A committed administration and disciplined and determined community is working in tandem and scripting a quiet revolution in terms of socio economic reforms and sustainable transformation, having far reaching effect on the living condition of the people.
The saga had its inception in the direction given by Chief Minister Raghubar Das to all Deputy Commissioners to adopt one village in their respective districts and spend sometime with the village folks. Mukesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Dumka took the lead and adopted one village in each of the ten blocks of the district.
Balijor in Mudayam panchayat of Shikaripada block was the first village to be adopted. A few months back the village was a typical tribal village with no basic infrastructure, majority of women were engaged in selling local liquor (Hadia). The village hogged the limelight when Mukesh Kumar announced its adoption. Since then it has never looked back .A flurry of developmental activities has transformed this one typical village into a model village. The entire village got a facelift and people could feel and see the developmental activities.
Well lit pucca roads, proper drainage system, modern children park where children can spend the leisure time and learn through activities, once dismal and dingy play ground and football club witnessed complete overhauling, School and Anganwadi centres were renovated and provided with all the facilities which a modern centre has, speeding up the works of toilet and housing construction under various schemes, Panch Mart has been established, rural BPO has sprung up, volunteers sweep the roads at regular intervals, large sign boards warn visitors against littering ,cleanliness and tidying up has become a habit.
The most spectacular and an unprecedented event was the disengagement of women from selling local liquor (Hadia). The developmental activities would have been meaningless if half of the population had not been taken care of. Most of them quit that trade/ profession voluntarily and some of them through persuasion. “We were faced with the challenge of finding ways and means to absorb them in other trade and profession and provide them more avenues,” said the Dumka DC Mukesh Kumar. One innovative idea was the manufacturing of footwear, which was given the name “Bali Footwear”. Initially around 20 such women were given training in manufacturing footwear who now earn up to rupees 250 per day . It is being managed by women SHG group of the area who were given epithet of Pink Army. It has certainly resulted in empowerment of women of the area.
Chief Minister Shri Raghubar Das became the first customer of Bali Footwear and he urged the people to buy locally made footwear. Also directed six districts of the state to follow and adopt Bali Footwear model.
Encouraged by tremendous response, a drive entitled Smiling Sara to disengage women from selling liquor and encourage them to pick up more constructive works for the economic self dependence was started. Inspired by Sara Hansda, who once sold liquor, gave it up and is now a part of manufacturing of footwear at Balijor. Mukesh Kumar undertook mapping of all such women who were engaged in selling liquor and after finding out the numbers through counselling and awareness convinced many of them of the inappropriateness and unworthiness of the trade to them and persuaded them to quit the trade. A historic event was the engaging of 1000 women of Mudayam panchayat in footwear manufacturing. Mudayam Panchayat became the first “Footwear Panchayat” of the country.
It has established beyond doubt that no target can remain unfulfilled if there is a commitment and determination to achieve it and it was people’s will and their cooperation that such far reaching changes took place and lifted Balijore out of its traditional moorings and catapulted it to the centerstage.
