Ground Report: Milking them dry

Women who started the dairy movement in Uttarakhand have fallen victim to government apathy

Jugal Kishore Pandey Dehradun
 
 
The women's dairy movement in Uttarakhand has run into rough weather. And, successive governments and policies have done little to help them. Under the aegis of the State-run Women's Dairy Project, women dairy workers have set up 785 dairy cooperatives and 80 self-help groups to facilitate the production of 22,000 litre milk daily. They have also undertaken training programmes.

For their work, they get a nominal honorarium. Their services have not been regularised. As a result, they face an uncertain future. About a year ago, they started an agitation in Dehradun demanding regularisation as in other government jobs.
 
Government officials had then promised to address their problems. So, the agitation was suspended. They were assured of a secure future and an increase in their honorarium. But, nothing happened. Though the state government set up a women's empowerment department, the ground realities for these women remained grim.

Many of these women have been in this sector for more than a decade. Their options to move to other sectors or jobs have reduced. Some have crossed the maximum age limit set for jobs in government departments. So, they are left with no options. What's worse is that many of these women are the sole breadwinners in their families.

In Uttarakhand, the dairy movement is linked to women's empowerment. Simultaneously, animal husbandry and milk production have been developed as commercial activities. The cooperative movement, which began in 1994, has improved social awareness and built an orientation towards community development. The network of milk committees that were set up, spearheaded various activities including family welfare, developing organic manure, bio-gas production, programmes for women and an overall strengthening of self-help groups.

Inspired by the pioneering model of cooperative dairy farming at Anand in Gujarat, these women set up village level cooperative committees. That helped greater participation of women at gram panchayat, zilla and even at the state levels. They also set up crèches to take care of the children of the working women.

The women have also gone ahead to explore possibilities of bank loans for purchasing milk-producing cattle to battle poverty and unemployment. It had also helped in curbing migration out of the region.

For these women living in the mountainous terrains of Uttarakhand, life is hard. They are up from dawn to dusk taking on multiple roles: home-maker, child rearing, work in the fields and tending to cattle. The dairy project had helped them aspire for better lives. They motivated other women in the village to join them, too. The village women now not only bring milk to the collection centres but are also adept at keeping accounts. They also need to attend samiti meetings.

But, all their efforts don't seem to be paying rich enough dividends. Though they worked hard to strengthen the cooperative movement and initiated development processes within the community, yet these women remained neglected. The silent revolution that they had ushered in have fallen victim to government apathy.

Charkha Features