Mandsaur is rich in archaeological and historical heritage But what makes it famous is the temple of Lord
Pashupatinath located on the bank of shivna river. Its idol has parallel only in Nepal. The most common language is Malvi (Rajasthani and Hindi Mixed).It is also famous for large production of Opium around the world. The slate pencil industry is the main industry of the district.
1. LOCATION
Mandsaur District forms the northern projection of Madhya Pradesh from its western Division, i.e., Ujjain
Commissioner's Division. It lies between the parallels of latitude 230 45' 50" North and 250 2' 55" North, and between the meridians of longitude 740 42' 30" East and 750 50' 20" East.
2. BOUNDARIES
The District is bounded by two Districts namely Neemuch in the west‐north and Ratlam District of Madhya
Pradesh bounds it in the South.
3. AREA AND POPULATION
The District is an average size district of Madhya Pradesh. It extends for about 142 km. from north to south and
124 km. from east to west. The total area is 5521 sq. km. with a population of 1183274 in 2001. The Scheduled
Castes population of the District is 212262, Scheduled Tribes 37526 and
4. SUBDIVISIONS AND TEHSILS
The District is divided into four sub divisions or Janpaths and eight tehsils. The sub divisional head quarters are at
Mandsaur, Malhargarh, Sitamau and Garoth. whether Mandsaur, Malhargah, Garoth, Shamgarh, Dalauda,
Bhanpura, Suwasra and Sitamau are eight tehsils of District.
5. CLIMATE
The climate of this district is generally dry except in south‐west monsoon. Year may be divided in to four seasons. The cold season is from December to February.This is followed by the hot season from March to the middle of June. Thereafter the south west monsoon season starts and continues upto about the middle of
September.
Transport
• Road: Mandsaur is situated on Ajmer‐Lebad(Indore) NH‐79 as well as Mhow‐Neemuch SH‐31 (soon becoming 4 Lane).
• Rail: Mandsaur is situated on Ajmer‐Akola track of Indian Railways and is under Ratlam rail division of
WR. Currently there are 6 trains available from Mandsaur. Mandsaur has direct trains for Mumbai,
Ajmer, Udaipur, Agra, Kota, Indore, Ujjain, Ratlam.
The major trains passing from Mandsaur are:‐
• Ajmer/Udaipur‐Bandra Terminus SF Express
• Indore‐Udaipur Express
• Ratlam‐Ajmer Express (Night)
• Ratlam‐Ajmer Express
• Ratlam‐Chittaurgarh Express
• Ratlam‐Agra Fort Express
• Local: Auto and Tempo are main source of local transport in Mandsaur
OUR DAILY ACTIVITY
1. 1st day: We went to a village where we saw the popular scheme NREGS being implemented. Since this district had water problems most of the work was concentrated on KAPIL DHARA which is basically getting water for irrigation in the form of stop dams, wells etc. Boring wells was the most popular method of kapil dhara. We were also given the details of PDS, the MIS system for the proper implementation and monitoring of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA),Indira Awaas Yojana ( IAY),Sharwa
Shiksha Abhiyaan ( SSA). We were also enlightened about the drive of the state CM drive for the upliftment of women. There were schemes such as Gau ki beti, Ladli Laksmi which were novel ideas to provide better opportunities for women.
We then met the CEO, of Mandsaur Janpath. She was a young woman in her twenties and only a few years older than us. She had joined the post only four days before and had just finished giving training to the
Sarpanch and Secretary of the 119 villages which made Mandsaur Janpath. We talked to her at length about the affairs of the district and also the computer room where they had the system for MIS.
Next we went to the zila pachayat and saw the MIS system in action there, we were shown using a job card number how everything was recorded. We were also debriefed about the Priyasoft software system which was to be used to monitor the pachayati system in the district. We were also told that the district was really going forward and was pushing for better implementation of E‐governance. They were planning to provide laptops at each Pachayat where there was possibility of broadband facilities.
We then met the Adhyaskh Pati , the husband of the Zila Adhyaskh (president) and we discussed with him about the opportunities and development for the district. He told us about the local Slate pencil cottage industry which could be uplifted with proper support for the government. In response to that we asked him whether they could find an alternative use for the slate pencils as they were being replaced by pencils and pens which were easier to use. We suggested that if an alternative usage for the slate pencils could be developed then the cottage industry could be saved. He also told us about the relocation and support schemes of the government for the workers who depended on this industry for livelihood. With this we ended our first day of the trip.
2. 2nd day: On the second day we went to the district court and saw the Jan sunwai process and had a first hand experience on the methodology of the sunwai process.
We then saw that majority of the cases being resolved on the spot or being forwarded to the concerned officials. We were also told about the Jan kalian yojana according to which the complaint had to be resolved within 15 days of complain; otherwise the officials in charge had to pay 250 INR/ day from the
16th day.
After witnessing the Jan sunwai for about 2 hours we proceeded to Malhargarh janpath where we attended the quarterly Lok Kalyan Shivir. It was public gathering which was attended by all the sarpanch of the Janpath, the CO of the Janpath, the adhyaskh of the Janpath, and also the Zila Panchayat’s CEO and adhyaskh. We saw one of the officials explaining the Ladli laksmi scheme. Then the CEO of the Zila
Pachayat Mr. Bhargawa addressed the gathering. At this Lok Kalyan Shivir of the total 134 applications that were received 119 applications were resolved.
3. 3rd day: we met with Smt. Archana Rama Washi of the Jan abhiyan Parisad and learned about thecreation, promotion and registration of NGO. We then met the CEO of the Zila Pachayat and discussed with him about what we had experienced uptil then. Next we went the District Planning Officer and saw the industry report of the district. We also met with the principal of a local school who told us about the educational position of the district.
4. 4th day: we went to Gandhisagar where we met with the Pachayat members of the villages near the Dam and saw the cold storage facilities for the fishing. We also met with a couple of NGO leaders and talked with them about their work and limitations.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A remarkable feat that we observed in the district was the rejuvenation of the Shivni river which flowed through the main city of Mandsaur through Public Participation. The river was getting narrower at one time and this was alarming. The municipality at that time was concerned about this and called a meeting of all the department, NGOs and the district collector. This was a costly affair but the budget would run in crores. The river and the banks near the Pashupatinath Temple were declared a holy place. Small groups were made and the Collector was fully involved in the process. Work was given to different NGOs, it was also agreed that the government also had to help. About 2000‐2500 people came to work each day, even the District Collector and other big administrative executive came to work for about 1 hour each day. For the heavy machinery required to dig out and transport the earth, the local contractors were asked to lend their machineries like trucks and dumpers for one day each month in rotation. The work was divided among everyone and all the work was done voluntarily. People came forward and made time from their busy schedule. The problem of where to dump the large volumes of mud that was unearthed needed to be resolved. To resolve this the farmers were told about the fertile river soil and how it could be a priceless natural manure for their fields.
The farmers came and took the soil in their own tractors and dumped them in their own fields. Thus it was win‐win situation for all. The rejuvenation of the river was complete and saved a lot of money. This was remarkable effort as it brought the whole society together. Even though it was near a Hindu temple and tha main motivation was for a holy Hindu place, the Muslim societies also helped the work. This Public participation was also important as it showcased the power of cooperation.
KEY LEARNINGS FROM THE TRIP
• The concept of E‐governance is gaining momentum even in rural India
• On paper the system is very transparent and there are lots of schemes for the upliftment of women and the weaker sections of society.
• Many remarkable tasks can be achieved through Public Participation.
• Though NREGA has done a lot to provide employment , it does has limitations and needs to used wisely and judiciously