Jajpur: Nagada village, which once earned a bad name over the deaths of 20 kids reportedly due to malnutrition, is finally getting the taste of development.
For the first time, a vehicle reached lower Nagada village while the father of malnutrition affected Manasi Padhan was given appointment in a consultancy firm of Tata Steel.
Manasi’s father Dhaneshwar Padhan was given appointment as a stack leveler in Ankita Enterprisers by revenue divisional commissioner Akhil Bihari Ota during his visit to the hilltop villages Wednesday.
The little girl Manasi battled with malnutrition for many days and was hospitalised. Her parents had given up all hopes of her recovery and were planning to leave the hospital when the authorities prevailed upon them to continue with treatment. The girl was finally cured of her ailment and was discharged from hospital.
The hilltop villages inhabited by primitive Juanga tribes are a cluster of villages comprising Lower Nagada, Middle Nagada, Upper Nagada, Guhiasala and Naliadaba. These villages are slowly changing for the better after a road was laid till Lower Nagada.
Works on construction of roads till Middle Nagada, Upper Nagada and Guhiasala are underway and when completed the area might get a status of a tourist spot.
The vehicle travelled from the foothill till Lower Nagada in the presence of the RDC, collector Ranjan Kumar Das and senior district officials. The senior officials interacted with the villagers about their problems and needs while Ota reviewed the implementation of various developmental projects in the area.
Nagada villagers spoke about their necessities and expressed their happiness over construction of an all-weather road to their village. The RDC directed the district authorities to finish completion of roads connecting the main road by March 31, include all families under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, complete construction of schools by May end and review the functioning of solar lighting systems once a month.
Ota also asked the officials to call the villagers who have received land pattas and identify their lands in their presence, develop 10 acre of land for agriculture and other purposes under community forest right act, develop skills of tribals to make them job ready. He also directed the PD, DRDA to provide work to each job card holder under MGNREGS.
Ota directed the collector to make senior officials adopt a village and bring in development. PNN
