The indefinite dharna of Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan at the collectorate in Sitapur came to a successful end on Tuesday, 20th January with the C.D.O. (Chief Development Officer) accepting the justice of their demands and taking actions to meet them. The first of these, unemployment benefits, had already been announced on Friday, 16th January, the first day of the dharna. The Commissioner for Rural Development, Manoj Kumar Singh, had signed the order in Lucknow on the 15th , releasing Rs. 15 lakhs to 826 families in Mishrikh and Pisawa blocks of Sitapur dt. The notice was read out at the dharna site by the Programme Director of Sitapur district the next day. This is the first time in Uttar Pradesh that the state government has ordered the payment of unemployment benefits under NREGA.  However, no assurances had been received on the other demands and the Sangathan continued their protest.

During the dharna, Sangtin saathis (members) sang songs, gave speeches and inspired their less confident friends to come forward and lead the Sangathan with slogans and songs. Teams were set up to cook food, prepare the daily 'Sangtin Samachar' and keep the dharna site clean. The venue also became a place for training, sharing experiences and coming together to fight for a common cause.

On Sunday night, frustrated with the lack of communication from the authorities, Sangathan saathis painted their message in limestone at the entrance to the Collectorate and in front of the D.M.'s office. Later, the next evening, while plans were being made to gherao some official, the C.D.O. sent a message asking for a continuation of talks. During this meeting, also attended by the Program Director and City Magistrate, it was agreed that work would be provided continuously till March in the Sangathan villages to ensure atleast 50-60 days of work this financial year. Also, the demand for 4-6 day camps to make up for the backlog in issuing new job cards was accepted. Further, at the block and Panchayat level, job cards will be issued on designated days every month. The C.D.O. also assured the Sangathan that applications for work, if not received by the village or block offices, would be received by the B.D.O.s in his presence during their weekly meeting in Sitapur.

The authorities promised to act immediately to pay wages for work already done, in some cases more than a year ago. Punitive action will be taken against the responsible officials and the labourers would be compensated. All the facilities that should be available at a worksite, as well as the revised measurement of work for a minimum wage, would be posted and painted on the walls of Panchayat Bhavans as well as Block offices across the district. Concrete steps will be taken to set up an oversight committee in the district.

To celebrate these victories and to build on them, a resolution was taken to mobilize farmer-workers from across the district and organize a 'sammelan' on Feb 22nd and 23rd in Sitapur. The dharna was ended with a victory rally through the streets of Sitapur town . Of course, the struggle is not over. These reforms have to be implemented at the village and block level and this will require sustained efforts in the coming months. But the Sangathan has proven that it is ready for the challenge!

Background:
The demand for work through NREGA by labourers from 22 villages between May 2007 and October 2007 was not met by the village Pradhans nor the BDOs (Block Development Officers) nor the district's CDO (Chief Development Officer). The labourers then demanded an unemployment allowance as laid out under NREGA guidelines. This was rejected by the officials at the time. In December 2007, SKMS members sat on an indefinite dharna in Sitapur district headquarters to demand action on this front. After 10 days, the district administration agreed to set up a six-member committee with equal representation from the state and SKMS. This committee submitted its report on 14th March. This was opposed by the Pradhan association. In response, the CDO asked the committee to give them a hearing. He also asked them to calculate the individual payments that were due to the eligible workers. The committee submitted its  final report on October 10th establishing the eligibility of 826 families to receive Rs. 14,99,340 in unemployment wages.
 
With the lack of progress in the past 3 months, SKMS embarked on an indefinite dharna when the news of the government order came out. The dharna was launched as planned demanding action from the district officials and commitments on the other demands of the farmer-workers, viz, receipt of demands for work, payment of outstanding wages, correct procedures for measurement of work done etc.

Source: Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan   sangtin002@gmail.com

Sangatin's work is supported by AID College Park (DC Metro Area)  and Minessota chapters.