Making a Village Self Sufficient : Employment

• Each Village to have a registry of workers under different categories like agricultural workers,carpenters,black smiths,mechanics,painters,etc. Complete details along with contact information is to be maintained properly.Any one searching for labour can access this registry and contact the respective people.This registry can be maintained at the local Gram Panchayat office.The same can be used for schemes like NREGA.
• Each Village is to have Transportation facilities to the taluk headquarters and the neighbouring villages.This can be achieved by operating Vans of suitable capacity between the Villages.This job can be taken up by a group of village youth.Loans can be provided under PMRY scheme.This will provide employment oppurtunities to the village youth.
• There is a great demand for certain skilled workers like gardeners,etc in the cities.People who have some specialised knowledge about agriculture can accept contracts with individual residences in the nearby cities for looking after their gardens for a suitable monthly fee.They can fix a definite schedule and travel to the cities, finish their work and return back to their homes.Such people can register into a Registry after which their contact information will be put up on a website.People in Urban areas can get the contact information from the website and get their work done.
• Every district should have large no. of industries which can provide employment oppurtunities to the educated youth in their respective districts.This would prevent large scale migration of youth to the cities in search of jobs.They should be able to travel to work on a daily basis.

Making a Village Self Sufficient : Infrastructure

The following are some of the basic infrastructure that must be available in each Village :

• Good Roads connecting the village to the Taluk headquarters and the neighbouring Villages.The funds for this must come from the government.This cannot be developed under PPP as it is done in the cities, as poor villagers who fight for 1 square meal a day cannot be expected to pay for using the roads and other facilities.
• Proper Bridges if necesssary.
• Community Hall to celebrate occassions like marriages,etc.
• Hopital with certain basic facilities and a resident doctor.
• Public toilets
• Bus Stand with proper shelter
• A makeshift market for regular Mandis,etc
• Grainary and Cold Storage Facility

Making a Village Self Sufficient : Basic Amenties

• Each Village should have proper drainage and sanitation facilties.Every house should have a toilet and these toilets should be connected to the Gobar Gas Plant to produce Electricity.Funds for this can be obtained under Nirmal Gram Yojana.
• Each House to have a Solar Lantern.This can be funded by corporates.
• Proper Drinking water facilities must be provided by having a single Borewell with proper ground water recharching and rain water harvesting facilities.
• Each village will also have a water tank that collects rain water throuout the year.The water can be used for washing Clothes,animals,etc.This tank can be built by the villagers themselves under NREGA.
• Proper Street Lights to be provided all thru the village using solar panels.
• Telephone and Internet Facilities to be provided by the nearby Telephone Exchange.

Making a Village Self Sufficient : Education

• Each Village should have a Government School having classes till 10th standard.All the kids above 4 years must be able to attend the Schools.
• The Building and other Infrastructure Costs can be shared by the Government and Corporates.
• Every School should have sufficient no. of Teachers and other staff.Educated male/Females in the Taluk or nearby Villages can be appointed as teachers.They can travel Using the Village van to and from their Homes.
• Every School to have CISCO Telepresence so that remote teaching can be imparted to the Kids.Teachers in prestigious Schools in the cities should be able to take specila sessions for the village students using this facility.The same can be used for other purposes also like telemedicine.
• NGOs and other Corporates will be invited to impart special training to the kids in the weekends.
• Meritorious Students should be provided Scolarships and other awards to encourage them further.
• Teachers should also be recognised for their work

Making a Village Self Sufficient : Agriculture

• Each village should have a facilitation centre on the lines of BangaloreOne centres.These must act as a single window clearence for availing all the government services like obtaining Khata,Pahni and other documents.These centres should also provide information about various government schemes that may be helpfull to the farmer.
• A young educated Village Youth could be appointed as a Village cordinator for all the agriculture related activities.He should be a single point of contact for buying/Selling agricultural implements,fertilizers and other items.The Farmers can place an order for getting the above products with the cordinator, who in turn would place the order with the dealers in the taluk headquarters.The cordinator will also look into the logistical aspects also.So, all that the farmer has to do is contact the cordinator for buying his agricultural inputs.
• The transportation facilities for taking the agricultural produce to the market will be taken care by an entreprenuer from the village who runs a Van to and from the Taluk HeadQuarters.The same Van will be used for transporting the agricultural produce also.The Entreprenuer will be provided loans under PMRY Scheme.
• The Village school will have an Internet Connection.Using the Internet connection, the Farmers should be provided information on Commodity Prices,Weather Forecasting ,etc.This Job can be performed by the Agricultural Cordinator himself.
• Desilting of tanks,Watershed development,etc which help in providing prcious water to the crops will be built by the Villagers themselves under NREGA.
• A Gobar gas plant setup in the village will provide electricity to the water pumps in the fields.All the inputs necessary like cow dung and other waste will be provided by the villagers themselves. The technical expertise will be provided by some government owned Research Institutes.
• A grainary and Cold Storage facility will also be built in each village.All the produce will be stored here until a good price is obtained in the market.
• A Farmers Association will be setup in each Village.It will act as a platform for farmers to discuss problems,share ideas and expertise with their fello men.They can be contacted by any seed,fertiliser companies,etc to demonstrate their products.
• Farmers with small pieces of Land can com together for Social Farming.Yound and educated villagers would look after the overall management of the social farm.The income would be divided suitably among the farmers.This will also provide employment oppurtunities to the Village Youth in agriculture.

Making a village self sufficient : Introduction

In this series of posts i will share my ideas on how to make a village self sufficient in every sense.I will delve on the following areas :

• Education,
• Basic Civic Amenties,
• Infrastructure,
• power,
• Housing for the Poor
• Education
• Employment
• Agriculture
• Medical Facilities
• Governance
• Technology