A self learning exercise to explore the ideal village of Maharashtra.

1. HIWARE BAZAAR
Deconstructing the Ideal Village
Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra
22 Dec 2012 - 25 Dec 2012

2. Model village of Maharashtra
A self-learning exercise to experience and understand
the reality of this model of development
Methods – participative observation, specific enquiry
based construction of context, village walks, etc.
All views are mine and any factual errors are unintentional, and entirely my mistake

3. The Village Map

4. History
• Migration due to unemployment and livelihood distress
• Alcoholism and collapse of education and healthcare
• Faction-ridden society with fights on issues of land
encroachment, water issues, etc. Conversation with people
of the neighbouring
• Lack of solidarity and respect villages reveal that they
are envious and proud of
Hiware Bazaar and
Geography identify these things as
the stumbling blocks in
their path of progress
• Around 1000 hectares at the foothills of Sahyadris
• Total rainfall 199 mm (2011-12), Water scarce region,
Ground water exploitation
• Agriculture rain fed
• Limited water retention- (a) Geological structure does not
allow for water permeability (b) Degradation of forests

5. The State Of Affairs NOW
• Full access to safe drinking water, sanitation, very high literacy, school
education upto X std.
• Increase in irrigated area + ground water
• Sustainable prosperous agriculture + Dairy economy very prosperous
due to high quality of grass
• Effective public institutions, high physical development, participatory
governance and prosperous.

7. The Transition To Progress…
Governance
• Experiential Learning: Initially a demonstration was carried out to the villages
about the failed projects in neighbouring villages about the mis-management of
resources
• Gram Sabha: meetings every month at least, and more on need-basis, all voices
are duly regarded, not a noble dictator; as told by the Sarpanch to us- a simple
majority is not used; until a vast majority, esp. the parties involved agree, the
proposed initiative is not taken up - Eg. the land re-measurement task was
pending from 1997-2004 due to enormous resistance.
• People power: The people prioritise their development projects, contribute free
labour through shramdaan and manage essential natural resources through
enforcement of norms
• Transparency & Accountability– expenditure statements accessible to all- was
brought about to convince the doubters.

8. Resource Use Management
• Awareness generation about soil and water conservation
• Ban on private bore wells (except two for drinking water), community hand
pumps installed at several places. Open wells used for water access
• Ban on water-intensive crops like sugarcane and banana. Half acre
sugarcane permitted for fodder purpose, but only through usage of drip
irrigation
• Measurement of groundwater levels by school children
• Collection and Management of a monthly water tax – Rs 60/month (2012)- on
individual connections
• Committees to monitor forest conservation, cleanliness, wildlife protection
• Decisions on crop planning and water budgeting taken in Gram Sansad
meetings
o Based on the rainfall in a given year, the village decides for using kharif,
rabi or summer crops.
o Drip Irrigation is encouraged

9. • Mostly bio-gas used, Chulhas less used to preserve biomass, LPGs not as
prevalent, but exists.
• Some decisions were enforced in a staggered manner to not affect the poor
o Tree cutting ban incrementally increased starting from forest land.
• An instance of gaming the system- People started misusing the
temporary stay on Babul tree cutting. Many were cut as a result. A Pune-
based consultant was hired and the trees were injected at the
root, giving more gum resin output. This is how trees were saved.
o Grazing restrictions also incremental in nature.
• Open grazing in rotational basis
• One head load of grass a day from common lands for Rs. 100 per year.
Fee exempt for poor/landless families, cut through sickle to preserve
roots.

10. Watershed Development Initiative
Before the watershed development, rainwater was flowing without percolation and
retention. This was due to no time available for the water to seep into the soil. This process
may be accelerated due to loss of green cover and forest degradation.
The watershed development programme in Hiware Bazaar started in 1992.
The set of measures they undertook were-
• Reforestation of the hilly forest land
• Building trenches along contours
• Shallow dams off stone or cement
• Aquifer blast - because the run off water was flowing to the neighbouring pond, creating
cracks for groundwater to flow through
Low earthen barriers and small ponds were constructed for additional surface water storage
Financing was achieved through the various govt schemes
o Joint Forestry Management Programme with the Forest Dept. on forest land
o Adarsh Gaon Yojana of the Maharashtra Govt on non-forest land
Yashwant Krishi Gram and Watershed Development Trust –NGOs, managed the money and
offered technical assistance– the Sarpanch being a part of this NGO
Shramdaan provided free labour

11. Some Misc. Details
Land value increased due to productivity.. Sale of land to outsiders
was banned, and landless were given first priority to purchase land.
Active credit access for land and livestock by the gram sabha and
the sarpanch.
A visit to a particular dalit settlement displayed a good sense of well-
being and belonginess. Seemed contended, secured and well
integrated with the village. Physical development - concrete road,
pakka houses, water, toilets, water tank nearby.
Part of school land was initially a liquor shop. All liquor shops were shut
down. The school building was renovated and expanded through
villagers self contribution, utilising govt funds and through shramdaan.

12. Farming is a primary occupation. Common crops grown-
Jawar, Corn, Pomogranate, Tomato, Brinjal, Onion, Dhaniya, Sitafal, etc
. Mechanised farming and drip irrigation is also variedly used. With rise
in income due to agricultural prosperity, investment in water storage
and in assets like cattle has increased
Community feeling is a striking feature. Animosities perceived to be
absent during our conversations with numerous individuals with differing
social standing.
A water tank near the Dalit settlements and a mosque for the only
Muslim household are powerful symbols of inclusiveness and integration
Due to better governance and optimal resource use management, all
public institutions like public distribution system, public health care, etc.
seems to be functioning well, much to the satisfaction of the villagers.

13. Sarpanch’s Crucial Decisions
• Tapping into govt scheme funds (one of the first being Indira Awaas
Yojana) through his ‘social-cultural capital’ for sanctioning grants.
• Primary thrust on education and later water-management (imp
resource in dryland regions and where agriculture is the mainstay)
• Participatory governance, uniting community (through fostering of
values and education), transparency and accountability, following
norms, Shramdaan.
• Community driven with active assistance to the poor. Land sale ban
to outsiders helped in the landless buying land – equitable growth

14. Luck Factors
• Less population (around thousand) and a vastly homogeneous
one – 80% Marathas. Consensus building and decision making for
resource sharing becomes faster and easier.
• Far away from a major city. Not counting Ahmednagar. Helps
reducing aspirations of the city life. Bad transport connectivity.
• Leadership: Had Popatrao Pawar – an affluent, educated city
folk who was persuaded to return and lead the panchayat to
head it and show the future direction. Humble, Dedicated and
Farsighted guy.
• Geography: Being near the foothills of the Sahaydris, easier to
trace water flowing patterns, thus watershed programme was
slightly easier to implement

15. Future Prospects
• Agricultural prosperity is unlikely to let the villagers shift
occupations.
• Preservation of norms and commons is a continuous
challenge
• Urbanised, mechanised aspirational city life in the nearby may
bring about changes
• Although all efforts are community driven, it binds only at the
face of a respected leadership. Leadership transition may
have profound unintended changes.

16. What Hiware Bazaar SHOULD BE PROUD OF?
• Strategic interventions esp. watershed management
= agriculturally sustainable >> PROSPERITY
• Correspondingly renewal of public institutions +
participative, accountable governance = IDEAL
VILLAGE
What Hiware Bazaar SHOULD NOT CONFUSE itself as?
• NOT SELF SUFFICIENT in the fullest sense- either alone,
or even a part of associated units of villages, towns
or cities.
• DEPENDENT on other places for all essential,
manufactured and service goods.

17. Community driven commons approach Hiware Bazaar
• Emphasis on collaboration, community bonds - a near perfect
example
• Economically inefficient, ecologically sustainable
• Stake in ownership helps preserve resources
• Norms easier to maintain and regulate
• Everyone wins, equitable-inclusive growth
Incentive driven economic approach Dominant
economic
• Emphasis on competition, atomistic individual grows model followed
• Economically efficient, ecologically unsustainable in India
• Aim for profit seeking, may lead to reckless use of resources.
• Laws are devised, and soon after loopholes are crafted out to escape
regulation
• Few winners, many losers- esp the poor and the environment

18. My Perspective
Need for (a) Decentralisation of powers (b) Building capacities at
the grassroots (c) Local context driven solutions with
assistance(financial, technical, etc.) from the bigger institutions
Commons may produce less economic efficiency than pvt.
property but seems to win in aspects of social (community
bonding, helps in reduced alienation of the individual) and
ecological (prudent use of resources) aspects
Can industries be accommodated/integrated with such models
? Or will some places always have to face the wrath of
‘development' agenda ?