Self-reliant Community Development Model: A Case of Chanpatia Start-up Zone in Bihar (original) (raw)

ICSSR sponsored National Conference on Indian Approaches to Human Resource and Community Development, Department of Social Work, Central University of Kerala, Kasargod, 2022

Abstract

The World Inequality Report 2022, places India in the category of extreme income inequalities, with the top 1% holding 22% of national wealth in comparison to 13% of wealth owned by the bottom 50%. The national income is largely an outcome of continuous hard labor of peasants, workers, and professionals, however, it has not been distributed uniformly creating humongous disparity. India stands at 131 out of 189 countries according to Human Development Index, resulting in poverty, unemployment, and forced migration, especially in rural areas where approximately 70% of the population lives. India has a Power Distance score of 77 in the Hofstede dimension for the culture, compared to a world average of 56.5, indicating a high level of inequality of power and wealth within the society. The score also suggests the high acceptance of discrimination by the less powerful members of institutions and organizations in the country. To address this age-old problem of Indian society, the idea of the self-reliant village, Gram Swaraj, was proposed by Mahatma Gandhi. The manifestation of this timeless wisdom was evident in one of the poorest regions of India, the district of West Champaran in Bihar, during a pandemic-induced lockdown due to COVID-19. With the district’s per capita average GDP standing at meager 24,223 rupees, the region is infamous for labor export for centuries to Mauritius, Fiji, and West Indian islands during the colonial period to the Gulf countries, and bigger Indian cities in recent times. However, a unique initiative of skill-mapping-program of 80,000 migrant workers by the district administration suggested the availability of abundant expertise in garment manufacturing, resulting in the launching of the Chanpatia start-up zone in the abandoned Bihar State Food Corporation building. Today WC, Champaran Creation, Bihar Garment, ADR Shirts, and Lisso are a few brands that are exporting garments from Nepal to Spain. This paper is a case study of “Chanpatia Start-up Zone” to critically analyze the possible Indian models of community development initiatives to further strengthen the concept of Gram Swaraj.

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