Rasulpur: If you judge Subash Nayak, 43, of Barajpur village of Barabati panchayat under Rasulpur block in Jajpur district, from the smile on his face and conclude that he has everything in his life, then you have to think again.
Clad in a red colour sleeve-less jersey and a white pant with a gamchha tied around the head as a headgear to protect him from sun, Subash sells sugarcane juice. But he has bitter memories as well.
During a chat with this correspondent, Subas opens up, saying he lost his father a few days after his marriage. The whole responsibility of his family fell on his untamed shoulders. The circumstances came to such a pass that he had to go to Surat. He worked at a spinning mill there and tried to keep his family afloat. But a few days later, he found that the work and the work environment was debilitating him. He returned home.
“After returning from Surat, I started sugarcane farming on my one acre land. Initially, I sold sugarcanes at throwaway prices. Then a thought of selling sugarcane juice struck my mind. I bought a juice extracting machine and started my own business,” says Subas.
“The juice business has brought a huge difference in my life. On an average, I earn Rs 10, 000 per month. The four summer months give me good earnings. With this money I am now able to not only keep the wolf from the door but also bear the education cost of my son and daughter,” he boasts.
Yet, he has a complaint. “I am running my business in open. My family resides in a hut. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana for small time businessmen, loans from state government and Mission Shakti loans are still not coming my way, while I am yet to get benefits from Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana,” he laments.
He has taken up his problems with the block administration and elected members of panchayat but got no help from them.
“There are scores of poverty alleviation schemes and programmes and what they are for if the needy ones are not getting any benefits from them,” argued some local villagers.