The women of Badtunda’s mission to recover their land, their rights and their freedom.
A couple of years back, Niladri, Indira, Kushalya and Kalinga’s families had mortgaged their land to mahajans and landlords of the village. Today, Niladri and Indira are free of debt and own 50 dismal of land each in their village Badtunda, in Bangomunda block of Bolangir district. Twelve other women of this village have also earned their right to parental land. But this right was not achieved overnight – it was the outcome of a long and bitter struggle spearheaded by the Badtunda Mahila Samiti.
Badtunda and nearby villages are drought prone, so most of the people subsist below the poverty line. Crop failure often forces them to mortgage their land to local Mahajans or landlords. The rate of interest is so steep that the chance of recovering their land becomes remote, if not impossible.
When Niladri’s husband was seriously ill, she had to mortgage their land for his treatment. Later, the couple found it impossible to recover their land. It was the Mahila Vikash Samiti that came to Niladri’s rescue by helping her pay back the debt of Rs5,000 and recover the land. According to the norms of the Samiti, the family has to give up ownership rights over half an acre of land. In addition, the borrower has to pay a nominal interest of two per cent a month on the amount loaned by the Samiti. Earlier, they had to pay 10 per cent interest every month to Mahajans and landlords.
However, it is Niladri and her husband who decide on the kind of crop to be cultivated on the land. Similarly, Indira borrowed Rs6,000 and Khagni Nag, Rs7,000 from the Samiti to pay off debts and recover their mortgaged land. There have been numerous cases where villagers have borrowed money from the Samiti for the education and marriage of their children.
As the Samitihas evolved from a self-help group, the villagers finally seem to have found the answers to their miserable living conditions, says Jagannath Mishra of Vikalpa, a non-government organisation (NCO) working in the area. It first started organising the women of the region for their empowerment through Mahila Vikash Samities. In the Samiti, saving and credit operations are an important component of their developmental strategy. It also organises solitary action and legal redressal forums. Following a workshop on land rights and land alienation, a group of women took the initiative to recover land mortgaged by their husbands to Mahqians by utilising their group saving. Later, through an agreement with their husbands, they possessed ownership rights of the land. This is a significant turning point, Mishra maintains. This small initiative has released about 150 acres of land from the clutches of unscrupulous traders and moneylenders.
Moreover, the movement has led to the emergence of a group of women farm owners. These farm owners possess the right to own, sell, mortgage, cultivate and sell the produce of their land.
However, the task of empowering women is not yet complete, as there are many women in the area who are not yet members of the Samiti. But awareness is growing.
A couple of years back, Niladri, Indira, Kushalya and Kalinga’s families had mortgaged their land to mahajans and landlords of the village. Today, Niladri and Indira are free of debt and own 50 dismal of land each in their village Badtunda, in Bangomunda block of Bolangir district. Twelve other women of this village have also earned their right to parental land. But this right was not achieved overnight – it was the outcome of a long and bitter struggle spearheaded by the Badtunda Mahila Samiti.
Badtunda and nearby villages are drought prone, so most of the people subsist below the poverty line. Crop failure often forces them to mortgage their land to local Mahajans or landlords. The rate of interest is so steep that the chance of recovering their land becomes remote, if not impossible.
When Niladri’s husband was seriously ill, she had to mortgage their land for his treatment. Later, the couple found it impossible to recover their land. It was the Mahila Vikash Samiti that came to Niladri’s rescue by helping her pay back the debt of Rs5,000 and recover the land. According to the norms of the Samiti, the family has to give up ownership rights over half an acre of land. In addition, the borrower has to pay a nominal interest of two per cent a month on the amount loaned by the Samiti. Earlier, they had to pay 10 per cent interest every month to Mahajans and landlords.
However, it is Niladri and her husband who decide on the kind of crop to be cultivated on the land. Similarly, Indira borrowed Rs6,000 and Khagni Nag, Rs7,000 from the Samiti to pay off debts and recover their mortgaged land. There have been numerous cases where villagers have borrowed money from the Samiti for the education and marriage of their children.
As the Samitihas evolved from a self-help group, the villagers finally seem to have found the answers to their miserable living conditions, says Jagannath Mishra of Vikalpa, a non-government organisation (NCO) working in the area. It first started organising the women of the region for their empowerment through Mahila Vikash Samities. In the Samiti, saving and credit operations are an important component of their developmental strategy. It also organises solitary action and legal redressal forums. Following a workshop on land rights and land alienation, a group of women took the initiative to recover land mortgaged by their husbands to Mahqians by utilising their group saving. Later, through an agreement with their husbands, they possessed ownership rights of the land. This is a significant turning point, Mishra maintains. This small initiative has released about 150 acres of land from the clutches of unscrupulous traders and moneylenders.
Moreover, the movement has led to the emergence of a group of women farm owners. These farm owners possess the right to own, sell, mortgage, cultivate and sell the produce of their land.
However, the task of empowering women is not yet complete, as there are many women in the area who are not yet members of the Samiti. But awareness is growing.
About : Purusottam Singh Thakur
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