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Tribal Service Center Accessing Grants for Tribal Communities

GPM operates an innovative and unique program that secures available government grants for tribal people in order to generate economic empowerment for hundreds of farmers and individuals in the district of Mokhada. 

During extensive discussions with local people, farmers and government officials, GPM saw that there was a gap between the many services and grants offered by the government and the low application rate to request these grants. While the grant process is online, many people in this remote tribal area are unaware of the government grants available to them and they do not have access to a computer to fill out the application if they did know about them. Moreover, many farmers are either illiterate or have a low level of literacy and are unable to fill out the online grant applications. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is where GPM steps in! The GPM “Adivasi Lokseva Kendra, Mokhada” (Tribal Community Services Centre, Mokhada)  works with farmers to access government assistance through its online grant facilitation service. This free service, set up in December 2019, sees dozens of farmers who travel far distances to the center in order to apply online for access to government grants and aid for their own agri-related initiatives, such as water pumps, cattle, seeds, houses, toilets or compensation for drought or unseasonal rains that damage their produce.

 

At the end of 2023 the Adivasi Lokseva Kendra, Mokhada was happy to announce that we:

  • Reached 30,000 households with awareness and information on rights to government benefits.

  • Assisted 18,000 individuals apply for vital documents and grants

  • Secured a value of $4 million in direct financial assistance and other benefits for tribal communities in 56 villages spanning an entire tribal subdistrict

 

 

Apart from the team that go out to the villages every day, we operate two small but busy offices to process online grant applications. One office is located in the north of Mokhada and one in the south. 

 

GPM staff are on-hand to assist farmers in scanning, printing and applying for government grants online. The center has high-speed internet, computers and printing facilities, supported by a backup generator to address frequent power outages. A welcoming reception area with bathroom and refreshment facilities is available for the farmers who travel far distances, many over a few day period, to access our services. These funds helped hundreds of farmers with the financial support to build water facilities, purchase seeds and seedlings for crops, receive organic fertilizers, join faring training programs and even receive loans at low rates for tribal farmers.

In Sept 2023 we launched Healthcare Coverage Outreach Program, (HCOP) an initiative aimed to register every eligible household in the district for the free health insurance offered by the Indian government called PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana). The program provides health coverage for secondary and tertiary care and hospitalization to most vulnerable families in India – the poorest 40% . This life-saving project will ensure that the Mokhada community of 150,000 will be able to access the healthcare that they need and deserve. 

The specialized HCOP team has set as a goal to reach the entire community by the end of 2024 and ensure that every eligible household has health coverage. 

We are extremely grateful to IsraAID who partner with us in creating an impactful and far-reaching program benefiting the tribal communities we serve. IsraAID provides:

  • professional support and technical expertise,

  • psycho-social training regimens for local staff and medical professionals

  • development of a time saving, easy to use and efficient app to aid grant counselling on referral pathways, grant availability and eligibility criteria

 

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