The development of the poor and the downtrodden is a Herculean task. But it has definitely begun. The recently held Kisan Mela in Sirsi envisaged this development among the poor of the remote areas. Lakhs of women participating in the mela, in addition to their routine work, shows how women’s empowerment has slowly begun.
Many government plans and schemes aimed at the development of rural society have failed miserably. But Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) was able to show that development is possible only when people are taken into confidence. In fact, SKDRDP entered Uttara Kannada just four years ago and started working without much noise. Today, it has grown into a mammoth project involving thousands of rural illiterates, especially women.

Hats off to its founder Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala temple Dharmadarshi Dr D Veerendra Heggade.

SKDRDP’s Self-Help Group (SHG) Concept for women is a unique one, according to which members of the group meet once a week. They should save Rs 10 a week and they can avail loans for household purposes as well as for business. As savings is compulsory, the reimbursement of loan is almost 100 per cent. There are 10,098 SHGs in the district and the total savings is 13.24 crore.

Another concept of SKDRDP is the Pragati Bandhu Tanda (PBT), a team work concept for men. There are five members in the group and there are as many as 4,539 in the district.

The main objective of the group is mutual help. The group works in the household of each member. It is the concept of exchanging manpower. Calculating the wage of each member as Rs 75, the total manpower savings in the district is Rs 16.22 crore. The result of the scheme is mutual trust and harmonious human relationship. The total loan given to both SHG and PBT is 99.7 crore in Uttara Kannada district only.

Such members of SHG and PBT worked round-the-clock for the preparation of the 28th Kisan Mela of SKDRDP in Sirsi. Discipline was the key note of the mela which saw the participation of over 2.5 lakh people.

Dr Veerendra Heggade, who participated on all three days of the mela, lauded the participation of women in the lecture sessions which focused on the need for independent development.

The many stalls in the mela showcased everything from agricultural instruments to products made out of paddy, arecanut, coconut, bamboo, pineapple and vegetables.

The Kisan Mela was an illustration of the fact that hard work can go a long way in the upliftment of rural people.