In a commendable effort to help the specially-abled, the police department in the Chintapalli subdivision of Alluri Seetharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh has launched an innovative programme named ‘Setu’ (Social Empowerment Through You) to extend assistance to the differently-abled tribal individuals residing in the remote Naxal-affected interior regions of the district, with the efforts of Vikas Marmat, IAS, the then additional commissioner GSWS Department and V Abhishek, IAS, the then Sub Collector of Paderu.
Indian Masterminds spoke exclusively with the Assistant Superintendent of Police of the region, IPS officer Kishore Kommi, to know more about the programme.
IDEA FOR THE PROJECT
After taking charge, Mr. Kommi’s first field visit was to Balapam village, a strong Naxal-affected area. Here, he came across a Divyaang woman who wasn’t receiving any pension/support from the government, even though she should have been getting a monthly pension of Rs. 3000, through a government scheme.
“On further enquiry, I understood that she wasn’t able to avail the benefits of the scheme because of the lack of SADAREM certification, that she should have had. Because of a strict criterion, the old woman was not able to acquire the certificate which prevented her from getting the pension,” Mr. Kommi told Indian Masterminds.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The SETU initiative signifies a collaborative approach aimed at fostering sustainable development by addressing the persistent challenges faced by the Naxal-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh,
Specifically, this programme targets regions where Naxal presence has hindered the delivery of infrastructure and developmental schemes, leading to prolonged hardships for innocent tribal communities.
As a part of this initiative, Chintapalli Police have taken a significant step by organizing a large-scale camp in the village to cater to the needs of approximately 3000 differently-abled tribals.
“The motivation behind this effort stems from the realization that a considerable number of differently-abled individuals were unable to access pension benefits due to the arduous process of obtaining SADAREM certification,” shared the officer.
OBJECTIVE
In a bid to make the process of acquiring the certificate less tedious and costly, the officer collaborated with his batchmate Vikas Marmat and initiated the concept of the project. Together, a group of close friends collected the data of 3000 enrolled Divyaangs in the region without the certificate.
“We had to trek to reach all the villages and meet every single person. It was a very difficult survey. We also initiated a one-month exercise to gain their trust and reach out to them. Vikas helped me in conducting SADAREM certification camps in Chintapalli which eliminated the need for the Divyaangs to visit Vishakhapatnam for their certificate,” Mr. Kishore shared
FERRYING SERVICE
In the ingenious approach, the police organized a certification camp that brought the doctors to the tribal communities, instead of the other way around.
This mega certification camp was orchestrated by the GSWS, Police, and Revenue departments. The logistical challenge of ferrying individuals from extremely remote areas to the camp was undertaken by the police themselves.
A COMBINED EFFORT
It is noteworthy that the core team driving the Setu initiative consists of accomplished professionals, including young IAS and IPS officers with impressive qualifications from esteemed institutions like IITs and IIMs.
The certification camp witnessed a remarkable turnout, with over 1000 individuals participating. Among them, approximately 850 registrations were completed, and the assessment process was efficiently streamlined by GSWS to accommodate local challenges. Notably, eligible candidates received their certificates on the spot, within a remarkably short span of three hours!
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
The police also motivated villagers to construct their roads by themselves by engaging in MGNREGA and helping them in whichever way they could.
“Now they at least have motor vehicle access that connects 4-5 villages. Another big issue here is getting their driver’s licence. Our team helped the villagers by writing to the transport commissioner who was generous enough to send their officials to Chintapalli,” said Mr. Kommi.
Another big-scale camp was held for the purpose of distributing driver’s licenses to around 600 people who got them with police help. Moreover, the officer has also assisted in providing livelihoods to people otherwise involved in ganja cultivation and has issued Adhaar cards to individuals who were not possessing one.
The Setu initiative stands as a shining example of how collaborative efforts, driven by a commitment to social empowerment and inclusive development, can address long-standing issues and bridge gaps in regions that have historically faced significant hurdles.
