Consultation Workshop on Village Surveys in Bihar – Day 1 and 2
The Two-Day Consultation on Village Surveys in Bihar organised by the Foundation is in progress and in its second day!
The Consultation has been an hugely participatory event, attended by activists of the Kisan Sabha, Agricultural Workers’ Union, All India Democratic Women’s Association, scholars from universities from different parts of India, and a delegate from Kyoto University, Japan.
The first day began with a lively introductory session, and sessions on class structures in the Indian countryside and the study villages (Katkuian in West Champaran district and Nayanagar in Samastipur district), land and tenancy issues, irrigation in the study villages, farming and agricultural incomes, household incomes, and the forces of production in agriculture in the two villages.
The second day began with a session on labour and wages — keenly discussed — and continued with sessions on credit policy in India and indebtedness in the villages.
In the afternoon, there were important sessions on education in the study villages, household amenities, issues of the environment and climate change with special reference to Bihar, and a comparison of data from the village surveys of 2012 and 2018. The final session was a general discussion, in which more than 25 delegates participated.