At a time when government schemes are taken with a pinch of salt, here is one that has not only taken off but is being implemented. All because of the determination of an IAS officer, S.K. Nanda, matched suitably by Jamnagar district development officer Manish Bhardwaj, who is in charge of its implementation. Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar, is collaborating in the project.
Says Nanda, who conceived of the Niramaya village scheme, "The primary idea is to ensure villagers have a natural Ayurvedic cure for their basic illnesses. We have taken care of 15 common ailments, for which villagers had to leg it out to the nearest doctor, who may not sometimes be available. The idea was to provide reliable, regular, accessible and cheap healthcare."
According to Nanda, the concept came to him during visits to the Dangs forests in south Gujarat when he was an official in that district. Dangs is a tribal belt where they have the ancient system of traditional healers. "I thought if such a system works there, it would work in other places as well." Jamnagar was chosen because it had an Ayurvedic university and was in drought-prone, backward Saurashtra.
Today, the village administration has written records of the health status and the socio-economic condition of each of Aishwariya’s 805 residents. Everyone’s blood and urine tests have been carried out. ENT tests have been done. Every villager has a health card. Every family gets a health kit containing 15 types of Ayurvedic medicines four times a year. "We have the village profile, family profile and individual profiles of three villages, including Aishwarya. Earlier, we would always be groping in the dark for basic information. Now, we are prepared," says district health officer Hiraben Joshi.
"Initially, the villagers were sceptical. For one, it was coming from the government and they didn’t know Ayurveda. It took a while for them to understand that it helped them maintain good health. With yoga, deaddiction camps and general sanitation, there is a general improvement in the conditions of life now," says Bhardwaj.
"This is basically a people-driven scheme, where different government departments converged towards making a holistic and self-reliant village," explains S.K. Nanda, who was recently transferred from the health department. But he still keeps close tabs on the the Niramaya scheme. "Nanda was emotionally attached to the concept," says Bhardwaj.
For details of the Niramaya village scheme, contact: Manish Bhardwaj, district development officer, district panchayat office, Panchayat Bhawan, Jamnagar or e-mail S.K. Nanda: sudip_nanda2003@yahoo.com
