Our Profile

Introduction :
Gaza is Crafts belt in Howrah district like Zari Embroider, Handloom NOa Ornament, etc. The village sandwiched between three tributaries of river Ganges, river Mundeswari and river Damodar, West Bengal. The only fame the village can boast of is its proximity to the native village of one of the greatest sons of Bengal Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a social reformer and revolutionary radical thinker who challenged and successfully altered the very social foundation of religious orthodoxy. For the people in Gaza, life is a difficult journey in the form of a vicious cycle from disaster to another, plunging them into the clutches of poverty and disillusionment.

It was in such a background that a group of young and educated people, inspired by the teachings of their revolutionary ancestors, decided to dedicate their lives for the welfare of their fellow beings. Thus in 1984, under the leadership of Umasankar Mukherjee, a firebrand youth from and orthodox Bramin family in the area, formed an organization of like minded people to challenge the very nature of social support systems in the country. Thus, in the same year, Agradut was formed with an objective of being the social change agents for development and growth of poor and disadvantaged rural communities.

OFFICE Location

P.O. & At. : Gaja, PS-Udaynarayanpur,Dist. – Howrah – 711 226, West Bengal, India
Tel-Fax : + 91 3214 257 254, 03214-200070
Email : agradut_org@yahoo.co.in

Contact Person

Umasankar Mukherjee, Secretary

Operational Area

West Bengal Howrah Udaynarayanpur, Amta-I & II and Shyampur-I & II Hooghly Khanakul-I & II, Polba-Dadpur, Pursurah Purulia Barabajar, Manbajar, Puncha, Purulia-1

An overview of the Organization

Training and capacity building
Working towards Eco-harmony and restoring cultural heritage
Fuel efficient crematorium for pollution control
Disaster relief
Literacy with emphasis on child Literacy
Health with focus on immunization
Women financial self sufficiency base on promotion of Micro Enterprise and Technical up-gradation
Building farmers’ groups for eco-friendly cultivation
Economic self reliance of the villages in the programme area through promotion of SHGs.

Major Stakeholder and Intervention | Rajeev Gandhi National Crèche Program

Under this program run by Central Social Welfare Board under Ministry of Women and Child Development, units are being run at different locations at Gaza, Udaynarayanpur, Sitapur & Piarapur, under Udaynarayanpur Block in Howrah district in West Bengal . In this programme 25 children at each Creche Centre are being provided with dalia, khichri, fruits, peas, grams etc. for the betterment of nutrition and learning with playing material for infants, newborns and babies under 5 years. The Crèche Centers are come across such areas where even for Infants of un-organized women labour working in different sector

AGRADUT’s Triple- A Approach for Micro-enterprises [ME] Development

Poverty is often related to inadequate income and lack of livelihood and employment. A distinction between poverty alleviation and reduction therefore become pertinent. Poverty alleviation is a short-term improvement of the poor’s capital endowment. Poverty reduction is a long-term elimination of the poor’s dependency on social relations and of vulnerability with respect to changes in their environment. Poverty alleviation covers providing material possessions and opportunities to obtain income to meet basic needs. It also implies sustainable alleviation of poverty through creating gainful youth employment and livelihood. Micro-Enterprises is a potent tool not only for poverty alleviation but also its plays a importance role in employment opportunities.

Village Development Plan adopted By NABARD

In an effort to identify the development issues of Polba Dadpur Block and also envisage and prepare suitable programme, Agradut has been deputed as a Nodal agency by NABARD.To sustain the development inputs in the three villages namely Dumurpur, Kunchpala and Digneswar of Satithan G.P. under Polba-Dadpur Block of Hooghly adopted by NABARD under “Village Development Plan” as a Backward villages practices PRA mostly analyzing and identifying issues in education, health & Infrastructure development, spreading field of work in the said rural area to implement various programme. In the time of preparation of action plant it has noticed that the distance of Block Hospital is like to 23 kilometers, mostly suffer the pregnant mother as there is no Ambulance Service for the area.

Ambulance Service

Run an ambulance service under the PPP initiative association with the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of West Bengal, is ferrying sick persona and patients from interior villages of Narayanpur Block Primary Hospital, Hooghly to the referral hospitals in the state

Communicty sensitization program on Domestic Violence Act. 2005

Cluster approach is a Drive to scale up the infrastructural and production chain at Handicrafts clusters which have remained unorganized and have not kept pace with the modernization and development that have been taking place so far. Consequently, there has not been any addition of fresh impetus of development and optimum realization of output in the handicrafts sector, which is not only the backbone of long traditional heritage and cultural linkages. The prospects of this sector lie in infrastructural Upgradation, modernization of the machinery and product diversification. Innovative manufacturing as well as designing know-how, furthered by brand building of the native products hold the key to creating a niche market for the products manufactured by the clusters.

Organization has promoted a Cluster, on ‘Zari Embroidery’ under AHVY in Khanakul-I & II Block of Hooghly and Udaynarayanpur Block of Hooghly district, W.B. sponsored by D.C.(Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India.

Welfare of Disabilities

The organization is actively involving in various activities for the welfare of disable persons. To raise awareness to the people about disability organized major Camp and yearly distribution of Book, disability instrument and organized camp to identify the disability for identity Certificate. The organization has registered with The National Trust, Department of disability Affair, Govt of India, working for the Welfare of person with Autism, Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy and multiple Disabilities.

INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES AVAILABLE OF OUR ORGANIZATION

The Organization has one large 3-storied building including a well-furnished training center and another 2-storied building with boarding and sanitation facilities. Electricity , Water and Internet Connection facilities available.