Uttar Pradesh: This Vantangiya woman shows the way forward

Soni Chauhan, a member of the underprivileged Vantangiya community, started a self-help group named ‘Jai Durga’ with 10 other women in Chhapiya development block of Gonda district with an aim to sustain their lives.Their lives changed when her SHG was given cash credit limit (CCL) of Rs 1 lakh and community investment fund (CIF) of Rs 1. 1 lakh. She used the funds to start citizen information board for MGNREGA. The SHG also opened a nursery.“We were also given land by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath where we are producing vegetables on a large scale. We have got houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and are the beneficiaries of several other government schemes. With the efforts of the Yogi government, our life has completely changed,” said Soni.As part of its commitment to empower people, the state government is connecting women of underprivileged communities, such the Vantangias and Musahars, with SHGs under the State Rural Livelihood Mission.Director, UP State Rural Livelihood Mission, Bhanu Goswami said that the initiative has changed the lives of many Musahar and Vantangia households by giving women a reliable source of income.At least 12 out of 14 Musahar families in Dikholi panchayat of Dubepur block in Sultanpur — where women from Shiv Mahila SHG — have benefited from the effort. These families used to manufacture baskets out of tree leaves in the past to make a living.Director, SRLM, Bhanu Goswami said, “The government’s move seeks to bring Vantangias and Musahars — the two socially backward communities of eastern UP — into the mainstream and improve their standards of living. ” While Vantangiyas come under Scheduled Tribes, Musahars come under Scheduled Castes in UP.When Yogi Adityanath took over as CM, these families were allotted a house under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana while a goat shed was also built for them under MGNREGA to promote their other livelihood activity of goat rearing.Goswami said that as many as 1,438 specified groups of the Musahar community have been formed in 19 districts across the state. In addition, participation of at least one Musahar family was ensured in about 2,401 SHGs.The government has disbursed revolving funds to 850 groups and CIF to over 567 groups. More than 133 groups have benefited from bank credit linkage.In 34 gram panchayats of five districts, 466 groups of the Vantangiya community have been formed while 268 groups have benefited through revolving funds, and 202 have been granted CIF.As many as 2,346 families of Bavaria community have been organised into 236 groups, out of which a revolving fund has been provided to 118 groups and CIF funds to 35.Total 371 groups of Tharu tribe have been formed in three districts of the state, of which 227 have been given revolving funds whereas 205 others have got CIF funds.