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CHAPTER - VI
RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NAGALAND; b^RATEGY AND
PERFORMANCE
257
6. RURAL DEYELQPI4EMT IN NAGALMD: STRATEGY MB
PEBFORMAI 'CE
6 . 0 1 . The Background of IRDP
The Commiinity Development programmes were i n i t i a l l y •1
s t a r t e d in Nagaland in 1952-53 t»y creat ing a number >f
Community Development Blocks, This was the beginning of the
State sponsored soc ia l change as a p a r t of general soc io
economic transformation in Nagaland. This process was fur
ther enhanced when Nagaland State was carved out on f i r s t
December, 1983.
However, for the l a s t 16 years , there was no Rural
Development Department as a separate Department in the
State . The State r u r a l development department was, however,
s t a r t e d functioning from the year 1978-79. The Small and
Marginal Farmers Development Agency (SMFDA) had s t a r t ed
some years back in 1971-72. I t was then merged along with
the concept of the Integrated Rural De-welopment Programme
(IRDP) in the year 198O. Thus, the Rural Development Depart
ment i s a separate Department in the S ta te , whereas the
IRDP i s a c en t r a l l y sponsored Agency, which i s run both by
the State and the Central Governments on the bas i s of 50:50
share .
258
In t h i s study, ve propose to study the introduct ion
of lEDP; i t s s t ra tegy axid performance with spec ia l re fe
rence to Medziphema block. There are another tvo spec ia l
programmes under IRDP v i z , (a) the Training of Rural Youth
for Self-Employment (TRYSEM), and (b) the Development of
Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWGRA), but th i s study
does not cover the above two components of IRDP. Thus,
t h i s chapter i s bas i ca l ly confined to the IRDP i t s e l f .
In Nagaland, the IRDPs are planned and implemented
a t a l o c a l l eve l i n s t i t u t i o n known as the Vil lage Develop
ment Board (VDB) under the supervision of the government.
The ro le of Village Development Board and i t s e f fec t ive
ness in ru ra l development have been careful ly examined in
t h i s chapter . At the end, we propose to suggest for a Naga
model of ru r a l development for future development of t h e i r
socie ty ,
6 ,02. The Concept of IKDP
The concept of IKDP was f i r s t proposed in the
Central budget of 1976-77, and a beginning was Jus t made,
and i t has been incorporated as the main s t ra tegy in the
Sixth Five Year Plan. There may be various def in i t ions of
IRDP, however, i t means, "the t o t a l development of an area
and i t s people by bringing about the necessary i n s t i t u t i o n a l
and t r a d i t i o n a l changes by del iver ing a package of services
259
2
tha t encompass a l l t he i r f e l t - needs . " To most of the econo
mis t s , IRDP means, bringing together of the d i f f e ren t sec
to r s of the rura l economy - i . e . , ag r i cu l tu re , education,
hea l th , l u r a l i n d u s t r i e s , r u r a l ve ter inary and animal hus-
bandaiy e t c . Thus, the IRD i s a "mul t i - facet framework
involving mul t i -d i sc ip l ina iy approach, in tegra t ing them
in to one s ingle whole. The IRDP i s also t o be viewed as a
mul t i - l eve l , mul t i - sec t iona l and mul t i - sec to ra l concept. As
a multi l eve l concept, i t encompasses r u r a l development a t
the various l eve l s in the h ierarchy, such as v iab le c l u s t e r
of v i l l a g e s , areas , ranges, blocks or d i s t r i c t l e v e l s . As
a mul t i - sec to ra l concept, i t includes an in tegra ted deve
lopment of d i f fe ren t sec tors of ru r a l economy l i k e ag r i cu l
t u r e , ru ra l i n d u s t r i e s , education, drinking water f a c i l i
t i e s , ru ra l roads and so on and so fo r th . As a mul t i - sec
t iona l concept, i t encompasses a socio-economic development
of d i f fe ren t sect ions of the r u r a l communities, including
a l l t r i b e s , a l l v i l l a g e s , a l l c lans , and a l l fami l ies , par
t i c u l a r l y of the poor sect ions of d i f fe ren t soc ia l groups.
These are the main t a rge t s of IRDP as a mul t i - sec to ra l and
mul t i - sec t iona l concept.-^
6 .03 . Objectives
The Integrated Rural Development Programme has been
accepted as the main s t ra tegy for the development of r u r a l
260
areas during the Sixth Five Year Plan of 1978-1983, with
the following objectives.
i) To raise families in the identified target groups
above the 'poverty line'.
ii) To create substantial additional opportunities of
employment in the mral area.
ill) To revive/intensify the traditional rural industries
and trades,
Iv) To explore and utilise the local resources fully in
the spheres of both social and economic development.
v) To ensure that the \veaker sections of the rural com
munities are enable to participate in the develop
ment process taking poorest of the poor family as a
unit of development, reaching their door step vitb a
number of different package of programmes.
Thus, the primary objectives of IRDP is to attack
the target group and to make them cross above the poverty
line through a multifarious programmes,
6,0^, The Content of the Programme
During the year 1983-8I+, the State Government of
Nagaland framed rules, known as the 'Model Sch«nes' for
identification of the schemes for individuals or households
schemes. Biis Model Scheme includes the folloving items
namely:
261
i ) Land Development - Subsidy for land development @
Rs. 800 per acre In p la in area, and Rs, 2,000 per acre in
h i l l area (p la in area means land measuring slope of not
more than H
i i ) Minor I r r i g a t i o n - For construction of minor i r r i g a
t ion channels, the subsidy i s ^0% of the t o t a l investment
subject to maximum subsidy of Rs. 5,000 per channel. Only
Individual cases are covered under t h i s scheme, as per the
ex is t ing ru les of the Public Works Department,
i i i ) Hort icul ture - (a) Pineapple Rs, 3,000 per acre in
one instalment , (b) for o ther f r u i t s , Rs. 2000 per acre i s
the subsidy, and apar t from tha t 75% to 80^ of which i s
given in kind in three ins ta lments ,
iv) Fishery Development - The subsidy i s 50% of the t o t a l
expenditure as per the ex is t ing schedule rules of P.W.D.
Subsidy can be given for f ishery pcmds measuring 35 ' x 100'
X *+' and above with permanent water, subject to the maximum
of Rs. 5,000 per benef ic ia ry .
v) Farm Forestry - Subsidy for farm fores t ry i s Rs. 1000
per benef ic ia iy i . e . ; not exceeding one hectare per benef i
c i a ry . Since protect ion i s the primary requirement, fencing
mater ia ls are also to be provided.
262
v i ) inimal Pover - Subsidy for a p a i r of ploughing
animals i s Rs, 2,000, "which may be given to the farmers
having terraced f i e ld not l e s s than one hectare .
v i i ) Ser icul ture - Subsidy of Rs. 2,500 per hectare i s
given. This i s envisaged for se lected areas only keeping in
view the v i a b i l i t y of the scheme.
v i i i ) Bee-keeping - The subsidy i s l imi ted to Rs. 1,000/-
per bee-keeping u n i t , i . e . 5 boxes and one ext ra ex t rac to r
cons t i t u t e one u n i t .
i x ) Dairy - One cross-breed milch cow and a he i fe r con
s t i t u t e a dairy u n i t for which a subsidy of Rs. 5 ,000/- i s
provided.
x) Piggery - Three p igl ings (female) cons t i tu te one
piggery u n i t for which a subsidy of Rs. 1000 i s given.
x i ) Goat keeping - One goatery u n i t consis ts of nine
ewes and one ram ( fu l ly grown) for which there i s provision
for subsidy of Rs. 3000.
x i i ) Duckery - One u n i t consis ts of 25 ducklings (22 f e
males and 3 male) for which subsidy of Rs. 1500 i s provided,
x i i i ) Poultry - One u n i t consis ts of 30 poultry b i rds
(6 months old or more) for which subsidy of Rs. 2,500 i s
provided.
263
xlv) Knit t ing aiid Tailoring - One kn i t t i ng or sewing can
be Issued to ttiose deserving persons vho have been t ra ined
under TRYSM. Subsidy for a kn i t t i ng machine i s Rs. 2100
and for a sewing machine i s Rs. ^-00, A kn i t t i ng centre or
a t a i l o r i n g centre can also be sanctioned for which there
i s provision of Es. 5000 and Rs. 3,500 respect ively for each
Centre.
xv) Agr icu l tu ra l tools and Implements - Tools and imple
ments l i k e junrper, kodali« pick-axe, dao, pumping s e t ,
wheel barrow e t c . can be purchased for sa le to the farmers
a t 50^ subsidy. Livestocks are issued to the bene f i c i a r i e s
only a f t e r r ece ip t of the ve r i f i c a t i on repor t from the
iD^lementing o f f i ce r about the completion of construction of
animal shed by the benef ic ia r ies to ensure 50 per cent con-
t r i b u t i o n to the cap i t a l investment.-^
The above schemes are en t i r e ly designed for i n d i v i
duals or households. However, the community oriented pro
grammes are also taken care of by the State Rural Develop
ment Department. The model schCTie tinder I t s department has
nine major schemes such as the c<M:i^truction of res t ing sheds
on khe t l road, wire rope suspension br idge, v i l l a g e main
s t r e e t , s teps or footh path, v i l l a g e approach road, v i l l age
r ing wel ls /water tanks, community g^ainary, community
orchard/gardens and expeilmental schemes. Similarly, a number
26 If
of conmiunity or iented pro jec t s are a lso taken care of by
other Central ly sponsored programmes l i k e the National Rural
Employment Programme (NERP) and the Rural Landless Employ-
,ment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP), These programmes are also
required to be re-designed according to fe l t -needs of the
people within the network of t he i r soc ia l organisat ion.
6 .05. The Organisational set-up and s taf f ing pa t te rn
In other tJtates there i s one D i s t r i c t Rural Develop
ment Agency (DRDA) in every d i s t r i c t of India. But there i s
only one Agency in Nagaland, known as the 'S ta te Rural Deve
lopment Agency (£DRA), with i t s headquarter in Kohima and
branch off ices in other s ix d i s t r i c t s in Nagaland. In the
State l e v e l , the Agency i s headed by a Direc tor , who i s the
Cijief Executive Oif icer . He i s a s s i s t ed by one Deputy Pro
j e c t Officer, f ive Ass i s tan t Project Officers , Accounts
Officer, Credit Planning Officer and other min i s t e r i a l s taff .
At the d i s t r i c t l e v e l , the Ass is tan t Project Officers are
also ass is ted by one Upper Divisional Ass i s t an t s , one Lower
Div i s ia ia l Ass is tant and two to three grade four s taf f . I t
has been observed tha t the Agency s t a f f has l e s s role to
play in the process of programme implementation both in the
branch and Headquarter o f f i ces . Because the i den t i f i ca t i on
of benef i c i a r i e s i s general ly done by the Vil lage Develop
ment Board (VDB) and the Block Development Officer (BDO),
265
The technical schemes are prepared by the Block Develop
ment Officer and the schemes are implemented by the bene
ficiaries themselves under the guidance of the Block
Development Officer and the Village Council, The funds
are channelised directly through the Bank. Iherefore, the
Agency has less role to play excepting to deposit the
Block-vise allocation of fund into the Bank and to accord
the sanction in time. In the branch office, the Assistant
Project Officer has less role to play except to scruti
nise the list of the beneficiaries prepared by the Village
Development Board submitted through the Block Development
Officer to him,
6.06. Identification of the Beneficiaries
As a general policy, the process of identification
starts from the preliminary bench mark survey, vhich has
to be conducted by the Agency in collaboration with the
Block staff, Bank Officials and the Village Development
Board in every village. The list of beneficiaries is
initially prepared by the Village Development Board v?ith
consultation of the Village Council. The list is then veri
fied by the Block Development Officer. The Bank Manager
or his representatives are to be associated with the pro
gramme right from the identification of the beneficiaries.
To ensure that the right person is identified for assis
tance, the final list of the beneficiaries is displayed/
266
n o t i f i e d on the not ice board of the Vil lage Council and
the block of f ice . In case of any serious dispute regard
ing any name in the l i s t , i t i s re-examined by the v i l
lage council and f i n a l l y i t i s decided by the D i s t r i c t
Planning Board with consultat ion of the concerned Block
Development Officer, who i s also one of the members of
th i s Board.
6.07. Selection Cr i te r ion
There are few speci f ic condit ions for i den t i f i ca t i on
of the bene f i c i a r i e s . Generally, the questions l i k e who
i s to be chosen, for what scheme and a lso how the choice
i s to be made. In t h i s context, a l l tbese basic questions
are l e f t to the v i l l a g e r s to be decided by themselves.
However, the basic c r i t e r i o n for i den t i f i c a t i on of the
t a r g e t group i s the 'income of the fami ly ' . A family con
s i s t i n g of five persons with an annual income not excee
ding Rs. 3»500 i s considered to be l iv ing below the pover
ty line'^ and i s e l i g i b l e for ass i s tance under t h i s pro
gramme.
The Government of India has defined the poverty l i n e
in terms of annual inccxae of a family, having an annual
income of Rs. 6,^00 or l e s s . The 'cut o f f l i n e for iden t i
f i ca t ion of the famil ies would be Rs. if,800 annual income
per family. However, in order to ensure t ha t the poorest
267
of the poor faxnily gets the maximum bene f i t s , a family
with an annual income l eve l upto Rs. 3,500 are ass i s ted
f i r s t . Hovever, the Government of Nagaland do not take
the f igure of Rs. 3,500 and i t has enhanced upto Rs. 5,500
This arrguigement has been made according to the exis t ing
socio-economic condit ion of the people, to be considered
as the fsimilies l i v ing belov the poverty l i n e . The other
important c r i t e r i o n for se lec t ion of the benef ic ia r ies
and the schemes v,ere l e f t on the advice of the technical
personnel in the pas t . But nov, the role of government
o f f i c i a l s in ident i fying a person for a p a r t i c u l a r c a t e
gory of the scheme has been reduced. After a person/
family i s once i d e n t i f i e d ; the choice i s given to him for
se lec t ion of any scheme according to h i s own i n t e r e s t
within the same budget a l loca t ion , Ohis freedom of choice
of the scheme i s given t o the benef ic iary in order to
enable him to make the programme a success.
In t h i s study we have t r i e d to ident i fy the poorest
of the poor family within the range of the family income
of Rs. 3,500 to Rs. lf,800, but no one f a l l s within t h i s
range. We have careful ly c l a s s i f i ed the econcxnic s t a tus of
the people by working out both income and expenditure of a
family according to prevai l ing situaticxi in Medziphema
block amongst the various Naga t r i b e s . The d e t a i l i s given
in the beginning of chapter four ( r e f e r tab le if .1,^.2 &
268
Out of 150 households, the minimum annual income of
a family vas recorded to be Rs. 5,000. Therefore, the
lo-west l eve l of anrtual income of a family was taken in to
account as Rs. 5,000^ Thus, in t h i s study, the poorest of
the poor families were 28 (18.66^) out of 150 households
in the f i r s t category of the f ive v i l l ages ( tab le ^ , 1 ) ,
and 12 (16.66^) in Diphupar v i l l a g e amongst six Naga t r ibes
( tab le h,2), Biis i s according to our c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of
the s t a tu s of family.
6 ,08. Change in programme s t ra tegy
The Integrated Rural Development Programme was
ushered in Nagaland in 1971-72 taking the name of the
"Sknall and Marginal Farmers Development Agency," Since
t h a i , constant changes have been iden t i f i ed in the s t ra tegy
during the l a s t 16 years . F i r s t l y , during the period of
1971-72 to 1978-79, the programmes were implemented d i r ec
t l y by the Block l eve l s t a f f without involving the v i l l a
gers and a lso the bene f i c i a r i e s . The benef ic ia r i e s were
i n d i r e c t l y chosen by the Block s ta f f alone without going
to the v i l l a g e s . The subsidies were simply d i s t r ibu ted
under various schemes e i t h e r cash or in feing incformjof.
glving piecemeal without bearing much f r u i t s . As a r e s u l t
the Vil lage Development Board was cons t i tu ted in 1979-80
with a view to mobilising the masses and to make them
269
involved in the programme plannings and implementation.
The Vil lage Development Board have now been cons t i tu ted in
a l l the government recognised v i l l ages throughout Nagaland,
After the incepticai of the Vil lage Development Board,
the IRDP have become by and large the r e spons ib i l i t y of the
Board in every v i l l a g e . !I3iis i s the second phase of change
in the prograimne pol icy , 3111 th i s s tage , there have been
no d i r e c t involvonent of the Banks in the IRDP. However,
very recently another s t ra tegy has been introduced in the
year 1986-87 in which the d i r e c t involvement of the finance
i n s t i t u t i o n become a must. This i s known as ' the Bank
Credit Linkage Prograimne' under IRDP. Under t h i s new s t r a
tegy, no IRDP can be implemented without the knowledge of
the conmercial banks in the S ta te . Thus, iinder t h i s pol icy ,
a l l the schemes of IRDP are channelised only through the
Banks. This i s summarised below,
6,09, The Role of the Commercial Banks in IRDP
Under t h i s new s t ra tegy , the Bank has to perform a
mult i far ious function as mentioned below. For Medziphema
Block, the Allahabad Bank, Medziphema has been authorised
by the State Government to deal with the IRDP schemes. The
primary dut ies of the Bank are as follows:
270
i ) To ensure t ha t a l l the v i l l ages and families i d e n t i
f i ed under the IRDP are given loans from ihe Bank.
i i ) To prepare the appl icat ions of the i den t i f i ed fami
l i e s and the d e t a i l s of the schemes selected for each
of them under the prograjnme.
i i i ) To re lease the sanction amount to the benef ic ia r ies
without delay with int imation to the Agency, BDO/VC/
VDB.
i v ) To ensure the types and number of schemes which are
v i ab le for giving loan agains t the Agency share ,
v) To review the progress of the schemes undertaken )
through the Bank loan and to examine the new types
and l a rge r number of schemes tha t may come up in
fu tu re ,
v i ) To take care of the i ini ts of asse t s ( e . g . the nianber
of animals or b i rds for each beneficiary) t o be sup
p l i ed unc?er the scheme and cos t of the un i t s are in
accordance with guidel ines l a i d down by the appro
p r i a t e a u t h o r i t i e s ,
v i i ) To r e j e c t or accept the loan appl ica t ions on the
v a l i d grounds under the programmes,
v i i i ) To nominate a su i t ab l e o f f i ce r in the d i s t r i c t / b l o c k
to be the l i a i s o n of f icer or coordinator fo r a l l i t s
branches in the d i s t r i c t in i t s dealing with D i s t r i c t
Rural Development Agency (Sta te Rural Development
Agency) in case of Nagaland in regaixi to IRDP.
271
ix) To ensure t ha t the programme of lendings are not
hanpered.
6 .10. The Method of Financia l Transaction
Under th i s new s t ra tegy of development, no IRDP fund
i s required to be kept with the Agency or with the BDO.
Every year the Agency has to deposit the whole budget
a l loca t ion of the blocks in to the Banks, After receiving
the f i n a l l i s t of benef ic ia r ies from the D i s t r i c t Planning
Board routed through the VDB/BDO, the Direc tora te of Agency
accords the sanctions to the bene f i c i a r i e s . Die sanction
l i s t i s a lso comnunicated to the BDO/VDB and the Bank
Manager. Then a l l the benef ic ia r ies rush to the Allahabad
Bank, Medziphema (in case of th i s block) to open t h e i r
Bank Account. This f a c i l i t a t e s them to withdraw the sanc
t ion amount from the Agency and also to ava i l the loan
from the Bank agains t the Agency share. When a U the o f f i
c i a l formal i t ies are completed the Bank Manager re leases
the money to the respect ive benef ic ia r ies with int imation
to the BDO/VDB/VC and the Agency. Hie completion c e r t i f i
ca te i s then issued by the BDO/VDB. The Bank then provide'
50% of the loan agains t the agency share. I t means tha t i f
tile cost of the est imate of a p a r t i c u l a r scheme i s Rs.5000,
the Agency w i l l give Rs. 2,500 as subsidy and the r e s t
Rs. 2,500 w i l l be given as loan from the Bank. However,
the maximum l i m i t of amount e n t i t l e d under IRDP scheme to
272
one beneficiary i s Rs. 5,000 only. In case the estimate i s
above Rs. 5,000, say Rs. 15,000 the Agency can give only
Rs. 5,000 and. the r e s t Rs. 10,000 may be given as loan
from the Bank provided the scheme i s v iab le for providing
loan. The loan amount i s refunded on instalment b a s i s . This
i s a t r i p l e benef i t schemes i . e . , the bene f i c i a r i e s , the
Bank and a lso the Agency. The Bank gets 10^ i n t e r e s t from
the loanees and the Agency gets h% i n t e r e s t from the Bank
against the money deposited by the Agency. This i s a new
di rec t ion of development s t r a t egy . There i s l e s s chance of
entering the intermediar ies under t h i s system and thereby
corruption i s also minimised.
During the course of our inves t iga t ion , i t was found
t h a t the Agency had already deposited a sum of Rs. h,UO
lakhs in to the Allahabad Bank, Medziphema for the period
of 1986-87 f inanc ia l year for Medziphema Block. This i s
the f i r s t time introduced under the Bank Credit Linkage
Programme of IRD in case of Nagaland.
6.11. The Procedure of Loaning
The persons des i r ing to obtain loan or des i r ing to
be included in any developmental sch^nes formulated by tb©
Vil lage Development Board would express h i s / h e r des i re in
the monthly meeting. Any person res iding in the v i l l a g e can
apply for a loan, furnishing the d e t a i l s regarding the
purpose of fo r which the loan i s sought, the amount of loan
273
and the period in vhich the appl icant proposes to repay
the loan with i n t e r e s t . The loanee has to accept three
important conditions such a s , (a) tha t he w i l l attend a l l
the monthly meeting of the Vil lage Development Board
without f a i l and answer questions addressed to him in the
meeting, (b) tha t he i s to offer any secur i ty to the v i l
lage required by the Vil lage Development Board, and (c)
to accept any penalty imposed to him by the Vil lage Council
in defaul t of any conditions of the loan. Once these condi
t ions are f iOf i l l ed the loan i s released from the Bank to
the benef i c i a r i e s int imating the same to the Vi l lage Deve
lopment Board.
In t h i s regard, we have come across cer ta in problems
as indicated in chapter four under the sub-headins of
' ' the r u r a l saving and indebtedness" and also the "Bank
loan deposit problems"* We have found tha t 37 farmers of
Medziphema vi3J.age, 50 farmers of Molvom v i l l a g e and 29
farmers from Nihokhu v i l l a g e of our sample v i l l ages have
taken loan from one Nagaland State Cooperative Bank Ltd.r,
Medziphema during 1976-198O, The t o t a l amount of loan taken
by these three v i l l a g e r s was amounting to Rs. 83,757 which
has not ye t recovered t i l l da te . The main reason of non-
recovery of t h i s loan was t ha t , the loans were issued in
the name of one Farmers' Cooperative Society, located a t
27h
Medziphema. The society -was then defunct a f t e r d i s t r ibu t ion
of the loan to the farmers. Moreover, such loans were given
without observing the procedures of loan as mentioned above.
We have inves t iga ted the Allahabad Bank, Medziphema
branch in order to examine the aspect of Bank loaning sys
tem under IHDP, and the pa r t i c ipa t ion of the benef ic ia r ies
in t h i s scheme, Table 6.1 below shows about the d e t a i l s of
i t pe r ta in ing to four v i l l ages i . e . excluding Nihokhu v i l
l age .
Table - 6 . 1 : Village-wise Beneficiary under IRDP Scheme 1
Name of V i l l a g e
1 . M i a n s i r i p a r
2 . Diphupar
3 , Medziphema
U-. Molvom
To ta l
w^w |No. of •benef i -{ciary
3
5 1+
2
1^
I AMOUNT ! 1 Agency
Rs. 9,300
Rs.22,200
Rs. 8,800
Rs , 8,800
Rs.1+9,100
GIVEN FROM • ; Bank | 1 loan !
Rs. 9,300
Rs.22,200
Rs. 8,800
RS. 8,800
Rs.if9,100
Tota l
Rs.18,600
Rs.Mf,l+00
Rs.17,600
Rs. 17,600
Rs.98,200
Source: Allahabad Bank, Medziphema, 1987.
The Bank Credit Linkage Programme was introduced in
Nagaland only from the 1986-87 f inanc ia l year. Bierefore,
i t would be too ear ly to evaluate and give our comment in
th i s aspect . However, we hope t h a t through such i n s t i t u t i e r
275
l inkage a t l e a s t ceyta4n changes may take place to u p l i f t
the socio-economic condition of the r u r a l poor. However,
there i s p o s s i b i l i t y of creat ing mis-understanding between
the financing i n s t i t u t i o n s , the Block Development organi
sa t ion , the funding agency and also the Vil lage Development
Board on the issue of i den t i f i ca t ion of the benef ic iary
and in overa l l a c t i v i t i e s of the programme implementation.
Hiere i s a chance of blaming each other amongst the above
menticMied organisa t ions ,
6.12. Hie Role of Vi l lage Development Board (VIB) in IBDP
( i ) I t s concept - Bie Vil lage Development Board i s a new
concept formulated in Nag aland a f t e r a long experience in
1979« I t came in to force in 1980 as an experimental venture .
This i s an innovative i n s t i t u t i o n considered as the deve
lopmental branch within the Vi l lage Coiincil in Nag a v i l l a
ges. Since the Vil lage Development Board i s responsible for
the lEDP in the v i l l a g e , i t i s required to examine the
i ssues r e l a t i n g to i t and i t s ro les in IRDP.
Ci i ) Ob:|ectives - Ihe main object ives of the Vil lage Deve
lopment a r e :
a) To draw d i r e c t p a r t l c i p a t l a i or involvement of tiie
v i l l a g e r s in the ru ra l development processes;
b) To l e t the v i l l a g e r s understand that the programmes
of r u r a l development are t h e i r programmes and
therefore ,
276
c) to i n i t i a t e t h e i r programmes according to t he i r
own wi l l s and to seek technical help and f inanc ia l
support from the government.
( i i i ) The formation of VDB - As per the delegation of powers
to the Vil lage Council (VC) to cons t i t u t e VDB, i t i s the
r e spons ib i l i t y of the VC to form the VDB by nominating i t s
members according to the t r i b a l customs. The tenure of mem
bership i s for three years unless decided otherwise by the
VC by a reso lu t ion . The members may include members of the
VC or those who are e l i g i b l e to be chosen as or for being
m^nbers of the VC by v i r t ue of t h e i r age, t r ad i t ion and
custom. The VDB can have i t s members as many as they f ee l
l i k e as the VC so decides. In t h i s way we have found 19 mem
bers in Diphupar v i l l a g e and nine members each in the r e -
remaining four v i l l ages under study. One woman monber of
the board was also i den t i f i ed in every v i l l age represent
ing the wcmen of the v i l l a g e as per the exis t ing r u l e s .
The government servants can also be chosen with the
permission of the government. A member of the VDB may be
replaced by the VC through a reso lu t ion . The subordinate
off icers of the Deputy Commissiaier are not involved because
the government feels tha t t h i s would introduce bureaucracy
i n t o the system, Ihe members of the VDB i s authorised to
choose one person amcang themselves as the Secretaiy of the
Board,
277
( iv ) The function of the VDB - The functions of the VDB
are numerous. I t has to formulate d i f fe ren t schemes and
programmes of act ion for the development and progress of
t h e i r v i l l a g e as a whole or group of individuals in the Q
village, either using common funds or other funds.'' It is
the duty/responsibility of the VDB to make the village
development plans every year and implement the same as
approved by the government. The major development works to
be executed by the board include sanitation, drainage, con
struction of foot paths and steps, village grainary etc.
The board has to function under the directives issued by
the VC and the State Government from time to time.
(v) The meetings - The board would decide a particular
date for monthly meeting. The meeting ensures that the vil
lage plans so drawn up by the VDB will be known to all con-
cerped in the village, thus, eliminating the responsibility
of mis-utilisation of funds by the members of the VDB, The
Chairman of the Board and the Chairman of the Village Coun
cil are informed of the date. The members of the board
would give wide publicity regarding the date to their khel
members. This meeting is opened to all the residents of
the village. Any change in the date will be effective only
after the consent of the VC and the Chairman of the Board.
In addition to the monthly meeting, the boai*d may meet
278
f requent ly , i f any member of the board gives not ice to the
Secretary. However, tbe resolut ion passed in such meetings
are not to be implemented u n t i l they are debated in the
monthly public meetings.
In the context of the functioning VDB, we have t r i ed
to know the percentage of attendance in the VDB meetings
in a l l the v i l l ages by heads of households. The r e s u l t i s
given below.
Table - 6 .2 : Level of Attendance in the VDB Meeting by RespondenTsI
How regular do you at tend the VDB meeting?
Attendance Number of v i l lage-wise { ;
respondents j Sub-; P.O. Ehansi- {DipEu- | Medzi |Mol- ffJIEo-^ tota^J r i p a r jpar I phema rvom ! khu .' {
1. Regularly
2. Occasionally
3 , Never a t tend
If, I t i s hardly held
5 . I t i s not necessary to a t tend
13
3
8
-
-
hi
13
7
3
8
16
5
1
2
1
Ik
3
wr
1
2
6
3
mm
-
mm
90
27
16
6
11
60.00
18.00
10,66
M-.OO
7.33
Total Respon- 2if 72 dents
25 20 150 100.00
Source: F ie ld work, 1986-87.
279
The above t ab le reveals tha t out of 150 persons
belonging to f ive v i l l a g e s , 90 (60^) a t tend the VDB mee
t ings regular ly . 27 (l8^) attend occasional ly , 16 (10,66^)
never at tended, 11 (7.33^) opined tha t i t i s not necessary
to a t tend the meeting, whereas 6 (.k-%) sa id tha t the VDB
meetings were hardly held . I t was reported tha t the p a r t i
c ipat ion of woman's members was l e s s in every v i l l a g e .
Furthermore, we have t i l e d to draw the opinion of
the heads of households towards the funct ia i ing of the VDB
in the v i l l a g e . Their opinion on the sa t i s f ac t ion or not
s a t i s f ac t ion about the functioning of VDB in t h e i r own
v i l l a g e i s presented below.
Table 6 , 3 : Opinion of the Heads of Household Towards the Functioning of'^^Bs
YlLLAGJJJ-WlaS QpTOIgH^ Are you s a t i s - jDhansi-piphu-fied with the | r ipar 'ipar functioning of { VDB in your Village? j
Medzi-phema
[Mol- jNiho- 'Sub-»vom }khu ITotal
I
Yes 20 51 16 11 5 103 (83.33) (70.83) (6^.00)(55.00)(55.55) (68.6^,
2 11 h 8 3 28 ( 8.33) (15.77) (16 .00 ) (^ .00 ) (33 .33 ) (18.66;
2 10 5 1 1 19 ( 8.33) (13.88) (20.00)( 5.00)(11.11) (I2.66y
l o t a i Respon- S^T W 23 2o 5 '^T^ dents (100) (100) (100) (IOO) (100) (100)
(Figures within the brackets ind ica te percentage of tha t column) Source: Field work of 1986-87.
No
Cannot say
280
Ihe above table indicates that out of 150 persons,
103 (68.66^) were satisfied vith the functioning of the
VDB, but 28 (16,66^) vere not satisfied and 19 (12.66^)
could not give their judgement. Interestingly, the maximum
percentage of respondents, who are not satisfied with the
functioning VDB were foiand from Molvom, Kuki village {hOfo)
followed by the Sema village of Nihokhu 33.33^. It reveals
that due to the Chieftain landownership system in these
two communities the role of the village chiefs become too
powerful and thereby, they have a greater control over the
VDB also. It indicates that VDB is not liked by many people,
where tiiere is autocratic system of village administration
like Kuki and Sema communities.
The monthly meeting of the VDB is attended by (a) the
VDB members, (b) the loanees, (c) any other persons, who
have been asked by the board to attend. The monthly meet
ing is presided over by the Chairman, selected by the mem
bers for the occasion. In the meetings the decisions are
made in form of a resolution. Biese are operative in all
the villages,
(Ti) The village level planning process - The VDB may be
considered as a "Mini Planning Ccaimission" at the grass-
root level, VDB is aware of the amount of money available
for the planning of their village and also the priority
281
of schemes. Once the admiflibility of g ran t - in -a ids are
calculated by the Department of Rural Department and IRDP
basing on the fac ts received from the VDBs, the allotment
of fund i s communicated to the D i s t r i c t Planning Board
from the government per ta in ing to every v i l l a g e . The fund
allotment i s then ccxamunicated to the concerned VDB though
the EDO. Then the VDBs are informed to submit t he i r v i l
lage plan v i t h in a l imi ted period of time a f t e r the receipt
of the communication.
On rece ip t of the above infoimation, the VDB draws
up the v i l l a g e plan, within the l i s t of the model schemes,
giving t en ta t ive estimates such that the t o t a l of the
est imates does not exceed the admissible v i l l a g e plan s i z e .
The plan, thus , prepared i s thoroughly discussed in the
VDB meeting and the Chairman of the Vi l lage Council signs
the documents, vhich s ign i f i es the approval the VC. At
th i s s tage the v i l l a g e plan i s t rea ted as "Tentative V i l
lage Plan".
On rece ip t of the 'Tentat ive Vil lage Plan' from the
VDB, the BDO Intimates to the VDB, the date on -which f i e ld
s ta f f would v i s i t the v i l l a g e for making technica l estimate
The Secretary of the VDB int imates the date to the members
of the VDB/VC. On the appointed date the f i e ld s taf f v i s i t s
the v i l l a g e with a copy of the 'Tentat ive Vil lage Plan '
282
and prepares the technical est imates in the v i l l age in the
presence of the VDB and VC members. The technical estimates
in accordance with the plan s ize are f i na l i s ed on th i s
da te . The members of the VDB and VC sign in the documents
ind ica t ing t h e i r consent. On rece ip t of the f i e l d s t a f f ' s
repor t the BDO careful ly examines i t ahd gives h i s appro
v a l . In case there i s any complaint, i t i s r e c t i f i ed again
by BDO vfith consul tat ion of the Vil lage Council or the
VDB of the concerned vjhose decision i s f i n a l ,
( v i i ) People 's p a r t i c i p a t i o n - In the process of implemen
ta t ion of the programme, def in i t e ro l e s are l a i d dovn for
the VDB, VC, BDO, DPB and the r u r a l Development Department.
Ihese agencies are i n t e r - r e l a t e d with each other in the
mat ters of programme planning and implementation. Once the
plans are approved by the D i s t r i c t Planning Board (DEB),
the VDB s t a r t s implementing the programmes. The BDO and
h i s s t a f f go round the v i l l a g e s , ver i fy the works done by
the people. Daen the BDO submits h i s ve r i f i ca t ion repor ts
to the DPB, and a f t e r the approval of the Board, the VDB
i s fuHy authorised to draw the amount ly ing in the Bank
account. The money released by the Rural Development Depart
ment) f i r s t goes i n t o the Bank account against the name of
VDB account book. I t has been found from expetlence tha t
for the l a s t f ive yea r s , there was considerable reduction
283
in the malpractices a t various l eve l s i . e . , a f te r i n t r o
duction of development s t ra tegy through Bank l inkage.
The concept of VDB and people 's pa r t i c ipa t ion in i t
s ign i f i e s the planning from dov/n to top approach method.
However, the YDB does not function independent of the peo
p le in the planning process , because the programmes are
planned "by the people for the people and implemented by
the people themselves.
In t h i s decent ra l i sed planning process , the people ' s
pa r t i c i pa t i ons i s foimd ac t ive ly involved both in decision
making fo r planning, Implementaticxi, and sharing the bene
f i t s out of i t . However, the monitoring and evaluation of
the programme was completely l e f t unattended which i s a
must on the p a r t of the people ' s pa r t i c ipa t i on in ru ra l
development. I t i s a s ign i f i can t experience as found in
Naga soc ie ty . I t may fur ther be noted tha t for a Naga,
ttie p r e s t i ge of the v i l l a g e i s more important than t h a t
of an ind iv idua l , t ha t a person may even make a supreme
s a c r i f i c e j u s t t o uphold h i s v i l l a g e p r e s t i g e , Ih is creates
a sense of belonging and, thereby, the soc ia l cohesiveness
i s maintained. Hie Vi l lage Council by t r a d i t i o n commands
a respect and the whole community simple follows the com
mands of the v i l l a g e au thor i ty .
28^
( v i i i ) Limitations - Ihe Vil lage Development Board as a
c a t a l y s t agent of r u r a l development i s subject to cer ta in
l i m i t a t i o n s . This i s a body of representa t ives of d i f fe ren t
s t a tus groups. I t cannot move fur ther without the consent
of the Vil lage Council, I t i s a lso not secured from power
and author i ty c o n f l i c t s . There i s invar iab le clash and
a lso the Gaonburas of the v i l l a g e , p a r t i c u l a r l y over the
con t rac t works. Exploi ta t ion by the dominant clans and
i n f l u e n t i a l persons, who are generally r e l a t e d to p o l i t i c a l
l eaders have been found as a common problem in every v i l
lage under study.
Under the provisions of the present Act, the VDB i s
entrusted with a number of developmental a c t i v i t i e s with
heavy r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . I t w i l l have to msike a l l the dec i
sions by themselves per ta in ing to developmental works. I t
requires spec ia l exper t i se and knowledge. Yet, most of the
board members were found to be i l l i t e r a t e excepting a -very
few l i t e r a t e and capable members in Diphupar Vil lage Deve
lopment Board, The Board members were found to be not fu l ly
conrpetent for making such i n t r i c a t e decis ions . At times i t
i s hazardous to over development works p a r t i c u l a r l y the
plcinning issues without proper knowledge and adequate expe
r iences to the simple r u r a l folk. Very often, i t i s doubt
fu l as to how they would be able to formulate v i l l a g e
development schemes without vis ionary ideas and technical
knowhow,
285
On the other hand, d i r e c t involvement and responsi
b i l i t y of block l eve l experts and technicians are cut off
in the present \vorking system, i . e . , a f t e r the inception
of VDB in 1980. During the course of interview, the Exten
sion workers expressed t h e i r unhappiness tha t t h e i r advices
and suggestions were l e f t unattended by the v i l l a g e r s .
Many a t imes, p a r t i c u l a r l y in Nihokhu and Molvom v i l l a g e s ,
the technical est imates prepared by them were turned down
by the VDB/VC. In many cases the technica l s ta f f were
forced to approve the estimates prepared by the VDB force
f u l l y . They were a lso compelled to i ssue the completion
c e r t i f i c a t e of the work done, even without doing the works
under pressure from the v i l l a g e r s . However, the f a i l u r e
and success of such programmes are sole ly dependent on the
f imct ionar ies a t the grass- root l e v e l i . e . , the Vi l lage
Development Board, the Vil lage Council, the Area Council
and a lso the Block s ta f f - technic ians in which t h e i r coope
ra t ion become the key for success of the schemes.
There are l o t s of discontentment and complaints from
the publ ic about the functioning of VDB, p a r t i c u l a r l y by
•Uie non-benef ic ia r ies , challenging tha t the maximum p r i v i
leges are enjoyed mostly by the Board monbers and t h e i r
r e l a t i v e s . The corruption and explo i ta t ions are not escaped
even in the present working system at the g rass - roo t l e v e l .
286
As a r e s u l t , the general public f a i l s to at tend in VDB
meetings and in i t s a c t i v i t i e s whole-heartedly; p a r t i c u l a r
ly in Sema and Kuki v i l l a g e s ( r e f e r table 6.3 above).
As per the ex i s t ing r u l e s , the monthly meetings are
to be held regular ly in order to discuss/review the a c t i
v i t i e s of ?IB, but i t vas noticed tha t such meetings could
not be held regular ly in every v i l l a g e under a-fcu^. They
have ignored the annual meeting which i s considered to be
more important. As a r e s u l t , they f a i l ed to make the r i gh t
decisions over the v i l l a g e development a c t i v i t i e s in the
r igh t time. Ihey could hardly fol lov the woridng d i rec t ives
being issued by the government. Most of the in s t ruc t ions
were ignored due t o lack of understanding and p r a c t i c a l
d i f f i c u l t i e s . The d i r e c t i v e s / i n s t r u c t i o n s were also not
fu l ly understood as a r e s u l t t h a t the board could not func
t ion as i t should have been. I t has been observed that even
now many of the r u r a l res idents are not aware of the aims
and object ives of IRDP as well as the VDB and i t s function
ing . In case of f a i l u r e of the programme, the VDB blames
the people and the Vil lage Council and a l l of t h ^ blame
the government and the re la ted agencies. Because of such
reasons, the poverty a l l ev i a t i on programmes l i k e IRDP bene
f i t s ne i the r the receiver nor the giver ; ra ther i t c rea tes
d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n and disaffect ion a t both the ends. In t h i s
s i t u a t i o n , i t has been noted tha t c rea t ion of awareness
287
amongst the people and people ' s mobil isation are of c r u c i a l
importamt for the success of such experimental progranmes
to be implemented through loca l l eve l agencies. Due to the
conf l i c t s prevai l ing a t the grass-root l eve l among the func
t ionar ies especia l ly for appropriat ing the government deve-
lo imai ta l a c t i v i t i e s l i k e con t r ac t s , supply and other oppor
t u n i t i e s , they f a i l e d to implement many of the programmes
of ru ra l development. Because of such reasons, many schemes
are l e f t incomplete, leading to d i s sa t i s f ac t ion and d i s -
illusicaiments in many v i l l a g e s and drying up of the flow
of l oca l con t r ibu t ions .
Whatever the limitaticHis of the YDB may be, we find
tha t the VDB i s something appreciable through which a t l e a s t
some works have been found doing s a t i s f a c t o r i l y in every
v i l l a g e . I t was found tha t IRTflP funds are not properly u t i
l i s e d in maixy cases as per the reports of the respondents.
They fa i l ed to maintain proper records of the VDB accounts.
The community funds were found unaudited in a l l the v i l l a
ges under th i s study. I t i s to be understood tha t the suc
cess of r u r a l development programmes depends on proper
u t i l i s a t i o n of i t s fund by the r igh t persons for the r i g h t
cause a t the r i gh t time.
288
6.13. Perfoimance of the Programme
The functioning of IRDP in Nagaland i s now 16 years
old, but the performance and i t s effect iveness i s ye t to
be proved. So far as the the IRDP i s concerned> ve have to
note t h a t i t has p o t e n t i a l of solving the socio-economic
probl^ns in r u r a l a reas , SSie answer to t i i is question i s
very f a r . In s p i t e of spending huge amount of money every
year in the name of ru ra l poor, there has been no s i g n i f i
cant change on the face of the country. I t proves tha t there
i s no impact of t h i s programme though there may be n e g l i
g ib le change in ce r t a in v i l l a g e s . I t draws the a t ten t ion
of many scholars as to how and what would be the next s tep
a f t e r the IRDP.
As a frame of reference of t h i s study, we have
examined i t s performance in one of the v i l l a g e s , Diphupar
as ind ica ted in the l a s t pa r t of chapter f ive which i s
i l l u s t r a t i v e in t h i s case. In addit ion to t h i s , the per for
mance of th i s programme i s re f lec ted below in table 6 . ^ .
289
Table - 6 A : Perfoimance of IRDP during the l a s t two years In four v i l l a g e s .
Name of v i l l a g e I 19»5-«6 "" 19^6^:87" pimoiint {No. of {in Rs. {benefi-
Iclaiy
Amount { No. of in Rs. { benefi-
I c iary
1. Dhansiripar
2 . CLphupar
3« Medziphaaa
h, Molvom
13,200
51,600
13,UO0
10,700
5 17
5 h
9,600
5,700
8,800
8,800
2
2
2
2
Total 88,900 31 32,900 8
Source: Block Development Office, Medziphema, I987.
The above table ind ica tes the overa l l performance of
IRDP during the l a s t two consecutive years in four v i l l a g e s .
Tbe t o t a l amount of subsidy given during these two years
was Rs. 121,800, benef i t ing 39 persons under d i f fe ren t
schemes. Of these 39 persons, 13 were under ho r t i cu l tu re
scheme, eight under animal power, fo^r dairy development,
tibree each under f i she iy , poul t ry and land developnait pro
gramme, two each in piggeiy and goatery farming and one per
son was under duckery farming.
During the course of inves t iga t ion , we have iden t i f i ed
a number of defects in the programme s t r a t egy ; some of which
are the followings:
290
1) No s c i e n t i f i c surveys were ever undertaken to find
out the problems in the ru ra l system;
i i ) the programmes were implemented without any consi
derat ion for the avai lable in f ra s t ruc tu re poss ib le ,
forward and backward linkages and the l i ke s and
d i s l i k e s of the bene f i c i a r i e s j
l i i ) the programmes were haphazardly taken up in the
whole block and l e f t the p a r t of follow up work
unattended. Thus, the iden t i f i ed farmers were badly
f rus t r a t ed even a f te r receiving ce r t a in amount of
subsidy; and i t makes the philosophy of the pro
gramme so l i g h t ;
iv) no evaluation and monitoring work was found ever
attempted e i t h e r by the Agency, nor by any other
supp€a*"^g organisat ion throughout the h i s to ry of
the Agency in Nagaland;
v) most of the schanes were found involved in p o l i t i c a l
motivation crea t ing confusions and mal-pract ices ;
v i ) the guidel ines issued from the Central Government
and the State l eve l departments were hardly followed,
r e s u l t of which the targeted groups were not bene
f i t ed as they should have been;
v l i ) when one examines i t s ob jec t ives , guidelines and
s t r a t eg i e s of the pinagramme and i t s procedures,
291
one fee ls convinced to observe having everything
in i t s e l f , without much p rac t i ce to f u l f i l those
projected objec t ives ;
v i i i ) most of the benef ic ia r ies do not use the subsidy
amount availed from the Agency and also the loan
received from the Bank in the r igh t d i rec t ion . Due
to such p rac t i ces no s ign i f i can t change could be
proved both a t the family l e v e l as -well as a t the
Agency l e v e l ;
i x ) the performance p a r t i c u l a r l y in the ve ter inary and
animal husbandary and industry sectors -were found
to be most discouraging, as the benef ic ia r ies use
to dispose off the animals in the market and a lso
butcher them for meat. However, they could manage
to produce death c e r t i f i c a t e of the animals. Many
animals and b i rds were found dying in the off ice of
the Block Development Officer, Medziphema before
de l iver ing the goods by the bene f i c i a r i e s . This was
due to poor qual i ty of the supply from outside and
a lso due to c l imat ic condi t ion. The kn i t t i ng and
Sewing Machines issued to the benef ic ia r ies were
a lso foijnd disposing off in the market a t cheaper
r a t e , Ihe operation of the programmes were found
to be not a t a l l in tegra ted a t any of the l eve l s as
mentioned above; and
292
x) The Agency suffers due to shortage of manpower of
i t s own. Most of the of f icers of the Agency are
deputa t ionis t s from d i f fe ren t departments. I t has
no D i s t r i c t Rural Development Agency except one
State Level Agency, The programmes are i n i t i a t e d
only by other concerned departmental s ta f f . There
fore , the success and f a i lu re s of the Agency depends
so le ly on o t h e r ' s department.
293
REFEKBNCBS
1. Kohima and Phek blocks vere created in 1953» follov;ed
by Zunheboto, Wokha, Longkhim and Changtongya blocks
in 1955.
2. Paul, S. Manpower and Rural Development Consultant.
Rural Poverty, the Cancer and the Cure, p . 9.
3 . Monicha, A.C. O p . c l t . , pp. 209-210.
h, Ao, A.L. M.Phil Thesis, 198O, pp. 31-32.
5 . Source, Directorate of State Rural Development Agency,
Nagaland, Kohima.
6 . The D i s t r i c t Planning Board vas cons t i tu ted in Nagaland
vide Government of Nagaland Notif icat ion No. PLN-127/
71 (Pt) dated Kohima the 12th December 198O. This i s the
highest Planning Body in the D i s t r i c t l eve l -with
Deputy Commissioner on the Chair and a l l the heads of
Department in the d i s t r i c t , MLAs, Chairman of the Area
Councils, BDOs and any other co-opted persons as i t s
members.
7. The poverty l i n e has been defined in terms of annual
income of a family, A family having an annual income
of Rs, 6,lfOO/- or l e s s i s considered to be a family
below the poverty l i n e , ( r e fe r A Manual on IRDP issued
by the Department of Rural Development, Ministry of
Agricul ture , Government of India , New Delhi 23.1.86,
29^
8. Government of India, Credit for IRDP, A Compendium of
Important Instructions issued by the Ministry of Rural
Development, 198^, pp. ^1-^2, Circiaar No, 13.
9. In every Naga village there is a common fund collectea
from every household. The Government of Nagaland also
give matching grant to every village against the common
fund up to a maximum limit of Rs. 75 > 000 -with certain
limitations. The present rate of household allotment
given by the Government is Rs. 200/- per household