The Resurging Value of Civil Society for Indian Crafts
“Bridging West Bengal’s Tea Garden Communities: SoochnaPrenuers Empower Digital Access and Inclusivity, Transforming Lives”
In the sprawling expanse of West Bengal’s tea gardens, a workforce of over 4.5 lakh individuals, including 2.62 lakh permanent workers, toil in 330 registered estates across districts such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar. This industry stands as the largest formal private sector employer in the state. While the West Bengal government has introduced commendable welfare initiatives like Kanyashree, Lakshmi Bhandar, Cha Sundari, and Manabik, designed for the tea garden labor force, their conditional cash transfer nature necessitates increased accessibility, inclusivity, enrollment, and uptake to genuinely uplift the lives and livelihoods of these workers.
In the region’s challenging topography, the physically disabled community faces even greater obstacles, often being inadvertently left behind by the outreach efforts of the government. Among these districts, Jalpaiguri, rooted in tea gardens as its economic backbone, stands prominently. However, economic instability casts shadows over the lives of its inhabitants, particularly the indigenous community.
An illustrative case emerges from Banarhat, a tea garden where governmental efforts to enhance quality of life have fallen short, leaving vital services lacking. In response, Digital Empowerment Foundation and Swaniti Initiative joined forces, strategically establishing centers within West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. The heart of these centers lies in the dedicated ‘SoochnaPreneurs’ – women trained from the very community, rendering vital services spanning finance, governance, education, and health, all at a nominal fee.
Through unwavering support from tea garden associations and the community itself, these centers gradually took root. Their significance soon rippled through the lives they touched. Access to essential online services, such as banking, transitioned from a cumbersome ordeal to a seamless experience. Priyanka, a 25-year-old PWD individual (name changed), beams with appreciation as she shares, “Gone are the days of struggling outside for banking and online tasks. DEF’s SP center has brought me the ease of printing documents and accessing results right within the tea garden. Time, energy, and money – all saved. This seemingly modest center signifies a monumental effort toward the betterment of our tea garden community, an effort we’re witnessing for the very first time.”
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