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Peoples' Rights Education Movement (PREM)
Peoples' Rights Education Movement (PREM) is an NGO working with the indigenous community called the KORKUS. They have been the ancestral inhabitants of the MELGHAT RESERVE forest in India. Now the tribe is slowly being endangered and their population is being diminished due to various reasons.
PREM wants to promote,protect and defend the tribal Rights.We take up the cause of the indigenous community.
Being the most disadvantage section of the society, the region is food insecure and still suffering from various social and economic liabilities. The major underlying problem is the land alienation process set in by the authorities for project Tiger, bird sanctuary, Reserve forest and Dam.
Lack of purchasing power caused by inadequate employment opportunities, ineffective Government services in the field of health, education, social security and loss of rights over minor forest produce - (Nistar Rights). All these factors have lead to the question of the very survival of the indigenous community.
The land just does not provide enough food for all. With just a handful of earth to live on, food has become a near luxury at Melghat. This situation has resulted in hundreds of tribal children falling prey to malnutrition and disease. The tribe itself is being gnawed by ignorance and exploitation. These are the endangered tribes.
If nothing is done our children and our tribal women, who are most vulnerable, will continue to die of hunger and malnutrition. The tribe lands the Government is claiming for its project will have to go and 59 villages will be rendered displaced, the tribal community will get dispersed and the Korkus tribals will soon become an vanished tribe along with its culture, language and tradition.
FOCUS
- BUILD FOOD SECURITY AND ENHANCE PURCHASING POWER
The problem has two phases, the first is to address the immediate need of the community and that is to address the need of hunger in the region. The region is hungry in the months of march, april, may, ,june, july and august. These are the critical months when tribes are without food and even potable water. Intervention has to be made during this months. It is during this months innocent tribal children die. We must look into the issue of food security.
Programmes like food for work, feeding centres ,critical care centres for children (0-6yrs) should be introduced on war footing.
The actions needed have to be in regards to this first focus.
Second phase: The local primary health centres needed to be equipped with incubators, life saving medicines and drugs, and above all good communication system and mobility. We also need to interface with the government to improve the infrastructure. There are no ambulance in the primary health centres in the interior region. Tribes do not have access to quality medical attention as in the urban areas and our just demand is to restore the same facilities as in the urban areas.
- ACTIVITY FORMATION OF SELF-HELP GROUPS (SHG’s)
- To activity organized the total tribal women population under SHG’s (self-help groups)
- Promote savings, encourage internal lending and break the dependency on moneylender. Linking these groups with resource agencies for further development
- Promote small scale economic activity for the self groups to generate income for the group.
- FOOD SECURITY
- GRAIN BANKS.
Creation of grain banks to be managed by TRIBAL WOMEN ( women’s group) to meet the food requirement at domestic sector once again the objective is to reduce dependency on moneylenders for minor needs, leading to a path of self-sufficiency. - SEEDS BANKS
To initiate through self-help groups (SHG’s) seed banks. To promote agriculture and preventing farmers from falling prey to money leaders.Buying of seeds through co-operatives and selling them at subsidised rate to the farmers.
- GRAIN BANKS.
- WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship likes single-phase atta chakki (flour mill) petty shop, grain shop, etc. And enhance income generation at domestic sector.
- NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCE
Formation of women’s co-operative for purchase, collection and sale of minor forest produce like awala, Palma Rosa grass, ginger grass, etc.
To promote non-timber forest produce through organized marketing through co-operatives.
- MOVEMENT TOWARDS SELF-SUFFICIENCY
To make the village self-sufficient in terms of food, purchasing power, empowerment, seed and other relevant services.
- SOCIAL SECURITY FOR WOMEN
To introduce insurance coverage for women through self-help groups as they face constant danger.
- FOOD FOR WORK
Initiation of food for work programme during critical months of monsoon.
- WATER SHED PROJECT
Initiation of water shed projects and land improvement programmes to increase agricultural production.
- PROMOTION OF RIGHTS
- Initiation of tribal self-rule (Gram-Sabha) based on Panchayat Raj. To be bought about through self-help groups.
- .Awareness building on tribal right.
- To work on the issue related to land alienation.
- Promotion and protection of Nistar Rights.
- Enacting indigenous women leadership.
- PROMOTIONAL OF MATERNAL HEALTH AND CHILD SURVIVAL ACTIVITY (HEALTH).
- To initiate through self-help groups promote safe motherhood, clean delivery practice for elimination of neo-natal tetanus, breast feeding, child spacing and hygiene as it has important role in reducing mortality during infancy.
- To educate and disseminate information of locally available maternal nutritional diet and its importance.
- Interface with health workers, dias, Aganwadi Sevikas, and local PHC/Sub-center for provision of prompt, effective and clean service to the target group.
- To educate on practices of three cleans: - Viz.
- Clean Hands.
- Clean surface for delivery
- Clean cutting and care of the chord.
- To proactively interface government organization for provision of neo-natal health care at sub-center level.
- Health education on regular basis.
