The Odisha Dalit Adhikar Manch (ODAM) on Wednesday held a demonstration here alleging that the there have been no fundamental changes in the socioeconomic conditions of the State’s Dalits, Adivasis and other poor people in the development and administrative process of the State.
The ODAM said even after 80 years of the formation of a separate Odisha State, there have been no betterment of the financial and social conditions of Dalits, tribals, agricultural labourers and sharecroppers. Though there have been changes in the condition of a few selected families, there is virtually no change in the conditions of the masses in the State compared to national and international levels.
Medieval superstitions, untouchability and gender disparity are still prevalent in the State’s rural areas. The Government, the official machinery and the police instead of stopping them are harassing the exploited in different ways, ODAM leaders said.
Though 2,504 harassment cases against Dalits and Adivasis were registered in 2015, the State is lagging behind in arresting the accused and punishing the guilty, said ODAM president Manas Jena.
The basic necessities like food, drinking water, sanitation, electricity, all-weather roads, social security, food security, education and healthcare continue to elude the majority of Dalits and Adivasis, Jena added.
Due to shortage of safe drinking water, food, healthcare and good environment there are deaths of children, women and men in some parts of the State or other. The Government schemes being implemented for the last 65 years are not reaching the intended beneficiaries, said Manch coordinator Prasant Mallick.
later, a delegation of the Manch met the Governor and submitted a memorandum. The memorandum demanded that agricultural workers and sharecroppers be provided with five acre of agricultural land each within a stipulated timeframe besides being provided with bank loans, irrigation facilities and self-employment through the SC and ST Financial Development Corporation. It also demanded strict implementation of reservation in private sector and filling of reserved posts.
Among others, ODAM advisor Madhusudan Jadav and many district-level functionaries were present.