Development Efforts for Rural Economy and People (DEEP)

The program aims at poverty alleviation through animal husbandry activity. The beneficiaries are provided with cross breed cattle and a shed with technical support from Surat Milk Union Limited (SUMUL). Financial Support in terms of grant is given by DEEP and Tribal Area Sub Plan of the District. A part of the amount is in terms of soft loan from Gujarat Tribal Development Corporation (GTDC).

The programme aims at restoration and improvement in Green cover compared to pre- project status. The programme consists of green belt development on mines lease periphery, massive afforestation on redundant overburden dump and on reclaimed land and is solely carried out by DEEP with the support from local community. So far, more than seven Lacs trees are grown and cumulative survival for last decade is 70 % plus. The Programme creates good local employment opportunities.

The Programme aims at supplementing income through various skill up gradation and capacity building towards self employment. Along with domestic work, women are encouraged to utilise their free time for certain work by which they can earn supplementary income for the family. Such activities include – borders- lace patti, jari kam, broom making, fly ash bricks, animal husbandry etc.

The Programme is a continuous thread passing across various developmental projects in form of bead in a garland for increasing awareness. It includes focussed training on group formation, accounts, animal husbandry, skill up gradation, panchayati raj, agriculture & income generation.

The Programme is aimed at poverty alleviation and is implemented in 30 villages of Mangrol Taluka in District Surat. It’s primary objectives are as below...

• To halve the infant mortality rate in project villages
• To bring down maternal mortality rate to the level of being the best state in the country
• To ensure full school enrolment of eligible children to primary schools and thereafter to ensure over 95 % retention
• To bring down poverty level
• To significantly improve the physical quality of life comparable to urban standard

Water is a very valuable natural Resource and schemes are developed for having better utilisation of the same. The Programmes undertaken consist of provision of hand pumps, pipelined water works schemes and tanks for drinking water. The locations of schemes are hamlet wise across villages and post development of these facilities; these schemes are managed by local community or panchayats.

Open defecation is a common problem in all villages. To improve cleanliness & overall hygienic conditions, individual toilet blocks & school sanitary units are constructed at various places for beneficial use of the community. It is a boom for women & senior citizen with old age problem. During monsoon, it is a great relief for family.

Primary objective of this Programme is to provide good quality pucca dwelling units to economically weaker section which require very less maintenance, unlike mud & thatched roof houses, which adds to labour and hard work for women.

General medical camps are organised for diagnosis and free medicine to poor and needy people without any discrimination. Special camps for eye related ailments, sickle cell disease are also organised for benefit of community. Many a times, the support of other NGO is also partnered for free cataract surgery & spectacles.

Under this project, DEEP provides infrastructural facilities to all government run schools as well as to schools of secondary and higher secondary level run by local private trusts. Support is in form of providing class rooms, compound walls, setting up science laboratory, assembly hall, sanitary blocks, drinking water, children park.

Water is an important natural resource and must be used judiciously. In order to to achieve this , various steps have been/are initiated. Apart from drinking water, domestic needs of water for community is met by other sources like village tanks. Over a period, ground water depletion is a natural phenomenon. Hence, need for recharge is a must. Check dams across rivers as well as village tanks with increased storage capacity serves the recharge purpose in a better way. In addition, common utilities like washing ghats, cattle cross over; bank strengthening & spillway are crucial components in renovation intervention.

This being a very crucial element in village development esp. in remote & backward tribal area, is the prime need of community. Various programmes are undertaken which include construction of internal roads and approach roads, culverts, bridges, panchayat house, milk dairy co-op. society building, crematorium, approaches to river, flood protection wall, and community halls.