood Groups in Kerala for eradication of absolute poverty within the next 10 years. Kudumbasree is now engaged in providing houses with toilets and safe drinking water within the next five years to all people in Kerala, who are devoid of shelter.

Information Officer, Kochi