Started in 1999 and registered under Madhya Pradesh State Society Registration Act 1973, Naman Seva Samiti has successfully transformed marginalized communities in Madhya Pradesh to be independent and self-reliant. Working with communities for more than a decade now, Naman Seva Samiti mission is collaborative and sustainable community development. Naman Seva Samiti is focusing on inclusion of poor and marginalised communities. While a cooperative credit and savings bank, a spice processing and packaging unit and organic farms are the tangible resources, a more enduring outcome has been the number of poorest of the poor who have now experienced pleasure and dignity through these set ups.
Leadership
Co-Founder, has 20 years experience in development sector working with remote & Hard to reach rural communities from Hoshangabad & Betul District. She has mobilised over 10 thousand women from marginalised communities and supported them to build women centric institutions from village, district and state level.
10 years field experience of working with women from tribal and backward communities advocating for women rights. Her mission is to empower women and persons with disabilities gaining access to financial resources. She specialises in community mobilisation and community empowerment to build and sustain community institutions. She is a role model for women to take leadership in community institutions in extremely remote and unreachable areas
Lawyer and Marketing Management professional. He is founder of Naman Seva Samiti and has been working for 20 years in the development sector across Madhya Pradesh. He is President – Bhartiya Viklang Jan Forum (National Level DPO) and Member of Bio- Diversity Committee, Human Rights Commissions and many other state and national level committees. He is an expert for Livelihood in sector of Small income generation activity, Watershed, Disability, Cooperatives, Plant Establishment for high production and marketing.
Finance professional. He has worked with rural communities for over 7 years ranging from grassroots and community based institutions. His experience of financial management of community institutions helps Naman support to strengthen Community Based Inclusive Institutions
Journey of building Socially and Financially Inclusive Society
Naman has started with 100 SHGs with Department for International Development (DFID) under (PACS) poorest Area of the Civil Society &Zila Panchayat Betul under Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) in the year of 2007. This was extended by NABARD by the formation of 200 another SHGs in the year 2013. At present, Naman has over 1700 Self Help Groups.
Inclusive SHGs formation is a first entry point in the targeted villages. Capacity building of SHG’s members leads them to take up saving and credit activities within the group members. SHGs and individual members are linked with Naman Cooperative Society (work as bank) as shareholders and clients of Naman Cooperative Society.Assessment of livelihood basket, skills & willingness for taking up new livelihood and feasibility of livelihood activity /business which the individual has proposed for taking up, are assessed. Also, past experiences on willingness is taken in to consideration. Once feasibility of proposed livelihood activity is finalised then detailed business plan is developed for an individual. Compilation of each member’s business plan results into the SHG’s business plan.
Naman Seva Samiti has an agreement with District Lead Bank in Betul district as per the joint grading recommended loan disbursed to SHGs.It was 2012 -13 when the co-operative establishing by the learning of community. Now more than 200 SHGs are joinging CO-opeative by the growth rate of higher than 150%.It was 2011-12 when co-operative disbursed only INR 40,000/- however it reached appox. INR. 10 million by end of 2015 which is 100 times growth within four years. The cooperative earned more than INR 0.9 million interest in the year 2015 however it was only INR 5000 in the year 2011. If the co-operative was not there the community would have paid this interest to money lender five time
Members of SHGs interested in Agro based livelihood are trained on organic farming, horticulture (vegetable production, polyhouse management, aromatic & medicinal plantation, orchid management etc.) , apiculture, animal husbandry, dairy etc. Members are trained on preparation of Bio dynamic composts, vermin compost, NADEP compost, Bio pesticides etc. Selected plots/fields are dedicated under organic farming. Organic farmers are registered under the group organic certification and simultaneously registered under APEDA – Government of India.
Farmer’s federation comprises of 642 farmers. One representative from each Farmer’s Interest Group (FIG) per village constitutes Haldhar Farmer’s Federation having 58 active members. These members form an executive body comprising of 11 members. These 11 members are board of directors of Producer Company. At present Haldhar Farmer’s Federation are engaged in procurement of organic wheat and organic gram from organic farmers. Approximately 50 metric ton of organic wheat is procured by the Federation. Farmer Federation has now developed as Tapti Organic Producer Company Ltd.
Centralised Spice processing unit was supported through Government of Japan in 2010. Approximately 250 women and persons with disabilites are part of processing and marketing value chain in spice processing unit. This unit is producing 10-15 tons of spices annually. At present Chilly, Turmeric, Coriander and Gram Masala are launchedunder the brand name “SKC” in the market. The product is fulfilling all legal requirements e.g trade mark, TIN and FSSAI. Processing unit pilotted 4 new organic products Wheat flour, Organic Broken wheat (Dahlia), Organic Multi Grain Atta and Organic Gram flour. This processing unit is now registred as Kutir Agro Producer Company Ltd
Marketing of produce is done through 500 outlets in Betul district. Bedsides, outlets product are sold through 100 restaurants, 50 hostels, 100 primary schools and 100 dabas. Around 250 Women and Persons with disabilities are engaged in processing and marketing value chain. Naman Federation has marketing linkage with Madhya Pradesh Khadhi Gram Udoyog Board. SHGs member’s Agro produce are marketed under “Vindhya Valley” brand of M.P Khadhi Gram Udoyog Board.
Approximately 885.185 hectares of land are covered under watershed development programme. 110 hectares are covered under capacity building phase. Village Watershed Committee (VWC) comprises of 13 members including 08 male and 05 female members. Around 196 families (9 families landless) will be benefited through watershed development project. The watershed committee is empowered to plan & monitor their work. More than 125 members are in the SHGs out of total 196 families. Two biogas system sare installed to start organic vegetable production by the slurry from biogas digester; in addition another 100 families are identified for organic farming and bio waste management. The migration is reduced up to 70% as per the social audit conducted by the Village Watershed Committee