PRIA, URC began its interventions in Nagar Palika Gopeshwar, Chamoli, Uttaranchal on two issues – birth and death registrations and sanitation drives. Various ward level meetings were organised with the citizens where many senior citizens and retired persons participated. In these meetings, the senior citizens raised various issues like – lack of proper drainage system, construction of link road, safe drinking water supply, placement of dust bins, arrangement of trenching ground and other related technical issues. During the discussion with ward member and government officials, they provided their suggestions and technical inputs to solve these problems based on their past experience. URC identified the active senior citizens as citizen leaders and organised a number of orientation workshop for them on the concept of citizen leadership. During these meetings, some active senior citizens formed a forum named "Senior Citizens Forum" to deal with urban development issues. Sh. Gopal Datt, retired principal and recipient of National award – Virksh Mitra Award for environment protection - was elected as the president of the forum. This forum took up the problems of water supply, drainage system, link road construction, formation of sanitation committee etc with different government departments. As a result of continuous follow up, they were successful in catalyzing the government departments to act and work has already started in some of the problems raised by the forum. The future plan of this forum is to build pressure for formation of DPC in District Chamoli according to 73rd amendment of the Constitution.

Makhopur (ward no. 1, Khairabad NPP), Uttar Pradesh has a significant percentage of Scheduled castes in the locality. PRIA, URC team has initiated some interventions like Cleanliness Drive in collaboration with the municipality. Close cooperation of the community with municipal officials increased the confidence of the people and they felt close to the government. In the cleanliness intervention, people realised the importance of informational support provided to them by PRIA. So they demanded setting up of a UIC where information could be maintained and updated on a regular basis. Through formal meetings, community members agreed to set up a UIC in one of the locality member Harishchandra’s house. Executive officer came to the inauguration of the UIC; the community based on their earlier experiences prepared a memorandum and handed it over to him. The EO accepted their demands. This included the demand for a pucca road and street lights. The community members now feel proud of their initiative and also sensitise other groups to act as a pressure group to fetch resources for the poorest and undeveloped areas.

Premajan’s Arts and Sports Club in Ward No. 34 Kasaba Kadappuram of Kasargod Municiplaity, Kerala was like any other club, and its activities were limited to organising small functions. PRIA with its partner, Sahayi tried to expand the activities of the club by involving it in LSGI strengthening activities. At first, it was necessary to equip it with knowledge and ability for an effective and responsible involvement in society. A series of orientation programmes on capacity building training, leadership training and PRI institutions were conducted by PRIA. They were also given input through Sahayi publication, printed materials on LSGI and various training modules.

Navaprathibha Arts & Sports Club in Punalur Municipality, Kollam, Kerala was involved in celebrating national days and a few Kerala festivals. PRIA with its partner, Sahayi tried to expand the activities of the club by involving it in LSGI strengthening activities. At first, it was necessary to equip it with knowledge and ability for an effective and responsible involvement. A series of orientation programmes on capacity building training, leadership training and PRI institutions were conducted by PRIA. They were also given input through Sahayi publications, printed materials on LSGI and various training modules. Enthused by the LSGI orientation, the youth began to be involved in Panchayat Raj activities and they started conducting training programmes at the Gram Sabha level. The club members actively participated in PEVAC programme, enrolled new voters and educated the voters on their right to exercise their franchise. They are also looking forward to SWM, which is going to be implemented in the Municipality through a mass campaign.

Making the election process transparent is amongst the most challenging tasks of any election machinery and the extent of challenges varies with the scale of polls, parliamentary assembly or election of local governance, whatever the case may be.

The active civil society, effective execution of administrative functions and easy access to information determines the performance of elections. The media becomes an important stakeholder in ensuring the outreach of the information and transparency in the process. Media, key actors of civil society can play the role of “critical observer” to make any system or organisation disciplined and accountable and the experiences from past elections provide strong evidence in this direction.

The Panchayat elections rate low in terms of coverage in the priority list of national newspapers as compared to Parliamentary and Assembly elections. When it comes to small towns however, the local newspaper has its own charm. The popularity of these newspapers is based upon the capturing of local news and events

For perspective building on PEVAC with media, one-day workshop on October 15, 2005 for media representatives was held. The workshop enabled to streamline the action plan on the role of media during PEVAC in Hamirpur. As per Action Plan, the print and electronic media continuously highlighted the discrepancies and progress in different phases of elections. There is evidence to support the active engagement of media during the voter awareness drives. It would be worthwhile to share some significant cases to appraise the proactive initiatives of Media.

Discrepancies and blundering in the voter lists are quite common to any election as this is the time when the new voters are identified and vote banks through the contesting candidates are ensured. The magnitude of the corruption increases, when it comes to the urban elections. Such practices came to light during the revision of voter’s list in Hamirpur municipal council. The number of fake voters were identified ward in no 5, 6, 8 and 10 in Hamirpur MC during PEVAC process.

For example in ward no- 6, 572 voters were registered in 2000 ULB Elections, which increased to 1564 in 2005 voter survey. These incidents are the result of the inquiring attitude of the media correspondents. Once cornered by the media, the administration immediately appointed a committee to enquire into the lacunae in the process of revision of voter’s list. Apart from these, the media highlighted the field meetings, the nomination drives, Jagrukta Rath and Aman-Saman (pre –election consultation between the voters and contestants). The engagement also helped in enabling and orienting media to understand the significance of the first unit of democracy

Mohalla Vikas Samiti, a Citizen Network in ward no.14 of Mahendragarh Municipal Council is playing the pivotal role of bridging the gap between the elected representatives and the common masses. For the purpose, four ward sabhas have been convened in the last one year, which were attended by the ward councillor. MVS is also looked as the resource person for the registration of Births and Deaths. Recognising their contribution in the ward, the Deputy Director, Department of Health during the District level MSD on B&D declared MVS` as potential partners for achieving 100 percent registration in B & D in the ward.

In addition, MVS has also approached district administration and line departments for addressing complaints like irregular water supply, poor street lights, shortage of food grain in PDS shops etc. Similarly, complaints of the people regarding poor civic amenities have been raised in the Ward sabhas by MVS. It is, thus, trying to bring about accountability and transparency in the functioning of the administration and elected representatives.

The work of MVS has yielded tangible results in the ward, thus enabling it to gain the confidence and trust of people and elected representatives who see them as a “well-wisher”.

Ashok Nagar Sudhar Sabha, a citizen collective of Fatehabad Municipality, Haryana was a dormant body for quite some time. PRIA met the ward councillor and representatives of the Sabha and tried to convince them to revive the citizen collective. Fortunately, they agreed to call a meeting of the Sabha. In the meeting, some problems of the ward like garbage management, birth and death registration were discussed and it was decided to bring the matter to the notice of the administration. Besides, the Sabha tried to deal with social evils like controlling the bad habits of the youth. For the purpose, a group of youth was formed who were given the responsibility of bringing the wrong doers on right track

PRIA, thus, was successful in reviving a dormant CC in Fatehabad Municipality of Haryana.

The participation of women in the Nagar Panchayat has been non-existent in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. Though in some areas with Gujjar population, the Mahila Mandals have been formed, their functionality is limited to paper. PRIA tried to revive these bodies and motivate women to participate in the Nagar Panchayat. They were asked to collect all the information regarding welfare programmes from the Nagar Panchayat and try to get these programmes implemented for the target group. However, the ward councillor resisted the idea of activation of CC in the municipality. Mahila mandals discussed the negative attitude of the councillor and thought of ways of overcoming this obstacle. Meanwhile, the elections to the ward were approaching fast and the ward councillor was again put forward as the candidate. The mahila mandal saw the elections as an opportunity to field its candidate. It was decided that it would nominate its own candidate, who would look after their needs and work for them, to the Nagar Panchayat.

Thus, the Mahila Mandal decided to nominate their Pradhan, Khinno Devi for the post of Ward Councillor. Khinno Devi, belonging to the SC community, was a suitable candidate because she had played an active role in mobilising women to put forward the demand for welfare schemes to Nagar Panchayats. Despite the hard work of the mahila mandal, Khinno Devi lost the elections. But she was a source of inspiration for all the women of the area as she showed that even women from marginalised communities have the capability to come forward and take active part in the political process.

Presently, she along with her Mahila Mandal, is planning to hold a meeting with the new ward councillor to discuss ward level issues so as to start collective development initiatives in the ward. She knows that people’s participation is essential to make the ward councillor accountable

Nagrota Bagwan Nagar Panchayat (Ward 4), Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh has significant percentage of marginalised sections belonging mainly to Choudhary, Gujjar, Harijan and Saini communities. They are engaged in the occupations of agriculture and dairy farming. The ward faces a lot of problems of water, sanitation and street lighting. All the complaints to ward councillor regarding civic amenities went unheeded. The ward councillor, who was also the chairman of the Nagar Panchayat, neglected public complaints and avoided public meetings.

The apathy of the ward councillor made women of ward 4 think about putting up a different candidate for the ward elections. Ward 3 was also facing similar kind of problems. So women of ward 3 and ward 4 decided to come together and chalk out an election strategy. They planned a Jagrukta Rally in which the issue of electing a good candidate, and free and fair polls was raised. In the rally, nearly 50 women participated and shouted slogans like ‘think before voting’; ‘shun alcohol and vote for development’; vote for a ‘good candidate’ who will make a difference. Women who, till now, had been limited to the boundaries of their houses, participated with full enthusiasm in the rally. Initially, they had to face rude comments and taunts from men and vested interests. But this did not de-motivate them and their spirits remained high. Soon people started asking for PEVAC posters and pamphlets and discussing the need for highlighting the development issues and prevalent corrupt practices in the elections.

In Dharamsala municipality, the participation of people in municipal functioning is negligible. There is no formal interaction between the ward councillor and the residents of ward. People often do not participate in urban elections, as they are apathetic to development and governance.

In an effort to bring the residents of ward and their ward councillor on the same platform, an interface between the councillor and the citizens was planned in Dharamsala MC. The interface was given the name “Seedhi Baat”. First Seedhi Baat was organised in Ward 10 of Dharamsala MC. The success of the first Seedhi Baat and good coverage given to it by media led to flooding of requests to DRC, Dharamsala to facilitate similar processes in other wards of Dharamsala as well

Taking a leaf from ward no. 10, the candidates from ward no. 7 decided to undertake a similar effort in their ward. About 50-60 persons attended Seedhi Baat in ward number 7. The prospective candidates read their agenda for development in front of the citizens and were tested with tough questioning. During the interface, one candidate announced, that after winning the election, he would form Mohalla Samitis to monitor the municipal functioning and make the system transparent and accountable. The candidate got a round of applause and appreciation from the citizens who stated that such interface sessions with the ERs should be held regularly. Finally the battle was won by the candidate who had promised the involvement of people in MC functioning. It was a victory for the people as ‘participation of people’ became the buzz word for the urban elections in Dharamsala MC.

Sarvi Prabhat, the 63-year-old Mahila Mandal Pradhan and active citizen leader from ward no-7 (Naya Nagar), Hamirpur has made her way to Municipal Council, Hamirpur as elected representative for the next five years.

Social service is both her interest and duty, as she has been heading the Rain Basera Mahila Mandal since 2001. Being wife of an ex-serviceman, the ability to face challenges is inbuilt in her personality and it keeps her going even at this age. The active engagement in ward level meeting also motivates her to explore the opportunities that would lead to development in the ward. Her commitment to people’s welfare helped her to win the election of ward councillor the first time she contested.

This is not to say that there were no opponents. The wife of President, Ex-servicemen Welfare Action committee, Hamirpur and a lady lawyer were the two strong opponents of Sarvi Prabhat. But the strong presence in the community and proactive attitude of participation in ward level meetings ensured her success. She won with a difference of 21 votes in a close contest

People of Hamirpur MC still remembered the contribution of Rain Basera Mahila Mandal in construction of “Children Park” in ward no. 7. Sarvi Prabhat continued her good work as ward councillor as well. She did not disappoint them after the election; she called a ward meeting before the first meeting of the Municipal council to have an assessment of the immediate development needs of the ward residents. Her efforts strengthen the sprit of people-centric development in urban areas, where people’s participation is a distant dream in many places, and especially in H.P.

Rabia Mahila Samooh is a SHG of 20 women in Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh. Their ward councillor is lady who has been parshad for 6 years but still she is not able to fulfill her responsibilities as councillor. Her husband does all the official work on her behalf. Being a shopkeeper, he is busy most of the time and he is also not able to give time to his wife’s work. Ultimately, it affects development work in their ward.

In the early days, the members used to sell door-to-door Emami Cosmetic products that ensured good earnings for them. Since it was difficult to go from one place to another on foot, Fulwasan Bai decided to teach cycling to the members of SHG. She felt that cycles would make them more mobile and this would help them get more clients. Fulwasan’s assessment proved correct and the business of SHG grew substantially. As the business grew, the SHG decided to apply for a loan to NABARD. They presented an application requesting to grant loan for starting a goatry. They were granted the loan and bought 20-25 goats.

Their efforts to empower themselves economically were appreciated and recognised not only by the people but also by the government. The National Government awarded Sarwa Bhartiya Award to Pragya Mahila Samooh. Mrs. Fulwasan Bai received the award on behalf of the group in a function organised in Delhi by the Hon’ble Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram. The total amount of the award was Rs. 1,00,000/- and the entire amount was deposited in the group account.

The entire Rajnandgaon district celebrated the success of the Self Help Group. The Collector, Mr. G.S. Mishra requested members of Pragya Mahila Samooh to visit the villages in the district and motivate other women to replicate their success. The members of Pragya Mahila Samooh regularly organised group gatherings and provided details on the formation of SHGs.

Fulwasan Bai was still not satisfied with the success and she had set her goals higher. She started dairy work and sold milk to the neighbouring villages. In the beginning, she owned only two cows. But today she is the owner of 15 cows. Her economic asset reflects her hard work and desire for success.

During the process of ward level consultations in Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh, PRIA members came across a resident, Shri Sounwani who was a retired technician of Balco. He shared a carefully prepared report on road construction. The report was a long and analytical letter addressed to the District Collector in which the quality of material used and the procedure for road construction were dealt in detail. He pointed out that the amount spend on road construction was very less as compared to the amount sanctioned by the Government. He had also given some suggestions like formation of monitoring committee to check the quality of road construction. Consultations at ward level brought about information, which had not been noticed, and it underlines the need for regular consultations in order to promote transparency and accountability in governance.

Ward Sabha owes its origin to PRIA, which desires to utilise it as a platform to discuss various issues related to the development of the ward. The concept is new and there are no provisions in the act related to it. PRIA believes that replication of the Gram Sabha model in the urban areas would pave the way for transparent and accountable governance. To promote the idea of Ward Sabha, PRIA conducted Ward Sabhas in ward No 19 and 26 of Anakapalli Municipality, Vizag District. The concept of Ward Sabhas was explained to the people in the meetings and they were convinced to hold such meetings on their own. Even the Councillor of the municipality liked the idea of Ward Sabha as it would help him in maintaining better relationship with the community. The Ward Sabhas in ward No 19 and 26 were attended by the Councillor who said that such meetings should be held regularly and be utilised for identifying beneficiaries of various schemes, discuss various problems in the ward and also develop an annual plan of the ward that can be incorporated in the council meeting for approval. Thus, the concept of Ward Sabha has been found to be practically useful by the people and elected representatives.

Core groups have been formed along with Citizen Leaders, SHGs, Active Volunteers, Kishories and Networks (Nehru Yuva Kendras) for PEVAC Process in seven Panchayats (Basopatti block). In order to build an environment for free and fair elections, regular meetings and interactions were conducted with the citizens by the core groups. These groups have been playing an important role in sensitising and encouraging rural youth to participate in Panchayat elections as able leaders and conscious electorates.

The children of Kaudikasa, Anganwadi were not getting their weekly quota of daliya and other nutritious food as per the provisions made by the Government. Officials said that the supply has been disrupted due to some reason and it would take a month to regularise the supply. To deal with the problem, Jagriti Mahila Mandal called a meeting and decided that children should not suffer due to official problems, so they decided to make arrangements for daily food from the group savings. But the savings of the group were limited, so they found it difficult to continue this arrangement. Jagriti Mahila Mandal, then tried to generate resources by raising contributions from the village. The members brought food from their home and went door-to-door asking the villagers to support them in this campaign. People willingly extended help and supported them financially. This activity continued for one more month till the Women and Child Development department made arrangements for food after two months. Jagriti Mahila Mandal members were appreciated for their efforts.

The members of Jagriti Mahila Mandal say that they can move about the village with pride now. They had been earlier appreciated by the state government for raising their voice against the selling of liquor. Dr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, handed over the award for best self help group to Jagriti Mahila Mandal. PRIA hopes to be with them and guide them in their social endeavours.

On January 24, 2006 in Pangri Panchayat (Ambagarh Chowki Block), inhabited largely by tribals, a meeting was called by PRIA to discuss the importance of Gram Sabha and why women should be active participants. The meeting was attended by nearly 28 women, which was quite a large number considering the fact that the village has only 40 households. The women made all the arrangements for the workshop. Even in the meetings, they openly spoke of the problems they faced. The facilitators tried to encourage them and asked them to put forward their demands collectively.

The very next day a Gram Sabha was held in the village. Again most of the women attended the Gram Sabha and collectively put forward a demand for hand pump. Since summers were fast approaching, women were worried about the fact that they had to walk long distances to fetch water. The sarpanch who was a woman also supported them and the resolution for the hand pump was passed. The hand pump would soon be installed and the women of the village would undertake the responsibility for its proper maintenance.

Women Members of SHGs of Bokrale, Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh have found that are finding that their strength lies in numbers and unity. They felt that if they pool their resources together in self-help groups of their own, then they would have greater access to opportunities and enhanced access to resources which would enable them to negotiate their rights better. Sheers numbers gave them strength in Gram Sabha. Nearly 70 women of 3 SHGs participated in Gram Sabha of October 4 and motivated other women of their Panchayat to do the same. They argued against the encroachment of common land reserved for plantation by a resident of the village and they also identified the best group in the village who should take up mid-day meal activity

Jagriti Samoh of Madwa Gram Panchayat Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh have emerged as a pressure group in their Panchayat. They have started taking active participation in Gram Sabha and their activities are not limited just to participation, they know how to get the work done in the Panchayat. Jagriti Samoh has delivered results in a very short time. Since 1998, there was no government teacher in their high school, the demands of Gram Sabha for the appointment of teachers were not paid attention to by the administration. As their demands were not yielding any results, women of the village decided to take charge; they held a rally at the district headquarter Janjgir, and gave a memorandum to the District Collector to take immediate action on it. The result was tremendous! Now there are three teachers in this school!!

The success story does not end here only, the sarpanch of this Panchayat was a lady who was not active and did not take interest in the work of the Panchayat. Her husband looked after the Panchayat work but he was always looking for personal gains. Jagriti Samoh asked the women Sarpanch to do her duty or they would initiate action against her. Finally, Samoh was forced to bring no confidence motion against her.

During a meeting of Nari Shakti Sangathan in Talwana GP of Kanina Block Mahendragarh, Haryana, the issue of no mid-day meals being served in the primary school of the village, came up for discussion. Upon inquiry, it was found that the district administration had stopped supply. It was, thus, collectively decided to address the issue on priority basis. The very next day, the Sarpanch was approached and members of Sangathan visited the school with her. The teacher admitted his inability to do anything in the matter. A letter was immediately drafted on behalf of the Collective duly signed by the Sarpanch and was sent to SSA, Block & District coordinator.

Block & District Coordinator took the issue seriously and requested not to report this further to higher authorities. The coordinator immediately called up the concerned authority and ordered for immediate supply of rations to the school in Talwana. When the members reached their Gram Panchayat in the evening, they found that the food grains had already arrived. Tangible results in such a short span of time have increased respect for the Sangathan in the village.

Youth talents Association, an Arts & Sports Club based at Pathanapuram of Kollam District (Kerala) was involved in celebrating national day and a few Kerala festivals. PRIA with its partner, Sahayi tried to expand the activities of club by involving them in LSGI strengthening activities. At first, it was necessary to equip them with knowledge and ability for an effective and responsible involvement in the society. A series of orientation programmes on capacity building training, leadership training and PRI institutions were conducted by PRIA. They were also given input through Sahayi publication, printed materials on LSGI and various training modules. Enthused by the LSGI orientation, the youth started involving itself in Panchayat Raj activities and they started conducting training programmes at the Gram Sabha level.

Similarly, Eleven Arts & Sports Club, Kureepuzha Ward in Thrikkadavur Gram Panchayat were given orientation on Gram Sabha and various development issues. This club participated quite actively in the PEVAC programme of PRIA. They enrolled around 200 new voters in the voters list and removed 70 bogus voters from the voters list. Apart from this, the Club President contested for the election and was elected for the Panchayat. At present, he is actively leading the development activities of the ward as well as Panchayat

The club set a good example of how a CSO can be effectively involved in LSGI. Moreover, they actively participated in PEVAC and social cohesion and peace programme were organised by PRIA & Sahayi.

Adarsh Yuvak Sangh was a youth club based at Madhur Panchayat of Kasargod district, Kerala. The activities of club were confined to arts and sports activities. PRIA and its partner Sahayi interacted with the chief functionaries of the club and motivated them to get involved in Strengthening of Panchayat Raj Institutions. The members of the club were involved in a series of orientations/trainings on LSGI, leadership training and other capacity building programmes. After attending the training programmes, they realised that a lot could be done in the area of strengthening Gram Sabha. Organised into various groups, they started mobilising people for Gram Sabha and motivated them to identify local issues and to speak of these issues in their Gram Sabhas. Additional inputs like leaflets on Panchayat Raj, relevance of Gram Sabha, people’s participation in local governance were distributed by PRIA and Sahayi. Leaflets and Sahayi’s periodicals are displayed at their office for ready reference for the public.

The members of Adarsh club also supported Kudumbasree (NHG) units to start micro enterprises through Entrepreneur Development Programme (EDP) with the help of various agencies. In short, Adarsh Yuvak Sangh has set a good example to other CSOs/CBOs not only in the same Panchayat but in neighbouring Panchayat

Mrs. Susheel was a homeless woman belonging to Anjali SHG of Sneha Federation in Balal Gram Panchayat, Kasargod district, Kerala. Her problem of homelessness was raised in the Gram Sabha as an issue by women of the village but the Gram Panchayat authorities refused to act. In the next Gram Sabha, Mrs. Laisamma, President of Anjali group along with 20 members raised the issue again and asked the ward member and officials to solve Susheel’s problem. The Panchayat was forced to sanction Rs. 27000/- to Susheel, and a contribution of Rs. 7000/- from group members and another Rs. 2500/- from Sneha federation and Shramdan from fellow members saw an amount being collected for her so she would be able to own a house

In Himachal Pradesh, 56 CSOs came together and formed Sanjha Manch, a platform to strengthen local self-governance. A campaign was launched by Sanjha Manch to make the voters aware about issues in Panchayat elections, criticality of electing good PRI members, ballot papers etc. Manch tried to reach out to the people through distribution of pamphlets and posters, holding rallies, awareness camps, interface between contestants & electors and launching of rath yatras. These campaigns covered 42 development blocks out of the total of 75 in the state, covering 442 Panchayats intensively and 1363 in the extensive districts. The objective was to ensure the election of good and committed candidates and to make the people aware about elections to local bodies.

A network of local CSOs “ Vindya Kshetra Swachhik Sanstha Manch” was formed in Mirzapur and Sitapur district. It was the result of the longstanding effort of Sitapur, DRC which had taken initiative to collaborate with local CSOs on some common concerns in the project areas. To facilitate the process of convergence on some common issues, SSK (Sitapur) organised meetings, awareness campaigns and training programmes for CSOs. The effort yielded result when a large number of CSOs -SSK and its Partners, CARE, Sarthi, Rahee Foundation, Sangtin, Tharu Devt. Society, GVEVSS, Kalpavriksha Development Foundation, KMKS, Mahila Samakhya, Samanwit Gramin Vikas Samiti came together and formed a local network of CSOs

Jakeshwar Shikshan Sansthan is a close partner of SRC. After linking with SRC JSS took some concrete steps to reorganise its internal institutional system. Earlier there was not proper system of reporting and documentation. SRC did a lot of orientation of its staff members and head of the institution on report writing, proper documentation system, financial management from time to time. JSS team members also participated in capacity building training organised by SRC and NRC. These capacity building inputs helped JSS to restructure the internal system. Various new formats were introduced for proper management of funds. Various committees have been formed within the organisation to decentralise the work.

Mount Valley Development Association revised its services rule after attending training workshop on gender mainstreaming in organisation. MVDA is working in remote areas of Tehri district. It has made a provision of maternity leave for women in its organisation, which was not earlier in the service rules. MVDA has also formed CASH committee in the organisation and taken steps to balance the ratio of men and women workers. Not only at the institutional level but also at programmatic level, MVDA is focusing on gender mainstreaming. It has organsied a workshop to sensitise the community toward gender issues.

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