Source: The Sangai Express / S Sanglianmang Guite
Lamka, February 16:
At a time when the Mautaam affected populace are starving and the local as well as the State media has highlighted their very plight, the State Govt is yet to realize any of the promises the State Cabinet has decided upon.
With merely a month left for the arrival of monsoon, the state cabinet's pledge to obtain additional quota of rice and stocking of adequate food grains for atleast five months now lies at stake as the meager promises or measures made by the Cabinet were yet to deliver even to this day.
Based upon the 2007 survey report of BDOs and other Government agencies, the Deputy Commissioner Sumant Singh has highlighted before the state cabinet that atleast 5000 MT of rice would be needed by the district in order to counteract the Mautaam devastation, but the number has now increased, and the needed grains amplified as the deputy commissioner had personally toured parts of the affected region.
The needed allocation has now stands at 8000 MT with the affected populace increasing by the day.
During his spot survey, the Commissioner had time and again assured the villagers that the famine they have bumped upon could be counter with NREGS, however Singh and his BDOs still lying in the dark on authorization of procuring rice from wage component of the scheme, even his adept promises were at stake.
Besides, the FCS deptt.
offer of transporting the relief quota of rice only to the identified PDCs and not upto the sub-divisional hqtrs and the failure to transport any of the rice that has been promise by the cabinet has added to the stake.
Unless the Government has practically realize its promises before the onset of monsoon, the remarks made by some prominent officials who had accompanied the commissioner on the probability of fatalities out of starvation would definitely stands tall.
Meanwhile, Churachandpur District Students' Union has issued a public appeal in regards to Mautaam Famine today and calls for maximum co-operation to the DC and SDOs or BDOs so that the officers themselves could give extra effort and ensure that all benefits goes to the deserving persons without any deduction.
'No diversion of funds or percentage cut be made on the share of the villagers,' says the appeal that also highlight the extreme lack of infrastructural lack of developments particularly on roads, electricity, medical facilities, water supply and calls for a complete revamp of the Public Distribution System.
At the Leaders' Conference on Combating Famine the resolutions adapted by ZEPADA and MHJU has call upon the State Government to immediate arrange relief in the form of Gratuitous relief, Supplementary nutrition and Agricultural input.
'The famine situation in the district is not yet known to the Central Government while Mizoram, which faced similar Mautam Famine begun receiving famine relief,' reads the resolution that was submitted to the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh.
It also claimed that BPL Rice was sold at the rate of Rs.10 per kg.
in the PDCs/PDSCs againt Rs.6.50 per kg fixed by the Government; because the transport cost of PDS rice was not paid by the State Government.
The resolution also stress on the need to black topped the two arterial roads of the district as they were unmotorable during the rainy season and the to institute 5000MT capacity FCI Godown at Lamka.
'The provision of Famine relief through the existing centrally sponsored schemes will be starkly in adequate.
It is, therefore demanded that new Project proposals be made through DRDA to effectively counter the famine and its probable recurrence' says the concluding provisions of the resolution.
Rupees 1189.8294 lakhs is what the district administration has initially projected for countering the famine menace, but the Leaders' resolution has term them as starkly inadequate.
And with the district administration augmenting its postulation every passing day, the required amount needs augmentation.
Immediate and random relief if the only chances that could only stand against the stake.