Fact-finding Report
on
Hunger,
Malnutrition, Deprivation among Paudi
Bhuyan Primitive Tribal Groups, Mal-implementation of Food Security programme
and Denial of services under Paudi
Bhuyan Development Authority in Lahunipada block of Sudargarh distrit,
Odisha
Date of Visit: 22.7.16
Member of
Fact-finding Team
1. Sri
Pradip Pradhan
State Convener, Right to Food Campaign,
Odisha & Member of Advisory Group of NHRC on Right to Food, M- 9937843482
2.
Sri Sanjay Sahu, RTI Activist and member
of Right to Food Campaign, Odisha
M-8658416694
3.
Sri Rajendra Oram, Social Activist and Local Volunteer,
Lahunipada Block
4.
Sri Bansidhar Mohanta, Social Activist and Local Volunteer
Right to Food Campaign, Odisha
Plot No- 393/2035, padmabati Vihar,
post-Sailashree Vihar, Chandrasekhar Pur, Bhubaneswar-751021, Odisha, E-mail- foodrightsodisha@gmail.com
Report of Fact-finding Team on
Hunger, Malnutrition, Deprivation and Denial of entitlements under various
food security and welfare programme and Paudi Bhuyan Development
Authority to Paudi Bhuyan Primitive Tribal Groups in Lahunipada block of Sudargarh district,
Odisha
In the backdrop
of malnutrition death of 20 infants of
Juang tribes in Sukinda Block of Jajpur district, industrial hub of Odisha which has generated unexpected reaction from
opposition political parties and Civil
Society Groups alleging failure of state machinery , callous and lackadaisical
attitude of Govt. officials and subsequent counter reaction given by the Ruling
party as a single case and not to be politicised as state issue, Right
to Food Campaign, Odisha decided to
bring to limelight how most of the
Primitive Tribal Groups residing in different parts of the state are suffering
due to sheer negligence, careless
attitude of the administration and huge
corruption and loot of development project
and welfare programme meant for them.
As a first
step in this direction, a four-member fact-finding Team of Right to Food
Campaign, Odisha had visited to Mahulipada Gram Panchayat of Lahunipada Block
under Banei sub-division of Sundargarh district on 22.7.16. The Team
visited four villages of
Paudi bhuyan tribes ( most
vulnerable Primitive Tribal
Groups of Odisha ) i.e., Kiri, Keta,
Kundula and Kunu etc. located in
Hilltop. The Team reached at Derula village
at 9.30 am and started journey to visit these villages and covered 10 kms
mountainous track and natural stream and reached in the said villages at 12.30
noon. There is no road connectivity to these villages. This village is around
50 kms from Banei sub-divisional head quarter. The journey to these
villages is very pain-staking and life risk. However the team successfully finished
visiting these villages and came across disastrous situation of life and
livelihood of Paudi Bhuyan tribes, denial of entitlements under food security
programme, the tribals suffering from hunger and malnutrition, corruption in
NREGA work etc. and returned at 6 pm. The
Team members interacted with
both the male
and female members of Paudi Bhuyan and Munda tribes about various
issues affected their livelihood, Govt. negligence and their
food security, accessibility to
Govt. programme.
The details of
villages and number of paudi Bhuyan
families is as follows -
Name of
village
|
No. of Paudi Bhuyan families
|
No. of Munda
Tribes
|
Kiri
|
20
|
|
Keta
|
9
|
|
Kundula
|
1
|
11
|
Kunu
|
16
|
3
|
Total
|
46
|
14
|
Findings of the Team
1.
Failure of ICDS programme
ICDS programme
, one of the most important food security central schemes implemented to provide nutritious food to the
children of vulnerable section of the society along with free immunisation and
health check up was found non-existent
in these Juang
tribe-dominated villages. There is no Anganwadi
centre in the village till today. The centre is located at Derula village at foot of the Hill which is 10 kms from
Juang villages. It was also found that Anganwadi Worker Kuni Palei did
not stay in the centre. Her house is 13 kms distance from Anganwadi Centre.
Neither Anganwadi Worker nor any ICDS officials even CDPO has ever visited
these villages since 20 years. The children are never immunised. They are also
deprived of getting cooked food. THR (Take Home Ration) i.e., Chhatua and egg
meant for pregnant and lactating woman and children of 3 to 6 years is hardly
given to them. Kunu Nayak, mother of four children, a lactating woman said that
she uses to get 5 eggs once in a month against 8 eggs allocated per month in
their name. Chhatua was found tasteless. On query about availability of
Rs.5000.00 under Mamata Yojana, the tribal women expressed their ignorance
about the said provision. As there is no road communication, they use to go for
home delivery. The team came across a number of children suffering from
malnutrition and sever disease.
2.
Mal-implementation of NREGA work
The mandate
of NREGA to provide hundred days guaranteed employment to the rural poor was
found suffered due to huge corruption and irregularities by Govt. officials.
While interacting with the villagers Saila Dehuri, Nandu Nayak, Kamanu Giri, it
was found a single road construction work under NREGA was sanctioned and
undertaken in their village in 2014. They were not informed about the amount sanctioned
for the said work. The 21 tribals of Kundula and Kunu village had worked as wage
labourer. But they were not provided their due payment. Sri Shuvan
Gond, Sarapanch and Panchayat Executive Officer misappropriated the money and did not pay their wage, alleged by them. The work
has remained incomplete till yet. Nobody could show their job card in the
village. As the villagers were cheated by Sarapanch and denied payment, they
did not show their interest to do the NREGA work further. There is no labour
employment programme implemented in these villages.
3.
Non-Implementation of IAY and Biju Pucca Gruha Yojana
The State
Govt. is implementing both the rural housing schemes to provide financial
support to the poor people for construction of house. But while enquiring about
any allotment to any house to any family, it was found that 4 families of Munda
tribe of Kundula village i.e., Markas Munda, Daud Munda, Santosh Munda,
Junika Nag was allotted IAY house in 2010. Since then nobody has been allotted house by
the administration. Similarly, no Paudi Bhuyan tribe of all these four villages
has been allotted house under IAY or Biju Pucca Gruha Yojana.
4.
Non-Implementation of Forest Rights Act
During
interaction with both Munda and Paudi Bhuyan tribes, it was found that not a
single family has been allotted forest land under Forest Rights Act, though
they reside in vicinity of forest areas.
No community forest right has been conferred to any village.
5.
Food Security
Food insecurity
is very high among Paudi Bhuyan tribes. Rice and fried leaves is their staple
food. Vegetable is hardly found in their food menu. Consumption of only rice
and leaves left them suffering from malnutrition.
6.
Others issues
a.
There is no primary school in
the village. A very few children have been admitted in Ashram School, Darula.
b.
No Agriculture or horticulture
scheme is implemented in these villages. The tribals are hardly aware about
modern cultivation. Whatever small agricultural activities are done by them is
very traditional.
c.
No land patta has been allotted
to any family in these four villages.
d.
No Govt. official has ever visited
these villages since last ten years.
e.
There is no drinking water
facility in these villages. The
villagers are using stream water
for drinking water purposes.
Analysis
of the Problems and Recommendations
1.
Paudi Bhuyan tribe is most
vulnerable and neglected tribe in Odisha.
They generally reside in Hill top in Keonjhar, Angul, Sundargarh and Deogarh
district and remain isolated from
external world. To bring them to
mainstream of development, the State
Govt. is implementing Paudi Bhyan Development Agency (PBDA) with fully funded
by Central Govt. But the Team observed that these villagers are not covered
under PBDA. No development project under PBDA has ever been implemented in
these villages. No Govt. officials have
ever visited to this village.
2.
All the Govt. plan and programme
meant for socio-economic development of tribals in the state are found
dysfunctional due to negligence, callous and lackadaisical attitude of state
bureaucracy and insensitivity of Ruling political party.
3.
ICDS which is considered as most important food security programme to
provide six types of service i.e.,
immunisation, free health check up, Supplementary Nutrition Programme,
referral service is denied to the children, lactating and pregnant woman due to non-functional of Anganwadi
centre till today. They have remained
deprived to get nutritious food and other benefits for years together. The denial food and free health treatment has
made their children suffering from malnutrition and hunger. The negligence of
ICDS staff, lack of monitoring and corruption and irregularities in
distribution of food in ICDS project has endangered the life of their children.
4.
Absence of road connectivity
and 10 kms mountainous track did not allow them to avail medical facility at
the time of need. Lahunipada Primary
Health Centre is 40 kms from their area.
Lack of Medical facility at their door step is another biggest problem
for them.
5.
Illiteracy is very high among
Paudi Bhuyan tribes. There is no school in the village. Few children have been admitted in Ashram
School run by Dept of SC and ST welfare, Govt. of Odisha. To provide free and compulsory education to
the children under Right to Education Act proved farce in this village.
6.
Lack of Employment has also posed serious
threat to their life and livelihood.
Finding no employment and income, they do not take required nutritious
food. Rice and fried leaves is only
option to consume for survival by compulsion not by choice. NREGA which has mandate to provide 100 days guaranteed
employment to the people has suffered due to corruption and irregularities and misappropriation by Govt. officials. Though the tribals worked hard in road construction work under NREGA, they
were denied wage payment which has
frustrated them not to do the work.
7.
The absence of Govt. programme
and lack of monitoring of Govt. officials has kept the tribals isolated from
concept of Modern Development. Their deprivation from Govt. scheme and
programme has kept them suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
Recommendations
1.
Full-fledged Anganwadi Centre
should be opened in these villages to provide all the facilities including SNP
to the children of paudi Bhuyan tribes.
2.
Road connectivity to be ensured
to the village through effective implementation of work under NREGA. Payment
pending with Gram Panchayat or misappropriated them must be investigated and
the tribals who had worked and not paid in NREGS work must be paid immediately.
The Govt. should continue labour
intensive work under NREGA and other development project in order to provide
employment to the tribals.
3.
There should be mobile team to
be entrusted to visit the village periodically to provide free medical service
to the tribals and to be made available at the time of need getting emergency
call from the people.
4.
Agriculture and horticulture
scheme should start in the village on war footing way.
5.
The malnourished children
should be provided medical treatment and other fooding support as early as
possible.
6.
The tribals should be allotted
homestead land and house under Biju Pucca Gruha Yojana.
7.
They should be allotted 4 acres
of patta land under Forest Rights Act.
8.
A Primary School should be opened
in these villages to comply Right to Education Act.
9.
Drinking water should be ensured to the villages at the earliest to save them from any
epidemic.
10.
Various welfare programme
should e undertaken under Paudi Bhuyan
Develoment Authority in these villagers
in order to develop socio-economic condition of the tribe.
