Struggle for food security and dignity: A success story of Dalit women in accessing land and farming in Chittoor District The days have gone when we begged before upper caste landlords for coolie work sometimes we get wages some times we have to work for free, bearing abuse and threat as we were destined says Easwaramma of Chinthaparthivaripalli The 7 landless families of dalit Madiga Community in Chinthaparthivaripalli were working as bonded labourers in the fields of dominant caste members as they do not have any land of their own. Though their families were given land of 18.25 acres by the Government during their fore fathers time, the land was encroached by a dominant caste man, who owns more than 100 acres of land which were adjoining the dalit land. He had political affiliations and by using their influence he gave pressure to the people to drop their demand. Despite several petitions by the families in the last 30 years, the Revenue Administration never yielded to their call. The dalit families were beaten up thrice by the dominant caste men when they entered the field to claim their rights. He also filed police complaint in the local police station after brutally attacking the dalit men and women claiming that they encroached his land. Fearing the police abuse, the 7 families along with their relatives went to Police Headquarters in Palmaner to lodge a complaint with the DSP. But there was no support from the Police. Due to constant threat and abuse by dominant caste groups, the families couldn t take their struggle for land forward. The situation started changing after the formation of Sangam, an agricultural workers organization called APVVU (Andhra Pradesh Vivasaya Viruthidarula Union) in the year 2010 with the support of NISARGA 1, a voluntary organization. Easwaramma, who is the Sangam leader, came to know about the activities of NISARGA and APVVU when she visited her relative s house in the nearby Mandal. She witnessed the gathering of people in the village discussing about a land dispute and planning their approach with the Government to get Justice for their case. Impressed by the commitment showed by NISARGA team and the APVVU leaders, she invited them to visit her village Chintaparthivari Palli and help them to resolve 30 years of land struggle they were going against a dominant caste person, who encroached their land. After APVVU entered the village, they approached the Superintendant of Police to file a case under SC/ST (POA) Act for abuse and threat by dominant caste members. Following which several protests were held by the victims with the support of APVVU. 1 NISARGA, the Voluntary organization working in Chittoor District was initiated to create Mass awareness on laws and support the Government in implementing its Schemes and Programmes meant for poor in the years 1994. 1
The encroacher filed a petition before the High Court claiming that the dalits entered his legally owned land while crops under cultivation. High court directed the lower court to make field verification. When the lower court sent an ameena (commission) to make the visit, there was no crop in the land and while verifying the records it was found that the assigned land was in the name of 7 dalit families. After the enquiry, the High Court condemned the illegal act of the dominant caste man and asked him to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000/- for wasting the time and resources of judiciary in this matter. The local Revenue Officials issued fresh Pattas to all 7 families in the year 2013 due to regular followup of NISARGA team. Dalit families applied for NREGA programme for land reclamation, bunding, fencing, weed removing, etc., with the budget of 1 lakh per acre for three years. NISARGA also helped the families to access Indira Jala Prabha scheme for bore wells in their land. Even after the land patta was issued and when the bore well digging machine was transported to the village, the women from dominant caste who were the relatives of the earlier encroacher came to the land and protested by lying down on the field. The bore well trucker was returned thrice due to their violent resistance. After filing a case under SC/ST (POA) Act, the interference from the dominant caste was reduced. Dalit Women cultivated their lands and got good yield: Now dalits are peacefully engaged in agriculture work in their lands. Last 2 years, women are able to get good yield from the land allotted to them. With the co-ordinated effort of village sangam headed by Easwaramma with the support of APVVU and NISARGA, government schemes like NREGA (Scheme for dalit land development), Indira Jala Prabha (scheme for borewell) were utilized as support structures for the poor dalit households in Chinthaparthivaripalli. According to Nagamma, she got 6 bags of groundnuts worth Rs.15,000/- and tomato worth Rs.10,000/-. After her family consumption she sold the remaining. In addition, she got 1 bag full of horse gram, which she used for her family and sold for the rest for Rs.2, 000/- Further, the land gives fodder to the cows, goats and other cattle of dalit families. Similarly, all other women have got good yield from their field and the food needs of their family were satisfied. Now we are not going anywhere for wage labour and our children are going to school and continuing their studies, says Easwaramma. Removing weeds from the rainwater storage bund created under NREGA Scheme A seed bank was also initiated by NISARGA providing seeds of Horse gram, Bengal gram, Black eyed Beans, Corn, etc. As it is a rainy season in October, all 7 families have sown the seeds from seed 2
bank on their lands. They are doing cultivation for the past two years and have been getting yield during the season. A team consisting of Easwarmma, Nagamma and Nagaveni who were met during the field study visit expressed their immense happiness in getting the yield from their cultivation. Each of them got good yield of food crops in their land along with planting Mango trees and Groundnuts for their long term economic needs. Further, they exchange their labour among themselves to take care of the crops for good yield without much burden on labour expenses by cash. Proud Easwaramma carrying fodder for her cattle from her field Brief History of NISARGA and APVVU NISARGA, the voluntary organization and APVVU, the people s organization have a long history of involvement in empowering poor and marginalized in Chithoor and Nellore Districts of Andhra Pradesh. The organizations have started their grass-root action from addressing the issues of untouchability and caste atrocities against dalits and tribals in the year 1994. Thanks to the existence of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a weapon for the oppressed to be protected from atrocities. APVVUcampaigned for the implementation of this law since its passage in 1989 in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh intensively. During the initial years, the organization had to fight for abolition of untouchability and widespread caste 2 atrocities practiced across the villages in Chittoor District. 2 Caste system basically plays both in economic and cultural spheres of Indian Society. While in economic sphere the lower caste is exploited by the landholders from the upper caste, but in cultural terms each caste group would both experience discrimination from, and practice discrimination against, other caste groups depending upon where they are placed in the hierarchy of Caste Ladder system. In both the operations the women are subservient and made to produce and reproduce the same old cultural values and maintenance of power over by men. The dominant castes enjoy social power along with control over land, including patriarchal power over women and define the culture of exploitation and have linkages with the State. Those dominant social strata of the country have access to resources, power and unlimited authority, while the marginalized sections of the society like the Dalits, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, cultural, linguistic, sexual minorities and women are subjected to the extreme forms of discrimination and deprivation and are excluded from the process of this so - called development. 3
Nearly 56 practice forms of untouchability were found among the village communities against Dalits. Other major issues were bonded labour system, low wages/no wages for labour, no land access despite Government s assigned lands for dalits. During their early intervention in the years beginning 2000, the members of NISARGA team faced constant threat and abuse from upper caste groups for supporting the dalits in their villages. We got threats through phone with abusive words for supporting dalits in their struggle against upper caste. This went to an extent where we had to shift our 2 daughters into a boarding school, as the land of their school was owned by the same Upper Caste Land Lord who was challenged in a land encroachment case in one of the villages Suria, Director of NISARGA Land issues of dalits in Chittoor district: Ever since Independence, Andhra Pradesh has the history of Land Rights Movements headed by left wing political groups and other independent people s organizations and unions. The State s official record of lands assigned to the landless poor show that 4.25 million acres have been assigned to 2.92 million households. Out of this, 1.46 million households of SC/ST have some form of land problems 3. According to Official statistics, Andhra Pradesh has assigned Government land to more beneficiaries than any other Indian State. However, the same Government records show that 40% of households have some land problem or the other in every village. The Land problem has three major types of disputes ranging from illegal possession by upper caste land lords, lack of title document and missing entry in the record of rights In Chittoor District, where NISARGA is based, Dalit and Adivasi communities predominantly depend on agriculture for their survival and economic needs. Further, the social status and dignity of dalits are also attached to their land ownership.. Hence, Land Rights is a crucial struggle in this region, particularly for dalits to gain their economic as well as social independence. Dalit communities (Mala and Madiga are the two major categories) were constantly deprived of land rights and were under the bondage system of feudal landed communities. Hence, the opportunity for Dalits in accessing land rights predominantly comes under the category of assignment land and land assigned under ceiling surplus land by the Government in Andhra Pradesh. In this, the ceiling surplus land is one of the major disputed provisions as the original declarant would have encroached or the land was under litigation, hence State has not taken possession of it. 90% of farmers among Dalits in Chittoor District own Govt. assigned lands and a study conducted by NISARGA in the project area has revealed that 60% of govt. land in the project area is in the hands of ineligible people predominantly by the dominant castes. The survey also revealed that 2650 acres of Govt. land assigned to Dalits and Adivasis in the project area has already been alienated. There are 2850 acres of land cultivated by Dalits without titles for generations and in many cases, Dalits hold land titles but do not have land ownership. As per the Government order, Tamarind trees located in public places are to be assigned to landless Dalits and Adivasis. But in practice dominant caste people will harvest whereas Dalits watch and work. The public irrigation tanks used to be the grazing grounds for the sheep and cows of the landless Dalits. But the space is shrinking due to encroachment by dominant caste people. Most of the times, common property resources like tanks, hillocks, grazing lands, all water bodies and common trees are controlled, managed and enjoyed by dominant caste people where Dalits do not get any share. 3 As per the records of Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty, 2013 4
The Land title given in the name of women of the poor household has been initiated from the State Programmes under Indira Kranthi Patham (executed under Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty). As per the government policy note, all housing patta has been given in the name of women since 2000. The land distribution held after 2007 have been given priority to the women of poor household. Further, SC/ST communities can access NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) for land improvement and Indira Jala Prabha is another scheme initiated to create water sources for these lands by providing Bore Wells. However, due to corruption at Government level and influence of dominant caste groups through their political affiliations, dalit women accessing land rights is still a distant dream in reality. Records have shown increased level of land ownership among women. But in actual terms Dalits, particularly Dalit Women have to constantly engage in struggles and protests to get Land Access. In such situations the role of Civil Society organizations has become inevitable to support the Dalit Women in accessing their land rights and for cultivation from the State. Land struggles lead by dalits and NISARGA NISARGA has been working with deprived communities in 106 villages in 6 Mandals (blocks), particularly women of dalit and adivasi communities in Chittoor and Nellore districts.. NISARGA established two objectives for its interventions related to Land Rights and Agriculture: 1) to have access to Land Ownership through Legal Process and 2) to make the land cultivable by introducing sustainable agricultural methods using Government Schemes. The NISARGA followed 5 major strategies for pursuing these objectives: 1. Survey of Land Disputes and Tracking of Records APVVU, the people s organisation had been established in all the villages of Chittoor District by NISARGA through Capacity building of youth and women and engaged them in Campaigns and Padhayathras. During such process, many villages came up with land disputes with the dominant upper caste groups and have no idea on how to proceed. NISARGA came for help by conducting a survey on the land disputes. Right to Information Act has been used to get the documentary evidence in favor of the dalit people. During the year 2008, Ananthapuram Village is the first village, where APVVU launched the struggle for housing Rights of Dalit communities in 2 and half acres land which was under encroachment by a person from dominant caste. The walls constructed by dalits were demolished and false cases were filed on people saying they set fire to the fields of dominant caste groups. Dalits were beaten up and abused in the hands of dominant caste members. With the support of APVVU the village sangam was able to file a case under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The village units of APVVU in the neighboring villages came to help the people construct houses for 46 families. The landlord filed writ petition in High court for the same land five times. APVVU supported the case and finally the judgment was in favor of poor dalits as by then Dalits have already constructed the houses and the families started living. As in Ananthapuram, between the years 2010 to 2014, nearly 1845 families in 32 dalit villages of 6 Mandals (Blocks) have accessed 2609 acres of land with proper ownership and title in their favor in Chittoor district. 5
NISARGA team doing Resource Mapping of Chinthaparthivari Palli Village 2. Mass Awareness and People Mobilization It is this strategy of NISARGA that helped to gain momentum in achieving the Rights of the marginalized agricultural workers. NISARGA has been consistent in following up with the laws related to the Rights of the marginalized. Several Campaigns and Public awareness programmes were conducted to spread awareness on the laws such as SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act-1989, Minimum Wages Act, Prevention of Domestic Violence Act 2005, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Right to Information Act, Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention and Regulation) Act, etc. These campaigns helped the organization to reach new remote villages where atrocities against dalits and dalit women were rampant. The village level Sangam formation, cultural programmes and education materials were used as a tool for creating Mass awareness. In the year 2004, NISARGA promoted women headed Sangams and networking of women leaders has emerged as a strong force to demand Land Rights. There were series of Capacity building programmes for women leaders on land laws, procedures and rules related to land records. Further, the Networking strategy adopted by NISARGA with other Civil Society Organizations in the region also helped to voice the concerns of poor and marginalized at State and National Levels. 16,000 acres of land has been identified as Dalit Lands by the network of 23 NGOs in Chittoor District as part of Bhu Samskaranala Karyacharana Udyamam (Land Reforms Implementation Committee). Due to consistent mobilization of people through APVVU and Mass awareness, the dalit women accessing Land Rights has been gradually increased from 1% (as per 2000-2001 survey) to around 20% (in 2013-14 survey of NISARGA). Single women, women who lost their husbands get their priority in land ownership. 56% of APVVU members are women from dalit, adivasi and other deprived communities. 3. Interface with the State NISARGA has strong belief in the Rule of Law for ensuring the Rights of marginalized. The Organization with the field base of APVVU in all the operational villages of Chittoor interface with 6
Panchayats, Revenue Administration and District Administration regularly. APVVU does not miss any Revenue Sadassu (mobile revenue court convened at village level) to represent people s voices on land matters. The District Officials, Divisional and Mandal level officials know the credibility of the organization in providing support for the people who are denied their rights and entitlements. This credibility helped the Organization to negotiate with the Officials for the immediate needs of the people. Further, the Organization has helped people to appeal to the Judiciary whenever necessary. Many land dispute cases land up in Court, as the dominant caste groups used to threaten local illiterate people through Police and Courts. In such cases, filing Counter affidavit and arguing in favor of the affected communities becomes inevitable. Hence NISARGA equipped itself in handling such cases through eminent lawyers in the High Court and Local Courts. The memories of struggles and court cases in retrieving 116 acres of Mango garden in Pulicherla village for 37 families from a dominant Reddy community person, 33 acres of land in Cheruvinavaripalli for 12 families and recent acquisition of 48 acres, which was under the possession of a dominant caste person in Ottapalli Village to 25 families from 3 villages and 56 acres of land for 33 families in Cherukuvaripalli are fresh in the minds of NISARGA team. During these struggles, NISARGA team along with community members and Sangam Leaders were made to run from pillar to post by the Government Departments, Police and Judiciary to get justice to the poor dalit families who have no such support. NISARGA being a member of APNA AP NGO Alliance formed by the Government for monitoring NREGA implementation in the District and APVVU at State levels helps the poor marginal farming families to access the Government Schemes for their agricultural needs. 4. Media Interface Media is one of the powerful instruments to take the situation of the poor and marginalized to the doorsteps of the ruling Government and Officials. Every action and mobilization of land struggle has been exposed to media by NISARGA to gain public opinion. Officials would be unbiased once a dispute is expressed in News paper/tv Channels. For example, in Mudupulavemulapalli village in Peler Mandal of Chittoor District, 72 acres of land were under possession of dalit communities, but Patta was not issued despite several petitions by the poor agricultural workers. When the Revenue Sadasalu happened, the APVVU leaders with the concerned people made representation. But the Officer used abusive language and chased out one of the leaders who led the issue. People gathered there protested and made a Press statement. After the newspaper exposed the issue of 20 years of these people s struggle for Patta, the Officer came down and accepted to make the field verification. After field verification he immediately issued the Pattas. The issues covered by the media about the real situation of marginalized and their struggle with the dominant groups reaches the State authorities and sometimes the Judiciary. The Dominant Community, their supporters in Political parties and the Police fear after such news is covered by the media and reduce their pressure building tactics on the oppressed community. NISARGA uses media not only to relieve the people from the pressure of oppressor but also to create documentary evidence on the efforts of poor and their Sangam to be used as tool to access justice to the cause. 5. Encourage Women Cultivate their Land NISARGA never stops with the retrieval of land for the dalits and adivasis, but also works with the communities in helping them to cultivate the land. Thanks to the State and Central Government 7
Schemes like NREGA, that is used for the reclamation of land and constructing bunds for water conservation, fencing, weed removing activities and Indira Jala Prabha used for digging bore wells in the rain fed lands and dry land regions. Further, the Organization also mobilizes support for creating a Seed bank at village level in the houses of single women and women leaders of APVVU to support the women farmers to enable cultivation. So far, 60 seed banks have been promoted by NISARGA. In this process, the Organization supports them with ecological friendly seeds and organic fertilizers through the village level sangam of women. Removing weeds in the Horse gram and Bengal gram cultivation We used to buy few groceries with the meager wage amount we get and our children used to go half stomach, but after cultivating this land, we are fully satisfied, our health has improved and we store one full bag of Bengal gram for the whole year for our consumption says Nagaveni of Chinthaparthivaripalli Lakshmidevi, who belongs to the same village and a widow with a single daughter, is still struggling to get her land as the land is under joint title of her in-laws. She proclaims that I do not know when I will get land in my possession to feel secured like Easwarmma, Nagamma and Nagaveni. Since they got land assigned by the Government, they are able to gain respect in the society and selfconfidence., but for me it s still a long struggle. Land gives us not only food security but also dignity and self respect. Conclusion The strategy of NISARGA in strengthening people s voice with the leadership of women and through formation of village sangam using the law and legal enforcement for bringing justice to the age old struggle of untouchables in the region of Chittoor has yielded its results in their Land Rights and Agriculture intervention. The impact that the Organization has made on the communities, who are deprived for Centuries is long lasting and helps the future generation to have their secured land rights with dignity and food security. 8