FOR THE STATE LEVEL WOMEN

COOPERATIVE CONFERENCE

ON 4-5 MARCH 2002

· HON’BLE CHIEF MINISTER DIGVIJAY SINGH, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER SUBASH YADAV, FRIENDS, GOOD MORNING!

· LET ME CONGRATULATE THE GOVERNMENT OF MADHYA PRADESH FOR ORGANISING THIS EXCITING CONSULTATION.

· THE HISTORY OF THE COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN INDIA IS INTIMATELY ENTWINED WITH THE HISTORY OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT.

· YET THE MOST FREQUENT PICTURES PRESENTED ABOUT WOMEN OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, ARE THOSE OF VICTIMS – - OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT, POVERTY, VIOLENCE , DISCRIMINATION.

· BUT THERE’S ANOTHER SIDE TO THE STORY – FOR EXAMPLE, THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF INDIAN WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL ECONOMY.

· WOMEN ARE PRODUCERS, WORKERS, ENTREPRENEURS - THEY WORK AS CULTIVATORS ON THEIR FAMILY LAND, AS WAGE LABOUR ON THE LAND OF OTHERS, AS COLLECTORS AND PROCESSORS OF FOREST PRODUCE; & AS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, STREET VENDORS, ARTISANS, FACTORY WORKERS - THE LIST IS ENDLESS.

· THE GRASSROOTS WOMEN’S MOVEMENT IN INDIA HAS GROWN OUT OF STRUGGLES AND STRATEGIES OF THESE WOMEN.

- A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES FOR TACKLING POVERTY IN THE PAST 50 YEARS HAVE EVOLVED AND BEEN IMPLEMENTED INITIALLY BY WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN MADHYA PRADESH.

· THE RECOGNITION OF "WOMEN'S WORK" AS A KEY SECTOR WAS BROUGHT TO THE FORE IN THE BEIJING CONFERENCE, AND IN BEIJING+5 IN 2000.

- EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS FOCUSSING ON THE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, ALONGSIDE POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT, AND FREEDOM FROM VIOLENCE AND DISCRIMINATION.

· THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AND THE UN SYSTEM HERE GIVE PRIDE OF PLACE TO GENDER ISSUES.

- INDIA'S UN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK HAS GENDER EQUALITY AND STRENGTHENING DECENTRALISATION AS ITS TWIN THEMES TO GUIDE OUR FUTURE PROGRAMMES.

· THE UN FAMILY WORKS CLOSELY WITH GOVERNMENT ON GENDER IMPACT ASSESSMENTS AND GENDER BUDGETS.

- WE’RE DELIGHTED THAT THE ANNUAL ECONOMIC SURVEY PUBLISHED JUST BEFORE THE NATIONAL BUDGET NOW INCLUDES A GENDER SECTION.

· THIS YEAR'S ECONOMIC SURVEY ACKNOWLEDGES THE ROLE OF WOMEN'S WORK IN THE CARE ECONOMY, AS ALSO THE SYSTEM OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTS.

- IT THEN HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO FURTHER IMPROVE ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR THE WOMEN OF INDIA.

· WE’RE ALSO IN DIALOGUE WITH THE UNION PLANNING COMMISSION, TO HELP ENGENDER THE TENTH PLAN.

- AS THE NEXT PLAN IS TO BE A REFORM PLAN, WE BELIEVE THAT ISSUES PERTAINING TO WOMEN'S LIVELIHOODS, INCLUDING THOSE OF COOPERATIVES AND SELF-HELP GROUPS, WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR PLANNERS AT NATIONAL, STATE, AND DISTRICT LEVELS.

· THE WEBPAGE OF THE INDIAN COOPERATIVE FEDERATION, THE APEX BODY OF COOPERATIVES IN INDIA, IS SILENT ON WOMEN – YET SOME OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE COOPERATIVES IN THE COUNTRY ARE RUN BY WOMEN - - TO WHICH YOU ARE LIVE TESTIMONY!

· EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE AMUL EXPERIMENT – LAUDED AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COOPERATIVE DAIRY IN THE WORLD.

· NO LESS SUCCESSFUL ARE WOMEN’S DAIRY COOPERATIVES 0F ANDHRA PRADESH, AND YOUR OWN PATH BREAKING COOPERATIVE BANKS MODEL, HERE IN MADHYA PRADESH.

· BECAUSE THESE GROUPS ARE MANAGED AND RUN BY WOMEN, THEY’VE ADDRESSED PROBLEMS THAT HAVE KEPT WOMEN OUT OF MAINSTREAM COOPERATIVES.

· FOR INSTANCE, SEWA MILK PRODUCERS COOPERATIVES IN DROUGHT-PRONE DISTRICTS REALISED THAT FODDER AVAILABILITY WAS A KEY FACTOR KEEPING THEM OUT OF MILK SOCIETIES.

· MANY OF THE PRIMARY SOCIETIES FORMED THERE BECAME DEFUNCT – ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION AND DROUGHT MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND FODDER TO FEED THEIR CATTLE IN THE DRY SEASON.

· SO SEWA MEMBERS FROM 8 SOCIETIES STARTED A FODDER COOPERATIVE – THEY PURCHASE FODDER FROM GODOWNS AND DISTRIBUTE IT ROUND THE YEAR ON A NO-PROFIT BASIS.

· WOMEN’S COOPERATIVES HAVE ADDRESSED STRUCTURAL ISSUES OF INEQUALITY AND GENDER BIAS.

· HOW MANY OF US KNOW THAT ‘TIL RECENTLY, WOMEN FROM FISHING COMMUNITIES IN BIHAR WERE UNABLE TO LEASE PONDS FOR FISH CULTIVATION, BECAUSE THE RULES ALLOWED LEASING ONLY TO MEN.

· TODAY, MORE THAN 300 PONDS IN BIHAR ARE LEASED BY WOMEN’S FISHING COOPERATIVES, WHICH RUN THEIR OWN NURSERY TO PROVIDE FINGERLINGS AND TRAINING IN MODERN METHODS.

· THE WORKING WOMEN’S FORUM IN CHENNAI IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE.

· THOUSANDS OF WOMEN HAVE BEEN ORGANISED BY THE FORUM THROUGH CREDIT COOPERATIVES, THAT HAVE ENABLED THEM TO BREAK OUT OF THE CLUTCHES OF PERPETUAL INDEBTEDNESS AND DEPENDENCY ON MONEY-LENDERS AND OTHER MIDDLEMEN.

· LET ME END WITH A STORY - SELVI’S STORY.

· A SLUM DWELLER, SELVI WAS THRASHED DAILY BY HER HUSBAND, IN EXCHANGE FOR 20 RUPEES A DAY, LEFTOVERS FOR THE FAMILY, AFTER HER FISHERMAN SPOUSE DRANK AWAY HIS MAIN EARNINGS.

· SELVI IS NOW A STALWART OF A WOMEN’S COOPERATIVE, HAVING SECURED A SMALL LOAN WITH SEVEN CO-WORKERS --- SELVI’S OWN PROFITS FROM THE SALE OF FISH ARE TYPICALLY 100 RUPEES DAILY.

· SELVI TOLD ME THAT NOW, SHE CAN QUITE NICELY FEED FOUR CHILDREN, WITHOUT THE THRASHING OR 20 RUPEES, COURTESY OF HER HUSBAND.

· SHE’S ONE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS --- SO WHY NOT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF SELVI’S, BRINGING NEW ENERGY TO THE COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN INDIA AND TRANSFORMING THE FACE OF THE COUNTRY, AND BEYOND.

· THAT PROSPECT IS WHY I’M THRILLED TO BE PART OF YOUR GATHERING HERE TODAY!

· WITH THE STATE’S TRADITION OF POWERFUL WOMEN, ONE EASILY IMAGINES YOU SETTING EXTRAORDINARY NEW RECORDS!

· BRAVO, TO YOU!

· NAMASKAR!