Latehar is situated in the Palamu region. It is surrounded by Chhattisgarh State and District headquarter, Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Palamu and Chatra districts. It is 100 km by road from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi. remote villages are scattered between dense jungle, mountainous areas and agricultural areas.
I was there to document the project: “Increasing access to information on the Government Schemes and Entitlements in Backward Districts in Northern India”. Supported by the European Commission and anchored by ActionAid India in six districts across five states in India.
Increasing capacity and responsiveness of local administration and Panchayat Raj Institutions in providing information and access to public services to poor and marginalized.
Adivasi communities from the remote interiors have understood the importance of the Adhaar card and other documents in order to avail many schemes. Owning a ration card and benefiting from several government schemes is leading to a greater awareness in the community.
Access to information has led to ease of support in most remote areas. The widows pension scheme is centralised in terms of documentation of relevant documents and ensures timely payments to the beneficiaries.
A Dalit corn field worker is a beneficiary of the PM’s housing scheme. This has motivated many more in the community in getting their Adhaar card and other documents in order to avail the benefits of such similar schemes.
Monthly meetings are held within the community members to create continuing awareness about the importance of all official documents and facilitate the process in the remotest of areas.