Resource Units

Livelihood Resource Unit

The Livelihood Resource Unit started functioning in April 2004, with a focus on issues related to land, water and forest. Since the beginning, the Unit became involved in the Forest Land Rights Campaign, since 1995. The campaign expanded with linkages to other states, and ultimately, in 2006, the central government passed the “Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act”. The Unit is actively associated with the Jungle Jameen Jan Andolan (Forest Land People’s Movement) at the regional level, and with the Survival with Dignity Campaign at the national level. At present, the Resource Unit is working towards the effective implementation of the ‘Forest Rights Act’ in nine districts of Rajasthan.
The Resource Unit is also in close networking with the state-wide campaign for NREGA and RTI through the Rozgar evam Suchna ka Adhikar Abhiyan (Employment and Right to Information Campaign) that aims at proper and effective implementation of NREGA. The Unit is involved with regular trainings on the NREGA Act; it is training train Mates (labour gang supervisors), various POs and Voluntary Organizations for effective implementation of the Act.
Unit is ensuring food security by making sure that the Supreme Court Orders in connection to food security are being implemented, and by networking at the state and at the national level. The Unit also plays an active role in collaboration with the POs and civil society organizations to monitor the Public Distribution System, spreading awareness regarding the school mid-day meal and other food security schemes of the government.

Local Self-Governance Resource Unit

The Local Self Governance Resource Unit (LSG) was formed in 2004, with the objective of working with the people to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI). The working strategy of the Unit is to do direct fieldwork and intervention in a limited number of Village Council areas, and District, and also to work with and through partner NGOs in other parts of Rajasthan. At present, the LSG Unit is working in 3 Blocks directly, and indirectly in 49 blocks of 17 districts in Rajasthan, to train and strengthen the elected women representatives, and to encourage citizens to take active participation in PRI Gram Sabha (Village Assembly) meetings. The LSG Unit networks with other voluntary organizations and people’s organizations to strengthen the PRIs

Budget Analysis Rajasthan Centre

Astha formed the Budget Analysis Rajasthan Centre (BARC) in 2002, and the Centre works as a resource centre from its base in the state capital, Jaipur. The Centre analyse the Rajathan State Budgets, from the perspective of the poor, and make the data, and the analysis, available to those organizations of the poor and marginalized, and those working with the poor. Also, the Centre economic analysts work with interested Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), alerting them to problem areas in the budgets, and in the expenditure patterns.
BARC seeks to strengthen democracy, and attempts to ensure the rights of each poor person to survive "with dignity" by eliminating the skewed pattern of fund/ resource allocation through re-distributive measures, such as formulation and effective implementation of the policies relating to livelihood security and social protection for the underprivileged. Visit www.barcjaipur.org for more details about BARC.

People’s Education and Culture Resource Unit

Astha started the work of “People’s Education” with the crash, condensed, residential courses in literacy for the leaders of People’s Groups and Organizations. A special condensed course design was evolved by the Literacy Team to help illiterate women elected representatives to Panchayati Raj Institutions, to acquire functional literacy skills to help them to fulfill their roles and responsibilities well. Another activity which the Unit is taking seven month crash condensed residential course for tribal girls ages 9-14 who had never gone to school. These girls’ education efforts effectively prepare the girls to enter class 6 in the government school system.
When the mass awareness efforts started around the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA), there was need felt for trained cultural teams to promote awareness about the causes through song, street theatre, puppetry, slogans and other cultural means. The Resource Unit, from time to time, is arranging training camps for the preparation of cultural teams.

Women’s Rights Resource Unit

Astha has been working with and for women from the beginning. However, while women’s issues are quite well “mainstreamed” in Astha’s work, still, some issues and tasks remain uncovered by our present structure. Therefore, it has been decided to establish a Women’s Rights esource Unit in Astha.

The focus of the work will be on marginalized, exploited, deprived women. Since April 2009, The Unit is working on women’s rights and gender issues affecting large numbers (like; Female Feticide, sexual harassment at the workplace, needed social reforms and integration into the women’s movement of Muslim Women-both locally and nationally etc.) and will not take up individual cases, case after case.

Tribal Rights Resource Unit

Tribal Rights are enshrined in the Constitution of India and have translated into several laws, but the implementation of those laws leaves a lot to desired! The Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act 1996, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 are important pieces of legislation, passed by the Central and state governments, but not implemented, and so, upto now, the tribals are denied the rights intended. There are many issues on which the Tribal Rights Resource Unit will work.
The tribal people of Rajasthan are mainly of two tribes – the Bhils and the Meenas. The Bhils are almost entirely excluded in taking advantage of the reservations in education and in jobs. Tribal Rights Resource Unit is working with tribal group of Bhils - Bhils, Gametis, Bhil-Meenas, Garasias. Astha will also work with other primitive tribes of Rajasthan i.e. Saharia, Kathodia.