Odisha State Food Commission Chairperson Rangalal Jamuda reviewed the status of different food security programmes at a meeting held at Khariar block on Friday. The review basically centred on three programmes, namely, the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), MGNREGS and FRA.
Data presented by the officials on the MGNREGS revealed that the average person-day generated per year is only 28 days, which is far below the minimum employment assured under the MGNREG Act. Jamuda said that the performance has to increase considering the large scale need of work by people.
Data presented by the administration on pending wages of the workers of different blocks were also discouraging. Wage worth more than Rs 1crore is yet to be paid to workers due to various reasons.
Komna block tops in delayed payment of wages with Rs 32.11 lakh not yet paid, followed by Sinapali (Rs 32.11 lakh), Boden (Rs 16.92 lakh), Khariar (Rs 14.55 lakh) and Nuapada with Rs 7.81 lakh. The official data further revealed that the delay is more than 15 in 40 per cent of the nonpayment cases, which should have resulted in payment of compensation to workers under Payment of Wage Act – 1936.
The district administration also presented the labour budget projection under the MGNREGA for the year 2017-18, which stated that, a total of 21.569 lakh person-days would be generated for which the projected expenditure is set at Rs 67.71 crore. “This projection is like a drop in the ocean, when the real demand of work by active job card holders is much higher,” said chairperson of Khariar Panchayat Samiti Balakrushna Sabar after the meeting. “Total active job cards in the district is 76,116 in number and at a minimum of 100 days of work per card per year, the amount of expenditure would be more than Rs 150 crore,” said Sabar further adding that, the scheme has not been able to check distress migration due to such underestimated projection.
While reviewing the TDPS, the Commissioner directed the officials to dispose the pending applications under the NFSA. A total of 14,518 applications demanding ration cards are pending with different blocks for disposal. The highest number of applications (3,884) has been received by Komna block followed by Nuapada (3,731) Boden (3,175), Sinapali (2,368) and Khariar block has received 1,133 applications till now. The Commissioner advised the officials to verify the applications and intimate the applicants whether they can be included
or not, so that they would not run to the offices repeatedly. However, the problem with the administration is that, the number of beneficiaries covered so far has already exceeded the ceiling fixed for the district.
On FRA, the Commissioner instructed the officials to take up land development activities. The block Chairperson requested the Commissioner to consider for payment of input subsidy for crop losses in land allotted to the people under the FRA.
The villagers of Bhainsadani of Boden block drew the attention of the Commissioner about the denial by the Forest Department for allotment of land under the FRA. Hundreds of people are cultivating Dungri Kisam land in Bhainsadani, which they have inherited from their forefathers but the Forest Department says that the dungri kisam is not forest in official terminology.
Whereas the people say that small forests in local language is called dungri, so the entitlement should be given to them under the FRA. “Our applications for 1,248 acres of land in Bhainsadani are pending for approval for this reason which has deprived us of our right to livelihood,” said the villagers.
The BJP workers under the leadership of Krushak Morcha president Sanjay Tiwari, and BJP district president Sibaprasad Mund gave a memorandum to district Collector Poma Tudu demanding loan waiver and interest free loan to farmers.
“Farmers of Odisha are in distress. Farmers have committed suicide due to repeated failure of crops and burden of loan, but the Odisha Government has not taken any step. The immediate solution to address the distress of farmers is waiving of loans and provision of interest free loans,” their memorandum addressed to the Governor of Odisha stated.