In western Odisha, 107 villages have fought back hunger and distress migration by taking hold of their right to government schemes.

A whopping 60 per cent of the families in the Padampur, Gaisilat, Paikmal and Jharbandh blocks of Padampur sub-division in Bargarh district were living below the State’s poverty line of less than ₹24,000 per annum.

On for eight years now, the people’s struggle started off with ensuring they got their full entitlement of rice, sugar, wheat and kerosene under the public distribution system (PDS).

To sustain the movement a ladhei panthi , or Fight Fund, was started with each member contributing at least one rupee and 250 gm of rice every month. The money is deposited in a bank and the grain storage is the responsibility of the village committee. After meeting expenses, the ladhei panthi still has ₹30,451 in the bank. Backed by grain and cash, the spirit of this andolan (movement) never flags.

The list of social security schemes and PDS entitlements for this drought-prone area was procured by filing a Right to Information application. The villagers found out that they were entitled to 25 kg rice every month but were getting only 16 kg every three months. Besides the loss of 9 kg, the rice was substandard. The 35 kg and 10 kg of rice under the Antodaya and Annapurna schemes for the elderly and the destitute, respectively, as well as sugar, wheat and kerosene supply were elusive.

At Gaisilat, where the right-to-food campaign began, the ration shop was under lock. The community-based campaign pressed for the timely release of all entitlements and made several representations to the District Collector. This led to the discovery that each month more than 100 quintals of PDS rice were being diverted to wholesalers from the civil supply office in Bargarh. The licences of four PDS agents were cancelled.

Under further pressure, the administration raided a paddy processing mill and seized 10,000 kg of poor quality rice. Buoyed by Gaisilat’s success, other blocks embarked on a similar movement. The public hearings, the gheraos paid off. All ration shops now stay open on six fixed days of a month; the people watch over the supply and quality.

Fakir Rout of Samuhik Marudi Pratikar Udyam Padampur, the network of community-based organisations, says close monitoring also unearthed in 2010 a huge kerosene scam where 77,000 litres worth ₹3 crore were siphoned off. Instead of the three litres they were entitled to every month, villagers were getting it once in three months. Today, all the 6,696 ration cardholders in the 107 villages receive their full quota of quality supplies.

A similar battle led to timely and increased payment for kendu leaf collection, a major source of income for the tribals and the poor living around forests. After lobbying and several meetings with the District Forest Officer, the wage rate for kendu leaf collection was enhanced from 16 paise for a bundle of 20 leaves in 2004 to 60 paise per bundle. Payment is within a week from supply. There are 34,198 women plucking kendu leaves today and 251 godowns for the storage.

Initially, only men were hired to ensure speedy collection of the kendu leaf. However, after a determined display of their prowess with the cutting implement, women too were engaged and their earnings shot up. In 2012, nearly 12,693 women workers were insured against snakebites, bear and elephant attacks, and other exigencies; two have already received compensation of ₹20,000 each. The women also received cash to buy footwear for their work in the forest.

“Kendu leaf collection is our lifeline,” says one of the women. “It has also enabled us to show that we are equal to the men.”

The writer is a senior journalist based in New Delhi

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