ABSTRACT
During interactions with the Bhil, it was clear that they were ambivalent about whether they would be in a position to manage things on their own without support from the civil society intermediaries. It was envisaged that the civil society intermediaries would empower the Bhil during the project implementation period, but enable them to sustain the process after the project implementation was over. The fostering of such dependency is a function of the duration of the project. At present, watershed projects are implemented over a four to five year programme, and this does not allow the time and space for newly formed local institutions to mature and take root. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are the officially designated agencies for rural development. In the Jhabua watershed project, the PRIs have been given important roles and responsibilities. The panchayat representatives are included in the Watershed Development Committees. Interactions with the Bhil indicated an adverserial relationship between the PRIs and the watershed institutions.
