Maoists’ Martyr’s Week ahead, security forces alerted

BHUBANESWAR: As the Maoists have started their preparations to celebrate Martyr’s week that begins from July 28, the Odisha police and the central forces are on their toes to crack upon various groups of Red rebels operating in different parts of the State.
 

Maoist affected areas under the South-Western Range, the Southern Range and the Western Range of the Odisha police have started their combing operations keeping eye on the movement of ultras in the forests under the respective zones on the eve of the week.   

Though the security personnel are remained alert and collecting intelligence inputs about movements of the Maoists, incessant rains have hit anti-Maoist operations in Koraput, Rayagada and Malkangiri districts, with security personnel finding it difficult to move in the forests with overflowing rivers, inundated tracks and thick forets.

According to Inspector General of Police (South-Western range), Y K Jethwa, their anti-Maoist operations have been hit due to the unabated rain in these areas. “But our security forces were on high alert in view of the Martyrs Week,” he added.

Jethwa said that they keep extra vigil on bordering areas to prevent possible infiltrations of ultras coming from Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to Odisha for the observation. 

On the other hand, Southern Range of the Odisha Police has continued their combing operations amidst the incessant rain. Following the arrest of top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, the security personnel became more active in Kandhamal, Gajapati and Ganjam border areas in order to check the activities during the Martyr’s Week.     

According to Southern Range DIG Amitabh Thakur, they have continued their combing operations in two different areas of their zone. “We are planning to intensify the search operations in two more areas keeping in view of the Maoists’ celebration,” Thakur said, adding, “Though rain sometimes plays spoilsport during the operations, our security personnel keep eye on movement of the ultras and collect intelligent inputs from locals.”

Thakur said they are investigating about a new leader Shekhar who had written a letter to the police following the arrest of Panda. “Panda’s Odisha Maovadi Party had no base in the State during his arrest. So we are not worried about his impact,” he said.  

The Western range has also kept eye on the movement of ultras from Jharkhand border. The police have received intelligent inputs that several Maoists from Odisha and Jharkhand would meet in Saranda jungle to celebrate the Week.   

          

Community farming proves boon for tribal women

--Makes them self-reliant, checks distress migration

BHUBANESWAR: Community farming has shown a way of livelihood for women in the State in general and tribal districts in particular. The model in agriculture sector has made the women folk more confident and self-reliant than ever before.

Community farming is also called as group farming where farmers cultivate crops in groups. In this form of farming, a group of people gives a share for the expenditure and works unitedly. When the crops are ready, it is sold in markets and the money is distributed among each member. The model of agriculture has been experimented successfully and subsequently implemented in the tribal areas of the State which yielded a good result.

With a small land holding in hilly areas, women didn’t want to do farming by spending money and labour. When the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), an NGO, persuaded the women to do community farming in a group combining their small land holdings and workforce, the women folk took an initiative and succeeded in the field.

The organisation chose women for implementation of the model because women, according to the 2011 Census, constitute a major proportion of agricultural workforce in Odisha (37 per cent) out of total 62 per cent of State’s population is active in agriculture sector. As per the figures mentioned in the Agriculture Census of India, out of the total female agricultural workforce in the State, 74.7 per cent belong to the marginal category with a total of 41.2 per cent of land holdings.

Several women group from the tribal dominated districts got benefit from the farming. The living standard has gone up following the economic condition of the women enhanced after selling agricultural produce in the market.

The Pioneer team came across a few successful women farmers of different tribal dominated districts to know about their views on community farming. We met Laxmi Khila of Dadhipadar under Boipariguda block in Koraput district and asked her about her experience in the field. Khila said she along with a group of 15 women had started community farming in three acres of land of her village in 2002.

Before the farming, they were migrating from other States in search of work and some of them working as agricultural labourers, but now the group (Maa Tarini Self Help Group) is capable enough to generate income of around Rs 2 lakh per annum after meeting their family needs.

Now most of the women have started participating in several meetings, farmer workshops in and outside their district to learn new things about farming to increase their living standards. “The land, which was lying uncared for, has become our income source now and I thank my core group which undertook community farming in last 12 years, showed it to other women how rewarding it could be,” said enthusiastic Khila who was awarded with ‘Siddhasuddha’ award for her excellent contribution to women empowerment through agriculture. She said women of other villages have taken special interest to do something in their own after knowing about her group farming. From raising crop to selling the produce in the local market, the women show an extraordinary courage to face all odds, she informed.

As many as 42 groups in the blocks of Boipariguda, Kundura, Laxmipur and Dasamantapur in Koraput districts have started farming in group after converting low-lying land (patita) and other community lands to farming land with the help of the local administration. The womenfolk, who feared to come outside their village, now have bargaining power and competitiveness in the market. They have knowledge to use organic manure to protect the health of soil and environment from chemical fertilizers.

The womenfolk not only focus on farming, but also do some social service like advocacy for safe drinking water, good education for their village children and women empowerment programmes.

Similarly, women farmers of Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Kandhamal have continued their group farming to get good earning.

We also met Sabitri Bhue of Dhanras village and Lalita Bhue of Surulata village both belonging to Hemgiri block in Sundargarh district. Lalita, who was suffering from acute poverty, is a strong woman now with new hopes after getting benefit from group farming. After meeting treatment expenditure of her husband and funding higher education of her two children, she has built a new house. She is the sole bread earner of her family now. It became possible due to the farming. Lalita and her group have started group farming since 1996.

They especially raise mix crops to get more benefits. Another farmer Sabitri Bhue is not an exception. There are five groups in her village doing farming in two groups (total 30 persons). They raise crops like ginger, potato, onion and other vegetables which have demand in market. “Now we are saving more than Rs 10,000 per annum after meeting all expenses of our family,” said Bhue.

Similarly, Chanchala Majhi of Pujariput village under Kundura block in Koraput district, Manmodi Gadba of Dasmantpur block in Koraput district and Golapi Kanhar of Chakapada area of Kandhamal district have their own tale to tell about the success story of their empowerment through community farming.

According to the Economic Survey Report-2013, the State has 14, 92,000 acres of low-lying land. If the State Government gives the land to women for community farming, thousands of women farmers will be benefited. The State can promote and inspire community farming in the forest land as well.

The story will be published in The Pioneer English daily on July 14, 2014

Puri villagers relieved after purified water supplied

BHUBANESWAR: People of Raypur village under Satyabadi block in Puri district never imagined that they would get purified water at their doorstep.

The women folk, who were struggling everyday in the summer season to get drinking water from a water body situated around 2 km away from their village, are now happy with the purified tap water in their village.

There are 137 people of 22 families living in the village. The village has only one pond and a tube-well. When the water in the pond and tube-well got contaminated, the clueless villagers fetched drinking water from Sukala Chhak, around 2 km from their village.

After getting information regarding the acute drinking water problem of the Raypur village, members of the Regional Center for Development Cooperation (RCDC) with the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) brought water samples through the Society for Women Action Development (SWAD) in order to test the level of contamination of the village water bodies.

After the test, the officials found chloride, fluoride, iron, silica and arsenic content in the water bodies of the village. Then they initiated their project PRAYAS, an attempt to install such purification system providing drinking water, in the village.

According to RCDC programme manager Barsha Mishra, the estimation and design was made in consultation with the villagers and an expert engineer. Necessary procedures were adopted in order to obtain and install the water treatment system, she added.

An in-take well (about 200 mtr) was constructed in the bed of the Ratnachira river. A pump house was built near the in-take well to lift water from it in order to save water in two tanks (2,000 litre each) for purification. After passing the stored water through sand-carbon-UV filter along with iron removal, finally the water was made available to the villagers.

As a gesture to respect the womenfolk in the village, responsibility has been given to 11 women to oversee and manage the whole process of water supply. They collect Rs 20 per user every month to raise the fund which would be used in future for repairing of the water treatment plant.

“The water in Raypur village is saline. After the construction of the intake well and relative drinking water supply system, the community has been benefited as they get clean drinking water,” said Mishra.

The story was published in The Pioneer English daily on July 4, 2014

Puri farmers find ray of hope in floating garden

--After vegetables grown in abandoned wetlands successfully

BHUBANESWAR: Farmers of Satyabadi block in Puri district, whose hundreds of acres of land are covered with waste water round the year, have a reason to cheer with successful implementation of a pilot project that allows them to again raise crops on the land in an innovative way.

Before the project, the farmers had lost hope on their land covered with waste water. They had left farming due to the water-logging problem. But the members of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Regional Center for Development Cooperation (RCDC) and the Society for Women Action Development (SWAD) told the farmers that they could use the water clad land by raising floating gardens.

According to the process of making a floating garden, the farmers first make rectangular plots with bamboo sticks. After making plots (20 ft length, five ft width and 1 ft heigh) intertwined with bamboo sticks, the farmers cover the wooden plot with water hyacinths and leave it dry. Then the hyacinths are covered with a layer of soil mixed with compost to make it ready for farming.

This year, farmers sowed seeds of green leaves, coriander, panmahuri, chili, tomato and other vegetables and have yielded good amount of vegetables. “I got vegetables sufficiently for 15 days and also sold some of these in the market,” said a woman farmer Sumi Baral, adding, “I’m not calculating loss and profit out of the vegetable produce, but I’m happy that I am able to use the waste land and raise crop on it.”

SWAD member and a farmer, Swadhin Pradhan said the vegetation on the bamboo plot from a distance seems like a garden floating on the water. The bamboo plot is tied to a log so that it cannot change its location, he added.

Now, Sumi is more confident about her crop. She would create more bamboo plots to sow seeds on it. Floating garden concept has brought a new ray of hope for the farmers of waterlogged areas, said RCDC manager Barsha Mishra.

It is a Front page story published on July 3 in The Pioneer Bhubaneswar