layman's space

No food security, houses for Nuapada’s poor Wednesday, 29 September 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/no-food-security--houses-for-nuapada---s-poor.html Laxmi Mirdha lives with her husband Tulas and two children in a dilapidated house in Supli village of Chilabhat GP of Nuapada block. They are migrant workers. They have already taken Rs 40,000 from a labour contractor in advance to work in a brick kiln in UP. "We will migrate in December, but before that we wish that the sarkar provides a ration card under PDS for my husband and children, I have a ration card in my name and am getting only 5 kg rice," says Laxmi. She is not sure whether her name has entered into the priority list of PAMY. "Who knows, Government officials do not listen to our grievance; it depends on their mercy," she adds. Chandrika Satnami and her husband Brijlal live with their daughter in a mud house in Dharambandha. "We have approached everyone ...

Pollution, blasting: Nuapada locals want stone quarry shut Friday, 24 September 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/pollution--blasting--nuapada-locals-want-stone-quarry-shut.html A stone quarry located in Rishigaon Mauza of Khariar Tehsil in Nuapada district, Rishigaon Stone Quarry IV, has become a cause of concern for local residents. They are demanding immediate closure of the quarry as the validity period of the consent to operate (CTO) obtained from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) by the lessee has already expired. "There are many problems which are totally overlooked by the authorities," rued villagers. "The greenery around the village is totally lost; you will find layers of dust everywhere. Furthermore, the village commons which once indirectly supported our livelihood are no more in our control. The most dangerous impact of the stone quarrying, however, is the vibration of blasting that is affecting ou...

Nuapada widow deprived of Govt benefits Wednesday, 22 September 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/nuapada-widow-deprived-of-govt-benefits.html Santara Shabar, a poor widow of Ranimunda village, Khariar block of Nuapada district and her husband Gokul were working in a brick kiln in Hyderabad, where Gokul died due to ill health.  She tried to obtain a death proof from the local administration but failed. A year and a half has passed since her husband's death, but she is still running from pillar to post to get a death certificate. In the absence of Gokul’s eath proof, Santara is unable to get widow pension and NFBS. She had applied for registration of her husband’s death in Khariar tehsil under the ORBD Act. However, after a month and a half, the Tehsildar said the death could not be registered here as the report submitted by the Child Development Project Officer mentions that Gokul died when he migrated. "We could have reg...

Roads in Maoist-hit N’pada villages still unfinished Saturday, 18 September 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/roads-in-maoist-hit-n---pada-villages-still-unfinished.html Nuapada district Collector Swadha Deb Singh visited some remote villages of Maoist-affected Soseng and Sunabeda gram panchayats in the district on Thursday to discuss with people about their problems. In a meeting she held with people at Sunabeda after her village visit, she was appraised about the problems in the area. "We demanded that the PMGSY roads, left incomplete due to objection raised by wildlife department, be completed," said Biju Jhankar of Sanbaheli village. There are as many as fifty human habitations in the two GPs in the Sunabeda plateau area. Works for roads connecting to different villages were taken up under PMGSY for improvement and metal paving in some of those have already been completed when the wildlife department raised objections and ...

Multipurpose tank scheme underway in Nuapada Friday, 10 September 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/multipurpose-tank-scheme-underway-in-nuapada.html One of the traditional water bodies of Rishigaon gram panchayat would get a new look in next few days when the renovation works under the Multi-Utility Gram Panchayat Tank Development Project are completed. It would have stone patching on embankments, separate bathing ghats for men and women, a changing room for women, a Tulsi Chaura, garbage beans, solar lights, cement benches, plantation on embankments and other beautification works.  "We call it a model tank in true sense," says Malyabanta Suna, Sarpanch of the GP and adds that in addition to achieving the primary objective of generating employment for jobseekers, the project would also recharge groundwater, enhance water availability for farmers as well as augment the panchayat's income.  Mission water conservation ...

Mohanty’s two poetry collections unveiled Wednesday, 08 September 2021  |  PNS  | NUAPADA Bimurta Balaya and “Dhwani Gandhara’, two poetry collections penned by Balabhadra Mohanty, were unveiled at Khariar on Sunday in the presence of poets, writers and hundreds of literature lovers. A meeting held for the purpose was presided over by Dr Sushant Bishi, a former Member of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. The poems were reviewed by Gauranga Sahu, teacher, Raja AT High School and Prof Bijaya Barik.  "The poet's imagination is limitless; the collections of poems will uniquely contribute to the literary world and reach every corner of the society," said the reviewers. Poet Balabhadra Mohanty is a well-known personality in Nuapada district. As a very good teacher, he has remained an inspiration for his students. He is also known as a marvelous orator with control over language, precise use of words and effective use of his voice. He has wide knowledge of local history, culture ...

No Aadhaar: Villagers deprived of food security Monday, 06 September 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/no-aadhaar--villagers-deprived-of-food-security.html Gunsae Paharia lives in village Kathfar located 3,000 feet above the sea level in Boden block of Nuapada district with his wife Basanti and a two-year-old child Mahendra. “We are three in family, but getting only 5 kg of rice per month,” Basanti said. The reason is Basanti does not have an Aadhaar address in Odisha. She came to Kathfar three years ago from village Kuladhighat of Chhattisgarh after her marriage to Gunsae. “I requested panchayat officials to add my wife in my ration card, but they denied on the ground that her Aadhaar does not have address of Odisha,” said Gunsae. “Unfortunately, we lost the card on our way to Boden to the Adhaar centre to change the address,” he explains. “It is now sure that Basanti would not be included in any food security scheme as we kn...

Sad tale of N’pada woman due to medical negligence Sunday, 29 August 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/sad-tale-of-n---pada-woman-due-to-medical-negligence.html Dolamani Majhi (25) of Malbhata Pada hamlet of Nagpada GP in Boden block has already spent about Rs 5 lakh for her treatment in one and a half years, but she is still to get cured. "I suffered only due to negligence of the doctor who operated me for family planning," says she. "We decided to go for the operation because we had four children. The operation was done in a camp held at the Boden Community Health Centre (CHC), 20 km from our village," says Miniketan, Dolamani's husband. Dolamania had gone to the CHC with her husband by a bicycle and also returned by the bicycle after the operation. "The problem started the next day. My belly started swelling and I continuously vomited. I was crumbling with severe abdominal pain. When we visited the same docto...

Demand for K’banji-Koksara rly line gains momentum Thursday, 26 August 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA The demand for a railway line from Kantabanji to Koksara is gaining momentum as people as well as elected representatives from Dharamgarh block of Kalahandi district and Bangomunda and Kantabanji blocks of Balangir district have joined hands with those of Khariar block in Nuapada district to echo their voices in support of the demand. Various groups and individuals in these blocks submitted memorandums to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during his recent visit to Kalahandi and Balangir."It is a good suggestion to link Kantabanji to Nabarangapur via Khariar and Koksara paving a railway line through an unreached area meaning an opening for development of the people," said Jagdish Suna of Bangomunda who submitted a memorandum to the Minister in Haldi village in the presence of Kalahandi BJP MP Basanta Panda. Khariar Congress MLA Adhiraj Panigrahi also submitted memorandum ...

Tribals gherao Khariar PS, protest cops’ inaction Monday, 23 August 2021  |  PNS  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/tribals-gherao-khariar-ps--protest-cops----inaction.html Hundreds of Adivasis under the banner of Zilla Adivasi Kalyan Sangha, Nuapada gheraoed the Khariar police station on Saturday expressing discontent over police inaction to provide justice to tribals. "Adivasis are discriminated against in the district. Atrocity cases filed in different PSs are not being investigated properly. Police take the side of the rich and powerful," tribal leaders alleged, The tribals came to the PS in a rally from the Samaleswari temple and held a meeting in front of the PS. Western Odisha Adivasi Kalyan Sangha president Niranjan Bishi, Balakrishnan Sabar, Somnath Khamari, Bhanuprakash Singh Majhi, Homsingh Majhi and other leaders spoke in the meeting. Notably, in a meeting held last week at Bargaon village of Khariar block, tribal people had raised que...

Khariar now hopes for rail connectivity Sunday, 22 August 2021  |  PNS  | NUAPADA With the visit of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to Kalahandi and Balangir districts, the hope of people of Khariar in Nuapada district has soared high. "We hope that the Minister, who is the first-ever Cabinet-rank Railway Minister representing Odisha, would consider taking up our longstanding issue of linking Kantabanji to Koksara with a new railway line," said Tapan Dash, secretary of Khadial Bikash Manch, a people's forum.  "We have only 31 km of railway line on the border. Construction of Kantabanji-Koksara via Khadial-Duazhar-Golamunda railway line, which has already been entered into the bluebook, would provide rail communication to half of the Khariar (Assembly) constituency," added he. Khadial Bikash Manch office-bearers and Khariar MLA Adhiraj Panigrahi have planned to meet the Railway Minister to submit a memorandum in this regard. The Kantabanji-Koksara via Khadial r...

Nuapada tribals stand up against injustice Thursday, 19 August 2021  |  AJIT  | PANDA/NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/nuapada-tribals-stand-up-against-injustice.html Thousands of Adivasis of Nuapada district under the banner of the Nuapada Zilla Adivasi Kalyan Sangha came together to celebrate the International Day of World's Indigenous People on August 9 at Nuapada. The celebration continued for a week that witnessed various activities like cultural programmes, meetings, discussions and concluded on Sunday at Bargaon village of Khariar block with a meeting intended to discuss about Adivasis’ rights and the issue of ‘indigenousness’. They also raised issues such as educational development of their children, socio-cultural emancipation of Adivasi communities and delineated strategies to strengthen their Sangha. "Our people should not lag behind in development. Education is the backbone that we must pursue, but for getting success in these fields th...

Nuapada migrant dies in AP Sunday, 15 August 2021  |  PNS  | UAPADA A migrant worker from Kalimati village of Nuaga panchayat under Komna block in Nuapada distict has died in Andhra Pradesh. His body is yet to reach his home. Bishnu Charan Hati, 57, husband of Bilasha was  working in a chemicals factory at Nirelguda of Andhra Pradesh for past one month.   Chemicals fell on his legs when he was working with another worker, Dhabaleswar Hati, on Friday and was severely injured. He was admitted to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries."He was a poor farmer having one and a half acres of land. He migrated to AP to support his family and pay off his debts. Earlier in December last, he migrated to a brick kiln in Karim Nagar and worked there up to March," informed Rabi Mangaraj of Garib Sena, who visited family of Bishnu on Saturday.

Nuapada family to get pucca house now Thursday, 12 August 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA Kanhu Majhi of Kokpadar village in Nuapada district is now assured that he would get a pucca house to live in. "The BDO of Sinapali block came to my house on Sunday to inform that I have been included in the list," says Kanhu gleefully as if he has achieved an unachievable. Kanhu with his wife and an 11-year-old son lives in a small hut with thatched roof. "My condition is very bad. This thatched roof cannot resist heavy rain; water pours heavily inside," adds Kanhu, who never expected that a Government officer would arrive at his doorstep to inform him about Government support. Sadasib Naik, BDO, Sinapali, said he immediately rushed to Kokpadar to meet Kanhu when he learnt about his condition from some media reports. "He is a deserving person. It is a matter of regret that such a poor family has not yet benefited under the RH scheme. Thus, I committed him that he would get...

Nuapada migrant worker missing even after 6 mths Thursday, 05 August 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/nuapada-migrant-worker-missing-even-after-6-mths.html Kodo Majhi, a migrant worker from Michhapali village of Komna block, who went missing before six months while on his way to Hyderabad to work in a brick kiln, is yet to be traced. His wife, two sons and a young daughter are struggling hard to live their lives in his absence. They say police as well as the Labour Department have not initiated any inquiry on the complaint they have filed. "We filed a case at the Komna police station and also lodged a complaint in the labour office, but neither the police nor the labour office has taken any action," rues Kodo’s wife Akashi. A team of volunteers of the Garib Sena, a people's forum of Nuapada, led by its president Rabi Mangaraj, met the distressed family at Michhapali. "The district administration is not at all bothered ov...

Tortured by AP kiln owner, N'pada couple flees home Saturday, 07 August 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/tortured-by-ap-kiln-owner--n-pada-couple-flees-home.html Ballabh Harijan alias Deep, a minor of Dedenga village in Lakhna Panchayat of Komna block, has been detained in a brick kiln by the owner in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh since last 20 days. Ballabh went to the brick kiln located in Cherlapalli of Nalgonda district of AP alongwith his elder sister Jamini and her husband Jaga to take care of a baby of the couple. However, the couple who have fled from the kiln 20 days ago, in a complaint submitted to the Collector and Labour Officer of Nuapada, have claimed that the employer, Nabad Enkena, who has kept Ballabh as hostage, is demanding Rs 2 lakh for releasing the boy. "We fled from the kiln as the employer started torturing us but Ballabh could not come and the owner held him hostage," said Jamini. A team of volu...

‘Monsoon Classic Carp Derby’ held Thursday, 22 July 2021  |  PNS  | NUAPAD The Odisha Angling Club, a group of angling enthusiasts from all over Odisha, organised an angling competition called “Monsoon Classic Carp Derby”:Season1, 2021 on Monday from 8 am to 4 pm. This was first of its kind in Odisha with support from the AIGFA (All India Game Fishing Association). The rules and regulation were as per international angling standard. It was a catch-and-release tournament. No fishes were caught to be killed. The entire tournament was organised adhering to Covid-19 protocols. The team consisted of 23, out of whom 19 were participants and two referees and two support staffs. The participants came from Keonjhar, Khordha, Cuttack and Nayagarh districts. Abhijeet Das, head, Odisha chapter, AIGFA, was chief referee. The winners were judged in two categories. Ramakrusha Dash from Bhubaneswar was winner in Category A-most number of fish caught by weight; and Arunav Ray also from Bh...

NHRC seeks Health Secy’s personal appearance Saturday, 17 July 2021  |  PNS  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/nhrc-seeks-health-secy---s-personal-appearance.html The National  Human Rights Commission (NHRC), expressing  displeasure in the delay in submission of a report in a case relating to the cutting of the intestinal tract of a woman during family planning operation,  has summoned  the Odisha Health Secretary and Nuapada district Collector for person appearance before August 31, 2021. The commission expressing displeasure over the delay  said that the decision in the case has been immensely delayed due to non submission of requisite report by the officials.However, the commission has stated that relaxation would be given on personal appearance, in case the two officers submitted their reports by August 28, 2021. Earlier, a Kalahandi-based human right activist Dillip Kumar Das had filed a petition about a year and half...

Ramgarh not yet tagged as archaeological site Tuesday, 13 July 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/ramgarh-not-yet-tagged-as-archaeological-site.html The Ramgarh Bikash Samiti, an organisation of local people of Gandabaheli panchayat dedicated for development of the Ramgarh archaeological site of Nuapada district, held a meeting on Saturday to discuss about development of the site as a tourist place. Jitamitra Prasad Singh Deo, Raja of Khariar, who is famous for his research work in archaeology, was chief speaker on the occasion. The meeting was attended by hundreds of people of five villages of the panchayat who wanted to know about the significance of Ramgarh. Singh Deo said that the place has remains of the megalithic period. "Megalithic culture is alive till now. Tribals cremate their deceased and put a stone over that. This is the culture that the tribal people are following for millions of years," said Singh Deo to make pe...

Many deprived of NFSA benefit in Nuapada Thursday, 08 July 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/many-deprived-of-nfsa-benefit-in-nuapada.html Subhadra Hati, a poor woman of Ranimunda village in Nuapada district, has not been included under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) scheme. She says her husband Narasingh has run to the panchayat and block offices several times to avail a ration card but in vain. Narasingh's parents had a BPL card and the family was getting 25 kg of ration in the past, but Narsingh was denied the benefit after the death of his parents. He was not issued any card either under NFSA or the State food security scheme. "The income from half an acre of farmland does not help us get sufficient food; thus, we are forced to migrate elsewhere to earn our livelihood," says Narasingh. Hemlata Sabar is another deprived woman of this village who does not get any benefit from food security schemes. "We are three ...

Why are pharmacists discriminated against? Monday, 05 July 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/why-are-pharmacists-discriminated-against-.html fter 22 years’ service in the health department, Krushna Chandra Ratha, now working as a pharmacist in SDH, Khariar of Nuapada district, is still uncertain about his job.  “I do not know when the Government would implement the cadre restructuring, RACP clearance and promotion and would regularise us under RBSK and MHU,” wonders he “We started our job as same cadre and in same scale of pay of Rs 5,200 with Rs 2,400 grade pay along with Staff Nurses, ANMs, Supervisors and Health Workers. However when their jobs have been regularised and scale of pay has significantly increased, almost double to Rs 9,300 with Rs 4,200 grade pay, the pharmacists are languishing in the same cadre where they started decades ago,” he laments.  Arup Bhusan and Kabiraj Sabar and many other pharmacists (4...

Nuapada family’s story illustrates Paharia tribals’ plight Tuesday, 08 June 2021  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/state-editions/nuapada-family---s-story-illustrates-paharia-tribals----plight.html Sabitri Paharia of Bhainsadani village in Nuapada district died on May 12. Her husband Dhansing had died about a year ago. "Both of them were sick for a couple of weeks before their death," villagers said, but nobody in the village could confirm what their illnesses were. According to villagers, none of them could avail proper treatment because they fell sick during the peak of the pandemic. Poverty might have been another reason that might have restricted them to go for health checkup.  The couple has left behind two children, Aasmati (11) and Pandit (5), who are now staying with one of their relatives, Laxman Paharia, in the village. Bhainsadani village is located 110 km away from the district headquarters town Nuapada. It has a Primary Health C...