efforts towards a humane society

Efforts Towards AHumane Society

Constructive Struggle towards Empowerment of the Marginalised

By: Bastu Rege Santulan Executive Director

• Working as a Social Worker in Pune, Maharashtra, India• Witnessed an accident - Child run over by Truck from

the Quarry.

Quarry Sector

SANTULANSocial AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN

• Saw the conditions that the workers were living in. Can there be worst life conditions than this ?

People in Quarries ?


• Quarry workers had migrated with their families from their home village to earn money for their survival.

• The reason for their migration could be due to:– Indebtedness– Drought– Displaced from their land– Lack of opportunity

Migrants within India ?


• Most Quarry families live next to quarry sites with no access to:– Clean water– Healthcare– Schools– Fresh food

Living conditions:SANTULAN

Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN

• They are employed through a contractor:– Paid on piece rate– Easily exploited– No insurance– No social security– No pensions – No Benefits

– No union.

Working ConditionsSANTULAN


• Hazardous occupation.

• Workers and their families exposed to dust:

– Causes silicosis and lung disease– Skin allergies– Children’s lungs found to be badly

effected in medical study

• Dysentery is common due to poor water supply.

• High rate of Accidents and insures.

• Workers vulnerable to HIV-AIDS.

Health Issues


• Women and young girls are the easy victims.• Women play abroad earners role in most families.• Most women are married early, early motherhood, …• Most women suffer from gynecological problems.• Over 80% women suffer from anemia.• On an average after the age of 40-45 women are unable to in quarry

Women workers’ condition


Generally stone quarry children are allotted to: - Taking care of their siblings, fetching water, washing clothes, guarding doorless homes and preparing food and taking it to their parents. - Join parents at work in quarries at the age of 10 to 12 years.

- Girls are forced to get married at an early age. - All members are expected to work for family survival.

Children in Quarry


• They have no birth record and aren’t registered with the government.

• They are not included in any of the Government census including population.• They are migrant population, - No residential proof.

– No Ration cards– No access to public food distribution systems– Not listed in Voting– Government welfare schemes and programs

Social Issues


• Mines Act 1957 has classified Quarry sector under Minor Mineral.• Quarry is categorized as Labor Intensive & Small Scale Industry.• State Governments frame rules for lease and licensing of Quarries.• No specific Laws to protect Quarry workers.• No labor records with quarry companies .• No labor records with labor departments.• Hardly any monitoring visits to quarries.

Legal Issues


• Maharashtra with over 33 cities is growing in population and construction activities.

• Over 5 million people living amid stone quarries.

• 1.5 million workers, engaged in the stone quarry and crushing sector.

• Over 1 million children (0 – 18 years) living amid stone quarries.

• Stone quarry workers are from poor sections of the community such as dalits, tribals and landless labourers.

Stone Quarries in Maharashtra


• VisionSANTULAN established in 1997 to work towards

the rights and empowerment of socio-economically marginalized communities in India.

• MissionOverall goal is to fight poverty and marginalization

through development and rights through means of Education, Organization and Development.

Santulan- Interventions


Focused Areas:


Areas Covered By Santulan

1. Alternative Innovative Education

Child centered educational program, named "Pashan Shala” (Quarry School), amongst quarry worker’s colonies.

Helps reduce child labour. Education amongst children.


Pashan Shala- Adapted to the needs of quarry community

No documents required for entry.

Timing of schools to suit family so that they can

assist parents.

Children can bring younger siblings.

Informal multi-class setup where children are taught

as per their ability and timings.

Allows illiterate older children to study multiple

grades each year until they reach the grade

appropriate for their age.


Pashan Shalas


Annually educate over 3,500 students across Maharashtra state.

Reduce child labour

Reduce child marriages.

Changing a generation…

• Migrated to Kolhapur from Karnataka with parents who work in quarry

• Took care of her 2 brothers and sister• Took food to parents at mine where she was

struck by stone chip and injured• Started education at 10 in Pashan Shala Passed

10th std. aged 15

Sunita Nimbalkar – yr 12.


Prepared by Students f T.A.Pai Management Institute, Manipal

2. Residential Schools

SANTULAN initiates pilot Residential schools for migrant quarry & street begging children in two places i.e. Pune & Kolhapur in temporary shelters


Residential Schools - success

• Reduced migration of children .• Provided continuity and consistency in education.• Protected orphans and children with special needs• Reduced child labourers & girls Child marriages• Create a safe, positive environment for children to live, learn and

personally develop • Improve children’s health by having them live in a safe, dust free place

with clean water and good food.• Provided children with the opportunity to break free of the poverty cycle

by receiving an education. • Provide access to a wider range of disciplines, including

mechanical, technical trades, agriculture and self-employment


• Many children found to be undernourished. Reasons: Insufficient food and an unbalanced diet.• Santulan launched a mid-day meal program in 2001.• Food provided at all quarry schools from Monday to Saturday.

3. Supplementary Nutrition


• First-aid boxes provided at each quarry school for the community.• Monthly health check-up for children.• Health check-up camps for workers.• Health and Safety awareness meetings with

workers.• Organise access to public health services.

4. Health and Safety


Prepared by Students of T.A.Pai Management Institute, Manipal

• Youth are mostly illiterate and unskilled. • Youth Skill training programs.• Youth leadership and awareness training camps.• Youth Quarry Workers cooperative for self employment.

5. Youth Development


• Women’s literacy programs

• Self Help Groups• Micro Credit for self employments.• leadership & skill straining.• Access to welfare programmers.• Protection at work place• Awareness on no to girl child marriages• Equal opportunities • Gender equality.

6. Women’s Empowerment


• Quarry Cooperative– Access to mining leases

• Housing Cooperative– Right to housing

• Micro Credit Cooperative– Women’s Self-Help Groups

• Women's Industrial Cooperative- Alternate self employment

7. Community Co-operatives


• Workplace union• Worker’s insurance and compensation

8. Quarry Workers Union


• Free and fast family dispute resolution• Legal support for women and workers in distress• Amicable settlements with no costs• Supporting families harassed by police • Releasing victims from Jails.• Legal awareness.• Reconciliation in caste-cultural conflicts.• Promote Confidence and dignity of life

9. Legal Aid and Counseling


• Achieving worker’s basic rights through– People’s mobilisation– Media mobilisation– Judicial mobilisation– Legislator’s mobilisation

10. Advocacy for Policy Change


• Every migrant Quarry family has Ration card

• Every family has access to subsidized Public Food Distribution system.

• Independent PFD shop for Quarry workers women’s collective in Pune

Quarry workers to get Ration Cards


• Quarry Workers enrolled in voting list.

Quarry workers in Voting list


• Quarry Workers encroached on Government owned land get legal electricity connections

Quarry Workers get electricity


• On Behalf of quarry workers a Public Interest Litigation field in High Court Mumbai by Santulan in 2005

• Final Judgment came in favor in quarry workers to providing drinking water scheme for over 5000 quarry workers families.

Quarry workers Water Tank


• From original stone breaking family – Solapur

• Came to Pune aged 3• Father died of Silicosis when he

was 6• Mother couldn’t feed all 5

children so 4 were put in a hostel, including Suresh

• Finished 10th Std. • Applied to Defence Force• Went to work in quarry where he

had a serious accident.• Since then has dedicated his life

to Santulan’s work.

Suresh Pawar – Santulan Staff


• 19 stone quarry families received 8,15,000/- rupees as claims on insurance.

• 171 children received an educational scholarship of Rs. 1,92, 600/-

• 650 quarry families received electricity.

• 267 child labourers and street children rehabilitated.

• 660 youth formed youth cooperatives.

• 472 family and labour disputes have been amicably settled.

• 2,690 stone quarry families received Ration cards and access to Public Food Supply.

• 3000 women are in self help activities

• 25,000 stone quarry workers protected under Janashri Bima Yojana insurance scheme.

• 29,036 stone quarry children provided Education, Nutrition and Healthcare.

Over 500,000 people have directly or indirectly benefited from Santulan’s various programs. Much more is to be achieved…

Some of the Achievements So FarSANTULAN


Issues of Development – pending projects

1. Residential School

Santulan puts forward the residential school model that fits within the RTI category of specified category of children.

• Covered migrant children• Reduces child labourers• Protects the orphans & children with special needs• Whose parents can’t support them.


Residential School Sites for construction

Santulan has land in 3 Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra.

We are planning to build the first residential schools for Quarry community children in these places with all amenities.



2. Women’s Training Centre• Illiterate, low educated and unskilled stone quarry, rural and urban slums

women and young girls training in various skills.• Higher educational courses for low educated women and school drop our.• Short stay home for women and girls in distress.• Hostels for working women & studying girls



3. Quarry Safety Training Centre To help overcome these challenges Santulan is planning to

establish an Vocational Skills Training Centre.

Intended especially for:• Unemployed youth• Exploited youth• Unskilled youth


4. People’s Initiatives & Entitlement

• Quarry Business Cooperatives

• Housing Rights Cooperatives

• Women Self Employment coop



Thank you

efforts towards a humane society

Documents

united liberative actionthey

united liberative actionwomen

united liberative actionsaw

quarry companies

quarry sites

stone quarry children

workers vulnerable

labor records