Changing the face of poverty and people's lives through a Social Security model
I wish to bring about socio-economic equality in the world, where every human being has the right to a sustainable and respectable living.
This project is aimed to achieve this goal, by improving the status of the underprivileged in different communities. We do so by making the underprivileged, service providers of various commodities, teach them manufacturing and trading skills, and give them access to wholesale markets. The underprivileged therefore turn sellers to the entire community. The business model generates a Social Security fund that gets apportioned to buyers and sellers in the community. This gives all community members economic security, and improves social status of the underprivileged (as producers/traders), thus bringing about socio-economic equality in the community.
Sobre ti
Sobre ti
Nombre
Pradeep
Apellido
Ghosh
URL de Twitter
URL de Facebook
Sobre tu organización
Nombre de la organización
Organisation for Awareness of Integrated Social Security (OASiS)
Sitio web de la organización
Teléfono de la organización
0091-755-4274407
Dirección de la organización
158, SECTOR-1, SHAKTI NAGAR, BHOPAL - 462024, MP
País de la organización
India, MP
Países en donde este proyecto está creando impacto social
India, MM
Tu organización es
OSC/ONG
¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado operando la organización?
Más de 5 años
Innovación
Título del Formulario de Inscripción
Changing the face of poverty and people's lives through a Social Security model
¿Qué cambios quieres traer al mundo?
I wish to bring about socio-economic equality in the world, where every human being has the right to a sustainable and respectable living.
This project is aimed to achieve this goal, by improving the status of the underprivileged in different communities. We do so by making the underprivileged, service providers of various commodities, teach them manufacturing and trading skills, and give them access to wholesale markets. The underprivileged therefore turn sellers to the entire community. The business model generates a Social Security fund that gets apportioned to buyers and sellers in the community. This gives all community members economic security, and improves social status of the underprivileged (as producers/traders), thus bringing about socio-economic equality in the community.
¿Cuáles son las actividades principales de tu proyecto?
The project enables underprivileged populations in both urban and rural areas to reorganise themselves and their livelihoods, so that they can match upto the standards of the privileged class. The project identifies the consumption pattern of the community/village cluster and helps reorganize the livelihoods of the poor, so that they can become service providers to the entire community. This helps in their social upliftment, thus diluting social differences. The project engages available infrastructure or creates new structure for the same. The entire community is made consumers of those services because of the incentive of free social security. Profits from the services are distributed as social security provisions. These provisions are used to buy insurances that provide the required social security cover. The project also helps the underprivileged undertake secondary livelihoods that act as their livelihood security.
¿Qué es innovador acerca de tu iniciativa? ¿Cómo es que es un nuevo aporte al campo?
The innovation is unique in many ways:
a) It re-organises local businesses in villages by forming Self Employed Groups (SEGs) and engaging them in different business activities.
b) It is an integrated Business model that ties up all SEG activities (in a village) into one, ensuring both demand and supply locally.
c) It ensures all dimensions of Social Security viz: Livelihood security, Food security, Economic security, Health security and old age economic security through the social business.
d) It brings back long lost self-sufficiency in the villages.
e) It is a business that is completely owned and managed by the villagers themselves.
f) It breaks caste barriers in the village.
g) It helps villagers break away from the clutches of shopkeepers (indirect moneylending through credits purchases).
h) It helps in arresting the drain of rural economy, and strengthens it economically.
i) It removes the fear of uncertainty from the minds of the villagers.
j) It helps in arresting migration.
While most IG activities by NGOs focus on making products for urban elite, this model helps rural folks sell products locally. The supply and demand therefore comes from the local community, making the village economy stronger. Unlike other NGOs, this model promotes group livelihoods, to maintain the supply chain & bind the community together.
Unlike other social security models that are savings based, this model is expenditure based, that creates a social security fund out of existing expenditure, thus addressing even those with no savings potential.
¿En qué fase está el proyecto?
Operando entre 1-5 años
Háblanos de la comunidad con la que estás trabajando, por ejemplo, sus condiciones económicas, las estructuras políticas, normas y valores, las tendencias demográficas, la historia y la experiencia con los esfuerzos de compromiso.
We have piloted this model in 2 villages of Madhya Pradesh, and replicated in 2 villages in Maharashtra.
The villages in MP were chosen by the State Govt, and have a mix of tribals and non-tribals. While 30% depended on farming, the rest 70% depended on agriculture labour and other labour. Mahua collection being an important source of income during summers also lead to alcoholism. Literacy levels among the adults was minimal, while most children went to school. However dropout rates were very high too. General economic conditions were low, but local politics kept them divided and fighting always. Both villages were about 4-5 kms away from the local market. We were introduced to the village by another NGO that had been working on SHG development for long in that area.
The villages in Maharashtra were a mix of multiple castes, but were comparatively economically better off, with 70% depending on agriculture, while rest 30% on labour. Literacy levels were comparatively higher too. Political structure was divided but not excluded. Our partner NGO had a good rapport with the community through SHG development and Govt welfare schemes facilitation.
Both states had entrepreneurial women folk who led the initiative. Also SHG activity in these two areas had a good history.
Compartir la historia del fundador y lo que inspiró al fundador para iniciar este proyecto
As an information technology professional for 15 years, I was witness to the IT revolution in India. While my job took me around 12 countries, I was always perplexed by the difference in attitude of people in developed and developing countries. While in developed countries, people had no fear of the future & believed in spending all their savings, in developing countries, people always feared an insecure future & saved even from their spending. The fearless attitude of the former was because of the mandatory social security systems in their country, whereas the latter did not have any. In developing countries, insurances were available only for the rich, the poor being considered non-insurable. All social security systems were either tax or savings based, hence were not applicable for people who lived on less than a dollar a day. I often wondered how a nation could develop, when more than 50% of its population found it difficult to make two ends meet daily. Comparing an affluent family with the poorest one, I found that while the former could spend only 40% of its income, the latter's expenditure was 120% of its income. Which means, moving down the economic line, the percentage of expenses to income increased. Hence if I could develop an expense based social security system, it would benefit even those who had only expenses & no savings. Also if the model could provide short term alternate livelihoods to the unemployed rather than unemployment allowance, it would give livelihood security productively. These moments & thoughts led to the innovation.
Impacto social
Esta presentación se trata de
Describa cómo tu proyecto ha tenido éxito y la forma en que éste mide.
The model was slightly tailored to meet the specific requirements of each village and to maximize impact:
a) The SEGs were formed out of Self Help Groups that comprised of the lowest section of the village community. The incentive available for everyone for taking the services provided by SEGs, helped in reducing the social gap that existed between the highest and lowest rungs in the village community.
A Brahmin in the MP village who did not drink water from the hands of the tribals, stated buying stuff from the retail outlets managed by the tribal SEGs and also buying products made by them. In another village in MP, the Patel had to donate a part of his land for constructing the retail outlets, when all the SHGs in the village collectively demanded for it.
b) In one village (in Mah), members of 2 political parties dissolved their differences and came together to share the activities in the integrated business model. The SEGs were formed with members from both groups, so that business does not suffer and both keep a check on each other for any fraudulence.
c) The Free Social Security (from the model) gave the villagers enough strength and confidence to pursue their livelihoods more effectively. In the first year itself 30% of the families were covered by insurances, the second year 50% were covered. The premiums for these insurances came out of the business model itself. Their renewed strength has given them greater audience and respect in village gatherings (Gram Sabhas). Nearby villages are demanding the model for their empowerment and status improvement.
¿Cuántas personas han sido afectadas por el proyecto?
1.001- 10.000
¿Cuántas personas podrían verse afectadas por el proyecto en los próximos tres años?
Más de 10,000
¿Cómo va a evolucionar tu proyecto durante los próximos tres años?
In 3 years, we intend to cover more villages and states by the Business model, so that people visiting other villages can benefit when purchasing from similar setups in those villages. Using technology to make things simple & foolproof, is the key to building transparent & sustainable solutions for illiterate populations. A paperless & automatic transaction recording system, will help in overcoming hurdles arising out of poor literacy rate in villages & also overcome linguistic barriers. Enterprising but illiterate villagers, can fearlessly participate in the integrated business model without worrying about inventory, accounting and recording transactions. The comprehensive Insurance mechanism will give them complete economic security & bring in them a sense of dignity and social respect.
Sustenibilidad
¿Qué barreras pueden dificultar el éxito de tu proyecto y cómo piensa resolverlas?
The transaction recording method currently requires some literacy levels for the villagers running the shops. A combination of entrepreneurship and literacy is difficult to find among rural populations, therefore not many families can be given such livelihood where literacy is required. Also these members feel themselves indispensable and thus dominate other members in their groups.
We intend to replace the paper based system with a paperless & automated system.
Rural populations have little faith in the Insurance system as they have been duped earlier. A large group will make it a viable proposition for the insurance companies, and give the decision to choose the insurance schemes in the hands of the villagers.
Many villages in India have been loaded with freebies in the past. Teaching them how to fish is not accepted in such villages, as they have to work to avail the benefits lifelong.
Politicians create dependency to maintain voter base, and control rural development funds. They would not like the villagers to become independent, confident and self-sufficient.
The system helps in bring socio-economic equality in the village. This might be considered as a threat by the upper caste in the village who would try to de-stabilise the system.
We try to make villagers slowly take control of their own village economy initially, become confident, and then take control of the village cluster economy. We also make the upper caste, beneficiaries of free social security, as they become regular customers of the SEGs and consume locally manufactured produce.
Cuéntanos sobre tus alianzas.
Nothing big can be achieved alone and no one organisation can have expertise in all areas. It is always wise to use and converge all available expertise for wholistic development.
Our partnership with NGOs involve identification of villages and SHGs, doing consumption survey and making them aware about their social security.
We partner with the Govt by getting the SHGs trained under their various Income generation schemes and also take administrative support for implementation.
We partner with Businesses for infrastructure development in the villages.
We take support from Funding organisations for working capital through grants or soft loans.
Involvement of multiple agencies helps in more concentrated approach for implementation and also the success of the project. We allow all agencies involved to take credit of the project as it leads to wider acceptability of the model.
Partnerships with Village Heads helps in creating confidence among the villagers for the model. It also helps to break group rivalry in the villages and bring everyone to a common platform.
Actual presupuesto anual en dólares americanos.
$10,001‐50,000
Explica tu selección.
Involvement of multiple agencies helps in more concentrated approach for implementation and also the success of the project. We allow all agencies involved to take credit of the project as it leads to wider acceptability of the model.
Our primary funders have been the funding organisations like NABARD, Friends of Women World Banking, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts, etc.
The business plan has a revenue model built into it, but uses the funding support of the above agencies for setting up and furnishing the retail outlets, Income generation activity training, material support to SEGs and stocking up the retail outlets, either in a grant or soft loan mode.
¿Cómo se va a fortalecer tu proyecto durante los próximos tres años?
An Apex body will monitor and account the cross transactions, do the necessary calculations based on social security numbers and do the inter account transfers.
This innovation seeks to bring in social security as a mandatory component of the Indian economy, enabling it through similar expense based mechanisms, so that it does not become a burden on the national and state exchequers or on the citizens.
The data obtained from recording every purchase will give a much detailed region wise Consumption pattern that will help policy makers make much more informed decisions. Region wise schemes can be announced based on this data as it will show the actual demands of the people in that region.
The trends in Consumption Patterns will show the changing demands of the people, changing income levels and changing health patterns that will again help policy makers in making informed decisions.
With lesser load on the exchequers we can strive towards making Social Security a right for every citizen of the country.
Desafíos
¿Qué barreras al empleo aborda tu innovación? Por favor, selecciona un máximo de tres por orden de relevancia para el proyecto.
PRIMARIA
Acceso restringido a nuevos mercados
SECUNDARIA
Falta de habilidades y capacitación
TERCIARIA
Insuficiente transparencia
Por favor, describe cómo la innovación específicamente aborda las barreras mencionadas anteriormente.
In rural areas, people do not have proper access to markets. They end up selling and buying their produce through middlemen, who eat away most of their share. Also people do not have the right skills and training to address new markets or keep a watch on existing markets. This makes them vulnerable to big players and traders. Inadequate transparency of market players, traders, etc., is one of the biggest problems that plagues producers/farmers. This model tackles all the above barriers, by making farmers/producers access wholesale markets, and negotiating with them for selling accumulated produce, and buying bulk regular commodities. It also makes them sell their produce to their own village folk at prices lesser than the market cost, but making more profits than selling to middlemen.
¿Cómo estás haciendo crecer el impacto de tu organización o iniciativa?
Por favor, selecciona un máximo de tres maneras posibles en orden de relevancia para ti.
Primary
Hacer crecer el alcance geográfico: Dentro de los países de acogida
SECUNDARIA
Replantear el modelo para otros sectores/necesidades de desarrollo
TERCIARIA
Mejorar el impacto actual a través de la adición de servicios complementarios
Por favor, describe cuál de las actividades para crecer están en curso o previstas para el futuro inmediato.
While we are currently trying to scale out nationally through NGOs, we intend to have a good geographical reach in the immediate future. In the immediate future, we also intend to repurpose our model for other sectors and development needs, and also enhance existing impact through addition of complimentary services.
Colaboras con algunos de los siguientes organismos: (Indica todos los que corrrespondan)
Proveedores de tecnología, ONGs/organizaciones sin fines de lucro, Empresas.
De ser así, ¿estas colaboraciones han ayudado a que tu innovación tenga éxito?
Collaboration with local Administration and local NGOs has helped us in breaking group rivalry in the villages and bring everyone to a common platform.
Partnership with the Government has helped us in providing Income Generation Activity trainings to the villagers under different schemes.
We have been trying to collaborate with Technology Partners for creating a paperless mechanism for recording transactions and distributing social security.
Collaborations with Insurance companies has helped us in securing better Insurance schemes tailored to meet the villagers' requirements and also eliminate fraudulence.
Collaboration with wholesale dealers has helped in getting the villagers better profit margins, right quality and a starting point for their business.
 | 49 weeks agoPradeep Ghosh updated this Competition Entry. |
| 49 weeks agoPradeep Ghosh submitted this idea. |