Faulty Agricultural Policy Of State Killing Farmers Of KOSAL

By Amitabh Patra (amitabhpatra@gmail.com)

See how the DM (collector of Bargrh Dist. Odisha / Orissa ) behaved and asked his assistant to seize and break my camera when I tried to record video of a group of farmers demanding last years crop loss help declared by govt. Till day most of the surveyed areas have not recieved the declared "HELP" of govt.

This happened on 23rd March this year, and I was subsequently threatened by his assistant about dire consequences and told that things with me will not be good. A protest rally by about a thousand people was being held outside the DMs office, and still the H'ble (?) DM asked me to be kicked out of his (? is he not a public servant ?) office. I was attacked by his assistant while trying to save my camera and footage.

I was rescued by the farmers when they heard the noise outside the office, came running. Below is the facts I have been able to collect in last few months study. If the administrative head of a Dist. behaves likes this, in his PUBLIC office, what is expected from this colonial feudal democracy ?

The video of the rally held against last year's massive crop loss due to un--seasonal rain and insurance demand.

Till now there has not been any payments inspite of govt.s big promises of Rs. 4000/- per hector (2.5 acres) max even if you have cultivated 10 acres.

Expenses in Paddy cultivation is more than Rs.10000/- per acre. Land owning Farmers are taking loan from banks/ cooperatives. But landless farmers (share croppers) can not avail the same, and have to borrow from the local seed/ fertilizer seller @ 5% per month to 10% per month interest rate.

That comes to about 60 - 120% rate of interest p.a.

Micro-finance companies are lending @ 36% (on paper it is 12.5%) to the SHG members. In my study I am finding many of the suicide cases are due to this hefty interest rates and complete crop loss of last season.

A recent calculation of a suicide affected family from Jada village in Bargarh dist. I found that for their 3 acres of land which is distributed at 3 different places, had to spend about Rs.40,000/- and will yeild about 75 -80 bags of rice of 75kgs each.

The Father and son duo committed suicide due to crop loss and subsequent debt. last year.

There is a joint family of about 8 people, and the only male member in the family is about 18 years suffering from joint pain in left leg.

Their total earnings from the current crop will be about 55000/- and there is also another society loan of 20,500 + interests.

So their net profit from this crop will be 55000 - (40000 + 20500) = ?? please calculate.

This is the condition of agriculture in this country - that is why more or less all farmers are moving away from cultivation. The land owners are giving away their land to landless labours for share cropping. The benefit goes to the official record holders, but any kind of loss is borne by the share cropper. He has to pay the share (about 8 - 10 standard bags per acre) to the landlord.

Agricultural officers seldom visit the fields of such small farmers. Insurance is nothing but a govt. organised farce. As per the insurance prevailing, unless an entire block's crop is damaged, insurance can not be claimed.

So there is no insurance for a farmer, who has lost all due to nature's might. But farmers in Odisha have been paying insurance premiums since last 24- 25 years.

There is not a single instance where crop insurance has been paid.

After a harvest, there comes the selling of paddy, which is being controlled by mill owners. The MSP (minimum support price) of FAQ (fine average quality) paddy is Rs.1000/- per quintal (750 per standard bag) . But on ground few farmers in Bargarh and Sambalpur do get this price, being alert and able to fight the system.

Rest is sold at under-rate of about 550 or lesser in remote areas, where middle men control the paddy business. So unless a farmer gets more than 35 bags of FAQ rice from 1 acre, then it is a loss for him. If there is any natural calamity like pest attack/ rains/ hail storm or strong wind in which crop gets destroyed, all his past savings if made goes down the drain.

An individual farmer is not entitled to avail insurance. Why such a faulty policy ? Is he not a consumer of the Insurance Business of the nation ? Have not the farmers paid insurance premiums while taking loans from the banks ?

The chronic poverty of farmers is being caused by the faulty agricultural policy of the state and gradually farmers are going poorer. Many good farmers have sold out their agricultural land or have left cultivating themselves and given to share croppers.

Besides the above stated, there is health and social reasons which a farmer's family is prone to : marriageable daughters, and any kind of major health problem.

These are not covered under any kind of insurance. Daughters marriage is a big burden in a family being the Dowry associated with it.

Also the govt. apathy is that when someone commits suicide from poor family, a 10000/- Rs redcross fund is allocated to the family. But many instances, the police, doctor and block officials ask for some bribe or delay the relief amount. In some cases which I met the families, told that it took numerous visits to various officials, and after 4 - 6 months only they were able to get a suicide compensation of Rs.10000/- for a person who was head of the family.

CBI forms special team to probe NREGS scam in KBK region

Courtesy:- Daily Pioneer

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the NREGS bungling in Odisha.

CBI Director AP Singh, after receiving the notification of the Union Government’s Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), has formed the SIT, which is to be headed by a senior Joint Director of the Central agency. Sources said Singh has directed the SIT to begin its job with immediate effect.

NREGS irregularities have taken place in Odisha’s six most backward districts of Balangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Rayagada, which comprise the KBK belt known for its hunger deaths. Delhi-based Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS), which had conducted a survey in various districts, focused its attention on these districts.

The CEFS filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court pointing out serious irregularities in the utilisation of NREGS funds allocated by the Centre for the State. The apex court directed the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) to allow the CBI for a detailed probe into the matter.

After the MoRD sought consent of the Government of Odisha, the latter issued a notification consenting to a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the six districts pinpointed in a PIL filed in the Supreme Court. Once the MoRD received the consent, it wanted a detailed notification by the DoPT.

The DoPT on May 2 notified that the CBI would investigate the alleged large-scale irregularities, misappropriation and diversion of the Central Government funds allocated to the State during 2006-07 for 100 villages of the six KBK districts.

The SIT would find out any attempt, abatement and conspiracy in relation to or in connection with the alleged offences committed in the course of the same transaction or arising out of the same facts, said CBI sources. In the meantime, CBI Joint Director OP Galhotra is in touch with the State Chief Secretary BK Patnaik in the matter, said sources in the State Government.

NHRC asks Orissa govt to reply on food security in KBK region

Courtesy:- PTI

Expressing 'concern' about the 'food security' of poor people in poverty-stricken KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) region, National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday directed the Orissa government to present status of its recommendation on implementation of welfare schemes in the area.

"The state government has been directed to depute an officer to be present before the commission on March 21, 2011 giving status on the implementation of recommendations of the commission," NHRC Chairperson Justice K G Balakrishnan said after completion of the two-day camp here.

Stating that the NHRC aimed to wipe out the cause of alleged starvation deaths, malnutrition and other problems faced by people in the KBK region, Balakrishnan said the commission wanted to know about the status of its recommendations on different welfare schemes including public distribution system, health, and special security schemes in the area.

"The commission has also directed the state government to effectively co-ordinate and implement various schemes for the KBK districts," he said.

Worried over no substantial development in the KBK region despite implementation of different welfare measures, the commission held a separate session to discuss issues relating to the area.

Issues of poverty, unemployment, deprivation, hunger, starvation and malnutrition in the KBK region were discussed in the presence of senior state government officials, NHRC member Satyabrata Pal said.

While rejecting the state government's claim that no one died of of starvation in KBK region, the commission observed that though none was directly a victim of hunger, the prevailing situation may lead a person to that fate.

It came to the observation while disposing a case relating to the alleged starvation death if 12 children in Nabarangpur and Balangir districts.

As most of the people died of anemia or malnutrition, this could be due to prolong poverty in the region, the commission observed adding that people might be facing shortage of food.

"The state government has also been directed to send detailed report on the issue of bogus ration cards, particularly in the KBK region," Justice Balakrishnan said adding that action taken by the state government against the corrupt officials would also be informed to the commission.

Malaria cases rise in Balangir

By Sudeep Ku Guru, Courtesy :-The Telegraph

The number of malaria cases reported at the district headquarters hospital here has risen following last week’s sustained rainfall. Choked drains in several places of the town have become the breeding ground for mosquitoes. The biological vector control method has also come to a halt due to want of funds.

Sources said that there was waterlogging in several areas of the town, especially the low lying areas following last week’s rain. Small puddles of water and choked drains in front of houses provided ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed. Hospital sources said there was an unusual rise in malaria cases during the last few days, but there were no reports of deaths due to the disease.

Swagat Sahu, a local resident, said that three members of his family got malaria soon after the rain stopped and one had to be admitted to the district headquarters hospital.

The use of gambusia fish as part of the biological vector control method has been stopped due to want of funds. A variety of fish called gambusia, also known as mosquitofish, had been pressed into the job in the malaria-prone areas of Balangir district to stop further breeding of mosquitoes back in 2004. It had worked well.

Chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Balangir Purna Chandra Sahu admitted that there was a rise in malaria cases in the hospitals over the last few days. “Yes, there is a rise in Malaria cases over the last few days. Unfortunately the biological vector control method to control the breeding of mosquitoes has stopped. We were initially very enthusiastic about the new method. But, gradually, we realised that there was no special fund provision from the government to maintain a gambusia hatchery. As a result, the tanks dried up and the fish died,” Sahu said.

There were 15 tanks for gambusia in the district. “If a handful of fish is released into ponds or breeding places of mosquitoes like drains, then the larva of mosquitoes will vanish within hours as the fishes eat them,’’ said Sahu.

Kalikesh urges PM to include KBK in development plans for Maoist-hit areas

Courtesy:- DailyPioneer

BJD MP from Balangir Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo has approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take a call on the KBK region. He said that unless the Prime Minister intervenes in the matter, these areas would continue to rot.

Singh Deo said the eight most backward districts of the world in Odisha’s KBK region need inclusion in Unified Action Plan for Naxal-Affected Regions (UAPNAR), which is a Central Government initiative to tackle the Maoist menace through development programmes.

Singh Deo said the PM is aware that people of KBK are exposed to extremely adverse human development indices and are one of the most deprived communities. He requested the PM to intervene for the inclusion of the KBK region in the UAPNAR so that they are delivered with a semblance of justice.

Orissa Govt Blames Center For Negligence Whereas It Is Doing The Same With Western Orissa

Stop bashing Centre, start helping poor

By Sachi Satapathy

Courtesy:-Indian Express

Orissa has shown negative trends in most of the development parameters because of the poor execution track record of government schemes and mismanagement of funds over a period of time. One will be surprised to note the recent death toll, which has crossed more than 200 due to the spread of cholera in one of the poverty ridden districts of Orissa. Examining the implementation of development schemes in Orissa, one will invariably end up with serious doubts about the capability of the present government in reaching out to the poor in the true spirit. The recent report of the State Plan Advisers on implementation of flagship programmes and other centrally sponsored schemes in Orissa will provide a shocking picture of the execution of government schemes in the state.

According to the report, Orissa has failed to utilise almost half of the funds released by the end of 2009-10 financial year in the MEGRA. The government of Orissa could spend only Rs 312 crore as against Rs 655 crore released by the central government in the above period and almost 80,000 job cards have also not been issued because of inter-departmental conflict and complication. The state is also not able to move forward in the Indira Awaas Yojana scheme due to inordinate delay in finalising the IAY list by the state government. The non-awarding of road works in Naxalite prone districts adds a more complex problem to these tribal dominated areas, causing serious difficulties for the dwellers in obtaining medical and other benefits.

Although children’s nutrition is a major concern, the state government so far failed to evaluate the Mid-Day Meal scheme by any third party as there are large-scale allegations of poor execution of the scheme by SHGs.

It is further shocking to find that state machinery is very slow in implementing the JNNRUM in terms of finalisation of tenders for the Rs 811.98 crore approved grant for the same. It is only recently the government started city bus services in the capital city as a fulfilment of an objective of the project. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, works have been accomplished only in 6,266 villages out of 87,826 villages approved under the scheme.

The implementation of National Rural Health Mission in Orissa is in a mess though huge money has been pumped into the programme. The state has not been able to start mobile medical units in any of the districts and most of the Community Health Centres are not having round-the-clock services. The static nature of the Orissa’s rank in the composite development index over a period of time shows the poor execution of education programmes. The three undivided KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) districts of Orissa have got special plan funding since 2002-03 without showing any visible impact in the life of the poor. With hundred per cent central funding, almost Rs 1,557.50 crore have been released so far by the central government. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has also raised serious allegations against the state government. There is a serious issue of diversion of funds from one programme to another. It is found that “in eight test checked units, Rs 2.16 crore was diverted from NREGS to MPLADS during February 2006 to March 2009”.

The per capita development expenditure and per capita social sector expenditure in Orissa is much lower than the national average. The financial management of the state government is also equally horrible without following an outcome budget mechanism as suggested by 12th finance commission to measure economic efficiency and effectiveness. This mechanism can very well indicate whether the same outcome can be achieved at lower cost and the same cost can produce better results. Further, due to the appeasement policy followed by the state government in the headship of statutory corporation, cooperatives and rural banks, the average return of income is decreasing in the state and there is no attempt by government to deploy good human resources for these ailing bodies. As a result, the high cost of borrowed funds will continue to burden investment with low financial return.

Recent economic surveys also say a volume about the trailing development trends of the state in many fronts. Just taking an example of agriculture status in the state, the survey found that share of power consumption for agriculture has declined from 3.1 per cent in 2000-01 to 1.3 per cent in 2008-09, annual agriculture growth is a meagre 1.33 per cent. This policy approach is clearly reflected in the increase of farmer suicides in the state in recent years and Orissa being in the top among all states in diverting forest land for mining activities as so far, the government of Orissa has been able to transform almost 15,386 hectares of forest land, causing a serious problem to the livelihood of the lakhs of tribals in the state.

Looking at the above facts, the state’s present vision of ‘Centre bashing’ can be only seen as a tool to divert people’s attention from large scale corruption and poor execution of development schemes in the state during last 11 years. However, the existing approach will be counter-productive if the state continues to move without doing its homework properly and is always blaming the Centre for its own failure as from the above points, it is found that the state has failed miserably in executing the pro-poor programmes, thanks to inefficient and corrupt, present and former bureaucrats who have been given a free hand by the chief minister in the design and execution of implementation plans.

(The writer works for an UN agency. The views expressed above are personal. E-mail: sachisatpathy@yahoo.com)

CHOLERA CREATING HAVOC IN KBK AREA: DEATH TOLL 140

Courtsey :- IBNLIVE

The death toll due to cholera in Orissa has risen to 140 following a fresh casualty in worst-hit Rayagada district.

Just last month Orissa's Kalahandi and Rayagada districts were in the limelight when Congress leaderRahul Gandhi and the ruling Biju Janta Dal held parallel rallies there to woo tribal voters. But now when a deadly outbreak of cholera claims nearly 140 lives in the region, the political luminaries who had claimed to be soldiers fighting for the cause of the tribals, have strangely vanished.

Paranga Majhi, a villager, said, “We don't have any source of safe drinking water. So we are forced to use water from dirty rivers and ponds. That's why we are falling ill.”

35 people have died in Rayagada alone. Kalahandi, Balangir, Nuapada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Malkangiri are among the worst affected. The rising death toll has pressed the panic button in the state health department. An emergency team of 50 doctors and paramedics have been rushed in.

Bikas Patnaik, Deputy Director, Health Services, Orissa commented, “We are taking all possible steps to provide clean water immediately where required apart from providing emergency health care."

The government is going one step further to tackle the cholera outbreak. It has announced a cash award of Rs 100 for those who bring cholera patients to government hospitals, a saree or a dhoti and a soap for the patients themselves. But the bigger concern is the lack of adequate medical staff.

According to the population of Orissa, the state should ideally have 12,000 doctors. But now there are only 3000 odd government doctors serving the state. What is more shocking is the fact that more than 1000 sanctioned doctor's posts are lying vacant in the state for past many years. No wonder the health service scenario in the state especially in rural Orissa is quite pathetic.

Reluctant migrants - A Status Report on Migrant labour of Kosal

Written by:-

MAHIM PRATAP SINGH

Courtsey:- Frontline

Balangir district in Orissa, facing drought conditions since 1965, sees an annual mass migration of farmers to other States in search of work.

SURESH GOHIR of Bhotapada village in the backward Bolangir district of Orissa consumed pesticide two years ago after his paddy crop failed. He survived the suicide attempt but found life doubly difficult as debt had mounted. Suresh was forced to migrate to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in search of work.

“This life is worse than death,” he says. “But there is a debt to repay, and so I have to find work.”

This is not an isolated case in Bhotapada. According to local people, about 60 of its 300 families have left the village to find work at the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh. Although the neighbouring State is the first choice, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh are also destinations for these small farmers and farm hands in distress.

A combination of erratic monsoons and unstable livelihoods has made farmers of the region adopt migration as a survival strategy. However, this phenomenon is not new to drought-prone Bolangir district; it has only assumed serious proportions. Informed sources in the region trace the history of the mass movement of farmers to the prolonged drought of 1965. It crystallised into a permanent feature by 1985.

Distress migration has fuelled a parallel economy in the region with a market where labour is traded as a commodity through a strong network of labour agents known as sardars. Its cruel economics begins operation every year with Nuakhai, an agricultural festival celebrated in western Orissa which coincides with the rice harvest in August-September. At that time farmers are financially vulnerable and seek money to celebrate the festival.

This social compulsion is exploited by labour agents who offer advance payments in return for a long and exploitative stint of labour at the brick kilns. The migration occurs in groups of four or five people, called patharia. More often than not, members of one family form a patharia. Often, adolescents who cannot form a group on their own join one of the patharias.

Each group is paid between Rs.20,000 and 25,000 as an advance by the sardars. The group has to work for a period of over six months at the kilns. The labour agent gets a 10 per cent cut from this advance. The advance payment effectively converts the workers into bonded labourers as they cannot return to their villages unless they have worked enough against the payment they have received.

At the work site, the labourers receive about Rs.300-500 a week towards food, which can be denied if they fail to meet their targets. “A patharia is expected to make up to two lakh bricks [starting from October-November and ending in May-June]. The weekly target for each of us is over 10,000 bricks,” says Brunda Behra of Larki village, lighting a beedi. “If we fail, we are denied our weekly food allowance, reprimanded, humiliated or even tortured physically,” he says.

There appears to be a huge mismatch between the figures provided by official and unofficial sources. Activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with migrant labourers put the number of people migrating every season at around two lakhs. However, the official figures are much lower. According to information provided by the labour office in Bolangir, the number of registered migrant labourers stood at 10,965 for 2006; 20,701 for 2007; 10,503 for 2008; and 4,965 for 2009. The sharp decline in the 2009 figures was attributed to the global recession. “Real estate activities went down because of the meltdown and so, in 2009, the demand for bricks was lower,” said P.K. Bhoi, the District Labour Officer (DLO).

This could also be the reason for the delayed migration of labourers last year. While the migration usually occurs around October, this time it peaked around January.

According to the DLO, there are 70 licensed labour agents who can be tracked by the office. However, he said, the real problem was “illegal migration”, which accounted for most of the inter-State labour movement. This was fuelled by the large number of illegal brick kilns operating around Hyderabad, he said.

“Most of the labourers go with unregistered sardars or with their relatives who are already working in Hyderabad,” said Bhoi. A shortage of staff has affected the labour office's efforts to keep a tab on the number of migrants. The labour office has been unable to post enough personnel at major exit points such as Turikela, Bongamonda, Kantabanji and Titilagarh.

“Our approach at the moment is curative, while the measures that are actually needed are preventive. Implementation of the NREGS [National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme] would be the correct step in the prevention [of the agrarian crisis],” the DLO said. “After journalist P. Sainath's [Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu] visits, the district administration has become more sensitive and proactive [to the issues that affect the small farmers in distress] than before,” he added.

The worst sufferers of this seasonal “debt migration” are women and children. Education of the children is a casualty in the migration process. Moreover, the children are forced into labour and are vulnerable to violation of their rights. Apart from economic exploitation, the migrant women face sexual exploitation.

“Women are often abused by contractors and even brick kiln owners,” says Venkateshwar, an activist working with migrant labourers in Hyderabad. “The problem is that the contractor divides family members and sends them away to work in different locations, which makes women vulnerable to harassment.” Informed sources in Hyderabad also listed the near absence of medical care and clean drinking water among other problems the migrant population faced.

Failure of the NREGS

“We used to work from 4 a.m. until 10 a.m., take rest up to 2 in the afternoon and then work again until 9 p.m.,” says Basu Bhoi of Bahbal village, who has been going to Hyderabad for the past three years. However, he stayed back in his village this year as he found work under the NREGS.

Although the NREGS has managed to curb distress migration, it has failed to emerge as a viable source of livelihood. “Luckily this time, there was some work under the scheme, but even that didn't stop most of the people as wages are almost always delayed,” says Dasrathi Bhoi.

Delayed payment of wages is proving to be the weakest link in the NREGS apparatus and also the prime reason why the scheme has not been able to curb migration to the expected extent. Delays of four to six months were reported by several workers who had found employment under the scheme.

In the case of those who were paid wages the same day, their job cards were blank. This indicated the involvement of contractors who pay lower wages and leave the cards blank.

Further, the presence of contractors in the NREGS has meant that labourers have to work under conditions laid down by them. This has resulted in a strange trend of inter-panchayat migration of NREGS workers whereby a contractor recruits labourers from a village to work in a neighbouring panchayat. This micro-level trend also explains the preference for migrant workers to local workers.

Preference for migrant labour

“Migrant workers are easy to manage. They are off their support systems and as such their bargaining power is low in comparison to the local people,” says B.P. Sharma, an advocate from Kantabanji in Bolangir district, who has been working with migrant labourers for over two decades.

“Once they are away from their local connections, they have to work unconditionally. Further, migrants also ensure completion of work since they cannot leave midway. This explains the general preference for migrant labour,” says Sharma.

While labour agents and employers promise medical benefits at the time of migration, they are often not given. In Behran Silet village of Turikela block, five families recently returned from Hyderabad before the end of the season owing to health problems.

“All of us, my husband, mother-in-law and two children, had malaria. Our employer did not provide us any medical help and since we could not work, he denied us food, too. We had no option but to return,” says Mithila, 35. Jugesar Sona of the same village, who received Rs.15,000 as an advance for his patharia consisting of himself, his wife, his mother and his two children, returned with his family under similar circumstances.