Pata Dei, a tribal girl of Turibhejiguda village under most backward Nakrundi Gram Panchayat of most deprived Thuamul Rampur Block. She is not married till date and working for the upliftment of her own community.
In the year 1994 at a tender age of 16 years, Pata Dei, the COY tribal girl joined the movement of their rights over collecting, processing and marking of Non-timber forest produces run by her elders in Banashree Mahila Sangathan. She was not literate when ANTODAYA started intervening in their village. Later on she joined the Social Education Centre (Non-formal education centre) run by ANTODAYA in their village.
Slowly, but with commitment Pata Dei took the leadership among women not only in their village, but also at area level for ascertaining their rights over NTFP processing and marketing. After 8 long years of fighting with the faulty policy of Government the women won the battle and the rights of processing and marking of NTFPs are now with them.
Meanwhile during 1997 Pata Dei respecting the request of her elders in Banashree Mahila Sangathan, contested the Gram Panchayat election and won as the Sarpanch of Nakrundi GP. During her tenure as Sarpanch of Nakrundi GP she had encouraged her fellow women members of Banashree Mahila Sangathan to procure and process a number of NTFPs (mainly hill brooms, Amla, Mahua etc) by issuing license from Gram Panchayat. She also encouraged two of the SHGs of the Gram Panchayat to run PDS outlets.
Contribution for SHG promotion
Though Pata Dei joined Banashree Mahila Sangathan as a teen-aged member; gradually she became an active member of Maa Dokribudhi WSHG of her village and promoted so many SHGs in the nearby villages. She got the training on Kandul Dal processing and also Hill brooms processing and now she acts as a facilitator for other SHGs of the area to train them in the trade. She also promoted community shops run by SHGs in 4 villages of the area. As a Sarpanch (from 1997 to 2001) Pata Dei encouraged her fellow members to procure NTFPs and run PDS centre.
Contribution to Social reforms
As an active member of Banashree Mahila Sangathan, Pata Dei is instrumental in so many social reforms in their village as well as in the area for example:
She organized her group members to ban illicit liquor brewing as well as vending in the area. She encouraged the girls in her village to go to school and as a result 13 girls from her village are going to school presently. Through the SHG they have succeeded in eradicating the exploitation of moneylenders (Sahukars). Apart from SHG, they have formed one Village development revolving fund out of collection from the wages and from ANTODAYA support where there is an amount of Rs. 1,11,810/- (One lakh eleven thousand eight hundred ten) got revolved at present.
They have a grain bank in their village to support the needy families at the time of distress.
Now after OTELP started the work in her area, Patta Dei became the village volunteer and encouraged people to work for their own resource development. Recently she got the opportunity to become the GRAM SATHI under NREGA. To make herself more capable she learnt to ride a bicycle which she purchased out of her wage money and oversees the work under NREGA and encourages social audits in every village.
Featured image is for representational purposes only.