RSS plans all-India survey to expand base, reach out

The RSS has already covered nearly 10,000 different places through its shakhas as part of this and has “decided to collect data based on these surveys in every state”, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale had said earlier this month on the concluding day of the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) baithak in Haryana.

“Swayamsevaks are required to take out time and engage in social work regularly. This time, we had a presentation on people who are employed and their engagement with social work. They have conducted a survey (in their areas of influence)…as to how many people are employed, how many are engaged in government service, how many are retired, or have gone abroad. We have asked all shakhas to conduct similar surveys,” Hosabale had said.

Sources said the survey work will largely be done by shakhas meant for people between 20 and 40 years of age. “There are 35,000 to 40,000 shakhas of people in the 20-40 age group. This responsibility has been given to them. The idea is to use this data to address problems,” a senior RSS functionary said.

This functionary cited an example in Agra where one such survey has shown that people were falling sick of a particular disease. It was subsequently found that this was due to water from pipelines getting mixed with sewer lines, and “our swayamsewaks ensured the two lines were separated”, the functionary claimed.

Hosabale said at the ABPS event, “In Madurai (Tamil Nadu), our workers have tied up with 20-25 doctors. Every week, these doctors offer free treatment. There are many activities (being taken up) such as milk distribution, tuition, temple service, etc. We will compile reports of such activities taking place in shakhas in six months. The idea is not to limit shakha work to just public service but to bring about a change.”

Sources in RSS said that similar “success stories” were reported from Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, among other states during the ABPS.

Another RSS functionary said that their survey at a small town in Rajasthan found that people were facing difficulties due to lack of sewer lines. Claiming that it emerged that the municipality did not have any budget to set this right, this functionary said, “Our swayamsevaks then got an estimate prepared by municipal officials, which came to Rs 12 crore. With support of the people and businessmen connected to the Sangh, the work was completed for only Rs 2 crore.”

In Delhi, the local shakha in Mayur Vihar has helped the women of Trilokpuri slums improve their earning from Rs 300 a day to Rs 700 a day by providing them training, sewing machines and market access, the RSS has claimed.