Nuapada: A marginal and landless farmer in this district who once worked as a bonded labourer has been able to bring a turn-around in his life by taking up fish farming in the village, a report said Sunday.
Uttam Das, a native of Lakhna village, has now become self-sufficient by earning over Rs 3 lakh per annum from fish farming and set an example for others to emulate.
Besides, he has been able to provide jobs to other villagers who were similarly struggling like him to earn their livelihood. He has proved that there is no substitute for hard work. This year, he has grown a fish weighing over 20 kg. To see this robust fish, people from various places are flocking to his village.
Sources said Das is a landless farmer and once worked as a bonded labourer in some rich people’s house to earn his living. However, fate smiled on him when the panchayat officials called an auction to lease out the Pethiapalli pond in Lakhna panhchyat three years back.
He participated in the auction with all the money he had saved and turned out to be the highest bidder. He took the pond on Rs 96,000 lease for three years. Since then there was no looking back as he built a house near the pond and spent all his time in fish farming.
He toiled hard and used modern techniques in pisciculture as well as good quality fingerlings to rear the fish. According to Das, he is now earning over Rs 3 lakh a year and providing jobs to others. The fish he grows has high demand in and outside the district. Das hopes to dig a pond in future and take up fish farming if he gets financial assistance from the government.
PNN
