Sakhi, the One Stop Centre and a true Companion!
“Please look if everything is neatly arranged, let us know if anything needs to be fixed,” said Ektaji Sheron Central Administrator of Sakhi One Stop Centre when I was standing in front of a newly opened One Stop Centre (OSC) in Charkhi Dadri. An hour or so was left for the inauguration of OSC and I decided to take a glimpse of the newly built infrastructure.
The entire OSC was wrapped in flowers, the gates were decorated by the garlands, the veranda had a nice rangoli and design made of petals. All the rooms in OSC were fully furnished with all the required materials — sofa, beds, chairs and tables. The kitchen was stacked neatly with utensils and fresh veggies. The staff was busy in preparations, all dressed in the traditional attire and carrying a sense of joy and happiness on their faces. After carefully watching out the preparations I gave a thumbs-up symbol to Ekataji and congratulated the team for their hard work in setting up a functional OSC, ready to provide shelter to any women in distress.
While stepping out of the OSC, my mind rolled back to the second or third day of the Chief Ministers Good Governance Associate (CMGGA) induction program. It was during induction that all the CMGGAs were told about various work modules and state’s flagship programmes our batch would help implement throughout the year. Helen, from the Program Team, was explaining the idea of an OSC, as envisaged by the Government of India.
What is the objective of an OSC?
OSCs motive is to support women affected by physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse. The aim is of providing specialized services all under one roof irrespective of class, caste, educational status and that too free of charge and with 24*7 service to any woman in distress.
The first task for all CMGGAs included analyzing the existing conditions of OSCs and reviving them in their respective districts. As soon as I landed in my district (Charkhi Dadri) post-induction, I visited the OSC to understand the present condition. During this very first visit, I learnt that it was running in the old Civil Hospital building, which frankly shocked me as the building was no less than a haunted place (for the lack of right words)! The walls had lost colors, doors and windows were broken, the toilets were full of filth. It saddened me to see such adverse conditions of an infrastructure which was originally thought out to be a shelter home for women in distress. Entangled in my thoughts, I came across a corner and saw two women sitting, one of whom was the Centre Administrator of the OSC and the other one was the psychological counselor. I had a detailed discussion with them about the condition of OSC. They mentioned that the OSC was unable to accept cases due to what I thought was one of the worst infrastructures and that they had written several letters to Chief Medical Officer (CMO), whose department owns this Civil Hospital but never heard a response. Delving further into the conversations with them, I proposed if they want to think about making investment themselves in improving the building if they have funds already. The Central Administrator shared that since their department didn’t own the building, they are not authorized to make an investment in it. I realized that the only way to make this work was to meet the CMO himself. And I did. The CMO explained that they couldn’t use the infrastructure as the building was already condemned and thus it was legally impermissible in invest in it. Breaking this deadlock was the only way to move forward. I had to involve a higher authority to solve for this.
I explained the matter in detail to the respected Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sh Dharmvir Singh (IAS). We explored possible options for the relocation of OSC in a government building but we had another hurdle to face. Since Charkhi Dadri is a newly formed district in 2016, it has a dearth of infrastructure. We even thought of renting a building as the best possible solution!
We followed a detailed procedure to choose a potential place for setting up the OSC. While this took over a month’s time, we simultaneously began the procedure for appointing the staff and procuring necessary materials. According to the procedure, the Public Work Department (PWD) analyses the place and only then decides the amount of rent that the government could pay. The rates are usually fixed government rates, which in this matter, was about Rs 5,200 per month. The owner denied renting the place at such a low price. While I did raise his concern to the respected DC, a definitive solution looked strenuous, but we brainstormed to have a way out. One of the officers shared that “DC can form a three-member committee which can analyze the whole situation, the current market rate and suggesting a possible way forward from the administration’s side.” Following this, a committee was formed which carried out its independent investigation and decided 7,800 as the market rate. The owner still showed apprehensions. It was thus important to make him believe in the cause of the OSC and how his support could be beneficial for so many women who needed help! Well, we all as society members want to contribute our share of efforts for the social good, and what could have been better than supporting women? The landlord agreed and settled for Rs 7,800.
Surprisingly, it took many months to sort out an issue which initially looked simple to solve. As a reader, one would naturally club the aforementioned hurdles as bureaucratic challenges or even as set-backs. But I’ll tell how this is different. An easy solution, without following the procedure, might have given us a temporary solution but would have attracted several issues in future. Certain checks and balances were important in this case. Even though the process was slow-paced, it ensured that we chose the right building and settled on fair rent. Further, as a CMGGA, this was one of the most important learnings for me. While one could propose recommendations at the policy level, you need to change your approach while interacting with the common citizen, wearing different boots according to the need. You need to first believe in the cause yourself, and then make others also believe in that cause! You need to make them feel an important part of the ‘system’ and how their minimal support can, in turn, be a big support to a greater cause.
While I pondered upon these thoughts, I heard someone announce the arrival of DC Sir’s car to the newly built OSC. The struggles of three months didn’t seem bad after all, as he inaugurated our fully equipped OSC on 21st November 2019.
Out of many women who often visit OSC to seek help, Sudha’s s story (name changed) is worth sharing. Sudha faced issues with her husband and could never express her concerns to him as she lived a joint family which often had hostile surroundings for such conversations. Upon hearing about the Sakhi OSC, she visited to seek help. She not only got counsellor’s full attention but also the unhampered trust. Sudha came back again with her husband, as she wanted to have a direct conversation with him in a ‘free, non-judgmental, safe and zero disturbance’ environment — the OSC, also called the ‘Sakhi Center’ in Hindi, which means companion. I believe it is truly living to that meaning
Quoting the security guard during a visit to the while he watered the blooming marigolds, “If you provide them a good atmosphere (the idea of safe space through Sakhi centre), they bloom beautifully. Similarly, when you provide a safe space to women in distress, they would be empowered to stand up to their rights.”
From small marigold plants to women in need, OSC at Charkhi Dadri today is standing tall with open arms and a warm welcome to any woman who needs support. I feel immensely proud that as a CMGGA I got an opportunity to contribute to this cause.
