Open jails make prison terms productive, life easier

Life convicts who have completed one-third of their sentences and have shown good conduct are shifted to open jails in Rajasthan, a move that helps them socialise and earn money through work  Hanumangarh, Rajasthan: ‘‘Life in jail is very difficult. We cannot see the outside world and we are stressed out,’’ says Vinod Kumar (30), who is serving life imprisonment since 2016 for murdering two persons. Hailing from Sangaria, he was lodged in the jails of Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner, before being moved to the open air camp at the Agricultural Research Sub-station in Hanumangarh 17 months ago.“I live with my wife now. I am happy. I meet common people and work throughout the day to support my family. During this time, I also became the father of a girl child,” he beams. Seven months ago, Kumar was sent to the open jail in Tibbi town, where he lives with his wife Rajpal Kaur.The open jail in Tibbi is a cowshed run by Gayatri Seva Samiti, with over 400 cows. This prison does not have all-round security. There are no high walls or barbed wires either.‘‘I do not even feel that my husband is serving a prison sentence and that we are living in a jail. I am very happy. We are able to survive on his wages,’’ says Kaur.Established as per the provisions of the Rajasthan Prisoners Open Air Camp Rules, 1972, there are 50 open jails in Rajasthan, with 11 in Hanumangarh district.‘‘Open jail is a positive step from the state government as part of the social rehabilitation of prisoners. Convicts who have completed one-third of their sentences and have shown good conduct in prison are selected for open jails. For this, a seniority list of prisoners meeting these conditions is prepared,” Hanumangarh District Jail Deputy Superintendent Yogendra Kumar Teji tells 101Reporters. While lauding the Rajasthan government for its open jail system, the Supreme Court recently stressed the need to establish such prisons in all states. The court said that open jails can reduce overcrowding of main jails, besides addressing the problem of rehabilitation of prisoners.Convicts who have completed one-third of their sentences and have shown good conduct in prison are selected for open jails (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Walls don’t confineTo understand the functioning of an open air camp, 101Reporters spent a day in Tibbi's open jail. A first look at the prisoners using a chaff cutter clearly indicates that this place is not as suffocating as a traditional jail. There is permission to keep 15 prisoners here, but only 10 sentenced to life for murder are present here. They wear clothes of their choice and not prison uniforms, and stay up-to-date by reading newspapers.  Prisoners have their personal smartphones that help them keep in touch with their family and friends. Two prisoners have their wives and children with them in the open jail. Dr Manish Baghla, a psychologist at Tantia University, Sriganganagar, tells 101Reporters that prisoners in closed jails remain frustrated and angry as they are away from their family and society. “Cut off from the society, they become quarrelsome. The condition of prisoners changes when they are moved to open jails. They feel happy doing whatever work they get. They are no longer stressed out. Being with the family and meeting common people bring positivity in them,” Baghla says. On the genesis of open jail system, retired Jail Superintendent Sudhir Prakash Poonia tells 101Reporters that Rajasthan government was inspired by the 1957 movie Do Ankhen Barah Haath, which shows how a prison officer changes the lives of six hardened criminals released on parole by keeping them in an open environment.Poonia says the credit for establishing open jails in the state goes to Sampurnanand, the state governor of the 1960s. The first open jail in Rajasthan was launched in Jaipur’s Sanganer in 1963, while the second one was inside the Central State Agricultural Farm at Sardargarh in Sriganganagar district. Afterwards, jail department inspector general JK Sharma, SS Bissa and others promoted it.According to a report, Sanganer open jail was first launched in 1958 with 20 prisoners, but was discontinued in 1962. However, Sampurnanand got it restarted in 1963. The jail was later renamed after him.According to Poonia, the state was an early bird in establishing open jails, which boosted its confidence to set up more such jails. Based on a research conducted by Smita Chakraburtty of NGO Prison Aid + Action Research and published by Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority in 2017, the Supreme Court had favoured establishment of at least one open jail in every district of the country. The research said one jail employee could handle up to 80 prisoners in an open jail, whereas that is not possible in traditional jails. It said overcrowding of jails due to the large number of undertrials could be reduced through the open jail system. The study claimed that undertrials did not escape even when kept in the open without security barricades.  Rohtash Meghwal (45) of Gheu in Hanumangarh was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 2017. “Today, I live with my wife and children only because of the open jail,” says Rohtash. After spending life in the traditional prisons of Bhadra, Bikaner and Hanumangarh, he was shifted to the open jail of Agricultural Research Sub-station last year and has now come to Tibbi open jail.‘‘In the morning, I cut cattle fodder from the fields and feed it to animals. In return, I get a payment from the gaushala, which helps support my family. My son aged 10 and daughter aged nine study in a nearby government school in class V and IV, respectively,’’ says Rohtash. “Earlier, I was worried about my husband. Now we are very happy living together,” Rohtash's wife Sunita Meghwal (42) adds.The government provides neither food nor money to the prisoners of open jail. Gaushala committee secretary Chhindrapal Soni tells 101Reporters that they pay every prisoner Rs 250 per day for the work they do. “Every prisoner gets one litre of milk free. The work starts once their attendance is taken at 6 am. The next roll call is at 6 pm,’’ Soni says.Of the 11 open jails in Hanumangarh, 10 were opened in cow shelters last year. Altogether, these open jails can accommodate 160 inmates, but only 132 inmates are present now.Prisoners have their personal smartphones that help them keep in touch with their family and friends (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Fear to faithWhen the prison administration presented the proposal of open jail to the officials of gaushala committees, they initially hesitated. ‘‘We were horrified of keeping convicts, but still agreed to implement the request of the jail authorities. It has been almost a year now. Our fear has gone. The behaviour of all the prisoners is good. They do their job well. We never had problems with them. We do not get anything from the government for keeping prisoners, but we are happy that we are contributing to a good cause,’’ Soni details.Goshala caretaker Roshan Verma was afraid of interacting with prisoners when they were brought here last year. “Gradually, we mingled with each other. They are also human beings, after all.”Papparam Meghwal (29) of Balesar in Jodhpur district is serving life imprisonment for murdering his wife. He was lodged in Jodhpur jail after the court sentence in January 2021. Two months ago, after taking note of his good behaviour, he was sent to Tibbi open jail."If a person falls ill, he goes to the hospital like a common man, consults a doctor and returns with medicines... I cook my own food after getting the necessary supplies from the market,” Papparam says. Vouching for the open jail system, Poonia says prisoners in open jails have been meeting him after their release and they have completely integrated into the society. ‘‘The open jail is acting as a link between the society and jail. Prisoners are getting relief from the stress of closed jails. At the same time, the burden of prisoner expenditure is decreasing. Families are saved from collapse as prisoners can live with their family in open jails,” Poonia says.“Many prisoners start thinking of escaping or committing suicide. Open jails have changed the situation. Now prisoners think why not live comfortably and serve their sentence… They avoid wrongdoing because they are afraid of being sent back to the traditional jail. Open jail is an effective reformative process,” he asserts.A former soldier and resident of Nokha Jodha in Nagaur district, Sardar Singh Rathore (50) was sentenced to life for murdering his wife. “I have been in this open jail for four months and I am feeling very pleasant. There is a great satisfaction in serving cows,” he says.Jamadar Banjara (34) of Devpuria in Baran district echoes Rathore when he says he has got freedom from both suffocation in traditional jail and lingering worries. Devi Lal Bhil (30) of Tasol in Rajsamand adds that there was neither peace during the day nor rest at night. “The shift to open jail has filled me with energy.”The experiences of inmates like Vinod, Rohtash, and Papparam indicate the transformative potential of open jails, not just for those serving life sentences, but also for the families they reunite with and the communities they contribute to. In a 2016 judgment (Re–Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons), the Supreme Court of India urged all states to establish open prisons as a means to decongest traditional jails and promote the rehabilitation of prisoners. The Court noted that such systems align with progressive correctional principles by offering inmates dignity, responsibility, and the opportunity for social reintegration.As Rajasthan continues to expand its open jail network, with the majority now operating from gaushalas, it offers a working model of reform that other states can emulate.This story was originally published as a part of Crime and Punishment project in collaboration with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.Cover Photo - Representative image/ AI-generated using Canva

It's tenant farmers, not landowners, who bear the burden of climate change in Rajasthan

As unpredictable weather wipes out crops, landowners lease out fields, leaving small and landless farmers to shoulder rising costs and mounting risks.Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan: In Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts — popularly known as “Mini Punjab” — farming is no longer a promise of prosperity. Climate change has turned it into a gamble.This winter, unseasonably warm weather wiped out carrot crops sown across thousands of hectares in the two districts located near the Punjab border.“No one could have guessed this would happen. We had to resow the entire field,” Amar Singh Bishnoi, a farmer from Sadhuwali village, told 101Reporters.Farmers said erratic weather makes it harder to plan crops. As uncertainty rises, landowners lease out land, leaving tenants to shoulder the risks. “They’re the ones pushed to the edge,” said Raghuveer Verma of the All India Agricultural Workers' Union. “Climate change is hitting the poor and landless the hardest and upending long-held farming patterns.”Farming is no longer a promise of prosperity (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Stuck in lossesFor years, Sandeep Bishnoi (38), a farmer from Bhagatpura village in Sangaria tehsil, and his brother cultivated not only their 11 bighas of ancestral land but also leased 10-20 bighas from nearby farmers.This year, they stopped after rent rose from Rs 22,000 to 30,000 per bigha.“How long should we bear the loss?” Bishnoi said. “We’ve had four bad years. Pink bollworm and unseasonal rains destroyed our cotton crops three years in a row.”Rent isn’t the only burden. The cost of cultivation — including seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and tractor rent — can go up to Rs 20,000 per bigha. Factoring in rent and other inputs, Bishnoi said, “We spend nearly Rs 50,000 per bigha, excluding our own labour cost. But the returns don’t match. We’re drowning in debt.”In 2024, the family borrowed Rs 3 lakh under the Kisan Credit Card scheme at 1% interest and another Rs 1.5 lakh from local commission agents at 2% interest.“The year the crop is good, the landowner raises the rent. But when the crop fails, the rent stays the same,” he added. Sandeep Bishnoi, a farmer from Bhagatpura village (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Hot and coldFarmers in Rajasthan’s northern districts say the weather no longer follows a predictable rhythm.“When it rains, it rains at the wrong time. When we need it, the skies are dry,” said Kaluram Solda, a farmer from Charanvasi village in Hanumangarh district. In January 2025, average temperatures exceeded 20°C — 4 to 5 degrees above normal — affecting the Rabi crops that typically require cooler, stable weather.February and March saw more fluctuations. While temperatures in Sangaria village of Hanumangarh district remained below 30°C due to unseasonal rains, Sri Ganganagar experienced a steady spike, reaching highs of 36°C by March 23.Kaluram Solda, a farmer from Charanvasi village (Photo - Jayalal Verma)“During Kharif season, crops like cotton, green gram and guar falli (cluster bean) often fall prey to unseasonal rains, storms and hail at the time of sowing. Farmers also have to worry about a rise in pest infestation due to the unpredictable weather,” Bishnoi said.“Pesticide sprays have increased from two to five rounds, raising costs,” he added. “This is part of a larger pattern,” said Dr Raghuveer Singh Meena of the Agricultural Research Centre in Sri Ganganagar. “Even February and March now see sharp rises in temperature that are disastrous for rabi crops.”Rainfall patterns have also swung wildly. Sangaria recorded just 2.41 mm of rain in January 2022, which jumped to 21.5 mm in January 2025.Hailstorms and sudden downpours — like those on April 11 in Nohar tehsil of Hanumangarh — have flattened standing crops overnight. Earlier, on March 15, heavy rains and strong winds had damaged wheat and mustard crops in Sri Ganganagar district. Even traditionally resilient crops like kinnow are suffering. Farmers have uprooted orchards after repeated losses.Dr Anoop Kumar, Chief Scientist of the Agricultural Science Centre in Sangaria said, “The climate of the area has changed a lot, which is affecting the farming patterns."Even Solda has scaled back this year. Instead of renting three acres of land like he usually did, he has taken only one. Along with the one acre he owns, he has planted cotton on both acres. “If it rains now, the cotton seeds will get kurand,” he said. Cotton is typically sown in May in this region, though some farmers start in April if the weather gets too hot. But unexpected rainfall after sowing can ruin the crop. When fields flood, cotton seeds rot and fail to sprout:  a condition called kurand. If this happens, they are forced to sow again, and if the window closes, cotton can't be grown at all. In such cases, farmers switch to alternative crops like moong or guar.Earlier, the seasons were predictable, and the Agriculture Department advised farmers on sowing timelines accordingly. For example, wheat was recommended to be sown between November 1 and 25, with delayed sowing permitted up to December 15. But now, because of rising temperatures and changing weather patterns, sowing often happens at the end of December, sometimes even in January. Similarly, while cotton sowing is officially recommended by May 20, farmers rarely follow this anymore due to shifting climate conditions.“The sun feels like fire now,” said Anusuiya Sharma (55), standing in her six-bigha field in Nathwana village. “We’ve always worked through heat and cold, but now the intensity causes dizziness.” Last year, she says, the cold was also so intense it felt like “it had frozen like snow”.She said, “Too much heat before Holi ruined our wheat. Cotton was lost to unseasonal rain and pests. Fortunately, this time wheat and mustard survived.”Her husband Ramkumar Sharma (60) said, “Earlier I used to take four bighas of land on rent… But after so many crop failures, we stopped renting any additional farms. Now I sometimes work as a labourer for Rs 400 a day to make some more income.”Satnam Singh (30) incMeharwala village has also been facing continuous losses on the 10 bighas of land he cultivates. In 2022, wheat failed due to extreme heat, and the cotton crop was destroyed by pink bollworms. In 2023, though the wheat yield was good, hailstorms wiped out the harvest.  That year’s cotton was again hit by pest infestation. In 2024, heavy rains ruined his peanut, cotton, and guar crops, and the damage was compounded by the pink bollworm.“This year’s wheat crop has finally offered some relief, a harvest of 72 quintals from six bighas, but even that is not enough,” he said.  “Half the wheat went to the landowner. With what’s left, I can repay only Rs 20,000–30,000 of my loan, it won’t make a dent,” Singh added. A farmer outside the cowshed (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Leasing out worriesFormer Deputy Sarpanch Gurcharan Singh (60) owns 12 bighas of land in Meharwala village. “Until six or seven years ago, I farmed it myself. But because of canal water shortages and erratic rainfall, I gave half the land for sharecropping. For three to four years, I didn’t earn anything.” Now, he’s planning to lease out the land instead. “At least with rent, I’ll get a fixed income.”In sharecropping (batayi), costs and harvests are shared. In rental farming (kiraye par), tenants bear all costs and risks.To understand this shift, it is important to trace the history of landholdings in Rajasthan. The total area of Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts is about 20.6 lakh hectares, out of which nearly 74% is used for farming.In 1994, when Hanumangarh was carved out of Sri Ganganagar to become a separate district, the average landholding per farmer there was 6.01 hectares. But according to the 2015-16 Agriculture Census data, this average fell to 4.51 hectares. Since then, no new agricultural census has been conducted, but the average is expected to have dropped further.In 1994-95, the number of small farmers (with land between 1 and 2 hectares) in Hanumangarh was 18,917. By 2015-16, this number had increased to 35,327.As families grow and land is divided across generations, the number of marginal and small farmers has ballooned. With less land to farm and limited access to irrigation or credit, many of these smallholders are turning to tenant farming.Ashok Jalandhar, a freelance journalist from Sri Ganganagar, said: “People with tiny holdings lease land from absentee landlords or relatives. But tenant farmers get no institutional support, no insurance, and no formal recognition.”This year’s wheat crop has finally offered some relief (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Out of the institutional net“Landless cultivators take loans at high interest from commission agents, and after giving the landowner their share, they’re left with nothing. Most can’t access institutional loans or crop insurance schemes because they don’t have formal land titles.”Even those who farm on rent face similar issues. Verma said, “Landowners get the fields insured but keep the money. Sharecroppers or leaseholders rarely benefit. There's no prohibition on including tenant farmers in Rajasthan, but the government maintains no records and landowners resist this due to fear of land rights being claimed by tenants.”Tenant and sharecropper farmers often lack Khatedari rights—official documentation of land ownership or tenancy—which blocks their access to: Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance), Kisan Credit Cards, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (income support scheme).Landowners usually register for these benefits but do not pass them on to those actually cultivating the land. The state doesn’t track tenancy arrangements, leaving tenant farmers outside formal safety nets.Without access to banks, tenant farmers rely on adhatiyas (commission agents) for everything: loans, seeds, fertilizer, and even rations. In return, they sell their harvest to these agents, often at non-MSP prices.Hardeep Singh, a farmer from Sangaria, explains: “We’ve been farming for generations. If we stop now, who will give us ration or credit? Commission agents have been our lifeline.”Without access to banks, tenant farmers rely on adhatiyas for everything (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Voices from the groundMost farmers stick to traditional crops and cropping patterns despite the losses, not by preference, but because they simply cannot afford to take chances.While agricultural departments and Krishi Vigyan Kendras share weather alerts and crop advisories via newspapers and WhatsApp, it is too little for them to secure their crops.“Climate change isn’t in our control. We try to live in harmony with nature,” said Rampal Jat, National President of the Kisan Maha Panchayat.The government should step in, he said, especially to ensure that even non-accountholder farmers like leaseholders and sharecroppers have access to crop insurance, Kisan Credit Cards and subsidies.Jat referred to a 2015 high-level committee led by agricultural economist T Haque, which had submitted a report on land leasing reforms to NITI Aayog. “If laws are made based on that report, many of these problems can be addressed,” he said.Jalandhar added: “With climate change intensifying, agricultural losses are only expected to rise.”This concern is reflected in the 2019 IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, which warns that a 1.5°C rise in global temperatures could lead to a 9% drop in India’s production of pulses, paddy, wheat, and coarse grains by 2050.This story was produced as a part of 101Reporters Climate Change Reporting Grant. Cover Photo - Tenant farmers on the field (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)

Weaponising juvenile records to deny government jobs

Records of convictions of children in conflict with law should be expunged according to Juvenile Justice Act, but former juveniles have been forced to approach courts to be appointed in government jobs   Bikaner, Rajasthan: Ramesh Bishnoi (33) of Gajjewala village near the Indo-Pak border in Bikaner district of Rajasthan passed the written examination and fitness test conducted by the Staff Selection Commission in 2016. He was all set to become a sub-inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), but was denied an appointment letter citing that a criminal case was registered against him for molesting a minor girl in his adolescence.Bishnoi approached the Rajasthan High Court (HC), which ruled in favour of his appointment. Though the government appealed in the Supreme Court (SC), it also ruled in Bishnoi's favour on November 29, 2019. Ramesh Bishnoi , village Gajjewala in Bikaner (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)In 2009, an FIR was registered against Bishnoi for molesting a girl aged 17, but he was acquitted in 2011 after the girl and her parents forgave him. The Supreme Court in its judgment said that the allegations against him were never proved as the girl and her parents did not testify against him, resulting in his acquittal. “Even if the allegations were found to be true, then too the respondent could not have been deprived of getting a job on the basis of such charges as the same had been committed while the respondent was juvenile,” the SC noted.According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act , 2000, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, even if a juvenile is found guilty, his records should be expunged so that there is no stigma on that person when he grows up. The clear objective is to reintegrate juveniles into the society as normal persons.Advocate KK Shah, who represented Bishnoi in the Jodhpur HC, tells 101Reporters that Bishnoi was lucky to be appointed after the SC order, but others have not been so fortunate. “Many people have been denied jobs on the basis of a record of crime committed in childhood and are forced to fight court battles."Advocate Shah says that both Rajasthan HC and SC have confirmed in several cases that government jobs and other benefits cannot be denied on the basis of juvenile records. "However, not only such records are maintained in Rajasthan, but they are also used from time to time to deny government jobs," he notes. Rajasthan High Court (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Children in conflictAn example of this is Bikaner resident Bhawani Shankar Murh (28). Murh was selected to the post of constable in the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary of Rajasthan Police in 2018, but he was not appointed on the ground of a Juvenile Justice Board conviction in crimes punishable under Sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.Murh challenged this and HC ruled in his favour. The government appealed to the double bench, but while dismissing it on February 13 last year, the HC said, “A perusal of the language of Section 24 of the Act of 2015 and the corresponding provision in the Act of 2000, i.e. Section 19, would make it clear that the record of conviction of the child in conflict cannot be preserved and has to be destroyed. As a direct consequence, any disqualification entailing from the conviction would have to be ignored and cannot act to the detriment of the child in conflict with law in any manner, which would include a selection process for public employment.”Murh, who hails from a very poor family, may have won the HC battle, but the government has appealed against the decision in the SC. "My labourer father used to support five of us siblings and my mother. I studied by working as a labourer in my childhood. I was just 13 when a false case of murder was registered against me. Actually, a child from the village had disappeared and his body was found in a well after 15 days. A murder charge was registered against me saying that the child was last seen with me," Murh, who works as a watchman in a colony in Barmer, tells 101Reporters."The Juvenile Justice Board sentenced me to community service for one hour every day for five years at Bikaner's PBM Hospital. However, the hospital manager refused to let me do community service saying they do not know the provisions for it."Murh's appeal against the community service sentence is pending in the HC. While Murh has full faith in the judiciary, which is keeping him alive, he adds, “My mother had to sell her jewellery to pay the lawyer's fee in the SC.”He knows that legal battle is very difficult and expensive, but he is not aware of the legal aid facility. “No one told me about this,” he reasons.Bishnoi says his case went on for about four years and he spent about Rs 3 lakh for it. “Considering my financial condition, my lawyer in the SC took only a very small fee. So, for me, the expenditure in SC was lesser than in HC."Bishnoi resigned from CISF after working for two years and is now a teacher in Navodaya Vidyalaya, Gujarat. “I was very disappointed with the way attempts were being made to deprive me of the job. So, I decided to fight the legal battle strongly… Now I can say that if injustice is done to someone, the only support for him is the judiciary,” Bishnoi asserts.Similarly, Sunil Kumar (21) was selected as Rajasthan Police Constable, but was not appointed on the basis of conviction under JJ Act. Sunil also sought refuge in the HC, which ruled in his favour on January 25 last year.The story of Azhar Mehar (26) of Kaparda village in Jodhpur district is no different. He got Army (general duty) selection in 2019, but was not appointed on the basis of a record related to a childhood fight. Mehar, who works at a handicraft factory in Jodhpur and belongs to a poor family, has knocked at the HC door in this matter. Advocate Shah is representing him the HC.Mehar says his family would have been better off if he had the job. Right now, his driver father supports the family somehow. Law versus practiceAdvocate Rajak Khan Haider associated with Utthaan Vidhik Sahaayata evam Seva Sansthan, a non-profit organisation dedicated to legal awareness in Jodhpur, says that the government interprets not only the JJ Act but also every other Act in its own way. This is why people are forced to loiter in courts.Delhi HC child rights advocate Anant Kumar Asthana has been advocating for children's rights for the last 20 years. He tells 101Reporters that criminal records of children exist because they are not destroyed. “No arrangement has been made to destroy them. Records of children and adults are maintained in a single register in every police station. This report is sent whenever an inquiry about a person's character and conduct is needed. The police station register does not differentiate whether the accused is a minor or an adult. Policemen do not do this intentionally, but they also have very little knowledge of the law,” Asthana elaborates.On the JJ Act Section 24, Asthana adds, “If the JJ Board starts writing in its order that the criminal record of the child will be expunged from the police station, then the problem can be solved automatically. In most cases, this is not written in the order. And even if JJ Board writes something like this in its order, it is not followed." “We are able to see a few such examples where the court has given its verdict in favour of the people who have been deprived of jobs. But who knows the exact number of such people who have not approached the court due to financial constraints or lack of awareness?” Advocate Shah said.In response to what should be the solution, Advocate Shah says that the governments are working according to the old policy. “Under the old policy, the government opposes giving government jobs to every person against whom a case is registered or who has been convicted. This is considered a criminal record of the person concerned. Rajasthan government should make a new policy in view of the JJ Act.”Haider says that once the court decides regarding an Act, the government should follow it in all future cases. "Today, in a particular case, a person is given relief on the orders of the court. If another case of the same nature comes up tomorrow, the government goes to court again."“The government’s attitude is to always escape through the backstreet. Many decisions have come from the HC and SC, but the government always looks for a way to deny jobs. As long as this attitude continues, juveniles will be entangled in court battles when they grow up," says Murh's lawyer Praveen Vyas.This story was originally published as a part of Crime and Punishment project in collaboration with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. Cover Photo - Representative image/ AI-generated using Canva

Punishment served, yet taint of crime continues to haunt reformed convicts

They are forced to live a life in isolation as society does not have faith in their intentions and wants to distance from them Hanumangarh, Rajasthan: “My social life is over. I admit that I have sinned, but I have atoned for it by serving a prison term in accordance with the law. However, people still see me as a murderer. Most of them stay away from me,” lamented Dharamveer Jain alias Dharma (53), a resident of Hanumangarh Town, who has served 14 years of imprisonment for murder. In 1994, at the age of 23, Dharma killed a woman in a fit of rage. Following his arrest and subsequent hearing, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment on February 12, 1996. Taking into account his good behaviour in prison, Dharma was released after 14 years.Dharamveer Jain from Hanumangarh (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Stigma of a convicted lifeDharma nurtured many dreams about his life after his prison term. However, when he stepped into the outside world after release, all his dreams were shattered. “I used to think that after my release from jail, everything will be fine. My parents would get me married. My brothers, friends and relatives would accept me, and everyone would support me. However, nothing of that sort happened.” Dharma’s parents died in a road accident two years before his release from jail. “Had they been alive, they probably would have got me married. No one else in the family supported me. Relatives also kept their distance. Society looked at me as if I would killsomeone again. My relatives did not invite me to functions. Many people refused to hire me because of my conviction. I wandered to Kerala, Jaipur and Haridwar in search of work,” he said. Dharma now works as a labourer at the office of a transport businessman in Hanumangarh Town at a monthly salary of Rs 9,000. The businessman has given him a place to stay as well. “I work here, eat food and sleep here. There is no one to ask about my health in case of an illness.” Rehabilitation challengesThrowing light on the difficulties faced by those who have served prison terms, Professor Hemlata Joshi, acting head of the psychology department at Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, said, “Firstly, after spending a long time as a prisoner, they experience difficulties in adjusting to society. Secondly, their difficulties increase due to being rejected by society. They lead a very depressing life. One always has to carry the stigma of being involved in a crime.”A family from Rawatsar in Hanumangarh district is going through a similar situation. On September 9, 1982, at the age of 20, Inder Goyal of this family attacked and killed his cousins aged 16 and 17 ​with an axe and surrendered at the police station. The police arrested Inder on charges of murder and his elder brother Nandkishore Goyal on charges of abetment of murder. Chargesheets were presented against both of them in the court. In 1982, the sessions court of Nohar acquitted Nandkishore while sentencing Indra to life imprisonment. In 1987, while hearing the appeal, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted Indra by giving him the benefit of the doubt.“Even though my brother was released from jail after being imprisoned for five years, due to tension and depression, he remained imprisoned in loneliness forever. He started taking many types of drugs. People did not associate with him,” Nandkishore (70) told 101Reporters. He said Indra died seven years ago, but as long as he lived, most people always saw him as a murderer.“Out of greed for our uncle's land, my brother killed both his children. He made a big mistake. I had nothing to do with the murder, but the police unnecessarily implicated me and stigmatised me for life. Due to the incident, our entire family’s reputation was affected. Since then, we have been looked at with suspicion. People may not say anything on my face, but I know what they think about us even after 42 years?”Retired Jailer Girdhar Upadhyay (71), who served in various jails in Rajasthan for 19 years, told 101Reporters that every person who has been sentenced for a crime has become a victim of society's neglect. “During my tenure, many prisoners studied up to triple MA. They behaved very well. On their release from jail, it seemed their life would be good. When I met one of them after almost five years, I felt very sad about his condition. they had to face many adverse circumstances in society."Upadhyay said people who have been sentenced are not accepted in society because there are security concerns about them. People are afraid that the person might commit violent acts again. They feel concerned about the safety of their wives, children and other family members. This fear motivates society to stay away from former prisoners. However, its adverse effect is that many prisoners start committing crimes again.“No matter how much the prisoners change during their punishment — they may become sages and saints — but the prejudices of society towards them never change,” Upadhyay said. He added that the government is also responsible for the prisoners not being rehabilitated in the society. The government expects the prison authorities to teach the prisoners how to adjust to society. However once a person is released from jail, the government does not pay any attention to him/her. Instead, the government should help in their rehabilitation, if necessary.Prof Joshi said once a person is convicted, society does not see him for years together. By the time that person comes out, many misconceptions, suspicions and distrust might have developed towards him in the society. To address such doubts, the government will have to work to reduce the distance between the prisoners in jail and society.“The government should, from time to time, carry out activities that support contact between jail inmates and the general public. When people see the prisoners repeatedly, meet them and talk to them, they will feel that they are also human beings. The government should take the help of NGOs in this work,” she said. To that effect, Joshi said the general public can be invited to the programmes organised by prisoners in jail. The goods made by prisoners can be exhibited before society. Prisoners should also be able to attend such exhibitions. With the help of various social organisations and the general public, blood donation and medical camps can be organised in jails occasionally. For almost 30 years, Dr Vartika Nanda has been working for reforms in jails in Delhi. “If it is possible to do something within the rules in the interest of the prisoners, then it should definitely be done,” Dr Nanda told 101Reporters, when asked about activities that aid prisoners. "When some level of openness is being brought everywhere, it should be brought in jails also. Innovations should be made in jails also. But it is necessary to maintain a jail as a jail. Jails cannot be made picnic spots... If everyone comes and goes there comfortably, then the seriousness of the prison punishment will be gone. It is important to take care of the security of jails. The safety of prisoners lies within the security of the jail."Dr Nanda added that society's image of jails has been created by Bollywood movies. In reality, neither the prisons nor the prisoners and jailers are the same as shown in films. "It is not necessary that every prisoner improves by staying in jail. There are all kinds of people," she said.On the question of rehabilitation of convicted prisoners, Dr Nanda said the exercise should begin two years before the release of the prisoner. "Only people in jail can play a better role in this. First of all, the family members of prisoners should be prepared so that they can support, trust and keep them in the family. If a convicted person lives a peaceful life with his family, the people in the neighbourhood will also start trusting him," she explained. Dr Nanda, a recipient of the Stree Shakti Puraskar (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Dr Nanda, a recipient of the Stree Shakti Puraskar (now Nari Shakti Puraskar), the highest civilian honour for women empowerment in India, said it is futile to expect the society to rehabilitate the prisoners because the tendency of society is of a taker, not a giver. Only prison staff can do this work well. Moreover, such efforts should start from women's jail because female prisoners are more vulnerable to rehabilitation than men.  Mohammad Mushtaq Zoiya (73), a senior advocate in Hanumangarh, told 101Reporters that for the rehabilitation of prisoners, it is necessary to develop skills in them according to the new era. "Even today, prisoners are given training in traditional works such as carpet weaving, chair weaving or furniture making. In today's modern era, they should be given computer-based training. Training can be given under various trades of ITI. When a trained prisoner is released, he/she should be helped in making the best use of his skills.  If prisoners wish to be self-employed, they can be provided with loans. Groups of former prisoners should be formed and the government should help them in the same way as they help farmers and women’s groups. Courses should be run for prisoners by linking jails with skill universities," he detailed.  This story was originally published as part of the Crime and Punishment project in collaboration with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Representative image/ AI-generated using Canva

Blame game continues as Dabli Rathan struggles to manage its filth

Proposals to set up sanitation resource centres to deal with waste collection and segregation fail to take off as contractors unhappy with the rates offeredHanumangarh, Rajasthan: Among the largest villages in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, Dabli Rathan comprises two village panchayats — Dabli Bas Molvi and Dabli Bas Kutub. The panchayat office of Dabli Bas Molvi is quite big and beautiful. At its entrance is the 'I Love Dabli Rathan' selfie point.Gram Panchayat office in Dabli Rathan (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters) “Outside the panchayat office, you can take a beautiful selfie. However, your illusion will be shattered as you move in a little further. It is difficult to put up with the stench of filth in the streets,” says villager Rajendra Gumber (71).  As one moves forward, there is garbage all around. Drains are clogged and water spills onto roads. Village ponds are also filthy, covered with a thick layer of water hyacinths. The condition of Dabli Bas Kutub is no different.  “I have repeatedly informed the panchayat about the dirty pond and filthy streets, but there is no solution,” says Suresh Rajput (44), a resident of Dabli Bas Molvi ward 14. Pointing to a pond in ward 14, Omprakash Verma (45) says it has not been excavated for almost a decade. “The panchayat tries to pump dirty water from it and sends it elsewhere,” he adds. In contrast, the sarpanch and village development officers claim that they try their best despite the limited resources. They also blame the villagers for not being bothered about cleanliness. Sarpanch Jagtar Singh Brar of Dabli Bas Kutub says that villagers make cow dung cakes and put them in the streets to dry, besides using the dry pond for storing wood and cow dung cakes.According to the data available on e-GramSwaraj portal, Dabli Bas Molvi received a tied fund of Rs 74,03,150 and an untied fund of Rs 50,01,103 from the government this year. Of this, Rs 37,17,075 was meant for cleanliness. Similarly, this year, Dabli Bas Kutub received Rs 20,07,010 as tied fund and Rs 15,78,000 as untied fund, of which Rs 12,04,206 was for cleanliness."However, 60% of the tied funds is meant for water sanitation, and that too is reserved for capital investment such as sheds, machines, etc. So, to make payments, local bodies have to raise funds on their own. At the same time, measures like taxation are not mostly pursued by local bodies due to various socio-political reasons. This is also why local bodies want everything to come from the government," Dr R Ramesh, head and associate professor, Centre for Rural Infrastructure, National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, tells 101Reporters. The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) aims at improving the general standards of living of villagers, accelerate sanitation coverage, promote sustainable sanitation facilities through awareness generation and health education to communities and panchayati raj institutions, and develop affordable and appropriate technologies for ecologically safe and sustainable sanitation. While being run with various objectives like promoting sanitation and developing community-managed environmental sanitation systems with a special focus on solid and liquid waste management for overall sanitation in rural areas, none of these objectives appear to have been fulfilled here.However, Satnam Singh and Iqbal Singh, the village development officers of Dabli Bas Molvi and Dabli Bas Kutub, respectively, consider the funds insufficient. Both claim that all the objectives of SBM(G) cannot be achieved with such small allocation. “People compare villages with cities in terms of cleanliness and hygiene, but compared to municipalities, panchayats neither have adequate budget nor resources.”The estimated population of Dabli Bas Molvi is 12,000 and Dabli Bas Kutub is 5,000. In both villages, panchayats have not established a functioning waste management system under the SBM(G). There is no compliance with government guidelines under SBM. No work is being done under the components of sanitation management in both the panchayats. Forget about sorting and recycling of waste from the village, even garbage is not collected. However, Satnam and Iqbal claim that by spending the money received for cleanliness, they have constructed individual family toilets, community sanitary complex toilets, etc. Sewer lines have also been constructed. There is a proposal to start solid and liquid waste management. Villagers telling about the condition of cleanliness in Dabli Rathan (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)“The work of waste management in the village is dependent on animals and those who buy scrap. We feed organic waste such as vegetable peels, leftover food and agricultural waste to livestock. Inorganic and solid waste such as paper, various metals, plastic, glass and cardboard are sold to scrap dealers. The things that are unusable remain here and there, along with the garbage in the village streets,” say Bohad Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Laxman Singh, Ishwar Singh and Hardev Singh, all from Dabli Bas Kutub.However, Satnam maintains that they try to get the cleaning done by deputing four to five labourers. Sarpanch Brar also claims that from time to time, they employ MGNREGA labourers for this work. “We get less budget under cleanliness, so we include cleanliness work like maintenance of ponds under MGNREGA and use those funds."However, MGNREGA funds cannot be used for every day cleaning work. However, villager Yahiya Khan alleges that cleaning is not done even once in a month. Due to lack of cleanliness, drains overflow and dirty water spreads on the roads.A pond filled with dirty water (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Both the panchayats have proposed to set up sanitation resource centres in their respective jurisdictions, under which e-rickshaws would collect garbage from every household and take it to the centre where organic and inorganic wastes are separated. As cow dung dirties the entire village, there is also a plan to set up a biogas plant, from which gas can be delivered to the homes of the villagers by laying pipes. Organic fertiliser can also be made from cow dung and sold. The income thus generated can be spent on village development works. When asked about this, sarpanch Brar says that the government has asked to do a lot of work, but no budget provision has been made for it.  SBM(G) district coordinator Sunita Rathod tells 101Reporters that extensive work is being done to make villages completely clean. “Initially, it was decided to open resource centres in 39 of the total 268 panchayats in the district. Tenders were invited three months ago for door-to-door garbage collection, but the contractors refused to take up the work citing low basic schedule of rates (BSR) approved by the state government. Subsequently, the tenders were cancelled,” she says, adding that tenders have been invited again. A villager showing a pond full of water hyacinth (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Asked about the allocation, Rathod says funds can be arranged under SBM, 15th Finance Commission, MGNREGA and from MP-MLA funds. Besides finding donors, a small contribution can be taken from the villagers as well. “The state government has given instructions to spend 60% of the budget on cleanliness in every panchayat. Construction of individual toilets, community toilets, soak pits and drains, cleaning of drains, cleaning of streets and localities are being done using these funds. Annual audit is conducted in every village panchayat.”  She adds that various activities such as rallies, quiz competitions, slogan writing and training in making useful items from unused plastic were conducted to create awareness about cleanliness in the villages.   Pilibanga Panchayat Samiti's Additional Development Officer Hukam Singh tells 101Reporters that in Kalibangan, Dabli Bas Kutub and Dabli Bas Molvi panchayats, garbage collection from houses and commercial establishments, its separation, road and drain cleaning work of villages and cleaning work of community sanitation complexes will be done. Tenders have been invited in this regard.He says there has been no change in the BSR of tenders, but the successful tenderer can employ experienced people in cleaning work and streamline work by installing GPS in vehicles after the online tracking system/portal is implemented. Various conditions have been imposed in the payment of wages like following the Minimum Wages Act, paying double the rate if a worker works for more than eight hours, resolving complaints related to cleanliness within 24 hours. Dr Ramesh says no village can be completely clean unless the people there and the panchayat work together. “While the panchayat spends money for cleanliness, Rs 25 per person should be taken from the villagers for this work. This is necessary to create a sense of participation among them. The funds received from the government for cleanliness should also be used properly, transparently and honestly,” he says.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - A villager shows the streets with dirty water (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)

Bathinda's ponds reek of sewage, but rejuvenation cost a thing to ponder over

Nobody seems to really care about ponds as they have no immediate utility other than serving as wastewater discharge pointsBathinda, Punjab: Burj village in Punjab’s Bathinda district once had six to seven ponds. Only two are left now, and they are yearning for attention. “These ponds have become useless due to lack of maintenance. Now no one thinks about them,” says Teja Singh Taggad (70), a retired teacher and resident of the village.Until 25 to 30 years ago, people of Burj in Maur Mandi block considered their village incomplete without ponds. Ponds started deteriorating when drains were built in the village so that household sewage could be discharged into the pond. In no time, the ponds became polluted. Many types of fish, turtles, ducks and waterfowl that were commonly found in the pond disappeared.Villagers showing the dilapidated pond in Burj village of Maur block of Bathinda district (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Piped water facility has brought about the change. “The ponds would fill up during the rains and we would use that water for bathing and washing clothes, besides quenching the thirst of our cattle and bathing them. If there was a shortage of water in summer, the pond would be filled with canal water in the month of Jyeshtha. These ponds were indispensable for humans, animals and birds, but water is not suitable for drinking or bathing now,” says Taggad. In the recent panchayat elections, issues such as construction of a hospital, paving of streets and provision for full water in canals were prominent issues in Burj. Some people in the village offered lakhs of rupees for development in their bid to become sarpanch, but no one was worried about the ponds. “Common people are in favour of taking proper care of ponds and making them as before, but ponds did not become a big issue in the panchayat elections,” notes Amritpal Singh, a private school teacher in the village. It is the responsibility of the village panchayats to maintain the ponds. If panchayats wish, they can earn income by giving ponds on contract for fish farming. However, lack of maintenance and sewage discharge have made them completely dirty. Now, instead of being useful, these ponds have become a problem for the common people. Burj resident Jagga Singh (47) claims that no sarpanch or panch has taken care of the ponds.A dilapidated pond in Teona village of Bathinda block in Bathinda district (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)The condition of ponds in Teona village of Bathinda block is no different. Four out of five ponds are contaminated by sewage discharge from the entire village households. Harmel Singh (75) of Teona remembers how the ponds were clean when he was young. “We used to take bath in them, and animals were also brought to the pond for bathing. Many aquatic animals and birds used to camp near the pond, but now all that is a part of the past.”Gurlabh Singh (72) says that until 35 years ago, the water of all village ponds was as clean as a lake. Now it has become dirty and there is always moss in it. “Leave aside bathing in it, sometimes it becomes difficult to even pass by it.”In Teona too, there was excitement over panchayat elections for about a month. However, no one showed interest in the ponds. Tara Singh (42) says the biggest issue this time was to free the village from drugs. The ponds have been forgotten long ago, he adds.In villages across Punjab, most of the ponds are dry or are getting contaminated due to sewage discharge. Ponds have disappeared in many villages due to encroachment. Settlements have come up in their place.According to a report of Jal Shakti Ministry, 16,012 water bodies were enumerated in Punjab in the first census of water bodies. Of them, 98.9% (15,831) are in rural areas and the remaining 1.1% (181) are in urban areas. Of the total water bodies, 97.6% (15,633) are under public ownership, while the remaining 2.4% (379) are under private ownership. The report shows that 48% (7,680) water bodies are in use and a major part of 52% (8,332) are not in use due to drying up, siltation, degradation beyond repair and other reasons. Of all the water bodies in use, 95.8% (7,358) are ponds and the remaining 4.2% (322) are tanks, lakes, reservoirs, water conservation schemes/percolation tanks/check dams etc.According to the report, 65.2% (5,008) of the total water bodies in use are used for groundwater recharge in the state. Punjab has 14,318 natural and 1,694 man-made water bodies. As much as 98.9% (14,154) of the natural water bodies are located in rural areas, while 1.1% (164) are in urban areas. Among the man-made water bodies, 99% (1,677) are located in rural areas and 1% (17) in urban areas.According to the report, information on ‘filled up storage capacity’ and ‘status of filling’ were collected for 15,835 water bodies. During the reference year 2017-18, 19.3% (3,049) water bodies were filled to their full storage capacity, 43.9% (6,953) were filled to three fourth capacity, 23.2% (3,681) up to half level, 8.8% (1,391) to one-fourth level and 4.8% (761) had nil/negligible storage capacity. Based on the criteria of filling up of storage capacity during last five years, out of 15,835 water bodies, 37.6% (5,956) are found to be filled up every year, 46.5% (7,368) are usually filled, 13.1% (2,065) are rarely filled up and 2.8% (446) are never filled up. Good work has been done in the direction of renovation of selected ponds under Union government's Mission Amrit Sarovar, but the number of ponds selected under it is only a handful compared to the total number of ponds. In Punjab, Amrit Sarovar is implemented under the name Sanjha Jal Talab. As many as 2,133 spots have been identified in 23 districts of the state, out of which work on 1,479 ponds started. Most of these ponds were old, and it was decided to renovate them, while the remaining ones were decided to be built on the vacant land of panchayats. Till now, 1,450 ponds have been prepared in the state on Thapar and Seechewal models, but rainwater has not collected in them and so many of them are lying empty.However, Punjab's Joint Development Commissioner (Integrated Rural Development) Amit Kumar tells 101Reporters that water is present in most of the ponds. “Due to land disputes, encroachment etc., there has been obstruction in the access of water. Many cases are in courts,” he says.Kumar claims that good work has been done under the mission. The ponds of selected villages have been repaired and developed as tourist destinations by planting saplings around them. The objective is to store rainwater in these ponds and to use it for agriculture, fisheries, cultivation of crops, and to cater to animals and birds.When asked about the plight of thousands of ponds in Punjab, Kumar claims that the Punjab government has been actively working in this direction. “Punjab is facing a groundwater crisis. This problem can be solved through ponds. Therefore, they are being renovated through panchayats. Work has been done to free pond lands from encroachments.”Asked when can all the ponds in the state be restored to their original form, Kumar notes that this is a huge and extremely expensive task that requires much time and money. “Punjab has 17.20 lakh ponds. A pond renovation costs Rs 20 to 25 lakh. As per this estimate, around Rs 6 crore are required,” he details.Considering the huge amount required, this task seems like a pipe dream because in the limited annual budget that the panchayats get from the Fifteenth Finance Commission, there is very little provision for drinking water. For example, a budget of Rs 12,39,500 has been allocated for the 2024-25 fiscal for Burj village panchayat, in which there is a provision of Rs 4,64,810 for works related to drinking water. The remaining money is for road related works, sanitation, vocational education etc.Burj Panchayat Secretary Manjit Singh tells 101Reporters that there are only two ponds in the village, out of which the work of deepening the pond near the gurdwara, cleaning up the water and making it suitable for use for farming will commence soon.Villager showing the dilapidated pond in Burj village (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)A campaign for conservation of ponds is being run under the leadership of Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who is engaged in cleaning and saving water sources in Punjab. Sant Sukhjit Singh, the head of the pond conservation campaign, says ponds are more valuable than the amount of money spent on them. "Ponds are part of our life. Our elders built them. Later, the governments reserved the land on which ponds stood during murababandi [land consolidation]. The pond lands were not made private property. This shows their importance.”He adds that ponds are indispensable for groundwater recharge, while they also collect water for irrigation. "We have so far revived ponds in 250 villages under the Seechewal model in Punjab. Earlier, these ponds held stagnant water as there was only input, and no output. Now, this water is used for irrigation." Under the model, villagers themselves work without pay for these renovations."We are working on the basis of an underground sewerage system designed by Sant Balbir. In this system, sewage water is stored in a pond, treated naturally and used for irrigation. While this process promotes organic farming, it also helps farmers save money on fertilisers and irrigation. This costs less and is indigenous, it is also very effective, durable and easy to instal. We have proved its effectiveness by installing it in various villages."Singh says that supplying water to the ponds in villages through electric motors and appointing employees are very expensive tasks. Hence, they are installing motors running on solar energy, which cost only Rs 2.40 lakh. Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Villagers showing the dilapidated pond in village Tiona of Bathinda block of Bathinda district. (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)

Fast food cooks up a new trend in villages of Hanumangarh

People are more interested in noodles, burgers, chow mein and such food items, which are easily available in village stalls these days  Hanumangarh, Rajasthan: “When everything is changing, how can our food survive? The era of grandmothers is over in our village. Even in my house, Chinese food, Maggi, burgers and other such items are commonly eaten. Fast food has become mandatory when guests come home as it is readily available,” says Manju Gupta (53) of Dabli Rathan, on the increasing dependence on fast food in the village.  A teacher at the government school in the village, Gupta says that earlier there was no option of fast food. So when guests came, she used to prepare traditional pulses, vegetables, sweet dishes etc. Also, earlier the arrival of guests was as per a predetermined schedule. Now, it is not known when the guests will come home. “This is why we order fast food. Moreover, I do not have to spend time in the kitchen when the guests come in. Instead, I can chat freely with them,” she adds.  Before coming to his medical store, pharmacist Deepak Midha (34) usually eats his breakfast of parathas at home. But when he has to come early, he orders breakfast from the market. “All types of fast food, including noodles and burgers, are available in the village. Even in the evening, when I feel hungry, I order something to eat from a fast food stall. Who would go home for such a small thing? The family members find all this comfortable.”  Food stalls in Dabli Rathan (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Fast food has become the choice of most of the people in Dabli Rathan, located on Hanumangarh-Bikaner Road and 14 km from Hanumangarh district headquarters. Fast food vendor Sagar Majoka (28) says the business is proving to be profitable. “I sell chow mein, burgers, pav bhaji, noodles, Maggi etc. The average daily income is Rs 1,000. About 70 to 80 customers come every day. I started this work a year ago, due to which my family's livelihood is improving,” he says.There are about two dozen fast food shops and street vendors in various streets and markets of the village. Villager Ashok Gaba (71) says that 10 to 12 years ago, Jugun Agarwal opened a fast food shop in the village. Later, he launched catering work, where he arranges both traditional and fast food. That apart, Ashok Kumar from Bihar set up a fast food stall 10 years ago. When his business took off, many others from his village started doing this work. A variety of food, including patties, dahi vada, momos, chow mein, pizza, spring roll, burger, cutlet, hotdog, Maggi, vada pav, pastry and manchurian are available.“The people of the village have started eating a lot of fast food. I also like it very much,” says Sonu Khan (30), a property dealer. According to Rajendra Gumber (71), millet, barley, maize and gram were the main diet of the villagers once upon a time. Mostly millet rotis were eaten, or barley, maize and gram were ground together to make rotis. There was no wheat production then. “After the arrival of canals in 1954, wheat cultivation started and gradually people began to eat wheat rotis. Till a decade ago, only some traditional sweets, samosa and kachori were available in the village,” he details. “Now, it is as if children and youth cannot survive without fast food,” he rues.Rajendra Gumber from Dabli Rathan (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters) Gaba notes that his nine-year-old granddaughter wants only fast food. “We make Maggi at home. Chow mein, burger and pizza are ordered from the market. When we were young, milk and porridge used to be the main food in the morning. We did not drink tea at all. When I ask my granddaughter to eat pulses and porridge, she refuses.”Dakhan Devi (70) recalls how they used to add desi ghee to jaggery and eat roti with it. “Kheer and halwa were aplenty. Instead of drinking juice, we used to chew on sugarcane, which made our teeth strong. In summer, we drank lots of buttermilk. We dished out rabri and jaggery and ate roasted gram and peanuts. The new generation has no interest in these things.”Dabli Rathan is counted among the largest villages of Hanumangarh district. Here, fast food is served at all functions, including weddings, anniversaries and birthday parties. Vijay Kumar Garg (45), who works in the catering field in the village, says that only two vegetables, rice, raita, plain roti, pakodas and something sweet were served at the weddings about 12 years ago. But since then, mostly fast food is in demand.“This has not increased expenses because fast food stalls are cheaper than traditional food. This benefits the host, and people also want to eat fast food. Nowadays, people set up 10 to 25 stalls with most of them selling noodles, burgers, chow mein, paneer tikka, sambar dosa, pav bhaji, golgappa, Maggi, manchurian etc. If there are 1,000 people at an event, 500 of them want to fill their stomachs with fast food. Initially, I had to bring cooks from the neighboring towns of Pilibanga and Hanumangarh. Later, the local people became proficient in it,” Garg adds.Recalling his wedding feast, Gaba says that when he got married in the 80s, the villagers were served roti-dal, one vegetable, salad and dal halwa. “In contrast, I had to set up 40 stalls of different types of food for my son’s wedding. Half of them were fast food items… I do not like fast food, but they are served at parties as most of the people like these items. Fast food is now a part of the food culture everywhere.”Dr MP Singh Shekhawat (81) settled in the village after serving as a medical in-charge in the village government hospital for 20 years. He tells 101Reporters that he has been living in the village for 50 years. "Earlier, the people here used to eat only coarse grains. Now, the thali [food plate] and the dress sense of villagers have both changed. On one hand, people in big cities are liking the desi village food, whereas our village people are after fast and Chinese food.”Dr. MP Singh Shekhawat from Dabli Rathan (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Dr Shekhawat warns that fast food is affecting people's health. “When people gave up coarse grains, they began to fall ill. Wheat, which replaced millets, has increased some health problems, but fast food is causing the most harm,” he notes.“Hardly 15 to 20% of the people who earlier consulted me were suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, acidity, and stomach and liver diseases. Now, 80% of the people are falling prey to these diseases. Although people's earlier relatively sedentary lifestyle and genetic factors are responsible for this, fast food is also a reason,” adds Dr Shekhawat. Anganwadi worker Poonam Sharma (40) says the interest in consuming fast food has increased among women, but it is also causing stomach related problems. “I often talk to women about this.”Dr Madhulika Parmar, a former member of the Board of Studies (Home Science) of Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, and Principal of Government College, Sadulshahar, says that one of the reasons for the increasing popularity of fast food in villages is that women have found it convenient as they do not have to slog in the kitchen.Dr Santosh Rajpurohit, Principal, Rajasthan College for Higher Education, Hanumangarh, and former president of Rajasthan Economic Association, says that the villagers spend more money on fast food and cold drinks, whereas a few years ago, they used to focus more on purchasing grains and pulses. The sale of packaged food items has also increased in villages.Citing a study by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, he says that while this change in villages is a reflection of the changes coming in the society, it is also a sign of villagers getting better work and earning more. Referring to the villages in Hanumangarh district, Rajpurohit says that people with high income spend less on food and beverages, but low income labourers or self-employed people spend 90% of their earnings on food and beverages. "I also spend more on these items for my children," he admits.Balwant Singh (45), a construction worker, earns Rs 400 daily. “Although it is very less, with this much money, the household's food expenses are easily covered. There are no savings. When I feel hungry, I eat samosa, kachori etc. I buy them for my children as well.”Construction mechanic Hanuman Kumar (26) gets a daily wage of Rs 600 when he works in the village and Rs 800 when he works in the city. This covers the family's expenses well. As to whether eating in the market increases the expenses, Kumar says that the expenses are not that much. ‘We can eat something for Rs 25 too,” he says.Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Fast food vendor in Dabli Rathan (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)

Power of protest fails to light up lives in this Rajasthan village

Nethrana residents waged a three-year battle against erratic power supply by not paying electricity bills, but the problem continues to persist Hanumangarh, Rajasthan: Even fans will not run on scorching summer days at Nethrana in Bhadra tehsil of Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district, thanks to the highly erratic power supply.“Electricity for 24 hours a day is still a dream for us. Although there has been an improvement in power supply after rains, power cuts do occur,” said village sarpanch Rajendra Nimiwal.Under the aegis of Bijli Upbhokta Sangharsh Samiti, Nethrana residents launched a movement in September 2019, raising demands such as smooth supply of electricity, replacement of faulty meters, cancellation of increased security amount and fixed charges, and 200 units of free electricity. They decided not to pay bills until their demands were met. They staged demonstrations and went on hunger strike. Three years passed by in no time.Of about 1,900 electricity consumers in the village, about 1,500 did not pay the bills. The outstanding dues touched Rs 3.40 crore. Electricity officials repeatedly urged them to pay up, but villagers did not budge. Finally, in May 2022, the department staff reached the village with heavy police force and started disconnecting the supply to those households that had not cleared the bills. About 700 connections were cut, of which about 225 consumers deposited the outstanding amounts and restored the connection.Electricity for 24 hours a day is still a dream for the villagers (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Subsequently, in October 2022, the connections of about 250 people were again disconnected. The agitation continued for months in protest against the disconnection. Cases were registered for obstructing government work and many villagers were arrested. The agitation ended after an agreement was reached between the villagers and Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JDVVNL).In the agreement, it was decided to waive the interest and penalty charged in three years and recover the outstanding bill in instalments. Faulty electricity meters were changed following the agitation. However, a lot more needs to be done to improve the power system.  Dozens of villagers were forced to make rounds of the court in connection with the cases filed during the movement that got statewide attention. Farmer Shailendra Kumar (35),  who was arrested and sent to jail on charges of obstructing discharge of duty, told 101Reporters that nothing has been done to ensure that villagers get uninterrupted power supply 24 hours a day. “Undeclared power cuts in June and July amid the summer heat were distressing,” he said.He added that tube well irrigation and functioning of small businesses like flour mills were affected. “We also submitted a memorandum to the JDVVNL assistant engineer at Gogamedi in protest against the power crisis, but he replied that power supply to rural areas were cut on the orders of higher officials from Jaipur.”Village Development Officer Gajanand said that the computers in the village panchayat could function smoothly only because of the solar panels installed there.                              JDVVNL Assistant Engineer Ishwar Singh admitted that load shedding is done only on rural feeders on the orders of the government. “This cannot be done in cities. Just as at Nethrana, power cuts happen in other villages too. There is no other option when consumption increases,” Singh said.                                                                 Shailendra said the poor of Nethrana could not pay the combined bill of three years, so about 300 houses are still in the dark. . However, the assistant engineer said it was only about 100. “We are ready to reconnect after taking the principal amount from these people without any interest and penalty,” he added.Nethrana gets its power supply through a rural feeder, hence there is a power crisis. On the other hand, Ratanpura village near Sangaria is connected to urban feeder, yet the villagers faced frequent power cuts and tripping for two months. Electrical appliances in many households were damaged due to voltage fluctuations.Ratanpura native Hariram Nayak (36) said that his village did not face power cuts for several hours. The problem here was frequent power cuts at night. "We remain disturbed throughout the day as we cannot sleep properly at night. Even fans do not work," he said.Aman Kumar (36) said that the problem of low voltage and blowing of transformer fuses have been frequent in the summer. Due to voltage fluctuations, there have been instances of coolers and fans getting damaged.      Electrician Bhola Singh explained that load increases when voltage is too low. This may cause overheating that can damage the insulation layers of the wiring of the appliance. This can potentially lead to a fire. "For most of the household appliances, a minimum of 200V is required for proper functioning. If voltage is above 240V, then also the appliances get damaged. I deal with both these cases on a regular basis," he added. Farmers Pradeep Kumar Saharan (40) and Bhagwant Saharan (42) said that the time for supplying electricity to tube wells is from 5 am to 11 am and from 5 pm to 11 pm, but the electricity trips a lot in summer. Once the power goes off, it is not restored for another hour. "I have cotton and green gram in my fields. I used to worry whether the plants would wilt due to lack of timely irrigation. However, despite the issues in irrigation, I did not face losses," he added. Flour mill operator Mahavir Dhil (44) said power tripping affected him a lot. "I used to grind three to four quintals of wheat every day, at the rate of Rs 200 per quintal. I also take 2.5 kg of flour for every quintal of wheat grinded. There has been no change in the amount of wheat ground or money received. But usually I work from morning to evening. This has now extended to night due to erratic power supply," he explained.Ratanpura's Village Development Officer Subhash Bangarwa told 101Reporters that he has been posted in the village for two-and-a-half years, but it was this time that the village saw the highest number of power outages.“The solar system in the village panchayat office is not working. We manage with an inverter. There were times when battery backup of the inverter was exhausted and our computers could not work. Due to this, work of uploading information related to MGNREGA, panchayat and birth-death registration got disrupted, he said. Bangarwa acknowledged that complaints of power crisis and the resultant disruption in drinking water supply were received in the panchayat-level public hearing and village panchayat meeting in both July and August.“In the fortnightly meeting of the panchayat, panch Suman Devi and others demanded that a solution be found to unannounced power cuts, low voltage, loose wires and burning of transformers. We called the assistant engineer and informed him about the problems. He got the loose wires fixed immediately, but said that he had no control over power cuts caused by power shortage. At the panchayat level public hearing also, people informed us about the problems related to electricity and water supply,” Bangarwa detailed.                                                                                                            The industrial area of ​​Ratanpura also faces a power crisis. “Tall claims are made that enough electricity will be provided to industries, but we always face a power crisis...​​​ If there is a malfunction anywhere in the area, the main line is shut down, due to which work in the industrial area is stopped,” said Ganesh Goyal, secretary, Ratanpura Industries Association.He added that even after three decades, the Ratanpura industrial area has not been fully developed due to irregular power supply.​ Currently, there are 15 oil, seed and wooden factories, of which two have been closed.                                                            However, while speaking to 101Reporters, JDVVNL junior engineer Saurabh Doodi claimed that Ratanpura is connected to the city line, so the area has not come under load shedding for even one day. “We have supplied electricity for 20 to 24 hours.”He admitted that there were some problems in villages due to rain, storm and overload. “Tripping is natural during rain and storm due to loose wires, but we get repairs done immediately. If fuse blows, or wire or transformer burns, shutdown is needed to fix it. Otherwise, we try our best to provide electricity to consumers,” he maintained.         Read the first part of this story hereEdited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Residents waged a three-year battle against erratic power supply by not paying electricity bills (Photo - Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)                                               

Discoms feel the heat as Rajasthan power problem peaks

Monsoon rains save the state from a deepening power crisis every year, but a lasting solution to the issue can come up only when generation, transmission and distribution systems are improved Hanumangarh, Rajasthan: The largest state in the country by area, Rajasthan goes through a severe power crisis every summer. This year too, when the temperature in many areas reached 50 degrees Celsius, the state faced the crisis. It not only affected the energy needs, but also deeply impacted the economy and people in different ways.  Mercury began to soar in April and remained high until July-end. There was already high power consumption by industries. Along with it, tube wells started running for irrigation in the fields. The use of ACs and coolers in homes, offices and shops increased power consumption. The electricity corporations started cutting supply at the end of June. Supply remained adequate in big cities, but unannounced power cuts made life miserable in small towns and villages.The unannounced power cut is confirmed by a recent study conducted by NGO Orange Tree Foundation. According to the study, rural areas of the state have an average power cut of 12 hours per day, while the urban areas have a power cut of 0 to 6 hours per day. About 60% of the rural population in the state waits for more than six hours for power restoration after complaining, while only 13% of the consumers in urban areas have to wait that long.Payal S, co-director, Orange Tree Foundation, told 101Reporters that they conducted the study for APCO Infra in 12 selected urban and rural areas in Jodhpur, Jaipur and Banswara districts. The entire report has also not been made public, but it shows that in the current digital era, education, healthcare and many other services depend on reliable internet and computer access, so continuous 24-hour power supply is important.As the crisis deepened, it became difficult for farmers to irrigate their fields. Work in government offices in villages got affected. Complaints of equipment damage due to low voltage began to surface. A serious power crisis engulfed the entire state."It is the arrival of monsoon that finally saves the state from the crisis every year. This time, most parts of the state got monsoon rains by July end, which reduced the electricity needs of farmers. The electricity saved from the agriculture sector was used in the homes of common people and by industries," said Rampal Jat, national president, Kisan Mahapanchayat. Suratgarh thermal plant in Sri Ganganagar district (Photo - Gopal Bhojak)Politics at play  People in villages and towns have been expressing their displeasure by protesting in front of electricity offices, and the issue of power crisis also dominated the State Assembly. Power crisis echoed in the Lok Sabha as well.The state government accepted in the Assembly on July 22 that the heat wave continued mostly through the night this time, so power consumption increased everywhere. The demand has increased by about 25 to 28%, whereas this demand used to increase by 10 to 11% in the past years. Due to this, power cuts of two, two-and-a-half and three hours had to be implemented. The government said that due to the heat wave, the consumption of electricity increased from May to July. The average power consumption in May was 3,318 lakh units per day (25% more than the units consumed in the same month last year), 3,438 lakh units per day in June (28% more) and 3,024 lakh units per day in July (14% more). The maximum consumption of Rajasthan discoms in June this year was 3,785 lakh units, which is the highest ever.  Former state energy minister Pushpendra Singh Ranawat told 101Reporters that the power load has been increasing continuously in the last decade, but energy assessment has not happened in the state. “This is a major reason for the crisis,” he claimed.“Discoms have not worked on bettering transmission. No attention has been paid to infrastructure,” he adds.However, during a discussion on the power crisis in the Assembly on August 2, Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar blamed the previous Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot for neglecting power generation, transmission and distribution.Nagar said that due to not being able to start coal mining from the allotted coal block, coal was imported from Chhattisgarh at the rate of Rs 18,000 per tonne against the usual Rs 4,000 per tonne. He alleged that during the previous government, the thermal power plants of the state produced only 50% of their installed capacity of 7,580 MW. "We have increased Plant Load Factor, improved generation plants and increased production capacity by ensuring timely supply of coal."The Gehlot government also borrowed electricity to meet the demand of the rabi season last year, according to Nagar’s Assembly statement. He said the previous government borrowed 35,234 lakh units of electricity from other states through banking arrangements.“Even in this difficult situation, our government has to return this loan by cutting the electricity of its own state. By July, about 24,000 lakh units of power have been returned and about 11,000 lakh units have to be returned in the next two months,” he said.  Congress workers protesting in front of the district collectorate against power cuts in Hanumangarh (Photo - Vijay Midha)Solar hopeJodhpur discom retired chief engineer MS Charan told 101Reporters that there should be a future-oriented energy assessment of how much electricity would be needed and how the demand will be met. He said solar energy could be a possible alternative to coal-based power. “Rajasthan has possibilities on the solar front, but infrastructure development is not happening at the expected pace. If it happens like a mass movement with complete transparency, then we can get rid of power cuts during the day,” he said, adding that the state’s 18 lakh farmers should be weaned away from night time grid electricity.“Agriculture and industries will have to be connected to solar. Schemes such as PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM should be implemented,” he added.  Entrepreneurs also have hopes on solar energy. Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry president Suresh Agarwal told 101Reporters that the government should make industries solar-based.​​​​ “At present, we use very expensive electricity in our industries compared to  other states. Solar energy production should be increased  in the state and industries should be encouraged to instal subsidised solar systems.”Agarwal noted that a manufacturing unit for solar panels should be set up in the state. “Companies in the state are dependent on China and Gujarat for the purchase of solar panels. There are only five solar panel manufacturing companies in Rajasthan, of which only one is a big company. If the government promotes the solar panel industry, solar energy will become cheaper here. The government will get revenue and the needy will get employment,” he suggested.Prem Biyani, executive president, Akhil Rajya Trade and Industry Association, said that load shedding has been increasing manufacturing costs and making products more expensive. Nilesh Sancheti, vice president, Jodhpur-based Marudhara Industries Association, claimed that as soon as there was a power crisis, industries were made victims of power cuts. “Tripping, wastage and theft of electricity are also major reasons for the crisis, which should be paid attention to. Promoting solar energy is the only solution.”Like industries, households are also finding it difficult to cope with the power crisis. The fixed charges were increased last month. “The electricity corporation charges high prices and collects taxes, still there is no uninterrupted supply. Living without electricity in summer is very difficult,” said ​​Bhura Singh, a resident of Sangaria. High tension lines near Suratgarh thermal plant in Sri Ganganagar district (Photo - Gopal Bhojak)Tiding over system weakness  The complaints of consumers are justified, but along with electricity shortage, structural challenges of discoms are also aggravating the crisis. An electricity official, on the condition of anonymity, said that weakness in the power distribution system is a main reason for this. “Old and worn out wires, reduced capacity of transformers and loss during distribution also cause the power crisis to worsen. Tripping is another problem.”New technologies should be used to overcome these weaknesses. The use of smart grids and modern transformers can be an important step, but loss-making discoms will have difficulty implementing it. According to the information given by the government in the Assembly in January, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Jaipur discoms, Rajasthan State Electricity Transmission Corporation and Rajasthan State Electricity Generation Corporation have suffered a loss of Rs 8,824.43 crore in 2022-23, which has taken the net loss to Rs 1,10,655 crore. Former minister Ranawat claimed that discoms had come into profit in 2017-18, but later became victims of mismanagement.Churu MP Rahul Kaswan recently raised the issue of power crisis in Churu parliamentary constituency and pending works sanctioned under Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in the Lok Sabha. Kaswan said the Centre has allocated about Rs 300 crore for his constituency to strengthen electricity infrastructure under  RDSS. ​​​Construction of new grid substation, separation of agricultural and domestic lines and installation of new cables are needed for comprehensive improvement of electricity infrastructure in the region.Aakash Sharma, a researcher at Jaipur-based NGO CUTS International, said that coal for Suratgarh and Chhabra thermal power plants comes from faraway Chhattisgarh, the price of which is further increased by heavy transportation and landed costs. Buying imported coal puts an additional burden of billions of rupees on the state. This is recovered from consumers in the form of additional fuel surcharge. In such a situation, it is better that the Rajasthan government sets up power plants near coal mines in Chhattisgarh and brings electricity through the national grid.But Ranawat does not consider this suggestion useful as power companies already suffer from huge losses.​​Meanwhile, the government has decided to work to increase power generation in the next three years. On August 8, in the presence of Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar, Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 4,200 crore with GAIL India at the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Business Promotion Summit-2024, Jaipur.It is claimed that this will provide cheap gas for gas-based power plants located in Dholpur and Ramgarh, which will generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity. The state government has also signed several MoUs with central undertakings to make the state self-reliant in the field of electricity.Read the second part of the story hereEdited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - A GSS near Suratgarh in Sri Ganganagar district (Photo - Gopal Bhojak)

Vocational trainers’ endless wait for monthly payments, contracts

Rajasthan government has been extending its vocational education scheme to more government schools, but without addressing the recurring delays in paying educators and renewing their contracts Sriganganagar, Rajasthan: It has been 10 months since Ragini Bala* (33) received her payment. A vocational trainer in beauty and wellness at a government higher secondary school in Sriganganagar district, Bala’s monthly take-home of Rs 22,000 has been stalled since October last year. “I have been working in this school for the last six years, but never did I receive my salary on time. I have made repeated pleas to the authorities concerned [vocational training partner], but no one hears me,” Bala says. The uncertainty has forced her to borrow money to meet the expenses of her family of four.Around 2,500 full-time vocational trainers in the state face this plight, with average dues ranging between seven months and one year. Rohit Kumar Karsoliya (30), who teaches plumber trade in Sriganganagar's Lalgarh school, has not been paid for the last seven months. Gurvinder Singh (31) and Praveen Kumar (29) of Hanumangarh district have been awaiting payments for seven and eight months, respectively. A teacher teaching in the classroom (Photo - Sourced by Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Vocational education scheme was launched in government higher secondary schools of Rajasthan in 2014-15, with funds from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, to provide employment-oriented education to children of classes 9 to 12. Under the scheme implemented with the help of National Skill Development Corporation and Sector Skill Council, vocational trainers impart skills related to 16 employment-oriented subjects, including home furnishing, agriculture, electronics and hardware, banking services, insurance, telecom, plumbing, tourism and hospitality, private security, food processing and retailing.As the government faces issues in developing the required infrastructure in village schools, tenders are invited every year from companies willing to conduct vocational education on behalf of Rajasthan School Education Council, Jaipur. Known as vocational training partners (VTPs), these companies publish advertisements in newspapers inviting applications from eligible candidates for appointment as trainers. Selection is based on an offline exam and interview.   The companies willing to work in as many schools and trades at the lowest rate are selected as VTPs. They arrange trainers for schools it takes charge of, monitor their work and pay them salaries. At present, 16 VTPs are functioning in Rajasthan. From the government, they get 5 to 7% of the trainers' salary as handling charge.  The scheme aims at reducing dropout rates and making students self-reliant by reducing the gap between education and employment. However, the irony is that even the trainers offering these courses are yet to be self-reliant, thanks to the delayed payments. Initially launched in 70 schools in 11 districts of Rajasthan, the scheme has now reached 4,155 schools, of which about 70% are in villages. The government announced the launch of the scheme in 1,181 more schools in the last academic year and 1,050 in this academic year. Training for one or two trades is imparted in schools where the scheme runs. The number of trainers depends on the number of trades being taught.Raghupal Singh, the patron and state president of Vocational Trainers Welfare Association, points to the reality of these announcements. "One year has passed, but vocational teachers have not been appointed in those 1,181 schools. No arrangements have been made for trainer appointments in 1,050 schools as well, though the new academic year began on July 1," he details.“The contracts of 332 vocational trainers of healthcare trade ended on June 30 last year. They have not received new contracts so far. Similarly, contracts of 264 vocational teachers from 132 schools have ended on June 30 this year, and they have also not been rehired,” informs Singh, who works as a private security trade vocational instructor in the Government Senior Secondary School of Setrawa village in Phalodi district. His payment is pending for the last four months.The delays in the tender process is another issue. "Every year, after the start of the new session, two to three months are gone to the tender process. Until then, children do not receive any training," Karsoliya says, while alleging vocational training partner companies of “doing nothing, yet earning a good amount as commission from the payment of each vocational trainer”. "If the government eliminates these companies, it will be beneficial for trainers, vocational education and the government,” he suggests.Explaining the nature of their work, Bala says they do lesson planning, maintain a laboratory, create awareness among students and parents about the need for vocational training, impart theory and practical training, make daily diaries and student portfolios to evaluate children's skills and knowledge, and conduct guest lectures and industrial visits. “Many tasks like organising on-job training, internship, skill exhibition-cum-competition and helping in job fair/placement drive are allotted to us, which we complete responsibly. Yet, we do not get our payments on time. There is no sick leave or insurance cover. Women trainers do not even have the facility of maternity leave, whereas almost half of the professional trainers are women,” Bala adds.Vocational trainers of the state have been holding regular protests at the district headquarters, and at times at capital Jaipur. They have also been appealing to the minister and top officials of the education department for a solution. “Our association has demanded that a separate cadre of vocational trainers be created in Rajasthan. Payments should be paid by the 10th of every month. By getting rid of the tender process, the government should accommodate us in the education department and regularise our services,” Singh says.Rajasthan government extends vocational education scheme to more government schools, but without addressing roadblocks (Photo - Sourced by Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)Vouching for the regularisation of vocational teachers, Rajasthan Teachers’ Association (Siyaram) state president Virendra Sharma says that the education department should include all professional teachers under its fold as done by the Haryana government, and also provide them with benefits given to regular teachers.  “Vocational trainers hired through VTPs can be removed anytime. Healthcare trade trainers whose contracts got over last year are yet to receive the payments of several months,” he adds, while noting that there is a provision in the National Education Policy 2020 to integrate vocational education into mainstream education and teach at least one trade-related skill to every student during school education period.Suresh Kumar Bunkar, Additional State Project Director, Vocational Education, Jaipur, tells 101Reporters that vocational trainers keep submitting memorandums regarding their demands, but the education department cannot act on them as it is a policy matter of the government. “We have no direct connection with vocational trainers. They are affiliated to VTPs. We are developing a process to ensure that their payments are made on time,” he says.On the tender process, Bunkar says tenders will be issued soon to fill all the vacant posts of vocational trainers. “We are trying our best to launch vocational studies this year in schools that got training approval last year and this year,” he adds.On the issue of payments, Vipin Bishnoi, vocational coordinator, ICA Education Skills, a VTP in Rajasthan, tells 101Reporters that the company pays to trainers from its own pocket and then sends invoices to the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan office for reimbursement. "However, we do not receive payment from them for several months. When the reimbursement of an earlier invoice does not happen, we cannot make further payments to trainers," he details.Bishnoi says payments due to ICA come to around Rs 2 crore. At present, around 300 trainers work under ICA. "VTPs in the state altogether have an estimated outstanding dues of Rs 8 to10 crore. Even yesterday, when I talked to an official of the Rajasthan School Education Council, he said the allocation has not come from the government so far," he says.Meanwhile, Hari Krishna Arya (71), a former member of Rajasthan State Education Policy Committee, tells 101Reporters that the expected results of vocational education cannot be achieved unless there are permanent trainers. "The government should conduct vocational education on the concept of Seekho Kamao Yojana of the 1970s," he says.Explaining about the former scheme, Arya says children were taught to make furniture, carpets and chalk under Seekho Kamao Yojana. "It was mandatory for government departments to purchase the items that children made. Some part of the income thus generated was given to the student workers as well. Not only could they earn while at school, but could also start a business after completing their education. There used to be permanent craft teachers under the scheme, which later fell prey  to corruption," he recalls.He says vocational education was restarted in selected schools and the post of additional district education officer (vocational education) was created at the district level and vice-principal (vocational education) in schools. "However, trainers had to wait for their salaries for months together and the scheme was stopped after three to four years. The same situation arises again with this scheme." *Name changed to protect privacyEdited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Students learning in a classroom (Photo - Sourced by Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)