Activities of DEP though directed at empowering people with knowledge and skill to eradicate evil practices in the society, it could generate lot of indirect impact in terms of social transformation, especially in the areas such as: 1) eradication of untouchability, 2) employment generation for the poor, 3) enabling poor to use their land rights, 4) minimizing gender discrimination and 5) eradication of child labor. Following text looks into these impacts, in detail.

Untouchability
Because of the efforts of Dalitha Samakya, untouchability has been eradicated at 4 habitations viz., Nakkaladinne, Yellavathula, Machinenipalli, and Mukundapuram. DEP carried out direct discussion with the hotel owners, who stopped two-glass method of serving tea/water in hotels in all habitations of Rudravaram Mandal. Dalits were able to access common drinking water points to collect water on par with other communities in the mandal.

DS discussed any incidence of practice of untouchability in village meetings and reported to Mandal DS, which in turn lobbied with the press to give coverage immediately in local daily Newspapers. MDS also booked complaints with Mandal Officers on the incidence of practice of untouchability. MDS also lobbied with Mandal Revenue officer to conduct the “Civil Rights Day” once in every month to discuss the problem of untouchability.

As a result of DS efforts, untouchability practices like Two Glass system was stopped and dalits could access drinking water points. However, other evil practices such as access to temples and rachabanda (village center) still evade dalits. DS would take up these issues in the forthcoming “Civil Rights Days”. Table 5.6 shows the status of untouchability practices, in Rudravaram mandal, end of reporting period.

Vetty, a form of untouchability wherein Dalits were made to carry away and bury dead people and animals for a bottle of arrack and a meal, has been stopped at 3 habitations viz.,  Mukundapuram, Nakkaladinne and Yellavathula. At these habitations services are available for only on payment of suitable service charges.

Employment generation for dalits
The study on unemployment revealed that, there were 274 families unemployed, due to drought and were planning to migrate. Through advocacy and lobbying with the Government Departments, the unemployment has been reduced to 124, during the reporting period. The total worth of work created due to this lobbying is Rs. 30,40,000/-, including rice component Table 5.7 gives summary of works generated to create employment for dalits to stop migration from their villages.

Enabling dalits to use their land rights
The Government has assigned lands to the landless dalits as part of the implementation of Land Ceiling Act and SC/ST Act. Due to lack of information of the legal assignments and highhandedness of the landlords, dalits were not able to access the lands legally assigned to them in the past. Government was also implementing a program called Land Purchase Scheme (LPS), which provides money to dalit families for purchasing land. This scheme suffered set-back due to non-availability of land on the one hand and the lack of information on the availability of land with dalits. MDCS as part of their information sharing activities collected land records from the Revenue Department and shared the same with the VDSCs, enabling them to utilize the LPS properly.
The land accrued by dalit families, per March 2004 was 117.20 acres, benefiting 97 Dalit families. During the reporting period additional 27.2 acres of land was accrued by 11 Dalit families, putting the total land accrued at 144.4 acres. Though the land acquisition by dalit families, during the reporting period, was only due to assigning of government lands and liberation of occupied land, with the boost to LPS it is hoped that good progress will be made in coming years. Table 5.7 gives status of dalit land acquision, during the reporting period.

Minimizing gender discrimination
Seven forms of gender discriminatory practices were identified in DEP habitations viz., husband highhandedness, lack of access to sanitary facilities, food, education, meetings, common wages, and land lords harassment.
 
Dalit women were organized in to 86 Self Help Groups (SHG), in DEP operational area. Rudravaram Dalitha Samakya conducted women group meetings at all its target habitations; with cooperation of habitation level DS to discuss problems beset to them and their children, both at home and outside. These SHGs have become articulate and bold on account of their exposure to banks and interactions within and outside the group.

Women groups also inculcated leadership qualities and were motivated to meet Government Officers for support for solving their problems. SHGs were able to pressurize the Government Officers for starting Mid-day Meals scheme at 20 habitations, during the reporting period.
 
Of the listed forms of gender discrimination, women could eliminate 5 forms, by the end of the reporting period. The success of SHGs, in DEP operational area is summarized in table 5.8.

Eradication of child labor
At the time of Child labour study, there were 223 child labour in Rudravaram Mandal, of which 105 were Boys and the remaining 118 Girls.

At the end of the reporting period, 98 Child labour (53 Male and 45 Female) joined in child labour educational centers. Table 5.8 gives status of the activity at the end of reporting period. This was achieved through Counseling of their parents, followed by village level meetings. Meetings with teachers, ICDS Staff and Government staff were also crucial in motivating the child labour to enroll in educational centers.

Andhra Pradesh Dalitha Samakya not only organzed Balasamakya Committees and Mahila Samakya groups at every habitation, but also conducted counseling of children and parents, on a daily basis, highlighting importance of childhood and education.

Dalit grass root organization like Dalitha Samakya. We are strengthened in various areas in operational places.  
Child Labour Details.