Rational behind its formation: PROBAAH

Sometimes during 1998-99, some local people for fulfilment of their various demands approached Dr. Hemo Prava Saikia, Hon’ble Minister for Handloom & Textiles, Sericulture etc. of Assam who was also the local MLA from Nazira LAC, during one of her visit to the constituency. Among those people, if some were asking for monetary assistance for availing medical treatment, others were in need of money to meet various educational needs of their children and so on. Their needs were varied.At that particular moment of time, the SHG movement was slowly taking its shape in the state. Dr. Saikia, who had information about the potential of this sector, at that juncture directed some of her trusted workers to encourage local people of Nazira and adjoining areas to form SHG’s. Her dedicated workers swung into action and within a short span of time more than 310 nos. of SHG’s were formed by the local people getting motivated by the drive. These SHG’s were provided financial assistance by the DRDA.
Later on, it was observed that some of those SHG’s were failing to carry on their activities due to lack of proper guidance. It was pertinent to mention here that; SHG’s were entitled to receive a financial grant of Rs. 10,000.00 from the govt. after six months of its formation. But it was seen that a number of SHG’s failed to receive the grant even after 18 months of their formation and in active state. It was also observed that this was creating despair and frustration among the deprived SHG members who were mostly unemployed youth and women.
To overcome this crisis, Dr. Saikia madam advocated formation of an NGO to look after the development of those SHG’s and to provide them proper guidance. And as a result, on the 13th day of March 2002, a voluntary society under the name of PROBAAH was instituted and registered with the Registrar of Societies, Govt. of Assam. Then, PROBAAH soon got into business and mustered the support of SIRD, Assam. Its officials were invited to Nazira for motivation training. The local Hon”ble MLA Dr. Saikia herself to undergo training sponsored nearly 50 youth on dairy farming and poultry farming at AAU.
That was the beginning for PROBAAH And over the years, the NGO successfully implemented various programs and schemes for the socio-economic development of the local people of Nazira, rural educated unemployed youth, women and SHG members. Among the various activities, which the organization has been carrying on successfully since the day of its inception, includes training on patchouli cultivation, duck rearing, mushroom cultivation, cultivation of vermi-compost, poly-green house cultivation, cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and others. The organization within this period of its existence, also conducted numerous health camps for the SHG members, veterinary camps, workshops, seminars etc on self-employment generating activities and others. With the active help of DRDA and SIRD, PROBAAH has been implementing various programs for the benefit of the local people of Nazira and adjoining areas like training and guidance for setting up firm mechanization units, duckeries, piggeries, diary firms, goat firms, handloom units, fisheries, food processing units, broiler firms, agarbatti manufacturing units, bakery units, rabi crop cultivation, bee keeping and others.

Apart from this, PROBAAH from time to time has been distributing educational materials among Harijan community, slum dwellers, orphans etc., free medicines among poor people and others

In 2005, PROBAAH started a project to empower the rural tribal weavers of Nazira subdivision. The project aims at taking the traditional Assamese designs to the masses in a commercial and professional way thereby contributing towards the growth and
empowerment of the tribal weavers who otherwise fail to fetch a fair deal for the hard produces.
PROBAAH was considered started of some more new projects and schemes shortly for the benefit of the educated rural unemployed youth, tea garden labours, poor people, SHG members and others, which would definitely result in economic and social empowerment of some of the poorest of the poor people of Assam.
PROBAAH has also completed two projects under two mega project one being a Multipurpose Cultural Complex at the cost of Rs. 2.00 crores at Mola gaon, Nazira and the other being a children’s park at Habigaon, Charaideu. Both the projects are able to fulfil the long standing needs of the people of Nazira providing ample opportunity to all sections of people to become culturally and socially enlightened under the provisions of the projects.