Pension via drones, a bartan bank, health services: how this Odisha sarpanch is walking the talk

Over a year ago, Saroj Devi Agrawal, the sarpanch of Bhaleswar gram panchayat decided to lead a crackdown on illegal liquor sale in her village. When requests to the local police elicited no action, she led a group of villagers to seize the liquor. 

Following this, Agrawal and a group of 20 people people were “gheraoed” in the panchayat office from 3 pm till 2 am the next morning and were able to leave only when a task force led by the district superintendent of police stepped in to disperse the crowd.

Though taken aback by the turn of events, Agrawal shrugs off the incident as one of the many challenges she has faced after she took over as sarpanch of Bhaleswar gram panchayat two years ago. 

“I have been active in local governance for over 20 years as deputy sarpanch and councillor and now as sarpanch of Bhaleswar. Challenges are not new to me. I have faced many obstacles to bring growth and development to the gram panchayat and change people’s mindsets in the process,” she tells SocialStory.

So far, the 55-year-old’s tenure has been marked by many firsts, one that continues to put her into the spotlight for various reasons. Opening a bartan bank in her village–a repository of utensils for use by the community to reduce the adverse impact of plastic– and using a drone to disburse pension to a remote tribal village have catapulted her into the media limelight, but Agrawal says her work is far from over.

“My door is always open for people to approach me for help. I am on my feet all day as there is so much to do,” she says.

Agrawal grew up in the steel city of Rourkela and moved to Amodhi village (Bhaleswar gram panchayat) in Nuapada district of Odisha after she got married. In 2006, Nuapada was named one of India’s 250 most backward districts by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

The plight of her village and those around it pushed Agrawal to participate in local governance. 

“I used to regularly attend gram panchayat sabhas and saw nothing was done for the area’s growth. The villages in the gram panchayat remained backward, with a lack of infrastructure, and people were stubborn and resistant to change. I thought the best way to push for growth was to become a member of the panchayat,” she says.

After multiple tenures as deputy sarpanch and councillor, Agrawal was elected as sarpanch of Bhaleswar gram panchayat in 2022.

The gram panchayat comprises nine villages in Nuapada district with a population of 10,000 people. 

Timely help through drones

After taking charge, Agrawal came to know that senior citizens and disabled people in Bhuktapada, a tribal village, were not receiving their pension on time. The village was mired in poverty and disconnected from other parts of the region as it did not have proper roads. 

Agrawal and other members disbursed disability pensions and distributed medicines in Bhutkapada village via a drone. 

“After this incident was covered in local and national media, the government has built a road. An anganwadi has been set up, there is potable water, and the lives of 100 people living in the village has vastly improved,” Agrawal explains.

Another challenge Agrawal encountered was the mismatch in names and ages in the government records of elderly people in the villages. This prevented them from receiving old age pension, disability pension, and widows’ pension available through various government schemes. Through her consistent efforts, over 200 people are now receiving regular monthly pension.

Agrawal also noticed that very few people attended gram sabhas and, therefore, many problems and challenges went unnoticed. So, she decided to take governance to the doorstep.

“I now regularly organise meetings in every village square or pada, where people of 20 homes come together for meetings. Otherwise, we go to each home and understand what each family’s problems are under the ‘sarpanch at doorstep’ initiative,” she says.

Other areas of intervention include regular health and medical camps and nutritional support for pregnant women and young children. Agrawal also presides over the monthly meetings with anganwadi staff to ensure timely support to women and children. 

“Untouchability was rampant in the villages in the gram panchayat. The people from upper castes would not allow others to draw water from the wells. We raised many awareness campaigns against this, and the situation is getting better,” she says. 

Agrawal also campaigned for extending classes in the government school from standard X to XII. Also, when a girl child is born, the panchayat plants 50 fruit trees on the family’s land or on its premises if the family has no land in its name. 

Earlier, villagers had to travel 50 km to the nearest bank to withdraw their pension, but with the opening of a mini branch of State Bank of India, the process has been made easier.

Sustainability and more

As a sustainability measure, Agrawal has introduced a bartan bank in the GP, with funds collected from villagers and the panchayat.

“Earlier, people used disposable plates and spoons which are harmful to the environment. Once, the vet removed 2 kg of plastic from a cow’s stomach. With the bartan bank, villagers can borrow utensils and cookware for functions of up to 1,000 people,” she says.

The gram panchayat has now received permission to run an e-rickshaw for its residents, especially the old and disabled. This will help them travel to the bank, panchayat office, or the public health centre (PHC). 

The opening of the PHC has also enabled timely medical services with a visiting doctor and a nurse who also visits patients and distributes medicines. 

When asked about the challenges in her journey, Agrawal brushes it off with, “Log toh bolenge (people will talk). If I keep listening, how will I serve the people?”

Agrawal’s family helps her in her work; her son and daughter accompany her on field visits and help run her X handle (@Srpnch_Bhaleswr) where she tweets to government officials for quick redressal.

“I am not affiliated to any party. My aim is to continue serving my people,” says Agrawal.

(The story has been updated to correct a change in spelling of Bhaleswar.)