On her first visit to the State since she took over as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) a year back, Mamta Sharma was left numbed witnessing the unbelievable poverty in areas under Banpur block in Khurda district.
Accompanied by NCW inquiry committee member Manasi Pradhan, the NCW chief’s convoy drove straight to Niladriprasad and Damia Barabara, two backward tribal panchayats in the block, to review the benefits of all Government-sponsored schemes for tribal women. Nestled amidst deep forests, a few kilometer from the world famous Chilika lake, both the panchayats, which house over ten thousand tribals, have recently been in news for heavy incursion of Maoist cadres into the region.
The NCW chief began her visit from the house of Dangi Dei, an 82-year-old widow. Dangi Dei has received none of the Government benefits including old age pension, widow pension or BPl benefit. With no money for treatment, the infection in one of her leg is getting worse day by day inflicting unbearable pain.
As Mamta Sharma moved from one house to another, the picture of poverty only began to get too stark. Very few houses in the panchayats have a roof for shelter despite all schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana and Mo Kudia Yojana. Over 95 per cent of the villagers have tested for malaria positive; yet there was no regular doctor in the nearby health centre, said the NCW member.
Sharma was astounded to find that many villagers still depend on mango kernels for their staple diet as neither BPl rice nor Antodaya Annapurna Yojana has reached them. Sharma broke down to tears at the sight of Kunti Dei, who is bedridden for last four years in an unknown disease and yet haven’t received a pie for treatment. Shocked and angry, the NCW chief directed the Banpur BDO to immediately distribute all Government benefits and file a report with the NCW within 15 days.