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Partnership with Vasundhara
Background:
Orissa Tribal
Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme is being
implemented in seven predominantly tribal
districts of Orissa. Facilitating and
strengthening participatory processes is a
fundamental requirement of the programme.
OTELP is seeking support from resource
organizations to build the capacities of the
programme partners/ teams on building the
participatory process in the programme.
VASUNDHARA, a local support organization
involved in capacity building in forestry
and legal empowerment aspects and also in
strengthening participatory processes in
several natural resource based livelihoods
projects has necessary expertise and
capacities to offer this support. To
crystallize the partnership between OTELP
and VASUNDHARA, this MOU is being entered
into by both the organizations.
1. Parties involved:
(i) Orissa
Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme
(ii) VASUNDHARA
2. Purpose of Agreement
To support the Policy Initiatives agenda of
OTELP by facilitating operationalisation of
these initiatives to address tribal
empowerment and livelihood issues. The
specific focus will be on integrating land
rights and tribal empowerment issues in the
overall operational framework of the
Programme.
3. Areas of Support to the Programme:
Vasundhara shall provide facilitative
inputs, specifically focusing on capacity
building, and institutional arrangements in
the following areas:
Land and Forest Rights:
Land alienation and Restoration
Ownership rights to Hill slopes (< 300)
Transparency and Access to Land Records
Tenancy Reform
Access to Common Property Resources
Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas)
Act, 1996
Regularisation of Habitations in Forest
Areas
Rights of the tribal communities vis-à-vis
forest areas
Access and Support for Legal Assistance for
land claims.
Other Empowerment Issues:
Implementation of Orissa Moneylenders Act
Implementation of Bonded Labour System
(Abolition) Act
Access of tribals to other government
schemes and programmes.
Legal Assistance for the above.
4. Proposed Activities:
Land and Forest Rights:
Facilitating/ supporting policy studies on
land rights/ land alienation and related
issues and recommending go for improvement
in legal and policy environment.
Facilitating the support to District Level
Team/PIAs/WDTs to assist the tribals to
pursue land restoration claims by
identifying the genuine cases in the
programme areas and facilitating legal
assistance and creation of legal resources
to support these claims in the concerned
courts.
Supporting PIAs/WDTs/WAs to act as mobile
squads for detection of land alienation
cases and facilitating enforcement of land
restoration.
Facilitating implementation of the survey
and settlement process and issue of dongar
pattas for hill slopes < 300 in all
programme villages
Facilitate and provide support for
developing suitable package for
computerisation of land records and
publicity by giving necessary inputs and
support to officials of Revenue Department.
Other Empowerment Process:
Facilitating the implementation of PESA Act,
process of Regularisation of habitations in
Forest Areas, NTFP collection and marketing,
Joint Forest Management Resolution and other
areas of rights of the tribal communities
over forest resources.
Facilitating the assertion of the rights of
the tribal communities as regards operation
of all welfare schemes relating to nutrition
in the programme villages such as TPDS,
mid-day meal scheme, Food for Work,
Annapurna, Old Age Pensions and Antyodaya
etc.
Supporting studies on key policy issues
including the extent of land alienation,
indebtedness, food security, tenancy issues,
NTFP marketing, displacement of tribals etc.
and preparing reports recommending the GoO
for improvement in the legal and policy
environments of tribals as appropriate
Facilitating quarterly process monitoring
and process documentation
5. Expected Outputs:
An operational manual for land and natural
resources rights assessment and planning
that will become a planning and
implementation tool for the Project.
Field-based and practical training modules
for capacity building of different actors
involved in the Project to facilitate
addressing tribal empowerment and rights
issues. This will include modules for
training PIAs, Project staff, Revenue and
Forest Department personnel. These modules
will be developed through interaction with
the village communities, project officials
of OTELP and the personnel of the
facilitating NGOs
Capacity building of District Level Team/PIAs/WDTs
to address land and forest rights of tribals
and other empowerment issues.
Quarterly Process Monitoring Reports
including details of cases handled and issue
based process documentation reports.
Institutional mechanisms for legal
assistance as part of the Project.
Reports recommending the GoO for
improvements in the protective legal
framework by taking into account the
practical field situation.
6. Time Frame:
The agreement is initially for two years
with effect from 16.08.2005 extendable after
a review by the end of the second year.
Either party can terminate the agreement by
giving a notice of three months.
7. Role and Responsibilities of both parties
a) First Party
i. Specifying district wise and project
level anchor persons for liaison with
VASUNDHARA and provide all necessary
information, supports and cooperation to
carry out the above mentioned activities
ii. Facilitating the field level
interactions and process development
iii. Directing district level staff, PIAs
and WDTs to execute plan of action mutually
prepared to address issues relating to
tribal empowerment and provide Vasundhara
the required information for effective
monitoring of the progress and process
documentation.
b) Second Party
i. Identifying a resource person to function
as Principal consultant and visit the
programme area/state level unit of the First
Party once in every two months during this
contract period.
ii. Carrying out 10 days field level
interactions every month by two Resource
persons from VASUNDHARA
iii. Taking up activities as mentioned under
point 4 and delivering outputs as at Point
5.
iv. Any specific factual information
gathered in the process of implementation of
this agreement can be used in other forums/
papers/ reports/ advocacy measures by the
second party, only with the prior written
permission of the first party.
8. Budget and Fund releases:
A sum of Rs. 1368000/- for two years,
payable in half-yearly installments
commencing in the month of November, 2005,
towards the following
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a |
Travel, board
& lodge |
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i. |
Principal
Consultant - @Rs. 9000/visit x 6 visits/year x 2
years |
=9000*6*2
108000 |
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ii. |
Other
consultants/Resource Persons, field visit of 10 days in a month,
@Rs.12000/month x 24 months) |
=12000*24
288000 |
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b |
Consultancy for
time/ resources deployed
Approx. 25
person days per month (@ Rs. 25*1500 per day - Rs. 37500 per
month) |
=37500*24
900000 |
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c |
Support for
secretarial assistance, stationery, computer time, overheads
etc. - @Rs.3000/month x 24 months |
=3000*24
72000 |
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Total |
=SUM(ABOVE)
1368000 |
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The Second
Party has to submit a utilization
certificate against the funds received. At
the end of each financial year, the Second
Party would submit an audited statement of
expenditure for the funds received during
the year.
9. Monitoring and Review:
A Core Group consisting of Subject Matter
Specialists and experts drawn from concerned
line departments of GoO will review the
module. The first party could monitor and
review the progress and performance of
Second Party, specific to funds and expected
outputs.
10. Ownership:
OTELP will hold the ownership rights of the
module and material development under this
agreement.
11. Dispute Resolution Mechanism:
All conflicts should preferably and
amicably resolve with the parties. In case
of unresolved conflicts, the Commissioner
cum Secretary, STSCDD, GoO and the
Chairperson, OTELP can facilitate the
resolution of any conflicts between any of
the parties in the agreement. The decision
in such meeting is binding on all parties.
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