Allege Govt apathy deprives them of benefits
Tribals in the Gajapati district’s Mohana area on Monday held a huge campaign protesting the State Government’s alleged lackadaisical attitude to bring them under BPl category and to deprive them of benefits of anti-poverty schemes of the Central Government.
They alleged that they are yet to get subsidised PDS items, electricity, subsidised houses and free treatment facility in Government medicals due to the neglect of the State Government.
Members of the Mulanivasi Manch, a people’s forum, said during a survey conducted by them they found in some villages of the block that most of the well-to-do families have BPl cards and poor are not in the list.
The procedure to resolve the BPl families was not correct and there was need to bring about certain changes, said Manch convenor Rabi Rathan.
“We have already conducted a survey in five villages of Mohana gram panchayat. We found that most of well off people are coming under the BPl category,” he said, informing that most of the octogenarian women are still struggling to get pension under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS).
He said Gochalu Mallika and Badalu Mallika, Boddilu Mallika, Baldialu Mallika and Nanilu Mallika of Badakhami village are some examples of pension deprival. He said a total of 170 deserving families in the village are yet to be included in the BPl list.
“The poor are not getting BPl cards and widow pension. Rather the rich people have been included in the list and are are taking all the benefits. We urged the Government to include poor dalit and tribal people in the BPl list soon,” Mohana block Chairperson Kumari Mallick said.