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Coalition and synergy:

Travelogue of an evolving institution

(Revisiting vision and agenda of Nidan)

Report on the envisioning exercise

NIDAN

NIDAN Sudama Bhawan

Boring Road , Patna -800 001

Ph/Fax: 0612-2577589, 2570705

Email: nidanpat@gmail.com, Website: www.nidan.in

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Acronyms

CRY Child Relief and You

FES Friederich Ebert Stiftung

MIS Management Information System NABARD National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development

NAREGA National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

NASVI National Association of Street Vendors of India

NCCCL National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation

NCCUSW National Campaign Committee for Unorganized Sector Worker

PIL Public Interest Litigation

PMC Patna Municipal Corporation R&D Research and Development

SDTT Sir Dorabji Tata Trust

SEWA Self-employed Women Association

SGSY Swarn Jayanti Swarojgar Yojana

SHRC State Human Rights Commission

UN United Nations WDC Women Development Corporation

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Preface

Institution building is a complex process- self-evolving and dynamic in nature. The

vision of an institution, by definition, should reflect the vision of the stakeholders who

decide upon and shape the goals and objectives on the one hand and strategies to

achieve the goals on the other. There is, however, growing instances of blue prints of

institutions cast in fixed mould and implanted. The former are strongly embedded in

the local and collective milieu while the later may be indifferent and alien to the local

realities. Consequently, the former are in a state of readiness to effectively engage and

negotiate with the external environment and turn the situations in their favour. The

later tend to get easily overwhelmed by the contingencies and collapse in the face of

slightest unfavourable circumstances.

Evolved in an environment of hostility and contestation Nidan represents the vision

and social enterprise of concerned individuals who were moved by the state and

societal indifference and hostility against the unorganized sectors whose entitlements

and rights are so grossly ignored and violated. Nidan has been at work for more than a

decade engaging itself to collectivise, enable and empower the unorganized sector and

help them assert their rights and entitlements. Adopting need based and self-evolving

strategies Nidan designed and adapted strategies and programs which are compatible

with the local situation with strong involvement of the stakeholders. This seems to

have worked well and Nidan emerges as an example of successful institution to

address the issues of the unorganized sector by building effective coalition and

synergy. Nidan has moved on to uncovered territories and communities which

urgently require such interventions. Through its strategies and actions it has

developed a formidable clout in the social development sector and strong support

base.

Since the growth has been very fast the direction of growth and their relevance needs

to be seen. The collaborators and Nidan itself realized the need to look back and

reflect around its vision, strategies and goals. This is in this context that revisiting its

vision and goals has been planned which is preceded by an intensive review by a team

of professionally competent individuals. The envisioning process has been very

interesting. Interaction with the stakeholders, development of vision board and small

group reflections offered immense opportunity for learning and objectively analysing

the programs and activities. It also provoked stimulation to consider the changing

vision, strategies and programs. The final vision document is an outcome of the above

process.

I had the opportunity to facilitate envisioning process. Personally it offered me

opportunity to enrich my learning. I am extremely grateful to Nidan for offering me

this opportunity to engage myself with this very important task. Ms.Shalini Sinha, one

of the members of the review team, offered important insight during the final

stakeholders‟ consultation. Her inputs have been extremely useful which helped in

articulating various strategies. I am thankful to her. The core committee of Nidan had

to sit several times and reflect. Their thoughtful and creative inputs have been very

useful. Rakesh ji and Arbind ji have been quite inspiring and committed all these six

months during which the process was facilitated. I admire their patience, enthusiasm

and sense of objectivity in their assessment and analysis. The participants to all the

focused group interviews and consultations have been quite forthcoming with creative

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inputs. But for their involvement and objectivity the exercise would have remained

superficial with missing realism.

The merit of the document should not be seen in terms of its scholarly depth but in

terms of how much it has been able to reflect the vision of the stakeholders who

represent diversity and richness. I sincerely hope the document would be useful in

guiding relevant actions over time.

Patna Rajeshwar Mishra

The 23rd

of October, 2008

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Contents

1. Acronyms 2

2. Preface 3-4

3. Executive Summary 7-8

4. Evolving Vision for NIDAN 9-11

The context and evolution

Revisiting the vision/growth trajectory

Building new vision: SDTT initiative

Method and process of the exercise

Presentation of the report

5. Institutional analysis 12-15

Origin -How the idea evolved

The initial support

First things to happen

Evolving institutions for and by the poor-SHGs

Credentials consolidates

Strengthening and consolidating the initial agenda

Setting the agenda: A self evolving process

Those who supported the agenda and nature of support?

Institutional structure

Capacity building inputs

General Governance

The success and achievements

The impact

The growing outreach, network and coverage

The triggers in the life of Nidan

The balance sheet

6. Program and sect oral analysis 24-41

Self-help groups

Micro-Credit Services

Micro-insurance

Cooperatives and collective enterprises

Network and advocacy

Education and child Rights

Health

Disaster management

Nidan‟s interventions

7. The Envisioning 42-72 The evolving frame work

Livelihood, Self-help groups and micro-credit

- Strategies envisaged

- Action Plan

Micro-credit

- Strategies

- Action Plan of Micro Finance

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Micro-insurance

- Strategies to realize the above

- Action Plan

Cooperatives

- Strategies to realize the vision

- Action Plan of Cooperatives

Network and advocacy

- Strategies

- Action Plan

EDUCATION and child right

- Strategy to achieve the above vision

Action Plan

Health

- The strategies

- Action Plan

Disaster Management

- Strategies

- Action plan for disaster management

The challenges of up-scaling: Institutional restructuring

Moral and ideological issues

Restructuring and institutional reform

Strategies

Capacity building and communication

Decentralization

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Executive summary

The envisioning exercise has been quite a different endeavour much different from the

usual evaluation exercises. The exercise has been preceded by an in depth

participative review facilitated by a team of extremely competent professionals. The

uniqueness of their exercise is reflected in their ability to stimulate follow-up action

during the process of the exercise itself. Several of the recommendations have been

implemented or are in the process of being implemented.

The envisioning exercise began with a solid base-it had primary information on some

of the important programs. The envisioning exercise, therefore, had to consider

review of some of the sectors, for example education and child rights, which were not

covered during the internal review. Additionally, the findings of the earlier review

were further triangulated by looking at the larger base covering more areas.

The exercise adopted very simple and process oriented strategy to appreciate and

analyse the situation with respect to vision, program and strategies. They included

field level interaction with different stakeholders, simulation exercises, focused group

observations and stakeholders consultations. The stakeholders‟ consultations were

organized at various levels-the headquarters at Patna and district level consultation at

Vaishali. Then we had a series of small group reflection sessions mainly with the core

group members. The review document was one of the base documents often referred

to and compared.

The vision and strategies have evolved following the above exercise. The emerging

vision for programs can be seen against the following strands. There are activities

which have grown, like SHGs, exponentially but there is a scope for enriching and

strengthening the program through building of systems, structures and process. The

evolving vision suggest further work on the above without physical and geographical

expansion. There are activities which have fully matured in their approach, strategies

and program contents. They are suggested to expand and cover more geographical

area. Then there are programs and activities which are recent in nature and which are

yet to test the outcome of their efforts with convincing reliability. These need to

achieve better hands on learning. Some new priorities have emerged which are urgent

in nature and in which Nidan‟s expertise and approach can work better. Disaster

management is one such area where there has been significant effort put into. The

new areas of work need to be pursued.

Considering the over all levels of attainment the vision suggests a role transformation

for Nidan from implementer to mentor and facilitator. Much of the learning has

helped Nidan acquire the necessary competency and wherewithal to support these

sectors by acting as resource institution. As resource institution Nidan would involve

itself into innovative trials on strategies and programs and support other agencies

manage similar programs. This would ensure logical growth of Nidan‟s approach and

strategies which have succeeded well. For example Nidan feels that in the areas of

self-help groups –micro credit and insurance Nidan can act as support agency for

which necessary institutional development and restructuring is visualized. In the field

of policy advocacy and networking Nidan has made its presence globally felt. It

(Nidan)can help facilitate and support networks as mentor and facilitator with

expanding partnership created with other institutions. Bihar forces on child rights is

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one such example where civil society institutions have joined together to pursue the

important issues of child rights.

Again the direction of growth suggests inevitability of up scaling which has its own

share of problems and issues and may include –(1) Issues of decentralization,(2)

issues of sharing and communication (3) Issues of fine human resources development.

These aspects are visualized to be attended to in the next phase.

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Chapter I

Evolving Vision for

NIDAN

The context and evolution

Evolution and growth of institutions entail issues, leadership, action, systems and

procedures and support (ILASPS) from within the local and extended environment.

Nidan signifies an institutional evolution in response to an emerging issue (eviction of

unorganized street vendors) where the collective leadership of a group of determined

individuals took upon the issues and influenced the local and extended environment

which in turn responded positively by offering moral as well as physical support

leading further on to building of coalition and synergy . The expanding outreach and

activities necessitated structure, systems and procedures. Interestingly, the structures

and systems also followed a self-evolving conduit. The evolving vision characterized

“Collectivisation and empowerment of the unorganized and marginalized sector to

access and assert their entitlements and protest denial/ violation of human and civil

rights by the agencies. Collectivisation also expresses itself in making accessible

services both from mainstream institutions and also by developing own institutions.

The vision has been to ensure appropriate conditions for the development of their

potentials -priority to be assigned to women and children.”

The approach and strategy has worked well and has helped expand outreach and

coverage with diversified interventions –strategies and programs. From one self-help

group to many, from one block to several, from one district to numerous Nidan‟s

physical expansion portray an extra ordinary pace. Born in 1996 it now works in four

states, covering nine districts. The portfolio has multiplied fast with logical

continuity and linkage. Beginning with an aggressive agenda of countering police

excesses and eviction of the slum dwellers and micro-credit through self-help groups

it has worked for the education to the children from the unorganized sector, micro-

enterprise development, micro-insurance, housing, sanitation and solid waste

management. Institutional level interventions and their variants include cooperatives,

companies and micro-finance. Advocacy, legal aid and gender form cross cutting

dimensions. An initiative to address people‟s vulnerabilities, caused by the disaster

situations, has been Nidans‟s alert responses when ever they (disasters) struck the

poor. Nidan has enjoyed the support ranging from Adithi (as initial mentor), Sewa (as

initial moral guide) to Govt and several donors/agencies that sponsor various

programs.

Revisiting the vision/growth trajectory

Considered in terms of physical expansion and impact Nidan‟s progression has been

an impeccable growth trajectory. The speed and growth has been eventful offering

opportunity for important learning. Some of them are inspiring while others could be

frustrating. All the positive and negative learning are important which necessitate

reflection to see the accuracy, relevance and direction of its initiatives and the impact

created by them. Nidan evolved within a complex context of crises, contestation and

coalition –government action against the unorganized street vendors, galvanizing

wild protest by them and coming together of various networks in support .The

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situation might have left little time for articulation of strategies and adhoc strategies

might have dictated terms for given set of actions. Several of the strategies might have

worked successfully while others might have been less successful while others

failures. It is, therefore, necessary to see the level of effectiveness various approaches

and strategies have been able to attain and achieve with reference to the above

context. Several of the collaborators-donors, network partners, moral supporters -

would look forward to see if the learning from Nidan‟s initiatives offers some insight

for replication and up scaling. There is a need, therefore, to squeeze out the key

learning and apply them in the changing context and chart out a new strategy.

Building new vision: SDTT initiative

Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) is one of the important collaborators of Nidan which

supports their initiative since 2001.The support by SDTT has helped Nidan expand its

activities. The first phase of support continues till September 2008. Before new phase

(agenda) for support are finalized and agreed upon both Nidan and SDTT agree to

work out a new vision, strategies and frame for action.

The objective of the exercise includes:

1. Review of its programs, over the project period, and reflection around the key

learning,

2. Identification of key learning

3. Weaving around new vision and strategies

Method and process of the exercise

The vision exercise is a part and follows up of an extensive review of its relevant

sectors- organisations, legal aid, livelihood promotion, micro-finance, micro-

insurance, cooperatives and the like. The review document has been one of the

important references for the vision exercise. The vision exercise has been considered

at the integrated institutional level covering its entire program portfolio. The

approaches and strategies that have evolved reflect the institutional world view as a

whole. There fore, besides using the review document, an independent review was

carried out as triangulation of some of the earlier findings and also to cover

independent emerging sectors like education, disaster management, advocacy and

waste management which were not part of the earlier review exercise. This, it was

felt, would help in developing an integrated vision. The method and tools used

included:

1. Institutional analysis

2. Program and sectoral analysis

3. Literature review including the final report of the review,

4. Focused group interview with the different units

5. Field visit and interaction with the different stakeholders

6. Stake holders consultation –three such consultations were organized –two at

Patna and one in Vaishali.

7. Vision board exercise

Presentation of the report

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The report would have the following sections:

1. An institutional analysis of Nidan

2. Program/sect oral analysis

3. Key learning

4. Way forward and vision for future

In the following section let us dwell upon each of the above sections in greater detail.

A thorough analysis would help evolve way forward vision and agenda.

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Chapter II

Institutional analysis

An institutional analysis of Nidan would include the followings

Origin -How the idea evolved

In 1995, armed with a High Court order, the State Government undertook a massive

anti-encroachment drive. Poor vendors were the „soft target‟ and the administration

focused on their eviction without taking any steps to rehabilitate them. They suffered

more because of their unorganized nature. This senseless step evinced interest in those

who were, then, part of Adithi. It was decided to galvanize this unorganized section

and offer them formidable clout to raise their voice against state‟s indifference and

hostile stance.

Around the same time Ela Bhatt of SEWA was trying to galvanize the civil society

institutions to include issues of unorganized street vendors. She shared her concern

with Viji Srinivasan who followed this by an important consultation with various like

minded individuals/institutions. The response was electrifying and people expressed

solidarity with this unorganized section of the society. Organization of street vendors

became a project of Adithi.

Coincidentally, Adithi was undergoing restructuring and Viji found this an opportune

time to get an organization dedicated to this cause. So what began like a project of

Adithi was immediately registered as an independent institution –issues of the street

vendors being one of the key agenda.

The initial support

Both Adithi and SEWA were the rallying points as they espoused the issues and stood

by it. In Nidan they found a young institution with young collective leadership

committed to the cause. They nurtured and hand held systematically and offered all

the capacity building opportunities for the young cadre. More than financial security

they offered them tools and scientific methodologies to conduct their activities in a

scientific manner.

First things to happen

To have good grasp of the issues Nidan initiated a large scale survey of street vendors

of Patna covering nearly 6000 street vendors. Wherewithal and technical support for

the survey was offered by SEWA. Ela Bhatt sent a team to help conduct the survey.

As it was a large scale survey street vendors from all over the city came in contact

with the Nidan team. The exposure helped the team understand the situation of street

vendors in particular and urban poor in general quite well. As a result, a very different

relationship with the people was established and people responded very well. The

survey, besides others, revealed the complex exploitative informal lending mechanism

to urban poor. Only 44 out of 5,960 respondents had ever been sanctioned a bank

loan. Everywhere there was a craving for friendly institutional finance. This offered

an apt opportunity and Nidan‟s tryst with micro credit and access to finance for the

poor began here and at this point.

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Evolving institutions for and by the poor-SHGs

Self-help groups (SHGs) have become familiar names, now, but it was not so during

the mid nineties. Nidan started with three Self –help groups way back in 1997, not to

access subsidy of the government, but it was an institution of the poor to help them

express their collective clout. This turned the poor from a position of ‘insignificance’

to the status of being ‘credit worthy’. This was an opportunity to shed their stigma

off. Response to SHGs was substantial and the three SHG‟s created substantial ripple

to spread to three more blocks of Patna, Danapur, Phulwarsharif and Patna City. This

prompted the banks coming forward with credit support and beginning with a paltry

sum of Rs 47,000 to 47 women vendors in 1997 the banks acknowledged their

credentials of credit worthiness by developing strong partnership. By 1999 Nidan

spread to Fatuah block of Patna. The relationship with the people has matured, now,

and Nidan enjoys acceptance and trust. „This is an organization which does not only

talk but also delivers‟- people would invariably remark!

Credentials consolidates

Year 2000 saw Nidan‟s spreading to other districts - Vaishali and Katihar. The focus

over saving and credit continued with women being key target. The credentials and

track attracted institutional support to an unbelievable mark - Rs. 58, 00,000 credit

support from Rashtriya Mahila Kosh proved a quantum jump. Sanctioning first

loan of Rs.58 lakhs to any new partner was a history for RMK. The support was

followed by another support of Rs. 60, 00,000 in the year 2004 from Rashtriya

Mahila Kosh. This created a bolstering impact and Nidan moved to Muzaffarpur and

Samastipur. Credibility of Nidan attained significant height and it took little time to

decide –should Nidan move to the national capital-Delhi. Nidan made its presence in

Delhi in 2004 followed by Rajsthan and Jharkhand (Bokaro). Presently there are

more than 4800 Self-help Groups being nurtured and promoted by Nidan .

Promotion of Thrift and Credit co-operatives also emerged as an important strategy

supplementing the Self-Help Groups. As groups progressed, individuals‟ aspirations

could not be met with the concept of swim and sink together as is the case with

SHGs. Further while credit support was able to meet the loan requirement of the

informal workers, the astonishing phenomenon of even the meagre income or savings

not being able to be kept safely in Banks or any other institutions forced Nidan to set

up thrift and credit co-operatives beginning with the Sanchay Thrift and Credit Co-

operative in Patna Thrift and Credit Co-operatives were then set up in all areas of

Nidan‟s work making them an important strategy in providing financial services to the

informal workers.

Strengthening and consolidating the initial agenda

The agenda started with organizing the informal workers beginning with street

vendors. The organization has taken various forms – market committees,

neighbourhood groups, self help groups, federations, co-operatives, registered society

and trade union and when need arose network and coalitions. Nidan, in fact, took a

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very consistent and progressive approach to organizing informal workers and its

efforts have led to around 50 such organizations having been registered and

functioning. They have their independent existence and are at different stages of

sustainability. Lot of innovative and interesting efforts have gone into organizing and

promoting the workers organizations .Many forms of trainings have been organized

and many interesting IEC materials, aimed at promoting organizations of informal

workers, have been brought out.

Setting the agenda: A self evolving process

Nidan began with street vendors in 1995. In 1997 they started with home based

workers. In 1998, it began an education initiative for the children of informal workers.

This program took Nidan to the slums and gradually issues of slum dwellers i.e.

shelter, water, health and sanitation occupied their agenda. Issues of domestic maid

servants were raised. From 2002 they also began working with waste pickers. Same

year they also expanded to rural areas to cover jute workers, agriculture workers,

landless, artisans and the like. Addressing various vulnerabilities –livelihoods and

social security- of informal worker became the core concern and expertise of the

organization. The year 1998 witnessed severe cold wave in rural areas which forced

the poor villagers to migrate to urban areas. Nidan had the challenge to deal with the

crises situation and that brought disaster, as one of the vulnerabilities, on Nidan‟s

agenda. The recent Koshi deluge has been most challenging requiring multiple

interventions. The micro-finance program portfolio also increased considerably. The

insurance program also received very good response. As SHGs got institutionalised

and consolidated, members wanted to move up by collective business. Collective

enterprises based on trade or service of informal worker, then, became an important

intervention to influence unfair practices in the local market and to increase

considerably the income of members. Nidan also developed and became part of

networks to spiral its impact.

Those who supported the agenda and nature of support

When Nidan started organizing the unorganized sector Ela Bhatt had a major impact.

Viji‟s good contact with the government officials too meant that the govt officials

acknowledged the activities of Nidan and offered relevant inputs support. However,

as it expanded, it is the target group which set the idea. The ideas evolved as per the

need and according to the demand of the macro and micro-environment. Learning

from other organizations also helped a lot in shaping the agenda.

Adithi helped to get connected, in the initial phase, with donors and banks and also

Govt. The Donors helped with grants – FES, CRY. Banks provided loans which

meant that people were actually accessing developmental support from the agencies.

SEWA offered co-ordination and opportunity which opened floodgates of contact

across the country and even outside. SDTT offered support institutional development

and micro-insurance.

Institutional structure

It is interesting to look at the institutional structure which reflects a strong local

nuance. The policy level body, as usual, is the executive committee. The composition

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suggests overwhelming presence of members from the street vendors and other

marginalized communities whose interest Nidan stands for. On superficial observation

one can see missing versatility but on deeper reflection one can find the members

representing strong interest groups. They adequately present the vive and language of

their stakeholders. At the program level the core group takes the key decisions

regarding the program and activities a well as implementation strategy. The core

group includes the program managers.

This structure, at both the levels, reflects representational frame work and democratic

functioning and is conducive to transparency and shared accountability. This offers

adequate space for constructive debate and reflection and thus ensures quality of

programs. The structure suggests a strong example of inclusive governance.

The implantation of the programs and activities can be seen through the following

organogram:

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Nidan Structure

GENERAL BODY

| Executive Committee

|

Executive Director Manager Finance

| |

Program Micro Social Communication Advocacy Collective Enterprises CEO, Green Livelihood Education Chief Accountant

Managers Finance Security | Legal aid | | | |

| | | | | | | |

Operation Manager Managers Operations Academic Facilitator | | | | | | Area Manager | | District & Anchal Manager Community Coordinator Sectoral Accountants

| | | | | | Branch Manager Off. Ass Legal CoordinatorManager Ward Incharge Ward Facilitator Area Accountants

| | | | | | | Organizer SahayakOrganizer Organizer Organizer Teachers Branch Accountants

| | | | Members Members Members Safai Mitra Community

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Capacity building inputs

The structure may not work well if relevant capacities are missing from among those

who have to envision, evolve design and implement the programs. Nidan seems to be

very particular about this aspect. The evolution of the institution suggests strong

emphasis being given to the capacity building aspects. The initial mentors (Vigi and

Ela Bhat), who were committed and matured individuals, cast a solid frame for

capacity building. Perhaps they were aware of the inevitability of this component

which Nidan inherited and followed.

As Adithi was going through decentralization, lot of capacity building of the

upcoming organization were taking place during 1995-96. Subjects like project cycle

management, logical framework, organizational development, microfinance

development etc. were organized where Nidan representatives also got opportunity to

participate and learn. Viji‟s leadership and her method of mobilizing donor‟s and

Govt support also came in handy in building capacity. In fact, in initial years Viji took

group leaders and Nidan staff to sustainable organizations in the South India which

offered great learning opportunity. Exposure visits have been a major source of

learning for Nidan as also participation in workshops/seminars. The exposure

opportunities are never missed whether they are sponsored by the donors or they have

to be self-financed.

General Governance

Nidan adopts transparent, participative and inclusive governance. The executive

committee, which has strong representation of stakeholders, has strong ownership

with the policies and programs and stands solidly behind what is decided. The concept

of core group, representing various program units, enjoys intrinsic ownership of the

program and strategies. The goals are decided by them and therefore there is high

degree of commitment to achieve them. Regular interactions facilitate sharing and

transparency and opportunity to enlist extra support where ever needed. There is

familial and informal work culture which reflects high degree of collective

orientation. The informal orientation, however, does not dilute focus on the task. At

times documentation and strict record keeping may suffer but a clear movement

toward adopting scientific management practices and MIS are gradually helping in

systematic record keeping. The governance within Nidan represents a balanced blend

of familial and informal practices and culture on the one hand and scientific

management tools on the other. This makes Nidan‟s governance compatible with the

prevailing Indian work culture and values and conform to the ideological moorings

Nidan espouses and nurtures.

Working with the „poor and the marginalized‟ requires close empathy and a

compatible culture and language otherwise there would be missing sense of

relatedness. Use of ‘Bhaiya’-brother- and ‘Didi’-sister to call each other makes lot of

difference. When the president of Nidan uses her own colloquia to describe the

method and tools of protest and contestations she makes better sense and attracts

appreciation of what she intends to convey. This familial and informal work culture

marks the governance of Nidan and makes Nidan a differently governed institution.

The success and achievements

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How can one judge the success of an institution? There can be several parameters

each being equally important in its own way. There is often a tendency to consider the

success of an institution in terms of its financial turn over-the fund mobilized and

spent. This a very orthodox consideration. There is also a tendency to measure the

success through the outreach and physical coverage attained directly by the

institution. This may give a good sense of success but may not explain the quality of

changes brought about by the institution. Of late there has been emphasis over

sustainability as indicator of success which implies that the impact created by the

institutional inputs continues beyond the formal interventions and get entrenched and

integrated into the local milieu-social, institutional and policy.

Nidan‟s success offers interesting reading on how the issue based interventions can

influence policy prescriptions which in turn attract collaborators (including

financial donors and technical support). Expansion of outreach and coverage is

what logically follows. This seems an interesting paradigm which characterizes

Nidan‟s success.

In the following section we would elaborate and elucidate the above contention:

Nidan‟s galvanization of the street vendors and flagging of the issues, faced by them,

attracts the policy makers. The huge conglomeration of the determined street vendors

forced the policy makers to listen to them. So much has been the impact that the then

chief minister had to assure livelihoods opportunity and policy support to the cause of

the street vendors Nidan has been pursuing.

To follow-up its commitment to assured livelihoods for the street vendors and assured

credit Micro-Finance program of Nidan was a noble intervention. It treaded a new

path which was not touched by other NGOs. Beginning with a small loan of Rs.

30,000 in November 1996 to 30 women, credit program offered a new face of the

NGO in Bihar which has almost been missing. The community based micro-finance

program is unique in its orientation and nature.

The poor and unorganized face serious vulnerability caused by sickness and untimely

deaths. Micro-insurance of Nidan protects the street vendors and other members from

the unorganized sector against this vulnerability. Starting with a small initiative

covering 200 in 1999 the micro-insurance program today covers more than 50,000

poor. This program provided unique example in Bihar while covering complicated

issues of health and poverty. Combined with this Nidan also organized health services

for the unorganized groups it works with.

One of the greatest vulnerabilities that poor face, in Bihar, relates to natural disasters.

Starting from 1998 during the severe cold wave to the recent Koshi flood Nidan has

shown its organizational commitment and capacity to offer timely relief to the poor

and also to work out long time strategies for mitigation. In the recent flood Nidan

organized relief, ran schools and counselling centres and interfaced with the state

agencies. It has been unique learning experience to develop a long term perspective

on disaster management.

A large segment from among the unorganized community is engaged in urban

sanitation. Their livelihoods, however, is uncertain. Setting up of waste management

by waste pickers by building their own capacity is a major intervention. A major

success of this was broad based revenue of the program - user charge from the

households and institutions, income from vermi compost and recyclables.

Street vendors suffer a lot because of lack of awareness about the legal aspects of

their exploitation. Offering them legal aid is one of the important support Nidan has

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been offering. There has been numerous cases of violations of rules by the different

agencies. Legal aid clinics enable any member to protect oneself and also to protest

violations. The setting up of State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) can also be

seen as success of Nidan as the issues pertaining to human right violations have been

ceaselessly pursued by Nidan.

Education is one of the effective tools for the unorganized community to help them

appreciate the inconsistencies which keeps them bogged down. However, the quality

of education, as is being delivered to the children under the present system, does not

help the unorganized communities much. They offer stereotype learning without

questioning the existing situation and power structure. Nidan has taken upon to bring

about pedagogical shift to sharpen the cutting edge of education and use it as effective

tool for collective action. The community based schools offer opportunity for

community based learning in a format that enables reflection and innovation. This, in

a limited way, has already started creating enabling environment for liberation from

ignorance and exploitative shackles.

The impact

What has Nidan‟s initiatives led to? To answer this question one would need to look

in to the policy integration of some of its important learning. Consider the followings:

Setting up of National Task Force for street vendors and subsequently the

National policy for street vendors has been an outcome of Nidan‟s consistent

initiatives. Nidan also did considerable work in getting the policy

implemented across states including pushing for a law for street vendors.

Nidan becoming an important part of the international Street Net is a major

acknowledgement of the strength of its approaches,

The setting up of the Welfare Board for Construction Workers is another

example of policy support offered by the government to the issues espoused

and followed up by Nidan,

The proposed Social Security Bill by the Govt of India is another example of

success of advocacy efforts by Nidan in which Nidan participated along with

many other organizations in creating consistent pressure on the Govt. The

Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) has important learnings fron Nidan‟s

health insurance program,

Patna Municipal Corporation(PMC) took steps to integrate waste pickers by

providing contracts and also by appointing 10 persons in each ward of the city

from among them.

Nidan‟s interventions proved models for many initiatives of the Govt i.e waste

management, co-operatives, insurance, self -help groups,

The recent intervention in Koshi flood offered Nidan an opportunity to further

test its community based approach. While Nidan mobilized resources the

victims managed the show with convincing level of satisfaction. The

decentralized approach adopted by Nidan encouraged the grass roots staff to

take decisions at their level and never look for minute to minute guidance

from the headquarters,

20

Community based primary education is Nidan‟s recent initiative to offer

education the much needed community space.

The growing outreach, network and coverage

Let us try and go back to our initial observations about how issue based interventions

can influence policies and how the support base gets enhanced following meaningful

interventions. The examples of good practices, as evolved, have influenced policies

touching upon relevant planks of the unorganized communities and aspects of human

right in general. This has a spiralling effect and brings supporters and collaborators

from various quarters. The networks emerging out of Nidan‟s interventions are good

examples. The successful functioning of National Association of Street Vendors of

India (NASVI) and Bihar Forces have encouraging influence on the state and

international policies in favour of the unorganized communities including the street

vendors. This paradigm shows strong potential for replication with contextual

adaptation.

At the national level Nidan has its presence covering different states.

The triggers in the life of Nidan

It would be interesting to see and analyze the triggers –events and actions -that made

the difference in the journey that Nidan has been able to cover so far. Again the issue

based interventions created stimulations for actions each one contributing to the other.

Let us consider them:

The first major event was the huge gathering of street vendors at Ravindra

Bhawan in 1997. It was attended by high officials and Ela Bhatt. The event

brought the issues of street vendors in the limelight and was also able to

demonstrate the capability of organization in mass mobilization. It also helped

break the ice with govt officials besides giving confidence to the bank about

the processes set by Nidan. This helped create a formidable identity for

NIDAN,

21

The loan to beneficiaries from Banks which began in 1997 was a watershed

in establishing trust of community which continues at the base of all

interventions by Nidan.

Getting SEWA‟s support for national net work and CRY‟s support for the

education of the children combined with grant of FCRA was the next

important trigger for Nidan to take off,

Support from SDTT helped accelerate many interventions beginning with

legal aid and micro-insurance activities.

PACs program was an important opportunity to enable working across the

districts of Bihar.

The next trigger was the huge waste management contract from Patna

Municipal Corporation; Jaipur Municipal Corporation and Steel Authority of

India (SAIL),

The next major trigger was a substantial support from American India

Foundation (AIF) for Nidan Swachdhara Private Ltd. And Education for

children of informal sector workers .

An important trigger has been the support for micro-finance from Ford

Foundation and commercial banks and process of setting up a separate

company for micro-finance activities,

The first and fourth awards at the first Innovation Forum set up Bihar Rural

Livelihood Project (BRLP) of Govt of Bihar in 2007 was authentication of

the efforts of Nidan

The quick and quality intervention in the flood ravaged areas of Kosi during

the 2008 floods has been an important trigger as nidan intervened first time

in a disaster situation outside its long term areas of interventions

The balance sheet

To be able to look forward to the future vision and agenda one would require

considering the institutional balance sheet-where it stands now and today not in pure

financial terms but in terms of its institutional characteristics. Let us do this by the

outcome of SWOT analysis which was facilitated at various levels during the

envisioning exercise:

Strength Weakness

Environment of freedom and

openness,

Committed team at the apex

Family environment

Dynamic forward looking

leadership

Self-evolving and adaptive

Task overload-stretching

responsibilities

Inadequate and limited

opportunity for exposure and

capacity building

Unsatisfactory incentive structure

including salary and social

security

22

orientation

Readiness to take challenges

Engagement of Nidan at the

local, national and international

levels,

Action with determination under

challenging situations,

Demand driven integrated

program

Credibility and clout with high

moral value,

Respectable incentive for the

waste management team,

Transparency,

Bottom up approach

High level of gender concern and

equity,

Membership-critical mass

Family like environment

Performance based incentive

structure

Limited quality of staff especially

at the district level

Missing perspective on

contemporary issues/subjects and

limited communication skill at the

local level staff

In house assessment of skills and

on the job training opportunities

are missing

Personnel policy requires to be

considered more seriously from

both the management and staff

Limited opportunity for reflection

among the staff

Documentation and reporting of

the monthly meetings inadequate

Clarity of perspective on SHGs-

missing-What is special about

Nidan‟s model?

Dependency of the district level

unit over the hqrs-no effort at

local resources mobilization

Threat Opportunity

Vested interests

Government hostility

Entry of unscrupulous players in

micro-finance and micro

insurance

Complacency among the team

Emphasis over informal process

and procedures may lead to casual

approach

Emerging paradigm for

sustainable interventions for the

street vendors/marginalized

communities ,

Can accelerate a formidable

outreach and coverage,

Development of Nidan as

resource institution

Important policy influence on

unorganized sector

Can facilitate and strengthen a

global network

The institutional analysis offers important insight into issue based interventions and

their potential in attracting attention, support, expanding partnership and coalition.

This further leads to greater influences over the society at large and state polices. The

potential of this paradigm is high in creating a sustainable impact.

Chapter III

Program and sect oral analysis

23

Before we engage into envisioning process it is essential to appreciate the existing

programs and sectors. Under this portfolio let us consider the followings programs:

Self-help groups

The journey of Nidan, very closely, starts with self-help groups. From three groups in

Patna in 1996, the number, at present, (as of 2008) stands around 4800 in 23 blocks

spread over six districts with a total membership of approximately 57,433. Self-help

groups evolved not as a credit and saving group only but probably as a determined

group of marginalized community trying to respond to unequal access to livelihoods

opportunities including credit and other assets. Around 72% of SHGs are in the rural

area. About 42% of the SHG membership is that of scheduled castes. Women

membership outnumbers the men with a female- male ratio of 97:03. The savings of

members as of 31st of March 2008 has been estimated to be Rs.2.75 crores with bank

balance of Rs.71 lakhs. Internal lending from the own fund has been to the tune of

Rs.81 lakhs during 2007-2008 In terms of physical growth and outreach, SHGs have

shown tremendous potential and can rightly be termed as one of the front runners

among its mandate.

The current trend suggests that SHGs have helped the poor overcome uncertain credit

availability and consolidate their collective clout. The mainstream credit institutions

have come forward to offer the members the required credit support. This has enabled

the groups and their members undertake economic and entrepreneurial activities. An

estimated 60,000 families have benefited from the groups. There are examples of

collective enterprises having been initiated by the members (For example Beetle in

Bidupur and Guava cultivation in Teresia with encouraging profit margin). An in

house study suggests 50% of the members to have been liberated from the clutches of

money lenders.

The internal review finds the groups to have achieved comfortable level of

sustainability in terms of gradually reducing inputs of Nidan. In terms of number,

however, such groups are limited to 1250 only which represents roughly around 33 %

of the groups. There seems much work yet to be done. The inadequacies as reflected

through the consultation and also internal review include lack of effective system(the

internal review considers the over all system of average quality), dependency on

external sources of credit, inadequate circulation of internal savings as loan and

irregularity in managing the refund-some of the leaders are alleged to have misspent

the refund. Another area of concern includes inadequate linkage with the banks (only

546 are bank linked) and missing accounts with the banks (2600-roughly 60% are

reported to have bank accounts).

Looking at the immediate context of Nidan, SHGs, facilitated by it, should have a

sharper cutting edge as inclusive institutions of the poor willing to and capable of

creating an institutional space for themselves. The agenda and scope, therefore, has to

transcend beyond credit and saving to include strong social intermediation. Also as

sustainable institutions of the poor SHGs should evolve effective systems and

procedures to ensure good quality of internal governance and management. One of the

ways to ensure financial inclusion of the poor can be bank linkage which, at the

moment, is less than adequate. A serious discrepancy can be seen in claiming

sustainability and looking at the management of internal funds- savings and loan. An

issue of serious consideration is the infusion of external fund to the groups and group

members where as large chunk of the internal saving remains parked unutilized.

Another aspect could be federating the large number of SHGs into apex institutions

with complete ownership of the SHGs and their members. While the number of SHGs

has grown consolidation needs to be done to augment the formidable social capital.

24

Nidan has a chequered track of promoting SHGs. It, most arguably, should have

developed a distinct approach to ensure that the groups maintain a unique blend of

self-management capacity, inclusive and democratic governance, empowerment, issue

based engagement powered by appropriate tool and to strategies. It was revealed that

some of the sponsors have their own frame work and strategies which, often clashes

with the core orientation of NIDAN. This dilutes the unique identity. Nidan seems to

have limited impact on the larger environment with its approach, strategies and tools.

Issues for consideration for the next vision phase

The issues which need to be considered, in fresh visioning, may include:

Consolidation and strengthening of systems and procedures

Expansion of outreach and coverage strategy,

Orientation of the groups-financial intermediation versus social

intermediation,

Shift from an implementation to resource support and policy advocacy role,

Strategy for financial inclusion and financial mainstreaming –bank linkages,

Institutional development-evolving federations versus promoting micro-

finance institutions/cooperatives

Micro-Credit Services

Micro-credit has been one of the key initial programs of Nidan. It began with a

modest portfolio of Rs.30, 000 linked to three SHGs. The mainstream credit

institutions have always been illusive and stifling in their orientation more so in case

of the poor and the unorganized. Non –banking financial companies (NBFCs) proved

no better and exploited the poor using numerous unfair and scandalous ways. Nidan‟s

micro- finance is a hope for thousand of members, today. Presently there are around

11,902 borrowers, in 5 districts through 992 SHGs.

At the end of March 2008 Nidan has a corpus of Rs.21.11 million available for lending. This has been mobilized through various institutional linkages as given below:

• Rashtriya Mahila Kosh Rs.17.8 Million

• Rashtriya Gramin Vikash Nidhi Rs.1.9 Million

• ICICI Bank Rs.5 Million

• HDFC Bank Rs.5 Million

• Capital Rs.2.7 Million

• Indian Bank Rs. 5 Million

Nidan follows the cardinal TRICE –Transparency, Respect, Integrity, Commitment

and Efficiency- value.

Micro-credit unit of Nidan is operational and active in the six districts of Bihar, Patna(

six blocks),Vaishali( eight blocks),Samastipur (five blocks),Muzaffarpur (two

blocks),Katihar (three blocks) and Sitamarhi(five blocks). Their largest operation is

25

concentrated in Patna( 29%)and Vaishali(29%) districts followed by

Samastipur(22%) and Katihar(18%) and Muzaffarpur(2%).

As has been indicated earlier the business of micro-credit has expanded exponentially

over time with Rs.30,000 in 1999 growing into a formidable capital base of two crore

in 2008. The credits to the poor cater, basically, to the agriculture, petty business and

entrepreneurship development, emergency and animal husbandry. Some five percent

of loans are also taken to service the external debts. The minimum and maximum

loan sizes are Rs.3000/00 (10 months repayment period) and Rs.18,000/00(36 months

repayment period) respectively. Cumulative disbursement under Nidan‟s micro-

finance has been to the tune of Rs4.21 crores

Micro credit program has been able to positively shape the lives of the poor some of

which may include:

A group makes ice cream sticks which help the group earn a profit of five

hundred percent,

The backyard goat rearing is emerging as a very hot business proposition and

the SHG members are vigorously pursuing this enterprise to their good profit,

Some of the groups (more in Muzaffarpur and Vaishali) take fruit orchards on

lease which is a better source of income,

Vermi-compost is emerging as a sound eco-enterprise and has a good market

potential,

Floriculture and ornamental flower business is yet another enterprise which

gets easy market in the local hats as well as state capital.

What does micro-credit matter in the life of the poor?

Micro-credit has played critical empowering role in the life of the poor-more so

among the poor women. It has helped them tide over the crises caused by uncertain

credit availability. The poor have learnt how to deal with the stifling terms of informal

credit and turn the situation in their favour-that of „budding entrepreneurs‟.

Considering its social and financial implication Nidan has made a long term plan for

the strengthening and expansion of this portfolio. It plans a four fold business

expansion ahead of the next two years.

Conflicts and dilemma Micro-credit and SHGs are organically linked to each other. While SHG members

form the critical mass for the micro-credit program they do not seem to enjoy decisive

say in the management of the program. There are other discrepancies as well to

include:

The internal review indicates that SHGs have been offered loan using external

sources where as their own saving remained idle in their respective accounts

earning very low income. There seems to be missing awareness about

managing their own fund profitably. The internal loaning should be seen not

only in terms of financial spin off but as financial inclusion and

empowerment,

Cases of late repayments have also been reported which may be attributed to

weakness in the system,

The stakeholders consultation also brought out the cases indicating misuse of

fund –savings and refund-by the workers and the SHG leaders,

26

Issues for envisioning What should be the new envisioning agenda and strategy?

The micro-credit portfolio is one of the emerging ones. The envisioning would focus

around the followings:

1. Expansion of outreach and coverage: As the sector is witnessing positive

response in terms of off take and refund there could be temptation to expand.

The internal review has cautioned careful expansion;

2. Development and consolidation of systems and norms: The success has

also been combined with cases of defaults and delinquency much of which

can be controlled by developing a sound system and norm,

3. Deciding on legal format: A rapid growth in the micro-finance sector is being

witnessed. Some of them are following pure business model and, perhaps,

have been allured by the profit perception. Some have strong empowerment

consideration. All these forms and variants have to follow institutional forms

and legal formats which should suit their nature and concerns. They can be

companies or federations or cooperatives which exist now. The envisioning

has to consider the legal framework that the micro-credit portfolio of Nidan

should adopt and follow;

4. Deciding on the ratings: The micro-credit program has to have the validation

of its portfolio and process by appropriate rating agencies. A decision has to

be taken. The rating offers and enhances credibility and resources availability,

5. Capacity building inputs and strategies: Interaction with the members from

SHGs-direct beneficiaries of the micro-credit program-offer mixed scenario.

While their confidence is most evident their capacity to handle business and

communicate well with the external environment differ from group to group.

However, these members have strong potential and an appropriate capacity

building tool and strategy has to be thought through,

6. Mobilization of loan fund: This is one critical component as this will decide

the conditions under which the credit delivery will work better to the benefit

of the poor clients.

Micro-insurance

While dealing with the vulnerability of the unorganized sector Nidan adopts multiple

strategies. One of them is micro-insurance which was started in 1999. The

membership, as of now, stands at 50,000-majority of whom (75%) being women.

Nidan‟s micro-insurance program is open only to the members of Nidan and through

them to their spouse.

Insurance, traditionally, suffers strong social taboo and stereotypes. Nidan adopted an

aggressive campaign of awareness building and educating people of the implications

of insurance. The membership to the program has been further triggered and grown

because of association with multiple insurance companies and agencies offering tailor

made products suited to the needs of the local populace and providing necessary

support in seeking claims

After the initial teething trouble micro-insurance has picked up good response. The

internal review underlines following benefits as expressed by the members:

Concrete economic benefits albeit retrospectively,

Helped tide over crises in cases of sickness and other disabilities,

27

First time experience with social security service against health, life and

accident,

The perceived and real benefits have also helped the poor augment capital

through systematic saving.

The issues

1. Awareness, education and seriousness: is an issue still persisting. Questions

such as –„I had no flood this year-can I get my money back‟? speak of the

existing gap,

2. Renewals and drop out: Although micro-insurance continues to grow only

about 65 % of insurance is said to have been renewed. Several reasons were

cited during the field visit and consultation including, lack of systematic

follow-up and monitoring, delay in claim settlement caused by non-

completion of the required procedures,

3. Non-compatible conditions: In majority of the cases the clients have

demanded versatility in terms of medical coverage. They would prefer

compensation even in non-hospitalization cases. The hospitalization condition

create several issues –maintaining the prescriptions, restricting choices to a

limited number of designated doctors and so forth,

4. Mismatch between time of collection and fund flow: The poor often suffer

an uncertain fund flow from various sources. This causes difficulties in

making payment toward insurance premium if the collection does not

coincide with income accruals,

Issues to be considered in envisioning

Micro-insurance is emerging as a potential portfolio. With the new livelihoods

opportunities being created nature of vulnerabilities may also change. This may

necessitate diversifying product and strategies. The envisioning needs to consider

these and similar other issues:

1. Expanding outreach and coverage: Considering India‟s recent growth of the

micro-insurance the envisioning should consider outreach, coverage and pace

with which it should expand,

2. Nidan’s micro-insurance portfolio is growing up fast. Product and

processes will have to be fine tuned, evolved and tailor made considering the

diversity of the clients. The emerging scenario would necessitate systematic

reflection and analysis around the existing product, procedures and clients’

response. The envisioning might have to consider institutionalizing the

process,

3. Reaching and servicing the clients: While the portfolio grows there is also a

substantial drop out and irregularity. Need assessment, constructive and

inclusive behaviour and attitudinal changes and awareness building strategies

would need to be put in place. The envisioning should consider this as an

institutional priority,

4. Marketing strategy and market intelligence: While marketing of micro-

insurance is a critical input it needs to maintain a balance of aggression and

sensitivity. How can these be achieved? While marketing of micro-insurance

is a business proposition the clients are different with whom Nidan has a

different-moral and humane- relationship with a strong social face. Striking a

balance using participative need assessment is both a challenge and an

opportunity which Nidan should respond to in its next envisioning exercise,

5. Collaboration and partnering with the formal insurance institutions:

While Nidan is emerging as a formidable agency it may also find it more cost

28

effective and convenient to partner with other players in the formal insurance

sector. Partnering with them could be beneficial with Nidan‟s conditions

firmly defined and articulated,

6. Effective monitoring: An effective monitoring strategy will have to put in

place following Participative Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) frame work.

This might help cultivate sensitivity among the managers and sense of urgency

among the clients,

Cooperatives and collective enterprises

In Nidan‟s view “a cooperative is an autonomous, jointly held, and democratically controlled

business enterprise, established by its members to meet their common economic needs. It

brings financial benefit to the members through the use of services by them”1.Social

researchers consider cooperatives interesting only if they redistribute wealth, bring greater

equality, help the poor and the weak and correct structural imbalances in the society.2 In

terms of objectives cooperatives seek to serve their members‟ needs by proving services and

net income. It is also suggested that besides the enterprise out puts such as benefits, growth

and income cooperatives also deliver institutional outputs such as democracy, equality and

participation. For an issue driven approach, that Nidan espouses and pursues, a cooperative

has to be considered following a combination of the two strands.

Nidan began its work with cooperatives in the year 2003. As on date, it has promoted 19

cooperatives and includes sectors such as – (1) financial-04; (2) trading -05, (3) services-02 ;(

4) producers-06; and (5) consumer-02.

The 19 are registered under different Acts of the government:

• Nine as cooperatives,

• One as society.

• One has been registered under 1956 company Act

• One is being registered as Section 25

• And the rest, are likely to be registered as cooperatives.

These 19 collectives reach to more then 1-lakh households in 4 districts of Bihar. Considering

the demographic profile of the members they represent poor, illiterate and marginal section of

the society. A turn over of approximately Rs.1.50 crores exhibit and reflect a substantial

potential. More than the financial and productive output the institutional out put of this

endeavour is tremendous. The democracy, equality and inclusion are great out puts the

members enjoy and savour. The cooperatives are located in Patna, Muzaffarpur,Vaishali and

Katihar and are operational close to the district head quarters. Two districts-Sitmarhi and

Samastipur are yet to have cooperatives. Patna, the state head quarters, has the largest number

of cooperatives.

A quick profile

Number of cooperatives -19

Districts-four

Members -6124

Maximum(17) are women centred

Male/female ratio of membership-20:80

Clients receiving services-One lakh and

Turn over -1.70 crores

1 Internal review document, 2007 of Nidan.

2 Making Farmers‟ cooperatives work, by Tushaar Shah, Sage publications, 1995, pp.46.

29

All the collective enterprises have shown a business growth ranging from 15

(Ghaurnada) to 131(Swachh Dhara) percent with one (Upvokata) suffering a

negative (-09.30%) business growth. Average business growth for all the cooperatives

stands at 50% (base 2006-2007). The performance, however, is quite skewed and if

the contribution of SDF is taken away the growth comes to be reduced to an average

of 41.30%. Even this is not very bad but one would have to look at individual

tendencies and plan corresponding measures.

In terms of profit there is again good variation ranging from minus - 9% ( Upvokata)

to 30% (both Hariyali and Niramaya). Interestingly Upvokta has shown negative

growth rate and has also shown negative trend on profit. This and such others would

require special consideration. The internal review has objectively analysed the profit

potential both short term and long term. In their analysis 10 out 19 do not show

potential to achieve profit margin in the near future (2007-2008). Although the

cooperatives have shown profit margin for the current year this has not been taken as

a convincing condition to predict profit for the subsequent year. Based on its

calculations the internal review has predicted the year by which different cooperatives

would not require subsidies. Optimistically enough subsidies regime is predicted to

end by 2010. Smart subsidies –for example rickshaw van for SDF- and rent would

work better than the dull subsidies for example- monetary compensation.

Cooperatives which have survived without subsidies include -Angana, Sangam and

Bindiya. They have shown moderate level of profitability and growth and this should

be considered as learning for up scaling and growth.

On the institutional out puts the cooperatives have shown democratic governance with

freedom of expression and participation in the decision making process. There is

strong sense of equality among the members as well. Although per capita income

accruals are not substantial the sense of being part of a cooperative with equality and

inclusion offers better social and moral clout.

Bihar offers an environment where cooperatives have been marked by fraud,

suspicion and mistrust-it carries a stigmatized and failed legacy. The performance of

cooperatives, as facilitated by Nidan, should be seen in the context of the above which

by all account offers a constructive regime. During the last 12 years of its existence

Nidan seems to have evolved a sound institutional development paradigm. The time

span is not enough to pass conclusive comment on the quality of institutional

development. Some more time has to be allowed. There are gaps which need to be

considered:

Although cooperatives are considered out side Nidan the facilitation is,

basically, by Nidan which is using its support in the form of subsidy,

expertise and linkages to the cooperatives. The governance aspects related to

regularity of meetings, attendance, adherence to regulatory norms are not

fully matured to take the cooperatives forward. It has begun learning from the

past toward a more matured systems and processes,

There is stiff competition from the market. For example Hariali has to

compete with the local vegetable dealers (Adhatia), WAMA has to compete

with the organized sector. Competition from the market is at different levels.

While Wama faces competition on quality Hariali has to compete with the

local dealers who have more stable and flexible trading strategies. Wama has

also to coordinate with Angana which brings in the issue of coordination. All

these need to be sorted out,

There is also a missing professional and business orientation which leads to

non-adherence to dead lines and trying innovations at various levels to bring

in novelty in the product and services. An aggressive market strategy is

something missing,

30

Opportunity for renewal and continued learning is missing from the

cooperatives. Successful management of cooperatives would require services

and support which are neither available at the state level agencies nor there is

any optional institutional arrangement for capacity building, research and

development.

Issues to be considered in fresh envisioning

As has been indicated earlier cooperatives, facilitated under Nidan, have left valuable

learning. The sector has shown strong potential for livelihoods for the poor and needs

to be pursued further. Services, production, housing, craft and credit –all sectors have

shown potentials. While visioning afresh followings need to be considered:

1. Issue of up-scaling-Whether cooperatives should be up scaled beyond the

current tiers-say from district to block, to Panchayat and so forth,

2. Legal forms-Cooperatives, by and large, are registered under the cooperative

act. But there is also a shift toward registration under Company Act, for

example NSPL. It has to be thought through if the registration has to be

considered in the context of the nature of activities and legal suitability of

legal requirement,(Quality and expansion)

3. Nidan’s changing role-whether Nidan continues promoting the cooperative or

it should assume the role of mentor, support agency and advocate for the

sector as such,(Mentor/promoter)

4. Value assurance and Research and Development: Several of the

cooperatives‟ performance would depend upon the quality of product and

services it designs to offer. Should cooperatives have a larger umbrella

organization offering the performing the above under one roof and work with

a true business proposition,

5. Evolving larger institutional form-say federation: Should the entire

cooperatives join together to form a district level federation for assured

availability of capital and services and anchorage.

Network and advocacy

Policy advocacy is one of the important agenda of Nidan. All the work Nidan do has

been reflected in the advocacy efforts – microcredit self help groups, insurance,

housing, livelihood, child rights, quality education, sanitation.

Its engagement with the issues of the unorganized sector has helped develop

important insight. Some of these insights need to be further brought before the state

and other agencies. Nidan has been able to bring these insights across the board and

enlist and expand support base. Subsequently state policies have been influenced to

the benefits of the poor and the unorganized. Continued advocacy has resulted into a

number of changes in the policy of the government. The advocacy has used

memorandum, joint petition, demonstration, assembly level debates, dialogue,

workshop, PIL as important tools. Interface with government agencies and other stake

holders, rally, use of poster and pamphlets, wall writings, promoting networks, district

level, state level as well as national /international levels (WEIGO).

National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) has national and

international acclaim. Facilitated initially by Nidan NASVI, started as a network of

street vendors has an independent identity. It has an independent constitution and

secretariat facilitated by Nidan. It is a unique institutional arrangement which

31

emerged as an initiative of Nidan but assumed an autonomous entity with a larger

stakeholders and support base. NASVI has a membership of 376 street vendors

organizations representing approximately 3, 16,378 of street vendors from 20 states.

The number continues to be expanding. NASVI is, now, part of a global network –the

Street Net.

NASVI‟s influence has been manifold. Besides influencing the local environment of

hostility against the street vendors it influenced the state and national level policies.

For example:

The network has directly reached some 25,000 unorganized section of the

society through its legal aid inputs,

Many cities are witnessing regulation of street vendors by creation of

vending zones, issue of licenses and construction of markets.

Many State Govts have formulated State Policies for Street Vendors

NASVI has successfully fought back after evictions or has thwarted many

eviction attempts across country

NASVI is part of a global network –Street net-thus making its presence

felt globally,

NASVI‟s advocacy has contributed significantly to the constitution of

State Human Right Commission in the state of Bihar,

Nidan‟s advocacy roles are appreciated well by other advocacy groups and

networks making a larger coalition of civil society institutions like Indian

Medical Association (IMA) and trade unions,

The legal aid clinic is an important institutional input to help the network

and the unorganised sector

The network role and activities are offering strategic tools to influence policies in

favour of the unorganized section of the society. Nidan also participated actively in

networks of other unorganised workers like the Network of Construction Workers-

National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation for Construction Labour NCC-

CL , Home Based Workers -Home Net India, Social Security National Campaign

Committee for Unorganized Sector Worker NCC-USW. Waste Pickers -National

Waste Pickers Alliance called SWACHH, children of informal workers-National

Forces.

- The work of Nidan, with the waste pickers, has been a major

learning for organisations working with waste pickers and has

provided considerable inputs to the emerging National Policy for

Waste Pickers

- Similarly Nidan has been participating actively in Home Net India

which is advocating for better policy for the home based workers

- The participation in construction workers campaign exposed Nidan

to Welfare Board Models of Southern states and ever since Nidan

has been promoting the Welfare Board Model

- Nidan expreince in insurance has contributed to the Social Security

Bill for Unorganised Workers and Nidan participated actively for

the Social security bill for the Unorganised Sector workers

.

Besides networking for advocacy, Nidan has been carrying on advocacy on issues to

strengthen its grassroots interventions. Some of these and the results are as follows- -

32

-End of Contract system for collection of Municipal Tax from street vendors. In fact

this example was used to influence policy in Uttar Pradesh which went on to abolish

the in the whole state.

-Nidan‟s engagement with the Municipal Corporation in waste management also gave

confidence to the Municpal Corporation as well as the State Govt in dealing with civil

society organisations.

-Nidan‟s consistent advocacy on housing rights ensured proper planning and without

resorting to mindless eviction in urban Patna,

-Nidan has been a pioneer in promoting co-operatives and has shaped rules of co-

operative formation considerably,

-Nidan piloted the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission in Bihar and helped model

systems and rules for taking forward the Mission,

-Nidan is advocating access to quality education and child rights which stimulated the

poor developing a different perspective on education as tool for empowerment,

-Advocacy efforts and the process of dialogue between the workers and govt

facilitated by Nidan has helped set up a new framework of advocacy and has given

considerable confidence in the informal workers in tackling issues and cases which is

further emboldened due to emergent strong solidarity among the informal workers.

Advocacy and advocacy based network has been facing daunting challenges. Several

of the limitations underlined include the followings:

1. Diversity of issues and pains of expansion: The unorganized sector faces

myriad issues which are complex and tricky with strong socio-cultural and

ethical connotations. As the net work expands it brings with it several issues

which are location specific requiring immediate interventions. Network faces

constraints in responding to the expanding needs of the members,

2. Missing articulation: The issues are diverse and complex and have

ramifications embedded in to the local and global conditions. They would

require proper understanding of the local environment as much as awareness

of the national and global implications. Dealing with the complex set of issues

would require a versatile and innovative articulation which seems to be

missing at the moment. While most of the leaders spring from the local

environment they tend to be struggling with the day today issues which are

more important in a given time and space. Systematic opportunity for learning

is often over looked by immediate urgencies,

3. Limited resources and their underutilization: Most of the partners and local

leaders come from impoverished and marginalized communities with lower

level of education and management skill. They have limited resources

mobilizations which are generated mostly through local contributions. The

local leadership is limited by its inability to put in proper management tools

and strategy to have optimum utilization of the available resources,

4. Missing sensitivity of the local level state agencies: While policy influences

are affected at the state and national levels it takes longer for the

corresponding policy changes to reach the local agencies. Also there is a lack

of common language between the local agencies and the local network. It

causes avoidable delays and conflict,

33

5. Resource constraints: Advocacy requires a complex and consistent efforts

simultaneously at many levels. Information gathering, sharing all

developments with stakeholders, representation at the right time, identifying

loopholes, playing on the well wishers, keeping pace with changing officials,

organising meetings or protests, scientific record keeping, weaving the issues

with current developments, following court cases and so on. Each of these has

cost making advocacy a costly affair. Resource mobilisation for advocacy has

to be pursued by Nidan at the same pace as it advocates causes of informal

workers,

Issues for envisioning

Unorganized sector forms core of Nidan‟s vision which has come off a considerable

distance in terms of its coverage, outreach and diversity of issues. It has emerged as a

network of the poor with considerable clout. The network needs to consider the

following issues while articulating a new vision:

1. Expansion and outreach: The effective functioning of NASVI makes it a net

work with formidable clout and strategic implication. It is witnessing a logical

growth and expansion. However, further expansion has to be well thought and

planned,

2. Strategies for strengthening: NASVI is moving from strength to strength and

one of the strategies is through building of coalition. The envisioning need to

consider strategies to be evolved and adopted,

3. Capacity building: As the network grows there is a need for pursuing its

goals with clarity, focus and strategic moves. As has been indicated earlier

there is a need to look to the capacity issues to enable the network partners

prove effective with their actions and

4. Resources mobilization: Looking for and exploring the ways resources can

be mobilized and augmented to the effective use of the network.

Education and child Rights

Nidan is fully aware of the critical role education has in empowering the unorganized

marginal communities. While working with the (informal workers)/waste pickers

street vendors missing access to education for the children has been greatly realized.

Therefore, education has been underlined as one of the key components since the

beginning. To begin with Non –Formal Education centres, in Kamala Nehru Nagar

and Mandiri were started in 1998-99 with the support from CRY. This was a good

beginning and the communities showed positive response. Enrolment grew, teachers

acted as community animators and the children and the parents were attracted to the

interventions offered under the program.

However, nature of educational interventions were not fully compatible with the key

issues of evoking constructive and innovative surge among the children. There were

limitations on the pedagogy and domain of community‟s constructive collaboration.

September 2006 witnessed beginning of a new framework emphasising added

community support, assured financial support, pedagogical refinement characterizing

effective involvement of the teachers and the students, systematic capacity building of

the teachers, community based resource centre and effective maintenance of

Management Information System (MIS). Action and activity based pedagogy has

been brought into practice.

34

As of now the program is organized in three wards and nine slums-starting with 24

teachers three support staff and one coordinator. Reaching out to 2000 students during

this year (2007-2008) and likely to cross 3000 marks by the end of 2009.

According to internal review and feed back the schools have attained strong

community interface in that the community has provided 15 school rooms, have

offered labour and made financial contribution as well. An important highlight of the

program is availability of quality teachers who have built their capacity with the help

of resource partners Bodh Shiksha Samiti Jaipur, who are pioneers in quality

education for the slum children in and around Jaipur. Teachers‟ capacity has also

been enhanced through regular participation in the workshops, research and

innovation. Systematic need assessment of the children and tailoring the curricula

according to the needs. Presence of ward level resource centre has helped create a

learning opportunity for the community as well as the teachers. The teachers and

resource team has been able to prepare and come out with innovative learning

materials which offers the program a unique space. In sum a child centred approach

with strong community interface and locally prepared teaching learning materials

help create an environment where empowerment transcends the boundaries of

learning and learning offers joy.

As program is in its infancy it is faced with definite limitations and constraints. First

of all the program offers an innovative paradigm and as usual there is natural

cynicism to the approach. It takes time and effort to convince the community and the

parent. The situation becomes trickier owing to the lower educational level of the

community where it functions. The community also suffers stereotype and

superstition which has its impact on appreciating the finer and subtle elements. The

community is also deficient in their physical and financial endowment and enlisting

support from them becomes difficult. The poor community have always been attracted

by the illusionary subsidies. The project asks for contribution and support-this is,

initially, difficult to accept and appreciate.

BIHAR FORCES

Bihar FORCES is an advocacy network of Trade Unions. It works for early

childhood care and development through advocacy. Therefore, it has targeted the

children from 0-6 year age group and mother of unorganized sector during their

reproductive phase and has been working on five thrust areas - immunization,

nutrition, Maternity entitlements, pre-school education and registration of birth and

death since 2002.Now it is a network of 34 NGOs. Bihar FORCES is constituents of

National FORCES and was floated in 2002.

Bihar Forces has been successful in drawing attention to the needs of 0-6 years

children. The efforts has seen considerable changes in areas of intervention

particularly on Birth Registration, Immunisation, ICDS, and maternity entitlement

Campaign on child Rights

Nidan has been conducting campaign on Child Rights particularly with a view to

eradicate child labour and mainstream them with quality education. The campaigns

have taken various shapes like being part of the Dhawa Dal to inspect and find child

labour in homes and establishments in Patna, campaigns on enrolment of girl children

ins schools in Vaishali, Campaign to get the members enrol their children in schools

and so on

Issues for envisioning

35

Education program has great potential and has received warm community response.

The practitioners are also looking forward to the implementation of the program and

its possible impact. As the program is evolving several issues are also emerging as has

been shown in the earlier section. However, the program is bound to create waves as a

new emerging approach. Following issues are important to consider while envisioning

for a new phase:

1. Expansion and coverage: The initial response of the community is quite

warm and positive which has helped meeting the target of bringing 2000 out

of school children to the schools. The enthusiasm of the implementing

agencies is growing to cover at least 1000 more. The envisioning need to

consider coverage and pace also geographical location,

2. Linkage with the existing programs: The children are showing good

response but material facilities are alluring some of the children to make their

notional presence at the government schools which offers a lose- lose

condition. The need, therefore, is to decide on the strategy for establishing

linkage with the formal programs so that the outcome becomes more

meaningful in a win-win format;

3. Linking the program with poverty issues: Interaction with some of the

community members suggest that the intrinsic and long term implications of

the program is not being appreciated by considerable section of the

community .For example, education as a tool for empowerment has to be

appreciated and the pedagogy being used need to be considered in the context.

The envisioning should see and examine the possibility of extending the

scope of the program to larger empowerment frame work;

4. Policy integration: Nidan‟s initiatives need not be seen as stand alone

program. The special features and impact there from need to be integrated into

the policy of the formal system –the state and a policy advocacy strategy and

approach need to be appreciated,

5. Resources generation for sustainability: The current profile, orientation and

motivation level of the Nidan‟s education team suggests that the team could

utilize its expertise and expand market opportunity for its services. This

however, would require a careful design so that the team could independently

take up the activities,

6. Resources and service support inputs: As of now Nidan draws its technical

support from Bodh Shiksha Sansthan(BSS). The local level capacity need to

be developed to orient and adapt the pedagogy and the TLMs. The capacity for

research and analysis need also to be developed. The envision would consider

this component,

Health

Nidan‟s intervention, in health sector, begun right from the initial years of

intervention of education of children. The situation demanded urgent attention to

improve immunization status and family planning interventions. Nidan began making

families aware on both these issues and linking members to nearby health centers and

also co-ordinating with ANMs. The result was dramatic and it encouraged Nidan to

take up more issues of health of the target group.

The focus of the program has been both preventive as well as curative. Preventive

aspects include awareness generations as well as persuasion for small family norm,

immunization, healthy nutrition, prenatal and post natal care while curative aspects

embodies early detections and cure of the disease. For curative, people are linked with

Government programs like TB Control program etc.

36

Access to safe drinking water has also been an important concern of the health

program. Nidan has also piloted the implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water

Mission program in Vaishali district, which bases the entire strategy on community

participation.

Safe drinking water has been a bane for the urban poor. The main cause has

been lack of access. Long que of poor for waste characterize whole of Urban India.

Nidan began by linking them to Patna Water Board and getting piped water supply to

their areas where it was difficult. Nidan got clubs to install hand pumps in many

areas.

Nidan‟s greater focus has been in preventive aspects and enabling the poor to access

and demand quality health services from the state agencies rather than managing its

independent health program. In fact Nidan had a charitable six bedded hospital in

Patna which did not prove economically viable and therefore the focus has shifted to

collaborative arrangement for dealing with health issues.

Key programs and activities in the health sector include:

Building capacity of the staff of NIDAN. NIDAN, presently, has

250 field staff spread across five districts of Bihar .Their capacity

building accelerated and helped facilitate the integration of and

mainstreaming of HIV

A survey conducted in the Vaishali districts in association with a

Kanpur based organization named WIZMIN and supported by

Unicef.

Providing STI/HIV/AIDS awareness education, sensitization and

training to peer educators among SHGs

Dissemination of STI/HIV/AIDS correct information and

messaging through innovative means painting & printing HIV

slogans /messages in garbage pick up vans, on distribute leaflet,

posters, and other outreach materials

Conducting & organizing communities meetings on

STI/HIV/AIDS awareness education to NIDAN community

Awareness Campaign on World AIDS Day

Care and support program to CLHIV

Nidan also works on the issue of youth and HIV A resource centre

has been established with the purpose to provide information on

YRSHR and HIV issue at NIDAN office.

Reducing vulnerability of rural youth to HIV infection Nidan

started HIV prevention program in Danapur and Sampatchak block

of Patna districts. The program is focused of reducing vulnerability

of rural youth to HIV infection.

Issues for envisioning

At Nidan the vision is to build the capacity of the communities to access health

services from the formal health providers.

Disaster management

Working with the unorganized sector Nidan is often faced with crises situations.

Drought, flood, fire and forceful evictions are some of the situations which need

37

immediate handling. Nidan works on emergency handling as well as long term

planning to respond to the disaster situations.

1997 winter turned out to be extremely cold. Many of Nidan‟s members who were

„rugged garment‟ vendors lived in makeshift camps, had a harrowing experience.

Most of them were immediate migrants to the city and were fighting for survival.

They were unable to buy even proper meals at that point of time. Nidan mobilized

resources from Adithi and blankets were distributed to the 200 families .It was

Nidan‟s first experience of dealing with a crises situation. Nidan‟s action won the

heart of not only the families who benefited but the entire area felt-„Nidan stand in

times of distress of its members received wide accolade.

1998 proved disastrous for the slum dwellers of Adalatganj in Patna. The govt evicted

slum dwellers of Adalatganj rather scandalously using a court order as the pretext.

Fearing violent protest by the slum dwellers, the slum was put on fire and people lost

all their belongings besides their homes. Nidan not only took up their cause but with

its meagre resources, provided relief to the affected families.

As Nidan expanded in rural areas and particularly in the North East Bihar, the tryst

with floods began. Two blocks of Katihar district faced annual floods. Depending on

the intensity of damages, Nidan intervened to wipe the tears of members and provided

immediate relief materials, installed hand pumps for clean water, constructed toilets,

organized health camps and also got their houses constructed. The floods of 2007

affected many districts of our work- Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Katihar.

Nidan intervened in all the districts, albeit on different scale in different district

The Kosi deluge - 2008

Second half of August 2008 witnessed more than 2.7 (3.4 million)million people in 16

districts affected in Bihar by floods resulting from monsoon rains and embankment

breach in Bhimnagar barrage. More than 250,000 houses were washed away.

Critically affected districts were Supaul, Araria, Madhepura, Saharsa, Purnea and

Katihar. Supaul, Saharsa and Madhepura districts were the worst hit Madhepura

district was sinking with floods. Murliganj, a market town in Madhepura was almost

wiped off. People were evacuated to settle on embankments, roadsides and higher

places.

Nidan’s interventions

Nidan has been working at two levels-(1) creating coping capacities and (2) relief.

1. Asset insurance has been one of the cornerstones of Nidan enabling members

to face situation of disaster. The asset insurance program began in 2003 with a

coverage of 5400 members. The insurance ensured that if the houses were

destroyed in any calamity, they got a claim up to Rs. 20,000 with which they

rebuilt their houses,

2. The relief has been in the form of mobilizing material support to the victims

which included food, clothes and shelter,

3. During the last Koshi flood Nidan under took a number of need based

interventions including:

To work systematically Nidan conducted a need assessment survey,

Counselling to the children and adults to help them come out of their

trauma,

38

Sanitation and health training including hand wash and water

purification,

Play way teaching to the children and training to the local volunteers in

organizing teaching classes,

Supplementary food for the children

Repatriation of missing persons

4. Looking at the disaster as a reality in the Bihar villages Nidan is working out

long time strategy to deal with the issues related to disaster and its

management.

Issues related to disaster management

Nidan‟s engagement with disaster has been in response to the crises situations

emerging out of various conditions. It needs to systematize its structure and system

capable of and ready to take over various challenges. Nidan has the following

inadequacies:

Lack of a competent team fully equipped to deal with the disaster

situations,

Nidan, in the past, has had localized action. Now it has to spread its

operational area which has its own demand on time and resources,

Most of the disaster demands reconstruction. Nidan does not have

specialization in civil work and construction,

The far flung areas would necessitate wherewithal to have systematic

monitoring of its activities which presently is being done but would require

effective system in the long run.

The Koshi deluge showed multiple factors where the intervention needs to

be focused. For example the women, infirm and old and children require

comprehensive handling which necessitate a multi-disciplinary team.

Presently the same is not available within the Nidan team,

Special social security instruments would be required to compensate for the

losses which are not adequate considering the diversity of people to be

covered.

Issues to be considered in visioning

1. Team building and orientation for the disaster unit within Nidan.

2. Defining the disaster prone geographical boundaries where Nidan has to

concentrate,

3. Reconstruction in the post disaster scenario would demand special technology

and skill. Envisioning should consider these skill and tools,

4. The spread to disaster prone areas would need developing functional locations

with adequate support system. Envision should dwell upon the same,

5. Should Nidan focus over disaster in a comprehensive manner and organize a

multi-disciplinary team? This needs to be answered,

6. Expanding social security program would require establishing strong linkages

as well as developing relevant tools and products. This needs to be thought

through.

39

Chapter IV

The Envisioning

The evolving frame work

Institutional and programmatic analysis of Nidan offers interesting learning and

insights for envisioning. Nidan continues „focused‟ over “Collectivisation and

empowerment of the unorganized and marginalized sector to enable them access

and assert their entitlements and protest denial/ violation of human and civil rights

by the agencies and individual”. A deeper analysis suggests the followings:

1. Some of the programs-for examples- livelihood promotion through

SHGs/micro credit and micro-insurance -have grown in terms of

geographical as well as membership coverage. They present enviable

examples of physical coverage and financial turn over. Some visible gaps,

however, are observed in terms of focus and conceptual clarity, compatible

structures and systems. Envisioning would consider a careful pause before

physical expansion and coverage, fine tuning and strengthening of systems

and procedures and carrying out confirmatory trials before they are planned

for up scaling,

2. The programs which have achieved enough maturity can be, consolidated,

up-scaled and expanded covering a wider geographical area and

demography. This would require institutional reorientation and development

in some of the cases. For example consolidation of the SHGs may be

thought of in terms of evolving people‟s institutions –federations or

cooperatives. Such institutions would be required to be registered under

appropriate legal formats,

3. The sectors, systems and processes which have developed enough maturity

have strong value for replication. Nidan‟s vision include developing

adequate capacity to help similar programs using similar approaches and

strategies. A resource centre is evolving as a logical institutional option.

This would necessitate a major shift in role from an implementer to that of a

mentor and facilitator,

4. Nidan‟s initiatives in influencing the state policies have worked very

effectively in orienting the state‟s/agencies‟ pro-poor policies in the

unorganized urban and rural sectors. The next vision should envisage more

constructive engagement and collaboration with the central and state

agencies. This would go much deeper in realizing the vision toward

empowering the unorganized sector,

5. Dealing with the challenges of up-scaling: The growth trajectory of Nidan

suggests cautious and systematic up-scaling. Up-scaling would entail:

Restructuring and reform

Capacity building

Decentralization

The envisioning of Nidan would consider integrating the above rather systematically.

A five years time frame has been considered for the proposed vision. In the

following section envisioning is considered in the context of programs and over all

40

institutional reorientation. Basically, we will talk of programs, the evolving vision and

tentative action plan to be conducted during the next five years-the time frame which

has been considered for the next phase.

Programmatic

Livelihood, Self-help groups and micro-credit

Livelihoods, Self –help group and micro-credit have been one of Nidan‟s flagship

programs initiated since the beginning. The program has achieved a distinct mark and

continues to occupy a prominent space in Nidan‟s over all portfolios. Considered in

the context of the above framework the situation warrants a careful pause before up

scaling. The vision for the next five years is:

“Continuation of a strong self-help group based livelihood promotion and poverty

alleviation/empowerment initiative with participative and inclusive governance in

place. Nidan would evolve and facilitate institutional frame work, both at the group(s)

and apex levels, conducive to ensuring adequate capacity and autonomy to the groups

and help them combine a sound financial and social face. Building through its

learning Nidan would undertake research and analysis of the structures, processes and

outcome and develop relevant approaches, strategies and tools to offer the sector a

unique face”.

Strategies envisaged

Five years no geographical expansion unless Nidan adopts a new focused

geographical area for intervention - work on the systems and procedures for

the next three years and create a niche of quality SHGs which means they

achieve effective self-governance capacities to combine both financial as well

social intermediations into their agenda. As of now more emphasis is on the

financial targets which do not go well with the social concern of Nidan. Nidan

is attracting support from various agencies for examples Women and

Development Corporation (WDC), NABARD, SGSY and so forth. The

sponsors have their own strings of conditions and strategies. That tend to

dilute the uniqueness Nidan can offer. The next phase need to achieve that

unique and independent identity for NIDAN viz-a-viz SHGs,

After three years there would be systematic expansion say 20% in the number

of new SHGs to be formed and nurtured. The understanding is that once the

NIDAN facilitated SHGs attain a unique disposition they will grow and

expand on their own using their own internal strength. Self-help groups should

be seen as independent owners managed institutions and facilitated to achieve

the desired level of capacity and competency,

Keeping in view the above Nidan‟s next strategy would be to develop a robust

set of tools for financial and social development. Why social and financial

aspects development are required to go in tandem and how the two could be

combined offer SHGs a sharper cutting edge for human development and

empowerment,

Next five years Nidan would develop, try and validate capacity building

strategies and tools to help develop clear perspective and competencies to

attain the ideal conditions of financial and social empowerment,

The next phase visualizes setting up of a resource centre with the mandate to

systematically engage in research, capacity building, innovative action

research and publication. The resource centre would shift its role of

41

implementer to that of a mentor for the SHG sector as such. After five years

the centre should evolve and establish itself as an independent institution

pursuing its activities on its own by offering its services and expertise to the

agencies in need of such services. Nidan‟s perspectives and ideologies would

find constructive conduit for spread and expansion,

SHGs are growing very fast no doubt. Nidan is facilitating linkage and

capacity building. This keeps the SHGs bound to Nidan which might stunt the

innovative growth. The SHGs need to have evolved their own institutional

anchorage. Considering the compatibility of the SHGs

cooperatives/federations of SHGs would be facilitated and systematically

nurtured to evolve and develop into an owners managed apex institution. Such

cooperatives/federations would assume responsibility of mentoring and

supporting the member SHGs.

Programs and activities

Keeping in view the above strategies a tentative action plan is proposed as given

below:

Action Plan of SHG

1. Objective: To strengthen and

consolidate the existing SHGs

Activities

Goals/Targets

- Strengthen and

consolidate the existing

SHG and ensure quality

- Streamline and fine tune

systems and procedures

- Creating block level

cooperatives

- Linking them to other

initiatives of Nidan

- Mobilize community members,

- Develop capacity building strategies

and tools,

- Develop manuals and guide books

- Organize capacity building events and

activities

- Organize popular events

- Set up monitoring systems and

procedures

- Increase the visibility at the grass root

level

- Link them to the new initiatives of the

government

- Create cluster of SHG at the block

level and link them to larger groups.

- Organise business development

services for members,

2 Objective: Create the SHGs for

Home based workers

Activities

Targets/ Goals

- Include such groups those

who are out of systematic

organising

- Identify the vulnerable

groups and create a strong

grouping of SHG

- Strengthen their Home

based

- conduct survey in the districts and

identify the home based workers

- Organize capacity building events and

activities

- Organize popular events

- Set up monitoring systems and

procedures

- Extensive counselling among the

community

- Link them with tools and resources

- Link them to the market

42

- Provide social security activities for

them

- Educate their children

3 Promote Livelihood / SHG

members

Goals/Targets

- Economic empowerment

of members

- New tools of learning

- Stop drain of income due

to middlemen

- identify their skills development needs

- Organise business development

services for members

- Introduce new and innovative

products and services and latest

production practices to enhance their

income

- look for the market of their products

and services, particularly national

market

- remove the system of middlemen not

only for credit needs but also for

accessing markets for raw material

and their finished products.

- link them to the schemes of

government like NREGA/SGSY

- Link them with different projects of

Govt and Non Govt organizations

- Develop their skills and link with

contemporary market needs

4 Objective: Create collective

resources

Goals/Targets

- Make a strong team of

larger group

- Create collective

resources

Activities

- Link them to available resources at

block level like cold storages and in

case of lack of cold storage set up

cold storages by SHGs and collectives

- Set up mechanisms for collective sale

of agriculture produce to optimize

profit

- Facilitate them help from banks

- Enable collectives to provide value

added services to SHG members,

5 Objective: Capacity Building Activities

Goals/targets

- Self dependent

sustainable

- Politically conscious and

economically active

- Self confidence

- Protection from

exploitations at different

levels

- Shedding of ill habits

- Gender sensitizations

- Linking them to new business

activities

- Weekly Regular meeting with groups

- Develop leadership qualities through

training, exposure and collective

action

- Benefits from MP/ MLAs funds

- Educate the community about

conspicuous consumption

- Help them in developing capacity to

assert and access entitlements and

claims

- Introduce new practices like mass

43

marriage, marriages between members

or their children without dowry

- Strong counselling for abdicating

drinking and other intoxication

- Enable women to ensure

6. Set-up and establish a resource

centre

Activities

-Set up Strategic Planning and Monitoring

team consiting of trainers, business

developers, linkage and documentation

experts

-Set up a video documentation unit

-Take out a quarterly newsletter informing

members about various developments

-Conduct in-house and also on site training

-Develop need based flexible training

modules

-Set up a database and small library of

various types of income generation projects

and make it available to all SHGs .

-Take projects from other organisations for

capacity building and linkages

-Publish success stories

Micro-credit

As one of the key programs Nidan „visualizes micro-credit as an inclusive business

enterprise‟ to ensure easy access of the poor to credit for their entrepreneurial and

social empowerment. The next phase visualizes strengthening, consolidation and fine

tuning of institutional framework and systems and procedures and gradual expansion

of the portfolio in physical, demographic and financial terms. Greater inter

institutional network and linkage in optimizing fund availability is foreseen as the

priority of the next phase‟.

Strategies

To achieve the above following strategies are visualized:

Engagement with sector has brought to the fore various inconsistencies and

limitations in the systems and norms. The review mission has recommended

certain measures related to streamlining and fine tuning the systems and

procedures. Nidan has already started implementing some of

recommendations. The visioning process also resulted into identifying issues

related to procedures and systems. Utmost effort would be made to reorient,

fine tune and strengthen systems and procedures,

Micro-credit system, over all, is showing much interest and several micro-

finance institutions are emerging. To be compatible with the existing micro-

credit environment Nidan‟s micro-credit program will acquire a legal status.

This will allow credibility to access fund and also avail/ enjoy privileges/

44

immunities. Related to building a legal clout is the issue of ratings which the

micro-credit program will obtain. The process is on for both the registration

and rating,

The staff and members of the SHGs, who are important clients, would require

special skills and business acumen. There would be serious effort at capacity

building –using relevant tools and strategies -designed through the proposed

resource centre as has been proposed under SHGs. The micro-credit sector

would also have continued program and renewal of learning through tailor

made programs within and outside the state,

Equipped with a legal status and adequate capacity to manage its affairs the

micro-credit program would establish its credentials and clouts. Accessing

adequate fund from different sources would be the next logical step in its

strategy to strengthen and revamp the sector,

Action Plan of Micro Finance

1 Objective: To maintain high client

satisfaction

Goals/Targets

- To achieve a high client

retention rate

- Enhanced product portfolio

Retention rate > 98%

- Active client ratio > 90%

- Average size of first cycle loan (Rs.

5,000)

Activities

- Organizing awareness meetings

- More emphasis on maintaining group

and credit discipline

- Monitoring the drop-out rate

- Timely and easy accessibility of products

and services

- Carry out a needs assessment study

- Conduct a market survey

- Analysis and product development

- Pilot testing

- Review and finalization of the proposed

product

- Preparing a final roll-out plan

- Staff orientation workshop for new prod

2 Objective: - To form maximum possible

groups in a block to saturate group

formation in existing blocks

- To expand in new districts

- To enhance the active client base - To enlarge the gross outstanding

portfolio

Activities:

- Mapping of the potential areas

- Cross-referencing from existing SHG

members

- Planning with the field staff

- New group formation

Goals/Targets

- Number of SHGs in a block

(average 200)

- Number of districts covered under

operational area (30 districts of

Bihar by 2011) Number of

members

Number of active clients

- Active client ratio

- District survey

- Identification of potential business areas

- Assessing the need for human and

financial resources

- Resource mobilization

- Awareness meetings at village and cluster

level

- Linking the beneficiaries of parallel

running programs under social

development to microfinance unit

- Collaborating with various Community

based organizations (such as PRI, local

clubs etc

- Fresh loan to existing clients before

completion of loan term (subject to past

record and risk-benefit analysis)

- Quick loan disbursement process

45

- Higher loan per client

- Multiple loans to existing client (subject

to risk-benefit analysis and record of last

loan repayment)

3 Objective; To prepare a motivated and

dedicated workforce

Target/ Goals - To implement a well defined HR

system

- To minimise employees‟ turnover

- Develop and implement

an effective staff training

system

Activities

- Offer a competitive compensation at each

level

- Assessing other non-monetary and

training needs of staff

- Well defined career growth path

- Improving the working culture

- Performance based incentive system

- Quarterly team meeting to address the

concerns of staff

- Assessing the training needs of staff et

various levels

- Preparation of training calendar

- Organize trainings

- Performance review

3 Objective: To maximise operational

efficiency

Goals/Targets

- To minimize the

operating cost

- Faster loan processing

time

- Number of trainings

- Staff performance rating

Activities - Minimize paper work

- Preparation of monthly budgets

- Tracking the travel expenses

- Target setting and strict follow-up

- Defined work schedule of

organizers

- Minimum halting of group‟s loan

applications at branch and area office

- Implementation of remaining

process

-

4 Objective: To implement an effective MIS

Goals/Targets

- To have an up-to-date

and accurate information flow

- Mechanism of consolidation of

data and information

- Well defined accounting system

and manual

- To implement an IT based MIS

system

Activities - Preparation of accounting manual

- Training of branch, area and head

office

- Preparation of separate financial

statements of microfinance unit

- Need assessment for an IT enabled

MIS

- Identification of potential service

providers - Budgeting

- Training to respective staff

5 Objective: To operationalise an effective

internal monitoring and control system

Goals/Targets - To implement an effective

monitoring system

- To implement an effective

internal audit system

- MIS software

Activities

- Defining monitoring hierarchy

- Periodic checks on a random basis

- Tracking the cash flow

- Detection of mistakes and/or

46

- Time taken in detecting the fraud

and/or mistake

frauds

- Reporting to senior management

- Recruitment of audit assistant

- Induction and training

- Periodic internal audit reports

-

6 Objective: To achieve and maintain a

good quality portfolio

Goals/Targets - To minimise PAR

- To develop an efficient

credit appraisal and rating

Mechanism

- Delinquency Management

system in place

Activities - Well defined credit and client

selection procedure

- Implementation of credit risk

assessment formats for on timely

recovery

- Continuous improvement in the

formats the changing operational

scenario.

- Regular meetings and feedback

from station

- Discussing delinquency cases

- Preparing guidelines for organizers

and branch managers to manage

delinquency case

- Communicating guidelines to

concerned

- Follow-up and ensuring

compliance

7 Objective: Effective fund management

Goals/Targets - To mobilise adequate funds

- To maximize OSS and FSS -

Activities - Demand estimation of financial

needs

- Identification of potential funding

sources

- making the funding proposal

- Follow-up with respective lender

- Tracking operational and financial

costs

- Budgeting and planning for the

operational and financial

expenditures

- Calculating OSS and FSS on semi-

annually basis

-

Micro-insurance

Micro-insurance is one of the niche programs of Nidan-perhaps one of the firsts in the

social security sector in Bihar. Although the client base is not very large demand is

growing. There has been effort at diversifying products, creating client friendly

procedures and systems and educating the clients about the long term benefits of

insurance. Nidan would continue with the program during the next five years. The

vision is-“continue with the program, streamline and fine tune systems and

procedures, establish linkage and collaboration with mainstream insurance

47

companies, achieve convincing level of sustainability generating surplus, diversify

products and procedures and expand business-physical and financial coverage.

Within the next five years emerge as a micro-finance company with 100 crores of

turn over”.

Strategies to realize the above

The vision evolved around concrete learning, over time, and the team considers the

vision achievable- „Nidan ko bhi Sapana delkhana Chahiye‟(Nidan must also dream)-

has been the unanimous observation during the consultations and group meetings.

Following strategies are suggested:

Evolve robust product, procedures and systems after a thorough reflection and

analysis. The process has already been initiated with good positive result,

Nidan has been adding number but at the same time there have been

substantial cases of drop outs and non-renewal. This suggests that although

the number is increasing insurance as a culture is not getting internalized. The

stereotypes and dysfunctional belief still dominate the decision to go for

insurance. An aggressive strategy for awareness building and education is

envisaged during the next five years with added impetus on evolving

materials and pedagogy for attitude and behavioural change,

As the number grows mainstream insurance agencies would be roped in and

collaborated with to evolve and design tailor made products to offer optimum

and convincing coverage,

Continuing with micro-insurance using its grass roots contact Nidan would

start expanding its coverage-physical and financial. Simultaneously and more

vigorously at the end of the second year the micro-insurance company would

start taking shape,

As in case of other sectors a full-fledged resource centre is proposed to take

care of the research and analysis, product design, capacity building, marketing

strategy and development of monitoring and MIS tools.

Action Plan of Micro Insurance

1 Objective: Increase the

satisfaction level of the clients

Goals/targets

- Maintain the High

clients satisfaction level

- Strong community

- Better service delivery

- Meet all insurance

needs of areas adopted

Activities

- Organizing awareness meeting

- Set up Cashless health insurance to

minimize problems related to health

claim and consequent delay

- Keep assisting members to get

documents for claim

- Immediate processing and claim

settlement within one month of incident

- Set up helpline and address grievances

of members immediately

- Simplify the concept of Insurance

- Introduce multiple insurance products

- Need assessment and market assessment

- Critically analyze the other insurance

policies of insurance and incorporate the

feasible schemes

- Review of our own product and plan

continuously and reorient it in new

48

packages

2 Objective: To increase the out

reach

Goals/targets

- Increase the number of

blocks and members

annually

- 2008-2009 60,000

- 2009-2010 84, 000

- 2010-2011 1,17,000

- 2011-2012 1,64,000

- 2012-2013 2,30,495

Activities

- Ensure that each person in the areas of

Nidan is ensured by one product or the

other

- Saturate the existing area

- mapping the new potential areas and

selections of members accordingly

- Random check to ensure no adverse

selection is done

- Use network to reach out to new areas

3 Objective: Create a strong team

of motivated work force

Goals/targets

- to create and implement

a well defined HR

policy

- To retain the old staffs

- Strengthen the process

of training

- Develop the system of

scaling of staffs

Activities

- Hiring a qualified and experience HR

manager

- Communicate the HR policy to the

staffs

- Develop professionalism among the

staffs

- Provide exposure visits to other meeting

and staffs

- Develop the feeling of ownership and

responsibilities

- Random checking of the project work by

the head office

- Friendly and cooperative atmosphere in

the office

- Recruitment at the head office with

proper consultation of the areas

- Quarterly team meeting to address the

concerns of the staffs

-

4 Objective: Optimum

operational efficency

Goals/targets

- to minimize the

operating costs

- to increase the client

ratio

Activities

- to minimize the paper work

- Introduction of cashless

- prepare the monthly budget

- target setting and strict follow up

- defined work schedule of organization

- package of financial services

5 Objective: Effective and proper

fund management

Goals/targets

- To generate surplus

- To mobilize adequate

funds for insurance in

new districts

- To generate income

through fixed deposits

and better fund

Activities

- Use the incentive based salary structure

to increase number considerably so as

increase profit

- Budgeting and planning for the

operational and financial expenditures.

and tracking operational and financial

costs

49

management

- identification of potential funding

sources for new districts

- making funding proposal and submitting

it

Cooperatives

The nineteen cooperatives facilitated by Nidan have mixed track of their functioning.

However, the success of Nidan facilitated cooperatives, in the context of Bihar, offers

an encouraging shift. Nidan sees a big opportunity for the sector and is willing to

build on its initial success. Its vision for the next five years includes:

“Showcase cooperatives as effective institutional variant in Bihar and facilitate a

network of cooperatives from the district down to the Panchayat. Cooperatives, under

the next phase, would maintain diversities and relevant legal status. Before that based

on the review outcome and recommendations structures, systems and agenda would

be thoroughly fine tuned. Nidan would gradually and systematically relocate its

position from an implementer to that of mentor and facilitator. The next five years

foresee a vibrant and constructive confederation of cooperatives as umbrella. Nidan

sees this as an attempt to facilitate a strong and formidable anchorage representing

the ownership of the cooperatives and their members with Nidan gradually phasing

out from day today routine management role. Nidan would undertake systematic

research and analysis in order to maintain an environment of renewal and continuous

learning in the cooperative sector”.

Strategies to realize the vision

Restructuring of the systems and procedures and fine tuning the same with the

contemporary requirements,

Initiate action to establish research and development (R&D) facilities at the

apex to add value to the product and processes. In the emerging competitive

market the product line, for example from Wama, has to add and maintain

quality and create need to be able to compete with the market. Need for

innovation and renewal is being felt which is proposed to be achieved through

the proposed R&D centre,

Procuring orders from the market, maintaining product mix and deadlines are

some of the issues which are proposed to be addressed through systematic

training and hand holding,

Successful management of cooperatives would require services and support

which are neither available at the state level agencies nor there is any optional

institutional arrangement for capacity building, research and development.

Nidan, in its next phase, proposes to establish a resource support centre as a

strategy for building institutional support to the sector,

Action Plan of Cooperatives

1. Objectives

Goals and Targets Activities

1 Broaden the base of the co-

operatives

Create New Shareholders

Increase the number of shareholders according

to the strength of cooperatives.

Increase economic contribution of members

beyond the statutory minimal contribution of

50

one share to substantial capital being put by

them

Include New Members who can actively engage

with co-operatives

Make participation of members more inclusive

in decision making by creating appropriate

decentralised participatory structures on cluster

or block basis in case of large co-operatives

Distribute profits of the cooperatives on yearly

basis

Appoint one manager and one accountant for

each cooperative fully devoted to management

of that co-operative

Sanchay's Future Plan of Increasing

Shareholders

2009- 4, 000

2010- 5,000

2011- 6,000

2012- 7,000

2013- 8,000

Geographical Expansion of Sanchay in

Delhi Katihr, Samastipur, Muzafarpur and

other districts of Bihar

Hariyali:

2009 - 200

2010 - 500

2011 - 1,000

2012 - 3,000

2013 - 5,000

WAMA:

2009- 200

2010- 500

2011- 800

2012- 1,000

2013- 1200

Nirame:

2009- 200

2010- 500

2011- 800

2012- 1200

2013- 1500

Develop a system of every co-operative

having a business plan at the beginning of

the year.

51

Expand the Cooperatives in the

New Areas

Profitability and Business

Strengthening the organization

Develop strong linkages in the local

economy

Enable them to leverage Bank Finanaces

Develop value added services of co-

operatives to the members of SHGs therby

using the strong market base developed by

Nidan

The area specific cooperatives will diversify

in other areas also with proper planning. It is

not clear- Does it mean that the area specific

co-operatives will expand to other areas.

To conduct meeting/workshop for

increasing the education of shareholders

and also educating them

Assessment of the real costs being met by

Nidan and profit made by business

Asses the success of other cooperative and

incorporate the feasible practices

2 Objectives: Develop a Credit

Cooperative in each district

Goals/targets Activities

To create state level federation Establish Common Computerised Data

package for accounting process for all the

co-operatives

Establish network with other NGOs co-

operative

Establish workshop/meetings from district to

state level

Establish a Resource Centre for training

facilities in shareholder education, business

planning, promotion of participatory

mechanism, market research, value added

services

Providing better services to the shareholders

Develop cohesive interaction

among the different cooperatives

Organising meetings of different

Cooperatives

3rd Objectives Look for new

market for the products of

shareholders

Targets/goals Activities

Maximum Satisfaction to the

shareholders

Conduct market survey consistently

Launch the new product in the market

Better packaging

52

Benefit to the members

Economic Strength

Proper advertisement

Networking with others

4 Objectives: Initiate the process of

Multi Purpose Cooperatives

Goals/Targets Activities

Linkages to other cooperatives Increase the strength of the cooperatives

Establish a coordinating cell in the head

quarter „Resource Centre‟ to coordinate

among the different initiatives

Multi Pronged Strategies Larger networking at national level

Recruitment of the new staffs

Mobilization of funds

5 Objective: Making the cooperatives

a profit making ventures

Goals/Targets Activities

Make it Self sustainable

Turn it Profit Making

Maximum benefits to the

shareholders

Minimize economic dependence on

Nidan

Focus on the existing economic activities of

the cooperatives and do not enter into a new

trade unless absolutely necessary

Increase the memberships. Larger the

shareholders greater the funds

Fund mobilization through projects –it is not

good for a co-operative to mobilise fund

through project

Submit project proposals to funding

agencies/ Banks

Improve the quality of goods and look for

better return

Conduct market survey

Network and advocacy

Advocacy for the cause of the poor and the unorganized has been one of the key

domains of Nidan. While the efforts have brought about substantial changes in the

policy of the governments-at the centre and state levels-it has also created substantial

clout. The growing number of networks of the poor portray the rising clout of the poor

who can now assert their entitlements. Nidan‟s strategies have been effective which it

would like to continue with over the next five years. The vision for the sector is –“a

fully galvanized unorganized sector capable of and ready to assert its entitlements

from the state and others. Nidan to continue offering enabling inputs and supporting

their efforts through a number of initiatives- social security, micro-credit, education

etc. In terms of expanding its outreach and coverage Nidan would bring ---districts

/the entire state of Bihar and outside”.

Strategies

Nidan‟s existing strategies have been working well which would continue next. The

followings are proposed to be adopted aggressively:

Aggressive awareness building about various relevant aspects of their life and

entitlements and the way they (the entitlements) could be achieved. The

existing tools of constructive dialogue ,demonstrations, rallies, seminars and

conventions would continue,

53

Besides, there would be systematic efforts at developing vocational, business

and life skills for the community members. This would be attempted following

tailor made training programs covering different subjects and category of

groups and exploring new methods of skill building like opening it is and

polytechnics,

Resources mobilization is one of the important areas where Nidan would

concentrate during the next vision phase. Local level resource mobilization not

only helps in organizing local level programs it also expands stakeholders base

and their sensitization. This would be used as a strategy to bring more and

more people on board.

Action Plan of Legal Aid and Advocacy

Objective: Organise the informal groups into formal

1 Goals/Targets Activities

Target groups:

1. Urban Vendors

2. Waste Pickers

3. Construction Workers

4. Domestic Helpers

5. Home based workers

6. Agriculture workers

7. Marginal farmers

8. Diary Workers

9. Artisans

10. Slum Dwellers

Stability and legal status of

the vulnerable groups

Improving the socio-

economic status of

communities

Creating an identity of the

groups

- Make a proper data base of each group

- Identify the exclusive challenges of

each group

- Put one person responsible for urban

informal workers and one person

responsible for rural workers

- Establish a trade union of informal

workers

- Link workers with employment

generation schemes like NREGA or

self employment shchemes like SGSY.

- Organize Dharna-demonstration at

prominent locations,

- Develop solidarity with different

groups so they can take on their own

cause effectively

- Pressurize the concerned departments

of the government to issue

license/identity card for their work

- Develop a network of strong

information system which act promptly

if there is any case of physical violence

or exploitation from any group is

reported or set up helpline

- Associate the different groups to other

initiatives of the organization and

consistently improve the economic

status

- Change the parochial and existing caste

based denominations of the groups

- Develop a strong identity of each

through proper and systematic

counselling ,meeting, joint action

- Organise one state level meet in Bihar

,Delhi, Punjab yearly

- Organise national level meet on the

issues of informal workers

- Use PILs to further the cause of

workers

54

- Bring out innovative IEC material

including a collection of best practices

of informal workers in India and

outside

2 Objective: Increase the

solidarity with the members

Goals/objectives Activities

There is plan to increase the

strength of new members two

thousands inclusive of all

groups yearly .Each district

unit shall have minimum ten

thousand members to qualify as

a district and three thousand

members to qualify as block

Strengthen the less cohesive

groups

Identify the new vulnerable

groups

- Old members of each groups should be

divided into clusters. Each clusters

should be given responsibilities to

include 200 member each in a month.

- New members should be added through

meetings and workshops

- Organise meeting at new places to add

new member

- A short documentary of the success of

the organizational initiatives should be

made and displayed in the meeting to

convince the potential members

- The efforts should be made to include

the members from rural areas as well

- All groups are not equally cohesive.

Identify the weak groups and put an

special effort on them

- Create a proper data base of each group

- Yearly survey should be conducted to

identify the new vulnerable groups

3 objective: To Expand the help

of Legal Clinic

Goals/Targets Activities

- Expansion of Legal

Clinic to all areas

- Strong Legal base of the

groups

- Systematic Protections

of the Group Members

from any sort of

exploitation

- Develop strong

presence in the

concerned government

department

- Develop a centre of

excellence for legal

support to informal

groups

- Expansion of legal clinic in all the areas

- Appointment of person with legal

background in each of the district

- A strong team of network to identify

legal issues and fight to an end

- Work with other local organizations

and communities

- Prepare a draft of specific rights of each

groups and explain it to them

convincingly

- Generate awareness among the civil

society

- Reach out to every house holds in

communities through extensive

meetings and workshops on legal

matters

- send press note of cases o Media

regularly

- Organise a yearly state level conference

on Legal Aid for informal sector in

which different stake holders of civil

society participate

- Establish the organizations as a centre

for legal support and expertise through

55

drafting a manuals for informal sectors

- Associate with other civil society

organizations/NGOs and working on

legal matters

- Create a strong team

- Approach the legal consultants time to

time

4 Objective: Enlarge the strength

of members and convert into a

trade union

Goals/targets Activities

- Submerse all the groups

into a collective body of

Trade Union

- Common Fight for

Informal workers

- Social security

- Increase the member through different

initiatives and enlarge into a stronger

federation of a cohesive Trade union.

- Explain each group about the strength

of a trade union

- Call for a strength how of all groups

into a specific place once in year

- Work with other organization in

creating trade union of informal

workers

- Organise workers education classes

5 Objective: Fight for Equal

Wages

Goal/target Activities

- Enforce the rules of

Equal wages

- Gender Equality

- Focus on he different

schemes of the Central

as ell a state

governments

- Minimum wages for

certain groups

- Conduct survey for identification of

prevalent practices of unequal wages

system in different areas

- Conduct survey on NREGA, the

government initiative of Rojgar Yojna

and prevent he mal-practices through

proper canvassing

- Aware the groups of their due rights

- Organise block level meeting and invite

the concerned officials

- Generate the system of rights to

information through public meetings

- Distribute pamphlets in the rural areas

- Work with school teachers of the areas

to inform the community

- Develop the local network of like

minded groups

- Target the educated youth to spred the

awareness

6 Objective: Work to reduce

migration of workers

- Minimize migration of

informal workers

- Reestablish social and

family structures

- Dignity of informal

workers

Activities

- Conduct proper survey of migration of

groups and cities in areas of work

- Identify the concrete reasons of

migration and map the skills needed in

the market

- Try to match the existing skills and

market needs

- Create centres in Patna, Delhi and

56

Chandigarh and use the network of

NASVI to create centres in large

concentration of migrants without

actually setting up offices

- Establshih three labour networks,one

each in Patna,Delhi and Chhandigarh

whose aim would be to link between

demand and supply,between workers

and customers

- Establish three model Labour Chowks

,one in each city where customers can

come for service providers and get their

service

- Establish helpline to provide the

informal workers the timely legal aid

and support

- Create a safety net for migrants falling

sick, becoming disabled, needing

special care,

- Counselling the potential migrant

families or individuals

- Provide tailor made trainings to

potential migrants positioning them as

legitimate competitors for business

opportunities opening up in globalizing

cities

- Reignite hope and strength in the

communities

- Organise advocacy and meeting

workshops at different level from block

to state

- Make a short documentary of the cases

of abuse and exploitations of migrant

workers in different cities and display it

in larger gathering

- Ensure to the migrant informal workers

must get the benefits of government

schemes

- Establish sustainable and flexible

remittance mechanism for migrant

workers.

7 Objective: Implement the

Vendor Act in Bihar

Activities:

- Influence the state government to keep

issuing directives to the Municipal

Bodies

- Work closely with five Municipal

Bodies in establishing system of

regulating street vendors through

innovative mechanism

- Establish model markets and modern

kiosks as well as carts for vending

- Publish continuously stories in media

8 Advocacy for Informal Activities:

57

Workforce

- A strong advocacy

system

- Address the policy of

State and Central

Government

- Establish the

organizations as Think

Tank of informal

workers

- Continue association and networking at

the national level

- Create forums at the state levels in

Bihar, Delhi,Punjab,Rajsathan for

informal workers and migrant workers

- Advocacy with MPS/MLAs,

bureaucracy, Media

- Launch campaign for identity cards for

informal workers

- Advocate models of Social Security for

informal workers

EDUCATION and child right

Although education for the children of the unorganized sector started way back 1998-

1999, an innovative intervention, in education, started in 2006 emphasising larger

community involvement, active participation of the teachers in pedagogical

innovation and offering the children opportunity for constructive action and creative

explorations. Interaction with the state sponsored formal system of education is

encouraged. The initiative has attracted good attention of the community and the play

way teaching learning has added greater learning excitement with initial cynicism still

persisting in some of the parents. The intervention and the over all frame work shows

good potential for replication and policy integration.

The vision for education, and child right, in the next phase, „envisages building on

the current strength and expanding in all the municipal wards of Patna covering all the

225 slums. In the process to evolve and develop adequate capacity, relevant pedagogy

and sharpen the current tools and strategies. Advocacy for policy integration and

collaboration with the government and non-government agencies would be a priority

during the next phase. Considering the urgency of child protection Nidan envisions

achievement of comprehensive child rights as envisaged under the UN charter on

child right special emphasis given to pre-primary schooling, birth registration,

maternal entitlements as included in the Bihar Forces agenda ‟. Nidan also started as

IGNOU Special Study Centre to enable informal worker to preserve higher

education.

Strategy to achieve the above vision

Adequate capacity building of the teachers and other functionaries to help

them internalize the philosophy and pedagogical nuances of the program and

develop sense of innovation for which there is enough scope and need,

Community support, not withstanding, there is still missing appreciation of the

context, content, meaning and relevance of the program by the community

members. A constructive and proactive interaction with the community would

help appreciate the long term implication of the program which would be

systematically facilitated,

Linkage and collaboration with the state sponsored education would create a

win-win situation and is likely to influence and sensitize the state functionaries

in an environment of mutual sharing. This would be systematically pursued

optimize the gain of the intervention,

The above would set the right context and opportunity for expansion and

enhanced coverage,

The current profile, orientation and motivation level of the Nidan‟s education

team suggests that the team could utilize its expertise and expand market

opportunity for its services. Besides generating financial spin off the

involvement of the current staff, in a professional support role, would help in

wider appreciation of the frame work and its wider replication,

58

The next phase visualizes setting up of a resource centre to under take research

and analysis, pedagogical innovation, capacity building and advocacy

framework and strategy. The apex level resource centre would have satellite

resource centres at the ward/cluster levels -all linked together and synergized

with their respective strengths.

Bringing child rights at central stage by aggressing pursuing the UN charter on

child rights, more specifically, those being implemented under the Bihar

Forces network initiatives. Community and policy sensitization would make

core of the strategy.

ACTION PLAN

Present status

Nidan is working in 3 wards of patna with more than 3 thousands students. Nidan

is partner organization of Bodh Sikhsha Samiti of Jaipur. It has succeeded in

inculcating quality education among the most vulnerable communities of the city. The

success of this endeavour has prompted the organization to prepare a road map of

informal education for coming five years.

Objectives Goals Activities

(i) To increase the

visibility of the

organization

(ii)Expansion of the

informal education.

1.Quality based

Education.

2.Benefit the

community through

Education.

3.Generate strong will

among the community

For education.

4.Estabish itself as a

model of informal

Education.

1. 100% enrollment

1. Streamline the

process of

education.

2. Asses and Record

the changes in

lifestyle of the

community through

the exercise of

education.

3. Prepare yearly

booklet of the

success stories of the

kid which has

been resulted with

the impact of the

education and

circulate it to the

Different sectors-

govt/bodies/Research

centers and media.

4. Develop a

manageable dress

code that can

streamline and

discipline the kids in

the school

1. Yearly Horizontal

expansion

2008 - 2009 4 ward

59

(iii) To cater the

facilities as a resource

center to other NGO

on informal education.

1. Quality to be

retained

2. Economic

strength through

education.

To be the center of

excellence of informal

education

Community based

approach to informal

education.

Strong credibility

among the community.

An ideal center for

Informal education.

3500 students

2009-2010 6 ward

5000 students

2010- 2011 8 wards

7000 student

2011-2012 10 wards

9000 students

2012 - 2013 12 wards

11000 students

2. Expansion could be

possible in other districts of

the project areas.

3. To conduct consistent

and continuous research to

approach the most

vulnerable communities

which are absolutely

delinked from the

educational process

4. Expose the community to

the benefits of the

education.

5. Checked the drop outs

from the school make the

Learning entertaining and

avoid burden.

Collaborate with the

other NGOs which are

working on the issue

Of the state.

Work with SCERT and

DIET of the government

agencies.

Strong research based of

the socio-economic

factors of the

community

Develop its own

indigenous and fabulous

syllabi for formal

education

Create guidelines for the

teacher training in

formal education.

Provide and facilitate

training centers of

informal education at

state levels

60

(iv) To work on the

issue of child rights.

(v) Strengthen the

government schools

Establish child rights

at state level

Prevent child abuse

at different levels.

Enforce the law

agencies

Ensure that every

child should be in

school.

Generate awareness

among the

communities about

child problems.

A good citizen is

barn from a safe

child.

Co-operative

approach with the

government

Linking the primary

education with higher

education.

Continuity of the

education.

Work with government

agencies at different

level.

Prepare a booklet on

child rights both Hindi

and English

Identify the areas of

vulnerabilities of abuse

and exploitation

Start an advocacy for

children's right

Conduct meetings,

workshops and generate

awareness about child

rights.

Identify the case and

highlights in the media

Provide legal aid to the

families of the victims.

Identify the missing

links in the government

schools at different

levels.

Provide training to the

Teachers of the govt.

schools.

Motivating the teachers

Linking the primary

Education with the higher

education. The kids those

have done the primary

education in organizations

schools and must be linked

to the government higher

schools.

Strong counselling

Among the community for

higher education.

Initiate the center for

vocational training

Appoint trainers who

61

(vi) Vocational skills

for adolescent

boys/girls

(vii) Generate funds to

run the project and try

to make it self-

sustainable

Economic empowerment

of the community.

Prove that the

Educational investment is

the best investment

Job opportunities

Establish its linkages

with open school and

central government

department

Establish the

organization as an

excellence of informed

sector in the state.

Make it Self-

sustainable

Establish a training

centre for informal

education.

Work as a mother

NGO on education.

can create skills among

the boys and girls.

Arrange equipment for

different vocational

trainings.

After completion of

their training place them

accordingly.

Raise fund from the

funding agencies on the

vocational courses

Generate Money from

MPS/MLAS funds for

informal education

Generate fund through

training centres catering

services to other NGOs

Rent out Training

centres to other

organizations for

meeting and workshops

Generate fund through

vocational courses

Approach corporate

sectors

Popular IGNOU Special

Study Centre

Health

As has been said earlier Nidan‟s over all vision is community empowerment to be

able to access and assert health services from the existing institutions. It envisages

aggressive awareness building and education of the community to deal with morbidity

issues from among and within the unorganized communities.

The strategies

Aggressive awareness building among the vulnerable communities cover both

the preventive and curative aspects,

Capacity building of the communities to deal with health issues and

Collaboration with service providers to proactively design and implement

product and services,

Develop health insurance products which are friendly to the poor

communities. This has been dealt with under the micro-insurance section.

To use the modern technologies in screening of health issues and using the

result in awareness creation.

Action Plan

62

Curative Health Enlarge considerably cashless health

insurance program

Link with health insurance program of

Govt

Organize special need health camps

Link up with charitable hospitals for

free or reasonable cost treatment

for diseases including surgical

operations

Start low cost spectacle promotion

program for short sightedness in

collaboration with VisionSpring

,New York

Occupational Health Regular screening of workers

Build awareness on specific

health problems related to each

trade

Linkage with Govt and non

Govt organizations for

treatment

Link up with Labour

Department for bidi and other

workers

Promotion of

Disaster management

Although disaster has been a regular feature for Bihar this year‟s Koshi deluge has

brought serious challenges to the fore. The climate change is going to bring more

severe catastrophic situations caused by flood, drought, fire and serious epidemics.

Nidan has been engaging itself with the disasters and has learnt to evolve coping

strategies to deal with disaster situations.

It has successfully dealt with the fire, cold wave and flood and has been able to

streamline relief, create awareness and establish a strong interface with the state and

other agencies. Nidan‟s strong network and committed team has helped it neutralize

the adverse consequences Lack of adequate trained hands, financial resources, widely

spread locations all have been limiting the efforts of Nidan. However, for Nidan it is

impossible to ignore disaster. With its experience in handling disaster situations

Nidan‟s vision for the next five years is „to see adequate preparedness on the part of

the local communities and enough sensitivity among the agencies to deal play a

proactive role in disaster mitigation. It visualizes important role of the civil society to

hand hold and prepare the communities to cope with the disaster situations by

developing skills and capacities and by demanding necessary support from the

agencies during the time of disaster‟.

Strategies

7. Team building and orientation for the disaster unit within Nidan.

8. Defining the disaster prone geographical boundaries where Nidan has to

concentrate,

63

9. Reconstruction in the post disaster scenario would demand special technology

and skill. Adequate efforts to be made to consider building of the necessary

capacities and skills among the team members and the local communities,

10. The spread to disaster prone areas would need developing functional locations

with adequate support system. Nidan would endeavour to develop certain

locations as disaster coping centres,

11. Comprehensive mapping of local needs, more importantly, livelihoods

options,

12. Organization of capacity building programs and events for the communities.

13. Building of collaboration and network with the relevant agencies

14. Developing relevant insurance products and social security instruments would

be one of Nidan‟s key strategies

Action plan for disaster management

Objectives: Mitigation of disaster effects

and develop capacities to cope with

disaster situations

Activities

Goals and targets (Five years)

To help the local communities. in the

disaster prone areas access and avail

disaster warnings,

Develop and activate warning system,

Support the government in effectively

managing warning system,

Train the communities in following

and acting upon the warning inputs

To help the communities avail relief and

timely support, Mobilize relief and other support

Help the state in streamlining

distribution system,

Prepare the community for fair

distribution among the needy and

most vulnerable

To help the special category of people-

women, infirm and children avail the

needed physical, financial and

psychological support,

Build team of special services

providers special professionals

Organize special services

Build community level support

groups to ensure special care for the

vulnerable groups

To develop linkage with the state

agencies Develop functional relationship with

the agencies

Support/supplement their services and

provisions

To design and develop social security

products and tools

Review existing products

Field test different products

Design and operationalise different

products.

To design advocacy strategy to influence

the government agencies

Review existing strategies

Identify local demands and needs

Identify local hands and collaborators

Collaborate with local groups

Start advocacy activities

The challenges of up-scaling: Institutional restructuring

64

All that we have found, while revisiting different programs, point to a logical move

toward up scaling. However, up-scaling has its own share of challenges and concerns.

The challenges become all the more intense if the institutions have strong ideological

moorings. This is true for Nidan as well. The growth trajectory reveals issue based

interventions with strong ideological commitment –equity, gender sensitivity, high

moral value and a familial culture within the organization. The up scaling, inevitably,

would require careful handling of the ideological concerns. Then moving from a

modest to a larger agenda necessitate restructuring and designing of programs and

activities. This also calls for adequate capacity building to deal with the growing

agenda and related complexities. As the activities expands to larger geographical

areas the issues of decentralization requires proper management. Series of

consultations that took place during the envisioning process underlined the need to

look into the followings:

Moral and ideological issues

Restructuring and institutional reform

Capacity building and

Decentralization

While attempting up -scaling under the next vision /phase these aspects have to be

carefully dealt with.

Moral and ideological issues

Moral and ideological clout of Nidan is what makes it different-much different from

others. This is reflected in so many words and in so many ways-„women have a

dignified treatment they feel so secured, staff are treated with dignity and sense of

equality, there is no „inspectory‟ meaning every body is free and autonomous in

his/her work, even the ministers and politicians give due credence to Nidan‟ are

the often repeated observations that define what Nidan is today. The up scaling to a

new phase would bring people many of them have not been part of the journey Nidan

started some 12 years ago. There may be culture shock and conflict of perception.

Even within the present set of people within Nidan one can observe clear difference in

the orientation. While some subscribe to physical expansion others emphasise quality.

Some may have strict financial target and turn over as the indicator of success while

others would emphasise social concerns and moral turpitude as the standard of

success. This is all natural and nothing should be read between the lines. But the

corner stone of Nidan which has morale and social concerns at the core must be

maintained to offer continued meaning to what evolved as its vision. This can be

attained through intervening at the design level. The next vision considers the

following as necessary to uphold and carry forward the ideological commitment:

Restructuring and institutional reform

The up scaling would require formal systems and procedures to cope with the

expanded task and agenda. It would also require uniform policy related to human

resources development and incentive structures. As the tasks get complex they would

require relevant skill. Nidan‟s vision enunciates a balanced combination of scientific

management fitted into a familial work environment.

Strategies

Seen in the context of the above following strategies are proposed:

65

Institutional restructuring to include creation of lateral and vertical

arrangements to allow smooth interplay of expertise and authority system the

former getting a better deal,

Establishment of an independent unit to deal with the tasks of human

resources development, working out and implementing uniform and fair

incentive structures, deciding on the privileges and entitlements including

social security ,developing norms and parameters for performance appraisal

and the like and ,

Capacity building and communication

The up-scaling would require adequate capacity to deal with the increased tasks and

related task diversities. Working in a social development sector necessitates

communication skills-both verbal and non-verbal. Coping with complex task structure

demand sharing. Constantly changing context of tasks and programs

Followings are proposed as integral part of the strategy for the next vision:

Review present status of capacity building inputs and their impact,

Capacity building need assessment for different category of staff and

functionaries,

Establishment of a capacity building unit with professionally competent

hands to run and manage the unit. The basic task of the unit would be to

make capacity building need assessment, evolve and develop capacity

building strategies and tools, organize and monitor capacity building

programs and feed back the outcome of the capacity building inputs into the

next program,

Development of communication channel(s) and its direction of flow within

the units and the organization as whole. Develop tools to facilitate faster and

transparent communication,

Related to the above and the capacity building agenda it is felt that the

present set of staff lack communication skills to convey their points of view

effectively and make sense and create impact. Communication skill for

different levels of staff is crucial and the next vision would take care the

sector rather systematically.

Decentralization

Decentralization is considered as panacea which it is not. It takes one to a complex

situation. While decentralization offers autonomy at the lowest levels it tactfully tries

to delegate responsibilities. For example, while the district level unit might ask for

autonomy in recruitment of staff they need also to ensure that the recruit procedure

and transparent in keeping with the vision of Nidan. The district and block level may

ask for continued flow of finances they should also ensure that resources are

generated at their respective level.

Nidan has spread across the districts and blocks. It has allowed them autonomy. But

in this process several issues have also emerged, some of important among them

being:

Lack of transparency in appointment and delegation of responsibilities,

Development of parallel seats of power and authority and vested interest,

Norm violation by those assuming extra authority or those showing clout at

the local level,

Lack of coordination between the field and the head quarters,

66

Dilution of and taking advantage of the informal and familial practices,

Nidan has expanded and future foresees expansion and logical decentralization.

Following strategies, in the next vision, are proposed:

Review of the HRD and personnel matters and set up an independent unit/hire

an agency to work out and finalize a comprehensive personnel and HRD

policy,

Meanwhile appointment of staff to be centralized with the branch level

coordinators participating in the selection process,

Compulsory pre and on the job training to the new recruits,

Transfer of the staff to be done every three years and

Branch level capacity enhancement initiatives to prepare the staff prepare

projects for the local level agencies and access financial resources from them.