Communicating community re-organisation in India: Selective developmental interventions in perspective. Paper presented at Taking

This paper presents a critical perspective on communication with communities within the development efforts at the grassroots level in the Indian context. It is part of an exploratory research undertaken by one of the authors (Naqvi, M) on Non-Governmental Development Organisations ’ (NGDOs) communication with their target communities in central India. The authors present two models, selective interaction and new involvement, developed from the data collected from semi-structured interviews of different types of NGDOs in Central India. They discuss conflicting ideals at play in the objectives and approaches of the ‘key players ’ interacting with the community, and how these objectives are communicated to the community. The ‘key players ’ include the externally funded NGDOs, the State funded NGDOs, the Elected Panchayat (governing body), the Traditional Panchayat (body of elders), and, the Target (beneficiary) Community itself. Since development interventions of NGDOs within participatory approaches establish gram sabhas or similar village level organisations comprised of individuals or groups from within the community to gain cooperation into their projects, a certain re-organisation is an inevitable part of ground NGDO’s interaction with the target community. The new structures that emerge get modifie