Archive for October, 2009
A detail report on suicide of farmer Kushadhwaja Majhi of Tarbod village, Nuapada
Following is a report from the expressbuzz.com:
Poverty and penury followed Kushadhwaja Majhi (38), the landless tribal of village Tarbod in Komna block, like a shadow forcing him to commit suicide. He committed suicide late on the night of October 25 by hanging himself from the roof.
Such was the necessity for money that Majhi, father of four sons, forced his wife to undergo tubectomy so that the money from the operation could be utilised to open an account to facilitate transfer of funds allotted to him for a house under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).
But the money reached late. His widow, Jeema, was handed over Rs 600 on October 28 besides Rs 10,000 under the National Family Benefit Scheme on Monday. His sons aged between ten and three months.
His precarious financial condition became more evident when the NREGS job card issued to him revealed that he had got employment for 12 and 15 days each in 2006. While he had worked under the scheme from March 22, 2006 to April 3, 2006 and again from May 11, 2006 to May 25, 2006, the job card reflects no entries after the period. However, being a BPL card holder, he has been receiving 25 kg of Rs 2 kg rice which would have been just sufficient to keep the family of six alive.
However, unlike in other districts, the district administration has been quick in rushing aid with the District Collector Bishnu Prasad Panda assuring to sanction Widow Pension immediately and directing to shift his two sons Janmajaya (10), Ghanashyam (8) studying in Class 6 and 5 respectively to nearby Jatagarh Sevashram School while the third boy would be enrolled in the local anganwadi centre.
However, Komna BDO Bisawa Ranjan Nayak, who had attributed the death to poverty and penury informed that Majhi never applied for employment under NREGS in 2007-08 and 2008-09. But district Congress committee president Bhanu Prakash Joshi denied the claim and said though he had applied for work, no work was provided to him. He had taken three acres on lease from Amar Pradhan of the village to cultivate paddy but with crop failing, he was under severe pressure as how to repay the promised paddy against the land.
World Bank grant for various road viz. Bhawanipatna-Kahariar, Sambalpur-Rourkela and others may return
Following report is from The Samaja:
Odisha CM’s proposal to defence ministry to establish a Sainik School at Bargarh
- This subject is also reported in The Pioneer: State demands another Sainik School
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Following is a report from orissadiary.com:
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has given proposal to the Union Defence Minister of State M.M.Palam Raju for establishment of second Sainik School at Bargarh.
The Chief Minister has given this proposal to the Union Minister while he came to Naveen Niwas in Courtesy Visit on Friday. The Chief Minister expressed that earlier the proposal has been submitted. The Union Minister of State has assured to look to the matter personally. Further The Chief Minister requested the Union Minister of State for appointment of more Tribal youths in the defense services.
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- This is a very good step by the CM of Odisha. I hope he will put similar efforts for establishing centrally funded Schools, Industrially relevant technical Institutes, Medical Institutes, Central University, and IIM in western part of the state. These kinds of institutes are urgently needed in western Odisha for the uniform development of human resource and health care facilities.
Vedanta Should Establish a Multidisciplinary University in Kalahandi: A Report from Dharitri
Following is a report from Dharitri:
State govt. yet to utilize grant from the centre towards “Special Mental Hospital”
Following is the report from the Samaja:
Kalahandi supports MP Bhakta’s package for Vedanta
Following is a report from The Pioneer:
As the debate over the Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL) is hotting up in Kalahandi district, the locals are now questioning political leaders about their pre-electoral commitment.
On October 15, Bhakta Das had proposed a package containing 35 points for mining at Niyamgiri hill. If VAL did not consider the package it should go for other alternatives at Sirjimali and Somamali for mining bauxite, he had said in the meeting.
On Tuesday, the second round of debate concluded at Town Hall taking the public opinion into account. However, Bhakta did not clarify his political stand at the meeting. But he was successful in clarifying to the people regarding the proposed package in his one hour speech.
Bhakta asserted that VAL has not yet replied over the peoples demand adding that the officials have not even given any further statement to media regarding the proposed package. He also said that another meeting will be held between December 20 and 30 after Parliament session is over and people would decide whether the industry will continue or not with the acceptance or denial of the proposed package.
He maintained that he would continue his agitation in non-violent ways. He said all the decisions were made in favour of the VAL by the CEC and Supreme Court. “So there is no alternative lying with us unless people join the mass movement. Public decision will be more powerful regarding the establishment of industry,’ he added.
Among others, Junagarh MLA Goberdhan Das, Lanjigarh MLA Shibaji Majhi, Green Kalahandi convenor Sidhartha Nayak, CPI(M) president Naba Kishore Pattnaik, CPI general secretary Dama Behera, Niyamgiri Surakhya Samiti president Kumti Majhi were present.
Farmer suicide rocks Odisha; now it is in Sambalpur
Following is a report from Odisha Today.com:
The Naveen Patnaik Government in Orissa has again dragged into controversy after reports of farmer suicide in western part of the State.
Bidyadhar Bag (50) of Khapsadera village in Tamparkela Gram Panchayat under Rengali block took away his life as his crop was badly affected by pests.
This was the third death in quick intervals in the undivided Sambalpur district. The first one was reported in Bargarh district followed by Jharsuguda and finally the third one in Sambalpur district.
Sources said Bidyadhar has only 40 decimal (0.40 acres) of arable land and he cultivated three acres on rent. After returning from the field he informed his wife and family members that the paddy had been affected by pests.
Enraged at Bidyadhar’s ‘lackadaisical attitude’, his wife charged him with not taking proper care of the crop. This upset Bidyadhar who went to the market and on the plea of purchasing some medicines consumed pesticide and committed suicide.
The farmer was immediately rushed to Sambalpur Sadar hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead. Bidyadhar is survived by wife and three children.
Sambalpur District Collector Pradipta Kumar Pattnaik assured some help to the deceased’s family from the district Red Cross fund.
Sub-collector and other staff of Revenue and Agriculture department who visited the spot claimed that Bidyadhar’s crop failure was totally due to his lack of care.
Odisha CM silence on farmers’ suicide
Following is a report from Tathya.in:
“Not a word on farmers’ suicide”, revealed a top mandarin. There was eerie silence on the issue of train of farmers’ suicide continuing unabated in Orissa.
Chief Minister chaired the marathon meeting, which continued nearly for two hours. Neither Naveen Pantaik nor his Minister Agriculture Damodar Rout even uttered a word on the unabated farmers’ suicide issue.
As for the State Government, which is on defensive over the sad untimely deaths of farmers- the issue just do not exist, admitted another mandarin.The meeting was held to discuss the long term and short term measures to tackle the “deficient rainfall”.
Tarun Kanti Mishra, Chief Secretary, Satya Prakash Nanda, Development Commissioner and army of Secretaries of various departments were present. Bijay Kumar Patnaik Principal Secretary to Chief Minister was also present.
Interestingly Rabi Narayan Senapati, Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), who has investigated the farmers’ suicide, reeled out suggestions on both long term and short term measures to be taken up during next five years.
Six-Point Agenda consisting of creation of large scale farm ponds, activating lift irrigation points, rejuvenating Minor Irrigation schemes, renovation of drainage channels, creation of water harvesting structures were discussed at length, said an official.
He said it was decided to spend Rs.1000 crore to harvest water by erecting 20,000 water harvesting structures (WHS)for farmers through State Watershed Mission in next 5 years.
However no body bothered asking whether the Mission is in a position to handle this amount of heavy load with an inefficient officers and system in place.
Similarly the Orissa Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC), which is in a moribund state was asked to revitalize the LI points and provide water to the farmers in Rabi Season. Thanks, ‘Pani Panchayat movement’, OLIC has turned as a ‘defunct organization’ and thriving on ‘saline of doles’ from the Government. So the Secretary Water Resources asked for Rs.50 crore support to energize the defunct LI points.
On NREGS front, Orissa is performing poorly.
So the meeting decided to utilize funds of NREGS in taking up repairing of drainage channels of MIPs and LIPs. Investment to the tune of Rs.300 crore has been envisaged for the purpose.
One lakh farm ponds are to be excavated every year with an investment of Rs.300 crore in the state.
“Only talks and it was a talked out affair”, “ so nothing special about it” revealed an insider under condition of anonymity
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 