Rural Development

Rural development activities are carried out by Mahila Mazdoor Evam Laghu Kisan Sangathan (organisation of women labourers and small farmers). This organisation has its roots in a few people’s struggles including equal wages and land right movement led by Disha in 1980s and 90s. Through community mobilisation they continue to address various rural development issues in the operational area.

The organisation is divided into four village clusters and meetings of all four clusters are held on 24th of every month at Disha Training Centre. Issues and concerns are discussed and strategies are developed to deal with them. The organisation members work closely with the local self governing bodies (gram panchayats) in the villages.

Each organisation cluster has a number Area Level Organisation Committees. Currently capacity building of Area Level Organisation Committees continues on pre-identified issues (land, wages, social service, natural resources, social harmony, political processes, violence against women, employment and right to information).

The organisation members/activists are involved in advocacy and direct action at the village, block, tehsil and district level and thousands of poor in the villages have claimed their entitlements for housing, jobs, pensions, rations and the like through the assistance of organisation activists.