Participation of Disadvantaged Groups in Rural Development (A Case Study of the Satar Community in Surunga VDC, Jhapa)

Abstract

Present study was carried out in order to deal with the participation of a disadvantaged ethnic group in development with reference to the Satar community of Surunga VDC, Jhapa. The specific objectives of the study were stated as: to study the participation of the Satar Community in local organizations i.e. NGOs, CBOs, VDC and ward committee, to evaluate their participation in decision-making process, to assess the accessibility of the Satar Community to the services and facilities provided by the HMG, NGOs and other formal and informal organizations and to identify the major obstacles in participation of development work. The study was based on primary data collected from the field survey. The household heads and elected members from the Satar Community were the real respondents of this study. Simple random sampling was adopted for the selection of the households. Household questionnaire was the main tool of the data collection. Key informants’ interview, focus group discussion and published and unpublished documents were also used in this study. The study indicates that the participation of the Satars status in local institutions like NGOs/INGOs and development process is not satisfactory. Their representation in the community based organizations is nominal. The Satars are hard workers and they have no significant role in decision making process. They are socially and economically backward. They should be mainstreamed in socio-political affairs of the nation. Based on the findings of the study, the following major recommendations are made: 1. Educational status of the disadvantaged group (Satar community) should be improved through targeted programmes like informal education. 2. Implementation of VDC level programmes by the representatives of disadvantaged groups can develop their confidence in decision making process. 3. Social inclusion programs will be more helpful in changing the attitudes of the disadvantaged groups. 4. Political culture should positively be discriminated for the disadvantaged groups 5. Easy access to citizenship will encourage them in every activity of the society as well as nation.