*** Monthly Highlight Report for the month of February, 2009 ***

Special Programme on Rural Development

            Field units of all Regions conducted special publicity campaigns on Rural Development during the month. Particularly people living in rural areas were informed and sensitized on the special programmes on central rural developmental schemes. The programmes were organized through workshops, seminars, rallies, group discussions, public meetings, special interactive programmes, video film shows, photo exhibitions, quiz competitions, elocution competitions, essay writing competitions, drawing competitions, rangoli competitions, slogan contest, healthy baby shows, rural sports etc. to focus on the themes of rural development programmes like NREGA, IAY, PMGSY, SGSY, NOAPS, Rural Elect., RWSS etc. Three tier public awareness programmes on Rural Development like low cost, medium cost and high cost based on Panchayat level, Sector level and Block/Tehsil level were respectively organized wherein the PRI Members and general public of all walks of life were addressed.  Resource persons from State Government, DRDA and Block/Tehsil on the above said themes were invited to deliver lecture to the audience of the programmes.  Personal grievances related to these schemes were also addressed in these programmes.  Members of Self Help Group were highly encouraged in these programmes. Hon’ble Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, Members of Zila Parisad, Members of Panchayat Samitties, Members of Village Panchayats, officials of Collectorates, Blocks, Tehsils actively took part in the programmes.  Local NGOs extended full cooperation to the programmes as coordinating agencies.  Prizes and certificates were awarded by the respective field units to the winners of the various contests and competitions based on rural development. 

Special Programme on NIDDCP

            Field units of all Regions conducted special publicity Campaigns on Iodine Deficiency Disorder and its control measures during the reporting period.  The programmes were organized under the banner of National Rural Health Mission. People were informed and sensitized about the dangers of non consumption of iodine in daily food and its consequences towards mental and physical health. They were also informed that iodine in India is only available in iodized salt as of now and no other alternative of getting iodine has come out so far. Three tier public awareness programmes on NIDDCP like low cost, medium cost and high cost based on Panchayat level, Sector level and Block/Tehsil level were respectively organized. Resource persons from Medical Colleges & Hospitals, Community Health Centers, Primary Health Centers and from the office of the Chief District Medical Officer were invited to the programmes to address on IDDCP.  Local NGOs had extended full cooperation as coordinating agencies of the successful of the programmes.   CDPOs, AWWs, ASHAs, ANMs, LVWs and other health officials had extended full cooperation to the respective field units during the organization of the programmes.  Mainly Self Help Group members and other general public of the villages were addressed in these programmes.  Workshops, seminars, rallies, special interactive sessions, group discussions, video film shows, photo exhibitions various competitions and contests on IDDCP were applied as methods for the successful organization of the programmes.   Rural sports were also organized as promotional events for the programmes. Prizes and certificates were awarded to the winners of various competitions and contests on IDDCP. PRI and other elected members were attended these programmes with great excitement.

Participation in PIC on Bharat Nirman

            Most of the field units of all regions took part in the Public Information Campaign on Bharat Nirman coordinated by the Press Information Bureau of the respective states.  The units took part in both pre-PIC and main PIC programmes during the in reporting period.  The field units like Nizamabad and Warangal of Andhra Pradesh Region,  Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Kota, Jaiselmar and Jodhpur units of Rajasthan Region, Solapur and Aurangabad units of Maharashtra & Pune Region, Jowai and Nongstoin of MMT Region Salem and Dharamapuri units of Tamil Nadu Region, Godhra and Junagadh units of Gujarat Region, Churchura and Medinipur units of West Bengal (South) Region, Gonda, Banda and Allahabad units of Uttar Pradesh (Central East) Region, Pouri unit of Uttrakahand Region, Srinagar and Chadoora units of Jammu and Kashmir Region took part in the PIC in their respective venues  and carried out extensively pre-PIC programmes by means of miking, postering, group discussions and distribution of literature on Bharat Nirman in the nearby villages/hebetates within five to twenty kilometer radious from the venue.  People of the nearby villages of the venue were highly mobilized for the participation in the PIC.  Field Units also conducted various competitions, contests, rallies, interactive sessions, symposiums, video film shows, photo exhibitions in these villages, schools, colleges as a part of the publicity activities.  Prizes and certificates from DFP were awarded to the winners of the competitions and contests by the chief guest of the concluding day of the main PIC.  The respective participating field units had erected DFP exhibition stalls depicting posters, banners on the various themes of PIC on Bharat Nirman like NREGA, IAY, PMGOS, RTI, MDM, SSA, PMs New 15 Point programmes for Welfare of Minorities, NRHM, Women Empowerment, HIV/AIDS, IDDCP, Bird Flu, RWSS, Rural Electricity, Rural Telephony, Rural Irrigation etc. and these were demonstrated to the visitors. Entertainment competitions like musical chair, tug-of-war, blind beats, spoon–potato race, conch blowing etc. were also organized among the women participants of the PIC as promotional measures. Participated DFP units had ensured crowed mobilization during the organization of main PIC for the success of campaigns.     

Other Publicity Programmes

            Besides the above special programmes, the field units of all regions also carried out other important publicity programmes on Polls Polio Immunization National Integration & Communal Harmony Girl Child Education, Minority Welfare Programmes, Total Sanition, HIV/AIDS Awareness, National Environment Awareness, Save the Girl Child Programmes, Agriculture Schemes, Schemes for Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act 2006-2007 in their respective districts. People from different walks of life were got aware on the above said themes.  For the maximum sensitization of the themes, field units also organized video film shows, photo exhibitions, group discussions among the participants.    

                                                                                                                                                       (Ranjana Dev Sarmah)