Four Panchayats of Katkamsandi Block Declared as Free from Cataract Blindness Backlog

10 January 2023, Katkamsandi (Hazaribagh): Today four Panchayats namely Katkamsandi, Kanchanpur, Bargadda and Gadokhar in Katkamsandi block of Hazaribagh district have been declared as Free from Cataract Blindness Backlog. The declaration came to the fore in the functions held at Katkamsandi block office and Kanchanpur panchayat building under aegis of Inclusive Eye Health Programme by NBJK with support of Sightsavers.

Many dignitaries as the Block Development Officer of Katkamsandi Mrs. Devyanti Kumari, NBJK Secretary Mr. Satish Girija and officials from Sightavers like Mr. Sudipto Mohanti (Area Director), Ms. Sapna Surin (State Lead), Mr. Jitendra Kumar (Senior Programme Officer), Mr. Kirti Rawat (DPO-IEHP), Ms. Nidhi Kshetri (DPO-Social Security), Mr. Sudhir Gupta (BPM-JSLPS), Panchayats’ Mukhiyas, PRIs Members, Mr. Varun Pandey, Mr. Deepak Sharma, JSLPS cadres and villagers were present on the occasion.

Mr. Satish Girija said that we aim to make Hazaribagh district free from Cataract caused blindness in the year 2023. The guests have appreciated the achievement of IEHP and thanked all concerned persons for their cooperation.

Before this, a special eye screening camp was organized by NBJK run LNJP Eye Hospital, Bahera (Chouparan, Hazaribagh) for aged persons, PwDs, women and the patients of Diabetic Retinopathy at Ramdev Khairka panchayat in Daru block of the district. This ensured eye checkup for 108 persons including 29 PwDs and detected 13 patients of Cataract while glasses were provided to 9 handicapped.

The very presence of Ms. Shatabdi Mazumdar (Traainee IAS-cum-BDO, Daru block) was quite encouraging for the camp. She praised the initiative of Inclusive Eye Health Programme and its reach at grassroots.

It’s significant that there has been a lot of cooperation from JSLPS, BDOs, Mukhiyas and community to make the programme successful.

Towards Elimination of Avoidable Blindness

09 January 2023, Giridih-Deoghar: In course of eradicating avoidable blindness in remote rural areas, Sightsavers supported & NBJK run Vision Centre; Bengabad (Giridih) is committed for community awareness and household screening at villages in different blocks of Giridih district.

The vision centre is associated with Vimla Ramkrishna Bajaj Eye Hospital, Deoghar by NBJK and during the period of 5th to 9th January 2023, it organized seven screening camps at Dhardharo, Ektara, Phursodih, Maharaidih, Harodih, Phuphundi and Bhuji villages of Jamua, Bengabad, Deori blocks. Also many villagers have reached to the Vision Centre voluntarily for their eye checkup.

The initiative resulted as 153 OPD with detection of 86 eye patients with Refractive Error, 59 with Cataract, 8 with Pterygium while 11 patients availed necessary medicines. These all were very needy persons from poor socio-economic background and beyond reach of any eye care service.

At the base hospital at Deoghar, our medical team has provided follow up service to a number of discharged patients.

Guest Lecture at MRTC, Giridih

07 January 2023, Giridih: Under NBJK run Young India Project with support of UTI Mutual Fund, Mission Rozgar Training Centre-Giridih has invited Prof. (Dr.) Balbhadra Singh, a renowned teacher of Hindi in Giridih College to deliver a guest lecture for the trainees.

Prof. Singh has greeted all in the beginning of New Year and expressed his happiness over representation of girl trainees. He said that presence of girls assure us for social transformation. Self-reliance, financial independence and the ability to get along are the values MRTC is inculcating among youths with its courses, Prof. Balbhadra Singh mentioned. He praised Ms. Rumana Azmat (Manager) with faculties of MRTC and encouraged the trainees to show their spirit. During his address, Prof. Singh said that curiosity, patience, focused approach and commitment are the keys to success in any field of knowledge. He conveyed best wishes to the youths and blessed them for a bright future.

Mrs. Roselin Tudu, Mrs. Poonam Thakur, Mr. Pramod Kumar Turi, Mr. Vishal Kumar (all faculties)  and around 60 trainees were present in the event.

It’s significant that MRTC-Giridih offers three months vocational courses to youths on Data Entry Operator, Tally Prime with GST, General Duty Assistant and Beautician-Bridal Makeup & Menhadi with moderate fee of Rs. 600 only.

Poverty Reduction through Self-Help Groups

06 January 2023, Hazaribagh-Ramgarh-Ranchi-Khunti-Patna: The very concept of SHGs was introduced in Jharkhand by NBJK with women of Hazaribagh in the year 1991 after intense survey and study. Initially the organization has invited some consultants from Bangladesh also to establish the programme.

Now it has been spread up to villages in 12 blocks of Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Khunti districts and 15 slums of Patna in Jharkhand-Bihar.

NBJK works with men’s groups also and the programme is called as Poverty Reduction through Self-Help Groups. It covers formation & promotion of women’s SHGs as well as men’s Joint Liability Groups/JLGs, ensures their internal saving and encourages livelihood activities by group members.

PRTSHG offers small financial support for common people to strengthen their petty businesses and provides doorstep service. Currently it runs total 730 women SHGs with 16490 members and 570 SHGs with 5484 members have availed micro credit while 289 JLGs with 1258 male members are beneficiaries of the programme.

The service goes to total 6742 borrowers and some of them are engaged with new kinds of business like event management, beauty parlor etc besides traditional trades. Their cumulative repayment rate is 91% after two consequent years eclipsed by Covid.

Making Farmers Lakhpati

05 January 2023, Khunti: Lakhpati Kisan™ Smart Village project is being run by NBJK in Murhu and Khunti blocks of Khunti district with support of CInI-Tata Trusts. This is to ensure agriculture productivity enhancement and high value agriculture with integration of improved technologies, access to irrigation, animal husbandry, lac cultivation and Institution building for community engagement.

The project covers 7347 HHs from 32 villages and delivers through Murhu Nari Shakti Kisan Producer Co. Ltd., an FPO with a capital base of Rs. 44 lakh and linked to around 4000 farmers. MNSKPCL has 2986 shareholders with share capital of Rs. 24,71,700 and annual business worth above Rs. 03 crore 08 lakh with profit of Rs. 07 lakh plus.

There are 205 SHGs and 69 village organizations linked with the FPO that could engage 4042 families with secondary stable income source along with agriculture and promoted 31 entrepreneurs from farm & non-farm sectors. During Kharif, Rabi & Garma seasons of 2022-23, total 5606 HHs cultivated paddy, vegetables, watermelon etc on 2048.88 acres in Murhu block while 5298 HHs grew the same on 1955.77 acres in Khunti block. To support the farmers, 09 Nursery entrepreneurs have supplied 4068010 (Kharif), 1095064 (Rabi) and 1149159 (Garma) soilless saplings for quality vegetable crops to farmers through MNSKPCL as a pre-production input. Lakhpati Kisan project has promoted horticulture under MNREGA at 21 villages and now 136 families own 12576 mango plants on 128 acres.

Likewise 3666 HHs have opted lac cultivation as secondary activity and a Lac Handicrafts unit has been initiated in collaboration with ONGC Foundation. Under this project, NBJK has facilitated tribal farmers to go for allied activities as goat rearing for 1506 HHs, pig rearing for 265 HHs, backyard poultry for 951 HHs, backyard fishery for 342 HHs and supported them to become entrepreneurs as 09 with quality piglets’ production, 09 with AI services & vet health care services for goatry, 04 with spawn fingerlings production and 05 with chicks supply units.

With convergence of Johar-JSLPS, local farmers avail many facilities including irrigation like Solar based micro lift irrigation units (135), micro lift irrigation units with drip & mulch technology (30), micro lift irrigation units with solar fencing for crop protection from animals (05) and solar based cold storage for long time preservation of farm products (01).

Such initiatives by NBJK & CInI-Tata Trusts have made nearly 2100 farmers as Lakhpati in villages. MNSKPCL is performing well and bagged “Samunnati-The Economic Times Best FPO Award” and “Vijayalakshmi Das-Friends-of-Women FPO Award” earlier.

The Masters Moving their Villages Forward

03 January 2023, Chakai (Jamui, Bihar): Under SBI Foundation supported SBI Gram Seva project by NBJK in Chakai block of Jamui district in Bihar, five villages as Heth Chakai, Paatjori, Chhachudih, Mamtadih and Garahi of Ramchandradih panchayat are going through transformation silently.

At each village, Community Information Centre imparts digitalization of villages with computer education, internet connectivity, photo copy-printing of documents, news updates, instant information on Govt. schemes etc. Remedial Coaching Centres offer extra classes of Science, Math & English to students of class VIII, IX & X and the project provides SBI OJAS Rural Talent Scholarship to students.

For livelihood support, SBI’s Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI), Jamui provides vocational training to women & youths on different trades. Also some private agencies visit at villages to recruit youths.

As empowering activities for rural youths, events like cricket tournament & others used to be held at operational villages. Likewise to make people aware and to involve them with issues of wider concern, celebration of special days is a routine activity in these villages.

To enhance farmers’ income through allied activities, cows have been distributed among farmers and farmers’ groups have received electric motor pumps with accessories. SBIGS ensures construction, renovation and repair of ponds, wells-hand pumps, bathrooms, sitting platforms etc in these villages. It arranges knowledge sharing sessions with villagers over new schemes for farmers and innovative agriculture.

It’s significant that there are Village Development Committees at each target village and NBJK-SBIF handed over all created assets & infrastructures under SBIGS to the community. Here the villagers are not merely recipients rather they are masters to move their villages forward.

SBI Gram Seva strives for Integrated Rural Development at Deoghar

02 January 2022, Deoghar: With support of SBI Foundation, the CSR wing of State Bank of India, NBJK carries out SBI Gram Seva project at Ramaldih, Sahari, Barsatiya, Gaadi and Navadih villages of Andhrigadar panchayat in Deoghar Sadar block under Deoghar district.

SBIGS strives for integrated development through education for children as well as skill development, livelihood support, profitable agriculture with youths, women and farmers. The initiatives like community’s access to banking service and digitalization of villages add an extra edge to the project. Across all these five villages, the main occupation of inhabitants is agriculture and SBIGS caters 1073 households with 6300 people.

There are Community Information Centres with facilities like internet connectivity, print & xerox facilities, villagers watch TV, informative videos, daily news etc. Village Development Committees maintain previously created assets like hand pumps, wells, bathrooms, soak pits, pot cleaning/meeting platforms, crematorium shed, plantation, medical equipments at CHC etc.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Deoghar have encouraged the villagers for oilseeds farming and provided training to women on nourishment & nutritional foods as well as through the project, 600 Papaya plants have been distributed among 66 farmers and 17 farmers got Electric Motor Pumps.

Likewise women learn tailoring skill at SBI Prerna Kendra, Ramaldih. They formed Pooja Ajeevika Sakhee Mandal and installed an Incense stick making machine to raise income. Another women group as Laxmi Ajeevika Sakhee Mandal of village-Barstiya is engaged with cow rearing.

SBIGS arranges extra tuition for school children in subjects like Science, Maths & English at Remedial Coaching Centres, provides SBI OJAS Rural Talent Scholarship and involves people in celebration of various Special Days.

Activities of Remedial Coaching Centres

31 December 2022, Hazaribagh-Ranchi: Under Girls’ Education Programme by NBJK with support of Action Village India, the girl children of Remedial Coaching Centre, Kanchanpur got an opportunity for Educational Tour and they have visited Hundru Waterfall, Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park and Aqua World Machhli Ghar at Ranchi on 30th December. This was a great learning as well as enjoyment for the girl students from rural background those never found such exposure.

Before this on 28th December, the teachers of all 17 RCCs scattered at villages in Hazaribagh Sadar, Katkamsandi and Katkamdag blocks of Hazaribagh district have participated in an Orientation Training to overhaul their teaching skills & strategy to meet contemporary needs of more than 600 girl students of class 8, 9 & 10 enrolled at these RCCs where they get tuition of Science, Maths and English almost free of cost. It’s noteworthy that the board exam of class 10 will commence in February next year.

Mr. Abhay Kumar (Program Supervisor) has informed that within the period of 14-27 December, all the RCCs have organized Parents-Teacher Meeting that ensured a live communication over issues like children’s academic performance, gender mainstreaming, child marriage etc among parents, teachers and NBJK.

Outreach Screening Camps & Training to ASHAs by VRKB Eye Hospital, Deoghar

30 December 2022, Deoghar & Giridih: NBJK run Vimla RamKrishna Bajaj Eye Hospital, Deoghar has organized 17 outreach eye screening camps and 01 training event for ASHAs during the period of 9-28 December.

Some camps have been supported under Netra Vasant Rural Eye Health project by Sightsavers, some under Rashtriya Netra Yagna by Vision Foundation of India while Christian Fellowship of India has supported one camp.

These screening camps have ensured free of cost eye checkup and facilitated free Cataract surgeries at VRKBEH. There were total 579 OPD with 243 cases of Refractive Errors, 223 of Cataract, 21 with Pterygium and 11 others. Medicines have been distributed among 63 eye patieints; glasses given to 72 and 15 have been referred to base hospital for proper treatment including Baby Manisha, a girl from Rohini (Deoghar) with Cataract in her both eyes.

The camps have covered many villages like Charghara, Nawaser, Jaridih, Jaruadih, Barbadiya, Kadodoh, Naitand, Bhanudih, Bholapur, Parsan, Nimadih, Salaiya, Pichhri etc of Jamua, Rajdhanwar, Tisri, Deoghar Sadar, Palojori blocks of Giridih and Deoghar districts.

ASHAs’ training upon Cataract Detection was held at Karon CHC (Deoghar) with support of Sightsavers.