The village of Dungi Lag, which falls in the service area of Himachal Gramin Bank, branch office Bhutti is located just 8 Kms from the district headquarter of Kullu. Despite being the most populous village in the valley its still lacks the basic infrastructure facilities like motor able road, irrigation, health services, veterinary hospital, etc. The major occupation of the villagers is subsistence farming on small land and fragmented land holding besides casual labor. Although the literacy level is good, there is lack of awareness among the villages about the various developmental schemes and incentives by the various government agencies, including Bank\'s schemes, particularly the latest liberalized norms of financial inclusion and lending. Even if the Bank was willing to provide the capital a villager was knew less as to how to use this money for gainful purpose. Therefore, a need was felt to organize the people at village level so that they can easily and effectively harness the required information about the beneficial schemes and also use it to their advantages.
The Farmer Club or Vikas Volunteer Vahini Scheme of NABARD seems to be the ideal solution. A group of 10 persons comprising of educated, enterprising and progressive youth were encouraged to organize and the Baba Kisan Club was launched on 15 September 2004 at Dungi Lag, after getting the registration and approval from NABARD. Initially there was a lot of spectism and reservation from the village elders and elected representatives of Panchayat, about the motive, intention and effectiveness of the club.
The members began to work in earnest and the first project undertaken by them was to provide connectivity to the village by establishing a tar spin, which a local assembled cable car facility for transportation of goods through pulley system. A Self Help Group was formed and loan facility was extended by the Bank for the purchase of equipments and materials for tar spin. This not only provided transportation facility to the villagers but also provided gainful employment to the bought operating the tar spin. There was a spurt in the construction and business activity in the village after the establishment of tar spin.
Thereafter, meet and match program was organized in the village by inviting various officials of the extension services of government departments like Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, etc. The latest schemes were discussed and method of training benefits were explained to the villagers. The Farmer Club helped upon bank\'s account recommended progressive and enterprising people for disbursing loans and also organized recovery campaign. Thereby in calculate model banking habits among the villagers.
The Club also organized Self Help Groups among women, unemployed youth and the under privileged for various developmental activities. They also undertook social activities like tree plantation, cleanliness, sanitation, village fair, yuva camps, etc. for a holistic development of the village.
In a short period of little over two years the signs of a accelerated development through the efforts of the farmer clubs are visible. This can be ascertained by the facts that the newly elected panchayat body has approached the bank and the farmer club for a more proactive role in village development and implementing of its schemes.
Encouraged by the results, five more farmers club have been launched in different village in the area.
