Intergrated Rural Development Society (IRDS) Update Activity from October to December 2025
IRDS Target Communities Pass Resolution at Statutory Gramsabha for Fair Wages and Climate Action Statutory Gramsabha meetings were held on 11 October across IRDS target village panchayats, with strong participation from village communities mobilized by IRDS team members and Village Action Committees. During the meetings, villagers passed resolutions calling for the proper implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) to ensure fair wages and within their villages. The resolutions also highlighted the use of MNREGA works toprotect and revive common resources such as tanks, lakes, water canals, and community forests as part of local efforts to address climate change. Dalit community members and people from other castes all supported the resolution, marking an important achievement for our villages In addition, IRDS observed World Food Day on 16 October by organizing a traditional seed exchange of millets, pulses, and vegetables. The activity aims to encourage families to grow their own food on small landholdings and strengthen local food security.
IRDS Organizes Union Worker Camps and Youth Training Across Villages
In the early week of November 2025, IRDS organized camps for union workers in Emmapper village and at the IRDS center to help them access benefits from various Labor Welfare Boards in Tamil Nadu, including educational support for children, housing, self-employment assistance, marriage support, burial expenses, accident claims, and more. Many workers were successfully linked to the boards, and IRDS plans to continue similar initiatives at other locations in the coming weeks. On 8 November, IRDS organized a training program for young leaders, with 47 participants from different villages. IRDS team members were also present. During the program, participants discussed the need to generate self-employment in their regions by using local resources and their educational skills. The young leaders also emphasized the importance of strengthening Panchami land struggles in their villages, in collaboration with women. They shared that in many villages, women farmers had started farming on their own land and established home vegetable gardens using the seeds distributed on 16 October. Participants discussed the need for cooperative organic farming and the direct exchange of surplus produce with consumers. They also noted that MNREGA works in many villages had helped improve common resources in preparation for the coming monsoon. In addition, the group discussed forming cooperative milk producer units using traditional cows, promoting sports meets and cultural activities for children, and enrolling members from their villages and nearby areas to support future cooperative initiatives. They plan to finalize the list of interested members in December
