Jajpur: Nagada villages in forested areas under Chingudipal panchayat in this district shot into the limelight in 2016 after 19 children died due to malnutrition. Since then approximately eight years have elapsed, but the woes continue for the inhabitants of these villages including children.
Sources said that due to scarcity of food many kids from these villages migrate to other cities to earn a living. The residents of Nagada villages are mostly tribals from the primitive Juang community. The Odisha government had launched several schemes for development of infrastructure, poverty alleviation and healthcare facilities for the villages after the tragedy.
It had sanctioned Rs 23 crore for construction of roads, setting up of drinking water facilities and power supply to the villages. However, poverty still continues to haunt the villagers. Sources said that this year, 28 tribals, mostly minor boys and girls left for Balasore and Bhubaneswar to work as daily wagers. They took the help of middlemen to get jobs. Bata Padhan, the father of one of the kids, confirmed the development. He said that the minor girls and boys migrated to other places after they were promised salaries of Rs 7,000 per month.
However, now they are being paid less than the amount agreed upon and are being forced to work for 12-14 hours a day. A minor boy who managed to come back to his village narrated his ordeal. “We were forced to work for more than 12 hours a day without a break and at times sans food. When we asked for our wages, we were only paid Rs 3,000 for two months. I had a chance to run away and come back to my village,” he stated. Despite Sukinda Valley being rich in minerals, majority of the people living in the locality lead a life of poverty. This is because the companies extracting minerals rarely employ locals and tribals. They deprive the natives of the area by bringing in people from outside, locals alleged. Hence the residents of Nagada villages languish in poverty, sources pointed out. “Every five years we vote for our representative to the state government, but nothing really changes for us,” said a villager on condition of anonymity. District officials said that the state government has spent close to Rs 100 crore for various development works in the area. In reality, however, no transformation has come in the life of the Juang community.
To compound their troubles, they have lost their traditional occupation of collecting minor forest produce for a living as trees have been felled indiscriminately Even though they get their monthly quota of free rice from the state government, it is of not much use to them. Efforts to talk to Sukinda BDO Abhishek Swain proved unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls from this correspondent.
