NEW AVENUES: A delegation from Bangladesh visiting an agriculture land in Kalamandargi village in Gulbarga taluk on Tuesday.

GULBARGA: A seven-member delegation of a non-government organisation based in Bangladesh is touring north Karnataka to study the impact of land development and other works taken up by non-government organisations in the State. The delegation will share its experiences with its counterparts here in taking up development programmes for the underprivileged sections of society.

The delegation, led by Johny of UBINIG, considered to be one of the biggest non-government organisations operating in 17 of the 64 districts in Bangladesh, is touring Gulbarga and Bijapur to study the effects of development works taken up for uplift of the downtrodden, particularly Dalits and tribal people by Vidya Liberation Through Cultural Action (VLTCA), Karnataka People For Land Rights (KPFLR) and a Bijapur-based organisation. The Gulbarga and Bijapur organisations are funded by Switzerland-based aid agency, HEKS. Incidentally, UBINIG is assisted by HEKS apart from other international aid organisations, including Canada-based IDRC, Christian Aid Agency and Germany-based Bread for the World.

The other members of the delegation from Bangladesh are Mohammed Ali Akbar, Mozzaem Hossain, Ruli Aktar, Doli Bhandra, Sufia Parvin and Akkar Ali. The delegation is accompanied by the India representative of HEKS Siluvai.

Director of VLTCA and coordinator of KPLFR Rajasekhar Naidu, who is accompanying the delegation in Kalamandargi, Dogaragaon, Holakunda and other villages in Gulbarga taluk, explained the work taken up by VLTCA in developing land tilled by Dalits in these villages. He also spoke on income generating activities. The delegation members showed keen interest in the development of vermin-compost pits, compost and soak pits set up by VLTCA in these villages.

Mr. Johny told The Hindu that the organisation was involved in developing small and marginal farmers in Bangladesh. It was helping weavers by providing them free training and inputs to improve their income through their traditional avocations.

He said land in the districts where his organisation was working was fertile. The organisations here had a daunting task in improving barren lands into fertile lands. Mr. Johny complimented the work done by VLTCA in villages in Gulbarga taluk and said the challenging task taken up by VLTCA had brought about a qualitative change in the economic life of small and marginal farmers.

Dhulappa, a Dalit farmer who owns two acres of land, explained to the delegation that prior to the land development activities taken up by VLTCA, the yield was only about six quintals. Now the fertility of the land had increased considerably and the yield had more than doubled, he said.

The delegation also expressed happiness over the thrift activities taken up by organisations here and said this would help increase savings and achieve self-sufficiency.

Animal Husbandry Minister Revu Naik Belamgi called on the delegation and accompanied them to Kalamandargi village in his home constituency of Kamalapur in Gulbarga taluk.

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