layman's space

N’PADA DROUGHT-HIT RAISE VEGETABLES FOR SUSTENANCE Saturday, 14 November 2015 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar There is devastation in paddy crop due to vagaries of monsoon during the current Kharif operations in Nuapada district, but farmers have not lost hope. Hundreds of them are trying to find succour in vegetable cultivation. Padampur village in Khariar block is the best example of farmers’ bid to face the crisis boldly where the farmers have made optimum use of their back yards and also the medium quality land, where the paddy crop failed early due to lack of water. They are cultivating vegetable crops during this winter.  Each farmer hopes to earn between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 from vegetable farming this season. Sabitri Patel of Padampur village has cultivated tomato, cauliflower and green leaves in 35 decimals of land. She is also preparing another piece of land of same quantity for onion. “The onion saplings are ready in the seed beds for plan...

N’PADA ADMN ENGAGES 400 IN NREGS PROJECT Monday, 09 November 2015 | Ajit Panda | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar 1 2 3 4 5 More than 400 labourers are working in a tank improvement project in Kadumeri village of Beltukri Panchayat in Nuapada block. The project has been initiated by the DRDA, Nuapada under MGNREGS to tackle the distress situation owing to drought. Most of the workers engaged here are either small and marginal farmers or landless agricultural labourers. Erratic rainfall during the current kharif operation has resulted in a huge loss of paddy crop. As per an estimate of the Agriculture Department, the loss in paddy crop in the Gram Panchayat is more than 80 per cent in medium land. And, the farmers having low (Bahal) lands say, “It will be great relief if we harvest 20 per cent of crop in the low lands.” Consequently, the employment generation potentials in agriculture sector have been drastically reduced. People are desperately in search of job ...