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BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | Email | Print |
 | Back Seed shortage to hit Kharif in Balangir, Subarnapur Sudhir Mishra | Balangir With the monsoon knocking on the doors, the Kharif season in Balangir and Sonepur districts is likely to be affected due to shortage of paddy seeds. Out of the total cultivated 3,45,4785 hectares in Balangir district, 1,81,300 hectares have been earmarked this Kharif for paddy cultivation. “We have placed an indent of 58,692 quintals of paddy seeds for both Balangir and Sonepur district,” informed an agriculture official, adding the popular variety is Swarna for which they have placed an indent of 25,000 quintals of Swarna variety paddy seeds for both Balangir and Sonepur districts while 13,038 quintals have arrived for both the districts yet. Out of the total paddy cultivated land in Balangir district, the transplanting method is usually adopted in 90,000 hectares and broadcasting method is adopted in the rest agricultural lands. After the scattered rains in patches, farmers have taken up land preparation and dry sowing, colloquially called Khardi preparation. As per reports, there is a heavy demand for the seeds supplied by the State Government, as the barter system prevalent earlier among the farmers has collapsed and also the practice of storing of the seeds has gradually declined among the farmers. Most of the farmers prefer to sell their harvested paddy and like to purchase from the Government agencies. Moreover, the seed village programme is not generating the desired level of seeds and the Government agency is reportedly unable to meet all the requirements of the farmers here. With the onset of Kharif season, it is a common demand from all quarters to open up adequate sale centers so that poor farmers are not exploited. Even though the CM’s package has provisions for opening sale centres at the Panchyats, by the primary agricultural society and the SHGs, there is hardly any encouraging response from them, pointed out an agriculture official here. The most sought-after paddy variety by farmers should be sent to the district so that in case of rainfall, there would be huge demand for paddy seed by farmers and there would be no shortage of seeds by then, it is opined. Out of the total agricultural lands of Balangir district, the ATT land comprises around 56 per cent. In the ATT land, the early variety of paddy is cultivated. However, against the requirement of 3,867 quintals of early variety paddy for cultivation in the ATT land, only 540 quintals have arrived, sources confided. Besides the shortage of paddy seed till date, there is no supply of Mung, Biri and Arhar seeds to the district, the agriculture official sources informed.  Titilagarh villagers want PDS cards back PNS | Balangir It is quite common to come across reports of complaints of PDS items meant for poor people not reaching them due to pilferage, corruption and other weaknesses in the PDS delivery mechanism. However, taking away the PDS cards of villagers and keeping for more than weeks and not returning them is something unusual. According to reports, villagers of Ghantasahada, Adabahal and Salanda in Titilagarh block had not received their rice at Rs 2 per kg since the last four months. When they protested, they were given rice for one month in the third week of April. After giving them rice, all the cards of the villagers, who are included in the APL and BPL and Antodoya categories, were allegedly taken away by the person who distributed PDS rice in the village. The aggrieved villagers informed their plight to the local sarpanch, BDO and Civil Supplies Officer and demanded return of their cards. As nothing happened, members of the Anchalik Lok Sangathan, a people’s organisation promoted by the Samuhik Marudi Pratikar Udyam, a network of NGOs fighting drought in Balangir, submitted a petition to the Sub-Collector of Titilagarh on May 7. “I am away from my headquarters, and after reaching, I will look into the matter,” said Sub-Collector Biswanath Sahu over phone to this correspondent on Sunday evening. BHUBANESWAR | Monday, May 10, 2010 | Email | Print |
Few takers for Madhu Babu Pension Yojana in Balangir Sudhir Mishra | Balangir Even as the Red Ribbon Express is scheduled to chug into Balangir railway station, on May 18, to create awareness on causes and prevention of HIV/AIDS among people, people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the district are not availing the benefits of Madhubabu Pension Yojana given to HIV positives/PLHIV, fearing disclosure of their identity and social stigma and discrimination in the society. Launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on February 2008, as part of the effort to provide social security to persons living with HIV, once a person gives his consent to get the pension and enrolled, he is eligible to get a life long monthly pension of Rs 200. There is no physical verification for PLHIV and consent for the inclusion of a person is taken at the ICTC during post counselling, after which the list of names and other details of person who agreed to receive the pension are sent to Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS). OSACS authorities store it in their data base and forward it to the respective District Collector, who in turn forwards the list to BDOs and who dispatch the account payee cheques of Rs 200 to the address of PLHIV/AIDS. This has been done to protect the confidentiality of a PLHIVs. However, in the district, people are showing less keenness to receive this life long monthly pension. According to official sources, out of 300 HIV positives detected so far in the district, only 53 people are receiving the Madhubabu Pension Yojana although pension has been sanctioned for 152 people. “Many a people have given their address deliberately wrong not to disclose their identity. Whenever the cheque is dispatched to the address given a lot of them return to our office, because of wrong address,” said an official. Fearing disclosure of their PLHIV status in the society and the subsequent social stigma discrimination, which would increase their ordeal further, they are giving incorrect and in appropriate address, said CDMO DR PC Sahu. “I suggested in a meeting that the Madhubabu Pension should be given to HIV people at ICTC centre. It would save them from the chance of disclosure of identity. Those undergoing ART should be given at the ART centre. This step besides protecting their identity and providing financial benefits to them would also help to ensure their regular visit to ICTC or ART centre,” pointed out an official. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BHUBANESWAR | Friday, May 7, 2010 | Email | Print |
Odisha MPs meet PM, seek approval of KBK action plan Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswar Parliamentarians from Odisha on Thursday met the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and sought his intervention for an early approval of the special action plan for KBK for 2009-17. In the memorandum, they cited that KBK region has very adverse human development indicators and is one for the most backward regions of the country. Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Study has listed these eight KBK districts at the bottom of 69 most backward districts of Indian. They further said that the KBK region witnessed acute regional, social and gender disparities. Inviting the attention of the Prime Minister to the burning issue, they said both the Odisha Government and Centre have been paying special attention to this region since 1995-56. The State Government in consultation with Government of India have implemented a long term action plan (LTPA). Under the Revised Long Term Action plan (RLTPA) since 1998-99, out of Rs 833.95 crore, 99 per cent fund amounting to Rs 813.49 crore has been spend. Huge fund is required for to change the livelihood of the common people of KBK, they said. Email | Print ----------------------------------------------------------------
Water scarcity makes life miserable in Balangir village
Pioneer News Service | Balangir Even as the rising temperature has made life miserable, the water shortage has further compounded the ordeal of 255 residents of Jalpali village in Tamian panchyat of Patnagarh block in the district. According to reports there is single pond in the village which has dried up and out of the three tube wells, one is defunct and the other two tube wells are discharging water with high fluoride content and discoloured water. The worst affected are the women and children. They have to walk about two kilometers away from village to bring water from Suktel River where water emerges after digging three feet, said RCDC’s Pramod Bagarti. The villagers have petitioned to Rural Water Sanitation Supply and Sanitation Department about the water problem two years ago but nothing happened, alleged a villager. Asked to comment on the situation executive engineer RWSS CR Mahanty said he is out of the district headquarter and would comment only after his return. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, March 12, 2010 | Email | Print | Distant exam centres worry Balangir students, parents PNS | Balangir The distant locations of the examination centres have caused grave concerns among the guardians and the students of the district appearing for the Matric examination conducted by the Board of Secondary Education in the State from Friday to the next two weeks. Parents and students feel that the examination centres should be fixed within 5 km so that they do not face trouble in going to the examination centres. In case of non-availability of school, the nearest examination centres could be fixed within 10 km, as per the letter no 528(30) dt 22-01-2010 of the Board authorities issued to all Collectors. However, in Balangir and other areas of western Odisha, the examination centres have been located at a distance of more than 25-35 km. Villagers of Chantimunda and Bargaon of the district have recently complained before the Collector against the examination centres located at Balangir 35 km far from their village. Students of Bhalumunda High School in Bongomunda block have been asked to appear at Tureikela, 35 km away from their village. Many students of Gudvella, Degaon and Tusura have been asked to appear at centres which are not less than 20 km from their schools. “When Balangir records more than 40 degree Celsius in mid-March, it would tax both the parents and their wards at the far-flung places”, Balangir unit SP president Arun Mishra complained. “While the Board’s letter issued mentions that centres should be fixed within 5 km in coastal areas, why it has not been followed uniformly all over the State” All Kosal Students’ Union convener Dolamani Pradhan questions quipping the double standard is really shocking. |
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