The Report - North 24 Parganas

24. BIMAL KRISHNA MONDOLNREGA has brought in job opportunities for womenBimal-krishna Mondol is 62 years old and farmer by occupation. Very recently hehas been practising animal husbandry with cows, hens and goats. After the Ailastorm, Bimal has stopped rearing hens as they are vulnerable at times of naturalcatastrophy. He admits that animal husbandry has helped him with substantialamount of earnings that he has utilised for buying land.Bimal has two sons. His elder son is studying in college and pursuing B.A. studiesand his younger son is in Class XI. My wife has been educated unto the Class Xstandard. The family is enthusiastic about studies because he has also been ableto educate some people around on animal husbandry having received sometraining on it himself.Of the 19 blocks in North and South 24 Parganas, about 10 of them have beenaffected due to the Aila storm. There has been considerable damage on Bimal’sproperty as well. Bimal says that only 10 kathas of cultivable land is left on whichBimal cultivates different varieties – ‘gobindobhog’, kaminishal’ etc. “Usually Ihave the opportunity to work on other fields in the other years. But this year,because of the saline water, I haven’t been able to do the same.” From thework of animal husbandry, usually I have returns of Rs. 150 to Rs. 200 per day asprofit.Bimal has several coconut trees on his property that were not growing well andyielding enough fruits for lack of sufficient water in the area. The work on pondexcavation has changed his way of life in many ways which he illustrates later.Bimal is very enthusiastic about the NREGA program. He has receivedemployment through NREGA for about 15 to 20 days and hopes to receive morecontracts in the future. He has been part of the Panchayat development boardcommittee and says that NREGA has administered several different kinds ofprojects in the villages such as pond excavation work, road building, bricklayering and river bank reconstruction, although there is more emphasis on pondexcavation work he says.The program has many advantages Bimal says. “Women never had theemployment opportunities that NREGA has brought along. They can work alongwith their husbands and with other men on mud cleaning and clearing andother kinds of jobs in their own village.” The women from the SHGs are generallyemployed. The concerned SHG in the area of operation is generally employedfor work. “Besides, “it is really beneficial to be paid all at the same time after thejob is completed in 15 to 20 days. That way we receive a lump sum amount. I