From: Lalu Mansinha Date: Sun May 18, 2003 11:19 am Subject: Gopalbadi Tribal Girls School Project ADVERTISEMENT The Gopalbadi Tribal Girls School Project Lalu Mansinha 2003 May 19 Introduction In 1951 Acharya Vinoba Bhave walked through the then undivided Koraput District as part of his Bhoodan campaign for donating land to the landless. The people of Koraput responded with very generous donations of land and funds. Vinobaji suggested that some of the land be used to establish a center for training, education and instruction for tribal people and village level workers. A large parcel of land was set aside at a place called Gopalbadi (also spelled Gopalwadi), about 20km from Raygada. The land was deeded to a new organisation called Utkal Khadi Mandal (UKM) and a training institute was started in 1956, but for various reasons ceased operations within a few years. In 1992 UKM suggested to the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (Orissa Branch) (KGNMT) that they open a school for tribal girls on the UKM land. In 1994 a residential girls school, housing 50 Adivasi girls, with classes Grade I- V, was opened. It was soon recognised by UKM and KGNMT that educating only the Adivasi girls, without educating the boys, will lead to a situation in which the girls will be unable to marry within their community. To prevent this situation from developing in Adivasi society, UKM started in 1997 the Utkal Khadi Mandal Madhyamika Vidyapitha, a secondary school for boys and girls. The two schools, and the defunct training center are sometimes referred to as the Educational Complex at Gopalbadi. The two schools serve a population of about 16,000 in Dundili Gram Panchayat and 15 villages in Gadisekhal Gram Panchayat. The Secondary School has 130 students, and is the only school in the Gram Panchayat. The Girls School has 50 girls in residence for Grades I-V. KGNMT pays for the boarding, lodging, clothing, study material and education of the 50 resident students. All the resident students are from poor Adivasi families. A serious problem is the absence of Grades VI and VII in the Girls school, since the High School starts with Grade VIII. Budget The UKM High School runs on an annual budget of Rs3 lakhs (USD6,700., CAD10,000.), and the KGNMT Girls School requires a budget of Rs4.5 lakhs (USD10,000. CAD15,000.). The two schools, run by two different organisations, present separate pictures of budget solvency. In this project we focus on the needs of the Girls School. The Girls School has run up major deficits in meeting operational budget, and essential repair and maintenance work has been held up. Gaping holes in the corrugated roof of the hostel, caused by the 1999 cyclone, are still unrepaired, in 2003. Due to lack of funds Grades VI and VII have not been started. Major funding for the school normally is through grants from various levels of the Government. However, the Government’s own budget problems has regressed to a point that money for the past 3 years has not been remitted, resulting in a shortfall total of Rs8 lakhs (USD17,800., CAD26,700.). The school manages by economies such as cutting the already low salaries of the teachers, and through entreaties for donation by Mrs. Annapurna Maharana, head of KGNMT in Orissa. It was Mrs. Annapurna Maharana who originally brought the attention of individuals in CanOSA and SEEDS (Satya Mohanty, Ithaca, NY and Sumitra Padhi, Burlington, Canada) on the plight of the KGNMT Girls School due to budget shortfalls several years in a row. Hence we (SEEDS and CanOSA) have taken the initiative to find ways to provide the KGNMT School with a continuing source of funds such that the school would have a buffer for operating funds, and also manage some capital construction. In late 2002 a fund raising campaign was initiated. The planned visits to Orissa by SriGopal Mohanty (Nov.-Dec, 2002) and Lalu Mansinha (Jan-March, 2003) provided the opportunity to study and start the project. At our request, Devraj Lenka (Bhubaneswar), and Biswajit Patnaik (Raygada and Bhubaneswar) visited the Gopalbadi campus on separate occasions. At a meeting convened on February 9, 2003 at HIG 144, Kanan Vihar, Bhubaneswar, the various options helping the school were discussed and a decision to adopt the horticulture development plan was taken. Present at the meeting were Somdutt Behura, Sudarsan Das, Devraj Lenka, Prabhu Lenka, Lalu Mansinha, Purna Mohanty, Nivedita Scudder. Our goal was not to meet the entire budget of the school, but only to create a reserve fund that will allow the school to tide over financial crises. Any surplus would be used to enhance the very rudimentary residence and school facilities. Financial support for the project from SEEDS and CanOSA will be no more than five years. SEEDS and CanOSA involvement will be terminated if the goals cannot be met or the project ceases to be workable for whatever reason. Horticulture Devraj Lenka and Prabhu Lenka are faculty members, with expertise in horticulture, at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar, and their advise has been crucial. From the site visit report by Devraj Lenka (Appendix I) it became clear that substantial (Rs 4 to 6 lakhs, (USD8,900 to 13,400., CAD13,400 to 20,000.) annual income can be generated by developing 19 acres of campus land for agricultural production. Some revenue can be achieved within two years, but the full amount will be achieved in five years. Initial investment would be needed for an electric pump powered irrigation system, storage tanks, plastic distribution pipes, and a fulltime manager will have to be appointed. Currently the campus land is not managed to maximise returns and yields only Rs15,000 (USD333., CAD500.) (2002), but is expected to go up to Rs25,000 (USD555., CAD833.) (2003). It was decided to start on a small scale this year (2003), and depending on positive experience, ramp up to a full scale project next year. There have been several generous offers of help from persons in Raygada and Koraput is setting up the irrigation system, provide seedlings, finding a project manager etc. Until sufficient revenue is generated in 2007, support would be needed for setting up the irrigation system, paying the salary of a fulltime manager, and for the expenses involved in starting Grade VI and VII. 2003: a. Start Grade VI. b. Mango and Cashew plantation on 3 acres; fencing of around 250 mtrs initially. 2004: a. Start Grade VII b. Appoint Project Manager c. Set up electric pumps, storage tanks, pipes. Plant the total land acrage. Complete fencing. 2005:Tend crops and prepare for marketing 2006:Market the produce. 2007: Full production Biswajit Patnaik will oversee the project in Raygada. Devraj Lenka will oversee the horticulture and irrigation system. A Managing Committee has been formed: Biswajit Patnaik, Devraj Lenka, Annapurna Maharana, Baishnab Charan Das, Nivedita Scudder. Bashnab Charan Das heads Utkal Khadi Mandal. Other members can be co-opted by the Committee as required. Prabhu Lenka, though not formally a member now, has been involved with this project right from the start, and has been providing advice all along and is expected to continue in an advisory role. Lalu Mansinha and SriGopal Mohanty will be tracking the project from SEEDS and CanOSA. Fundraising In Canada fundraising efforts is headed by Sumitra Padhi of CanOSA. In US the fundraising is through SEEDS, Somdutt Behura. I must give special recognition to Satya Mohanty and Chandra Talpade-Mohanty of Ithaca, New York in making a substantial commitment of annual donations (USD2,000/year). This core amount was persuasive going ahead with this project. We were also inspired by the donation and commitment of young (12 year old) Sanjay Prayag Misra of North Wales, PA, who is not only bright, but also has the sensitivity to feel for the disadvantaged children of his own age in Gopalbadi. Sumitra Padhi has a photo list of 50 girls at the Gopalwadi School. We are requesting you to be sponsors of one or more girls, with a commitment to donate (USD or CAD) $200/year for 5 years. Although we are linking sponsors with girls, (and we have plans for progress report on each girl to go to the sponsor) I wish to make clear that the money collected is for the short and long term operation of the school, and not specifically for individual students. Each student will benefit from the overall health of the school. Our goal is achievement of financial independence of the school in five years. So far we have counted approximately 25 sponsorships. Our target is 50 sponsorships. Any left over donated funds will be used for other SEEDS and CanOSA projects after consultation. In Canada: Please write the cheque to Sumitra Padhi, and on the memo line in front, or on the back, please write 'Gopalbadi Tribal School'. The cheque should be mailed to: Sumitra Padhi, 2359 Arnold Crescent, Burlington ON L7P 4J1, Canada Phone: 905-335-8681; email: Sumitra In USA US charitable donation receipts will be provided. Please write the cheque to 'SEEDS', and on the memo line in front, or on the back, please write 'Gopalbadi Tribal School'. The cheque should be mailed to: Somdutt Behura, 3722 Latma Drive, Houston TX 77025, USA Phone: 713-664-7901; email: sbehura@gocacs.com APPENDIX I Report on Gopalbadi School Project Notes by Devraj Lenka(Abstracted by Lalu Mansinha) A. Land 1 Total land area(Gopalbadi) - 29.5 acres 2 School, office, residence, gosala & play areas - 4.0 acres 3. High School under construction - 2.0 acres 4. Land at Parvati Nagar - 2.9 acres. B. Miscellaneous Notes 1. Gosala 2. One big well 3. Two LI points 4. Good terracing on slope. 5. Performance of Banana, Coconut, Mango, Lime and Orange was very good. 6. Cashew was planted too close, reduced fruit output. 7. One 5 HP diesel pump is in the Ashram school, but work and efficiency not known. 8. Electricity supply has been applied for; connection promised for March 2003. 9. The soil is good for cultivation. (soil samples brought back for testing). 10, Existing fruit and vegetable plantation has to be reworked for beauty and efficiency. C. Problems 1. Paucity of working capital 2. No permanent water supply system. 3. Marketing of produce. 4. No fence all around the ashram land. D. Recommendations Water Supply 1. Pumps: Two submersible electric pumps are required for irrigation and drinking water. One is to be fitted on the newly constructed LI point, and the other on the existing tube well near the school. The 5HP diesel pump will be fitted on to the existing well as back up for power failure. 2. Tanks: One big open storage tank to be constructed at the top area of farm. Water will flow under gravity for irrigation. One srnall closed tank to be constructed near the Abasika Hoste1 to meet their water requirement. 3. Irrigation pipes: Around one kms of 3” pipe to be laid on both sides of the high tank to supply water directly to the field without loss. 4. Pond: On the left side of the campus a small earth dam can be constructed, creating a pond for water harvesting and pisciculture. E. Recommendations for Farm Development 1. Boundary fence: Chiller seeds may be broadcast on the boundary after premonsoon shower (estimated 40 Kg of seeds). All around the boundary teak or Acacia margium should be planted during June-.luly. Around 3500 saplings will be required. 2. The performance of coconut was very good in the locality, producing more than 100 nuts per year as per statement by Mukteswara Bcuria. The total 9 acres of cashew plantations should be replaced by coconut/mango plantation. Varieties like West Coast Tall, Orissa Local (Sakhi Gopal Local), Ganga Bondan and 2 acres of hybrid plantain may be considered. Since coconut will come to bearing after 5 years of planting, pineapple as inter crop is to he planted @ 50000 plants/ha covering 5 acres of land, and in the next 5 acres banana is to be planted in commercial scale as inter crop in coconut garden. 3. Orange was performing very well in the climate. The orange is sweet to taste and are producing more than > 1000 fruits/plant. Similarly the performance of lime was very good, without much care. So it is recommended that 2.0 acres of orange and 2.0 acres of lime plantation will bring good return. The thorny lime plant can also be used for boundary fence. 4. Mango trees perform well in Rayagada area. So judicious planting of mango in 4.5 acres (Amarpali and Pravashankar other good varieties) is recommended. 5. Half acre of area to be devoted for kitchen garden, to saupply the residence. 6. One acre of fish pond may be considered. 7. 1/4 acre of area for rearing goat (There is forest around the campus and no investment is required). 8. 1.5 acre of area for raising fodder grasses (To meet the feed of cattle on campus). 9. Pepper to be planted near each tree plant as climber. 10. One acre of land near the well may be utilised for offseason vegetable. It will fetch good return. 11. Ground nut during rainy season may be grown in field, as the government needs a lot of seed during Rabi season for coastal districts. Currently these seeds are procured from outside State. “Smruti” variety is performing very good and there is good demand also. 12. 2.9 acres of land at Parvatinagar should be fully devoted to banana cultivation. F. Estimated Yield It is estimated that Rs4 to 6 lakhs per year can be obtained from a judicious planning and development of the land at Gopalbadi. This level of performance can only be achieved with an experienced and dedicated person tuned to market conditions. The annual salary of such a person will be in the range of Rs30,000 to 40,000/year. It is recommended that such a person be sought and appointed, starting April, 2003. With the suggested fruit tress and intercrops, revenues will start coming in within two years. Full revenue will be realized within five years.