Poor asked to cough up bribe to get PLO cards

Nuapada district is one of the 19 districts in the State, where PLO (Poor Left Out) cards are being distributed to poor people who were not included in the BPL list. The Supreme Court had passed an order on May 14, 2011 based on a writ petition to identify poor persons/families in 150 districts of India for distribution of additional food grain at BPL rate.

“As a result of the SC order, more than 6.04 lakh poor left out households in the State are now entitled to get 350 kg of rice at the prescribed rate per month starting from November 2011 up to August 2012. It would be provided in three phases,” said State adviser to Supreme Court Commissioner on food rights Rajkishor Mishra. The distribution of cards and rice is now in the process. Nuapada district has been allocated 6,824 cards in total. But what is happening at ground level in the district during the allotment of the card as well the rice?

“I paid Rs1,000 to our Sarpanch to get the card. To add to my misery, the salesman in the panchayat deducted 30 kg of rice from my first phase allotment of 150 kg,” said Nirmila Bag of Doto village of Karngamal panchayat in Boden block. She requested the Sarpanch to reduce the cost a little less but he Sarpanch declined. “I mortgaged my small gold piece to get the money,” she lamented. Sundarmati Tandi, a Dalit woman of the same village, paid Rs200 and trying to negotiate with the Sarpanch to get the card at less than the sum demanded by the Sarpanch. “But I don’t think he will concede,” she said. Jayanti Tandi and Gopinath Bag paid Rs1,000 each for their cards. They have got 120 kg of rice each. Jayanti is a Dalit woman of the village living in abject poverty. She waited for a BPL card for a long time, but no one extended her a helping hand. “Rich households with family members as Government servants have been allotted BPL card but my request for an APL card was even rejected,” Jayanti lamented. The list does not end here. Neither is it limited to the Doto village only. Soban Chinda, a landless tribal wage labourer of Lesunpali village of the same panchayat, also faced the same problem. He was not given a card because he could not pay the full amount of bribe as demanded by the Sarpanch. “I paid Rs300 as advance to reserve the card and am trying to get some loan to pay the rest,” revealed Soban.

“I get Rs50 to Rs60 a day doing labour in the agriculture field of the villagers. How can I pay 1,000” he expressed his helplessness. “The Sarpanch has agreed for Rs700 in my case, he whispered fearing that others might listen. The salesman in the panchayat deducts 30 kg of rice from each allottee. “The salesman and the Executive Officer of the Panchayat say that they have been instructed by the officials to deduct the rice,” informed the villagers in a village meeting conducted by a people’s forum Durnity Birodhi Manch.
A person from Kusumjor village of Sinapali block confided, “The situation is no better in my panchayat. We have not paid any money. The panchayat has deducted only 10 kg from each card holder.”

“The administration has not done publicity to ensure the identification process fair and transparent. Thus a fair number of eligible persons have been excluded from getting the benefit,” said Samiti member Hiralal Majhi of “The Sarpanch of our panchayat is taking Rs210 per bag of rice which weighs 47 to 48 kg on an average,” he added.