The year under consideration commenced on 1st April 1991 ending on 31st March 1992. It is an eventful year for Project Swarajya in the sense that it coincided with Organisation's transition from one phase to the other, never one. The first phase was basically one of awareness building for the organization itself and as well for the people and organizations with whom it worked since its inception in mid-1988, The new phase is however marked by increasing emphasis on organizational interventions on various issues at grass root level in both rural in urban areas. It is of course very difficult, though not impossible, to pen down each of organisation's multifarious activities undertaken in this transitional year. However, it is worthwhile to present salient interventions on different fronts attempted in the year under review, for consideration by all who are interested about Project Swarajya.

On this front the organization pursued to carry forward its activities, which aimed at addressing to the social issues, which are attended to by others on a practical plane.

1. Liberation of Scavengers:

   The abolition of dry latrine system and provision of alternative occupations to the scavengers who are engaged for centuries in the caste based profession of cleaning the dry latrines is an important national goal which however has not been realized in practice in millennium-old Cuttack Town as in many other urban Centres of this country. To facilitate the achievement of this national goal particularly in Cuttack Town the following activities have been undertaken:

   1. Vocational Training in Tailoring to 25 Scavenger Ladies in Thoria Sahi Mehentar Colony (Continuing since 1st Jan' 92)

   2. Citizens' Meeting on Liberation of Scavengers at Thoria Sahi Chourasi Mandali on 15th Jan'92.

   3. Alternative Cultural raining to 10 young boys & girls of Scavenger Community in Thoria Sahi Mehentar Colony (Continuing since 1st Jan 92)

   4. Documentation & Dissemination on Urban Sanitation & Liberation of Scavengers (On going)

2. Drug Abuse Prevention:-

   To generate a counter-current against the increasing trend of abuse of drugs & psychotropic substance, Project Swarajya stepped up its anti-drug drive in following ways:

   1. Setting up Drug Counselling Centre at Moti Bhawan, Kesharpur, Cuttack since November '91.

   2. Promoting the Drug Counselling-Cum-Research Centre setup in Chandini Chowk for special consultancy services to the drug addicts (on going since May '91)

   3. Holding of a Drug De-addiction Camp at Jagatpur on 19 Jan'92 in which 25 drug addicts/alcoholics were treated.

   4. Memorandum to the Chief Minister, Orissa asking for a more concerted drive against drug abuse held in Bhubaneswar on 1st Oct' 92.

   5. Observation of International Day against Drug Abuse in June 1991.

3. Street Children Rehabilitation Programme:-

   The children who are abandoned and destitute may grow into criminals and anti-socials if they are not provided with proper institutional or non-institutional support and protection for rehabilitation and all round development. Orphanages and adaptation centers though few in number take care of a section of such unfortunate children. But bulk of their number turn into beggars and street children. In Cuttack Town alone there are about ten thousand such street children involved in very many hazardous and dubious self-employment activities. To help such children join the mainstream social life, the following activities were organized:

   1. Vocational training in tailoring to 25 street children belonging to Pan Sahi of Ganesh Ghat is continuing at Bhasakosa Lane, Cuttack-2 since Dec '91.

   2. Daily nutrition to the above trainees.

   3. Free medical treatment to the trainee children.

   4. Workshop on child labour during 13-17 January '92 in collaboration with CBWE and Shramik Vidyapith.

   5. Awareness Camp for Working Women (Mothers of street Children) at Jagatpur on 13th February '92.

   6. Survey and Documentation on street children.

4. Integrated Slum Development:-

   There are more than forty big & small slums in Cuttack Town, which are marked by eco-degradation of the worst sort. The slum dwellers are deprived of clean drinking water, hygienically sound living and working conditions, sanitary latrines, let alone proper food and shelter. They are not only victims of urban poverty & pollution, but they also constitute a factor in perpetuating it. The UNICEF Sponsored urban basic service programmes though in existence for some years now in Cuttack Muncipality, the coverage & quality of its services is too for short of the target. In this situation Project Swarajya has started an in depth survey of slum dwellers of Cuttack Town, the findings of which would help the organization in preparing long-term action plan for integrated development of the urban poor living in slums.

Our quest for a sound ecological perspective which takes adequate care of the indispensable developmental needs of the society at large continued as before in the year under review with a difference of course. In search of answer to the environment-development dilemma, we focused more sharply on some issues around which we were battling earlier on a theoretical plane:

1. Problem of increasing salinisation in coastal Orissa

   1. A state level seminar was held at Cuttack in July 1991 in collaboration with Ministry of Environment & Forests, GOI in which such expert agencies like DANIDA, CGWB, OLIC, GSI and State Dept. of Rural development took part and felt that an interdepartmental & interdisciplinary study need be undertaken.

   2. The need for water harvesting structures to store fresh rainwater and popularizing alternative salinity resistant crops in saline areas is being explored.

2. Study group on Orissa's coastal environment:-

   It has been formed with Director Rural Development, Orissa as convenor and Project Swarajya as Organising Secretary to undertake an in depth interdepartmental and interdisciplinary study of manifold problems of eco-degradation of coastal Orissa and remedies thereto. The expert agencies like DANIDA, OLIC, CGWB, OMCADA, Soil Conservation, Agriculture & Food Production, Dept. of S & T, & DFO, Mangrove Division etc, are members of the group.

3. Protection & Regeneration of mangrove eco-system

   In view of the fact that the mangrove forests of coast of Orissa are now subject to steady extinction as before notwithstanding declaration of National Park in the recent, Project Swarajya has launched a campaign to introduce participatory and sustainable management of mangrove forest.

4. Conservation & sustainable Utilisation of Horse-Shoe-Crabs

   The Horse-Shoe-Crabs, a rare valuable marine species containing blue blood and found abundantly in Orissa Coast, especially at Chandipur is now threatened with extinction due to serious biotic interferences. Project Swarajya has submitted memorandum to Govt. of Orissa and also to Ministry of Environment & Forest, GOI pressing for immediate steps necessary for its conservation and productive utilization.

5. Displacement of Tribals

   Media campaign has been organized to rouse public opinion against the miserable conditions of tribals caused by their displacement following the non-implementation of rehabilitation & resettlement policies in Upper Indravati Project in Koraput and by OTPL (Orissa Tea Plantation Limited) in Keonjhar District. The Office of SC & ST Commission, Bhubaneswar was given memorandum on these issues also.

6. Ecosystem Specific Rural Development:-

   With an object to reorient the rural development programmes at village level along the sound ecological lines, Project Swarajya has taken up the task of disseminating in Orissa the seminal ideas contained in the documenting in Orissa the seminal ideas contained in the document "Towards Green Villages" of Centre for Science & Environment, out following with a State Level Seminar on its theme shall be held.

As in earlier years, Project Swarajya continued its activities with an aim to reduce the gender bias from the minds of people.

1. Legal Literacy Camps:-

   5 camps were held both in urban & rural areas in Cuttack Municipality Area, and Garadpur & Mahakalapada Blocks, the camps have succeeded in popularizing the Women related legislations and as well in establishing report between concerned Govt. agencies and the local NGOs Working for women in distress.

2. Legal Aid Cell

   It has been opened in the premise of Project Swarajya with an aim to provide legal consultancy and assistance to the poor and needy and also to liason with concerned Govt. agencies for speedy redressal of cases of atrocities on women.

A consumer protection cell has been opened in the premise of Project Swarajya for enlistment of consumer grievances and facilitating of their quick disposal. It is a member of CICO New Delhi & FOCO, Orissa.

1. South Asian NGO Summit on United Nations Conference on Environment and Development organized by CSE, New Delhi in Feb '92.

2. Peninular India; Ecology Convention held at Pune in March '92

3. National Seminar on Conservation & Regeneration of Mangrove Ecosystem held at Calcutta in December '91.

1. Quick Opinion Poll on Communal Riot in Cuttack Town

   During the communal riot that broke out in Cuttack in Nov '91 a quick opinion poll was organized on the initiative of Project Swarajya prominent citizens of the town constituted the Poll Committee with Mrs. Bina Devi, Former Director, Doordarshan, Cuttack as Convener.

2. Flood Relief Operation

   During the devastating flood that visited Orissa in mid-1991, Project Swarajya in collaboration with other NGOs was engaged in relief and rehabilitation activities in Mahakalapada, Garadpur, & Marshaghai Blocks of Cuttack District.

3. Youth Leadership Training Camps

   Youth Leadership Training Camps were organized at Tarpur of Raghunathpur Block and at Patkura of Garadpur Block in Cuttack District in November '91 and January '92 respectively.

1. Registered under Societies Registration Act 1860, by Govt. of Orissa;

2. Registered under FCR Act 1976, Govt. of India;

3. Empanelled by Dept of Planning & Co-ordination, Govt. of Orissa as Consultancy Agency;

4. Recognised by Dept of Food & Supplies, Govt. of Orissa as a Consumer Voluntary Organisation.

1. Confederation of Indian Consumer Organisation (CICO) New Delhi.

2. Federation of Consumer Organisation of Orissa (FOCO) Bhubaneswar.

3. Indian Red Cross Society, Cuttack.

4. District Natural Calamities Committee, Cuttack

5. District Council for Child Welfare, Cuttack.