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MOVING MOUNTAINS TO HELP PEOPLE

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Tapal Kumar Majhi cycles to work in the Bhaisadani Gram Panchayat Resource Center (GPRC) everyday from his village Pelnapada which is 4 km away. Tapal has always had a keen interest in working in the social sector and helping people. For 5 years prior to joining the GPRC, He was working in watershed development as back then Bhaisadani used to face a severe water shortage.

When Tapal started working in the GPRC 10 months ago, he faced a problem unique to the geography of Bhaisadani wherein the villages of the panchayat lay scattered and the furthest village was as far as 25 km away. The route too was long and tortuous requiring one to cross a mountain; the final 15km stretch not traversable by any way other than by foot or cycle.Despite these difficulties, He would make the journey every other day to reach the villagers and make sure they were aware of and received the entitlements they were eligible for.

Tapal closely works with the Sarpanch of the Bhaisadani GP in creating awareness amongst the villagers during the PRI meeting, working to complete applications of the entitlements and making sure they receive the entitlements by going to the block level offices as well. As the GPRC is located in the Panchayat campus, the punctuality and work pace of the Sarpanch keeps Tapal on his toes. Bhaisadani, a 1200 household panchayat, saw more than 300 entitlements being received with as many in the process of application.

While he was well-known earlier too due to his work in watershed development, working as the Panchayat Mitra in the GPRC and helping his fellow villagers increased his respectability in the village. Now, even those from better off households treat him with deference. Tapal uses this new-found good repute to create awareness among the villagers on topics such as child migration, child labour, hygiene and sanitation.