Monday, June 16, 2014

Venkatesh Nayak on "Sexual crimes against women and claims of Nirmal Bharat Campaign - How good is the MIS data?"

Venkatesh Nayak, Programme Coordinator, Access to Information Programme, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative in New Delhi, has written an essay, "Sexual crimes against women and claims of Nirmal Bharat Campaign - How good is the MIS data?" exploring the data implications of the recent and widely publicized issue of sexual violence against lower caste women in India. That essay follows.  The issue of data has significantly broader implications for policy; those implications are well underscored in this work.

(Pix (c) Larry Catá Backer 2014)
Interestingly, some Indian commentators have noted the reluctance to query the effects of caste and caste-culture on the issue of sexual violence, especially where the women are low caste and the men of higher caste.  This is a topic remains a sensitive topic in India; one might draw at least weak parallels to sensitivity in the United States toward class issues. Thus, for example, the U.N. condemnation of the sexual violence was criticized in some quarters for its failures to mention caste. See Joint statement,  United Nations condemns gang-rape and murder of teenage girls in Uttar Pradesh and calls for justice, Statement by Lise Grande, United Nations Resident Coordinator; Dr Rebecca R Tavares, Representative, UN Women’s India Multi Country Office and Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF Representative to India (June 1, 2014).
 "Sexual crimes against women and claims of Nirmal Bharat Campaign - How good is the MIS data?"
Venkatesh Nayak
Programme Coordinator
Access to Information Programme 
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative 
The last few weeks have mutely witnessed several horrific rapes and murders of women across India. Police response is said to have ranged from apathy and inaction to complete hostility towards the complainants, sufferers of violence ('victims' would be a pejorative label thrust upon them) and their families. While many of us read such news items in passing, others are protesting in their own way either before the corridors of power or venting their righteous anger through the media. The keepers of the law like the proverbial ass are tardy in their response. In at least one case rather than take action against the accused and the police who were either perpetrators of such crimes or refused to take immediate action, letters are being exchanged clarifying the caste identity of the sufferers. So one must carry a caste certificate in hand to claim justice in some parts of the country. Meanwhile the accused are said to have threatened the families of the sufferers with dire consequences once the media glare is switched off. This makes a sinister mockery of the promise of justice for all made in the Preamble of the Constitution. Justice system is repeatedly failing to protect the most vulnerable and the most disadvantaged people in society.

One common thread that seems to link some of these incidents of sexual violence is the lack of toilet facilities which resulted in several girls and women being targeted in such a brutal manner. Under the Nirmal Bharat Adbhiyan-NBA (Total Sanitation Campaign-TSC) targets have been set for providing sanitation facilities to rural homes and schools in every village across India. A Management Information System (MIS) has been set up by the Government of India through the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to disclose publicly the progress made in implementing this flagship scheme. What does official data available online at http://tsc.gov.in say?

Badaun gang rape case (Uttar Pradesh):
The two girls in Badaun who were raped and murdered a few days ago had ventured out to relieve themselves as their house did not have a toilet facility. The Indian Express has carried an investigative story about the status of toilet facilities in village Katra Shahadatganj of Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/badaun-gangrape-why-the-badaun-girls-didnt-have-a-toilet-they-could-call-their-own/

When I looked up the status of implementation of NBA-TCS in Katra SadatGanj village this is what the website displayed today. According to the Governemnt's own baseline survey, 172 below the poverty line households (BPL) households did not have toilets before the implementation of NBA-TSC. By November 2011, 178 toilets are said to have been constructed for BPL families. 80% of the above poverty line (APL) households still lacked sanitation facilities. What happened for the next two years in this village is not captured on this MIS:

Report Card status of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) as on 3 /6/2014
State :- UTTAR PRADESH District :- BUDAUNBlock Name :- USAWANGP Name :- KATRA SADATGANJ
Status of Nirmal Gram PuraskarNever Applied
Panchayat Status of Baseline survey (BLS)
SL.No.ComponentsWith ToiletWithout ToiletTotal
1Total Households 59 382 441
2Total SC HH--99
3Total ST HH --0
4Total General HH--342
5Total BPL HH (with & without toilet) 2 172 174
6Total APL HH (with & without toilet)57210267
7Total Schools (with & without toilet) 0 6 6
8Total Anganwadi (with & without toilet)033
9Total Sanitary Complex (with & without toilet) 0 1 1

Panchayat status (not having toilets) progress received upto 11/2011
SL.No.ComponentsTarget(As/BLS)AchievementDetails
1IHHL BPL (without toilet) 172 178 178
2IHHL APL (without toilet)21043
3No. of Household using Community Tlt00
4IHHL TOTAL (without toilet+No.of HH using Community Tlt) 382 221
5School Toilets 6 2 1
6Anganwadi Toilets322
7Sanitary Complex 1 1 1
IHHL: Individual Household Latrine, BPL:Below Poverty Line, APL:Above Poverty Line, HH:Household,SC:Schedule Caste, ST:Schedule Tribe

The Indian Express story is borne out by the Government's own official data.

Bhagana village multiple rape case (Haryana):
On March 25, 2014 four young dalit women in Bhagana were said to have been abducted and raped when thy ventured out to the fields to relieve themselves. See story at: http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/rape-allegations-in-a-haryana-village-underscore-a-social-fracas/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

When I looked up the status of implementation of NBA-TSC in Bhagana village of Hisar district this is what the website displays- All 792 households have been provided sanitation facilities as far back in March 2012. 

Report Card status of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) as on 3 /6/2014
State :- HARYANA District :- HISARBlock Name :- HISAR-IGP Name :- BHAGANA
Status of Nirmal Gram PuraskarNever Applied
Panchayat Status of Baseline survey (BLS)
SL.No.ComponentsWith ToiletWithout ToiletTotal
1Total Households 360 792 1152
2Total SC HH--270
3Total ST HH --0
4Total General HH--882
5Total BPL HH (with & without toilet) 7 446 453
6Total APL HH (with & without toilet)353346699
7Total Schools (with & without toilet) 0 2 2
8Total Anganwadi (with & without toilet)000
9Total Sanitary Complex (with & without toilet) 0 0 0

Panchayat status (not having toilets) progress received upto 03/2012
SL.No.ComponentsTarget(As/BLS)AchievementDetails
1IHHL BPL (without toilet) 446 446 466
2IHHL APL (without toilet)346346
3No. of Household using Community Tlt00
4IHHL TOTAL (without toilet+No.of HH using Community Tlt) 792 792
5School Toilets 2 2 2
6Anganwadi Toilets000
7Sanitary Complex 0 0 0
IHHL: Individual Household Latrine, BPL:Below Poverty Line, APL:Above Poverty Line, HH:Household,SC:Schedule Caste, ST:Schedule Tribe

It is obvious that women who suffered rape are speaking the truth. So the MIS data becomes a piece of cruel fiction.


Urauli attempt to rape and life-threatening assault case:
In February 2011 a 17 year old Dalit girl of Urauli village of Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh who went to relive herself in the fields was attacked. When she resisted she was butally hacked. The story is available at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/up-limbs-of-girl-chopped-off-for-resisting-rape/1/128979.html

When I looked up the status of implementation of NBA-TSC in Urauli village of Fatehpur district this is what the website displays: 108 BPL families did not have had toilet facilities. when the baseline survey was conducted. In 2011 only 8 BPL families had toilet facilities constructed- less than 10% of the target had been achieved. The current status of the efforts is not known.

Report Card status of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) as on 3 /6/2014
State :- UTTAR PRADESH District :- FATEHPURBlock Name :- ASOTHARGP Name :- URAULI
Status of Nirmal Gram PuraskarNever Applied
Panchayat Status of Baseline survey (BLS)
SL.No.ComponentsWith ToiletWithout ToiletTotal
1Total Households 36 207 243
2Total SC HH--68
3Total ST HH --0
4Total General HH--175
5Total BPL HH (with & without toilet) 27 108 135
6Total APL HH (with & without toilet)999108
7Total Schools (with & without toilet) 0 1 1
8Total Anganwadi (with & without toilet)011
9Total Sanitary Complex (with & without toilet) 0 0 0

Panchayat status (not having toilets) progress received upto 04/2011
SL.No.ComponentsTarget(As/BLS)AchievementDetails
1IHHL BPL (without toilet) 108 8 0
2IHHL APL (without toilet)9920
3No. of Household using Community Tlt00
4IHHL TOTAL (without toilet+No.of HH using Community Tlt) 207 28
5School Toilets 1 1 1
6Anganwadi Toilets111
7Sanitary Complex 0 0 0
IHHL: Individual Household Latrine, BPL:Below Poverty Line, APL:Above Poverty Line, HH:Household,SC:Schedule Caste, ST:Schedule Tribe

Tikamgarh attempt to rape case:
In February 2013, a 10 year old dalit girl was said to have been attacked and sexually assaulted went to the fields to relive herself in Madumar village of Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. You may read the story at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Without-toilets-Madhya-Pradesh-women-are-more-unsafe/articleshow/18437155.cms

When I looked up the status of implementation of NBA-TSC in Madumar village of Tikamgarh district this is what the website displays: 460 families did not have toilet facilities whent he baseline survey was conducted. Of these 78 were BPL families. In 2011 only 20 toilets had been constructed - all for APAL families. The current status of the efforts is not known.

Report Card status of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) as on 3 /6/2014
State :- MADHYA PRADESH District :- TIKAMGARHBlock Name :- TIKAMGARHGP Name :- MADUMAR
Status of Nirmal Gram PuraskarNever Applied
Panchayat Status of Baseline survey (BLS)
SL.No.ComponentsWith ToiletWithout ToiletTotal
1Total Households 0 460 460
2Total SC HH--167
3Total ST HH --3
4Total General HH--290
5Total BPL HH (with & without toilet) 0 78 78
6Total APL HH (with & without toilet)0382382
7Total Schools (with & without toilet) 0 2 2
8Total Anganwadi (with & without toilet)000
9Total Sanitary Complex (with & without toilet) 0 0 0

Panchayat status (not having toilets) progress received upto 06/2011
SL.No.ComponentsTarget(As/BLS)AchievementDetails
1IHHL BPL (without toilet) 78 0 0
2IHHL APL (without toilet)38220
3No. of Household using Community Tlt00
4IHHL TOTAL (without toilet+No.of HH using Community Tlt) 460 20
5School Toilets 2 1 1
6Anganwadi Toilets000
7Sanitary Complex 0 0 0
IHHL: Individual Household Latrine, BPL:Below Poverty Line, APL:Above Poverty Line, HH:Household,SC:Schedule Caste, ST:Schedule Tribe

Verifications against other such cases of sexual assault may reveal similar results- the data is either lying or simply not updated and made available.
In reply to questions raised in the Lok Sabha, in February this year, about the status of toilet facilities in across the country, the Central Government stated that almost 60% rural households across the country did not have toilet facilities according to a baseline survey conducted in 2012. Amongst States where the survey had been completed Bihar topped the list with almost 80% of the rural households not having toilet facilities. The figures presented in the Lok Sabha are given below (http://164.100.47.132/Annexture_New/lsq15/15/au4240.htm):

"State/UT-wise % households with toilet as per Baseline Survey 2012


S.N.
State/UT
% Households with toilet
1
54.77
2
30.86
3
41.53
4
42.80
5
21.41
6
39.57
7
60.72
8
52.79
9
75.10
10
86.04
11
25.76
12
27.71
13
35.41
14
94.68
15
26.27
16
48.01
17
51.28
18
52.23
19
77.95
20
49.78
21
1.70
22
75.17
23
27.29
24
81.55
25
44.79
26
62.60
27
35.22
28
67.14
29
55.31
Total :-
40.39
* In the States of Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and Orissa, Baseline Survey is incomplete"
According to data available on the NBA-TSC website close to Rs. 2,000 crores (USD 33.8 million) had been spent in 2012-13 alone by the Central and State Governments in all states to construct toilets across the country. Rs. 1,820 (USD 30 million) crores were spent by the Central and State Governments in 2011-12. While some of these funds may have helped create good toilet facilities where sincere and honest bureaucrats were in charge of implementation, the rest might have simply gone down the drain.

What is the purpose of this data presentation?
The purpose of this data presentation and  is not to show how much has been or not ben done. The purpose is to show the futility of Management Information Systems (MIS) which are begun with good intentions but are not regularly updated by the district and the sub-district administration in many places. Merely launching an MIS for monitoring a social development programme does not bring transparency and accountability for the people who are identified as beneficiaries. While data uploading must be monitored closely for quality and quantity issues, they must be used effectively in planning and evaluation of outcomes.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which leads the National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre promised the following in its election manifesto (amongst other things):

1) digitisation of Government records to be taken up as as top priority to make them easily accessible;

2) mandate digitization of all government work to reduce corruption and delays; 

3)  focus to bring SC/ST, OBCs and other weaker sections of the society within the ambit of IT enabled development;.and

3) leverage technology for e-Governance and engage proactively with the people through social media for participative governance and effective public grievance redressal mechanism.

Last year the Department of Personnel and Training issued elaborate guidelines for improving the quality and quantity of and people's access to information that is required to be proactively disclosed under Section 4 of the RTI Act. Templates were drawn up for displaying development spending data (physical and financial progress) from the village up to the State level in consultation with civil society representatives who had undertaken such innovative disclosure experiments on a small scale across the country. But implementation of these guidelines has not started in right earnest despite strong civil society demand for it. Activists have even filed a PIL in Jammu and Kashmir demanding better implementation of the proactive disclosure provisions of the  State's RTI Act. Often the bureaucracy does not seem to wake up until shaken up by the courts. 

In October last year the Hon'ble Prime Minister, then the Chief Minister of Gujarat is said to have told the youth about his conviction: "Pehle shauchalay, phir devalay" (toilets first, temples later). When he meets the Secretaries of various Ministries today evening to hear from them their action plan for governance, I hope this message goes out clearly to the bureaucrats - "building toilets for every household can ensure a certain measure of safety for girls and women". Nevertheless participative mechanisms such as social audits must be created for ensuring greater accountability in developmental spending. Of course the police must be held accountable for their actions and omissions like never before. I leave the devising of that methodology to the experts on the subject.


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