The State Government is struggling to maintain its sustainability and, hence, has little time to concentrate on resolving flood and drought problems, said Waterman and Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh at a State-level programme on ‘Drought in Odisha’ here on Friday.
“The people of Odisha are facing the condition of drought not because of scanty rainfall but due to lack of willpower of the political leaders here,” Singh said.
He also said, “As per my knowledge, the people of the State are very self-esteemed. But now after the introduction of Rs2-a-kg rice and Rs5-a-meal schemes, they have become idle. This is a major fault committed by the ruling party; though the schemes are able create only vote banks.”
The farmers should have their own land, water facility, seeds and manure to make the State drought-free and flood-free, he added. If the political leaders would respect both the nature and humanity equally, sustainable development can be possible, Singh opined.
The ActionAid and its partners organised the State-level consultation ‘Interface on present drought scenario in Odisha’.
The ActionAid had done a drought assessment in seven drought affected districts like Baragarh, Kandhamal, Sundargarh, Ganjam, Balangir, Koraput and Nuapada. According to the report, small and marginal farmers, landless agricultural workers, women and children from Dalit and Trbal communities are the worst victims of drought, said ActionAid programme officer BN Durga.
He said cultivation of paddy has been decreased by 40-70 per cent as a result of which farmers do not have adequate seeds for the next crop seasons, he said.
Harvesting of forest produces like tubers and leafs have also declined by 40 per cent due to drought situation, he informed.
Recollecting the situation of 1960-70, agriculture activist Saroj said where starvation death was rampant in 1960-70, now farmers’ suicides, migration and torture by labour contractors have become a serious concern.
Among others, Down to Earth magazine Managing Editor Richard Mohapatra, agriculture expert Rukmini Rao and ActionAid executive director Sandeep Chachra spoke.
Debabrat Patra gave welcome address. Around 150 affected farmers of seven districts were present on the occasion.