Date : 28th December 2009
BHUBANESWAR: The district administration of the trouble-torn Kandhamal has taken the initiative to provide employment opportunities to unemployed youth as part of its social responsibility.
Organising a first-ever job mela in the district headquarters on the Christmas-eve, the administration identified over 2,000 unemployed youth for job-linked training programmes.
Bangalore-based Raxa Security Agency, a subsidiary of GMR group, recruited 40 persons at the job mela (employment fair) on a monthly salary of Rs 6,500, Kandhamal district collector Krishen Kumar told this paper.
While a first batch of 270 youths from the district are undergoing a three-month training programme at the Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC) here from October, 600 more have been selected for the training programme.
The second batch will join the training course in January, he said.
As two more ATDC centres are coming up at Berhampur and Rourkela, arrangements are being made with the new centres for skill upgradation and capacity building of the interested youth of the district. The training cost of the selected youth is covered under the Sampoorn Gramin Rojgar Yojana (SGSY), a self-employment scheme of the Centre.
More and more youth are keen on the training programme as employment is guaranteed after the training, Kumar said.
Another 64 youths have been selected for training at the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) training centre at Hinjilikatu in Ganjam district. IL&FS, a leading infrastructure and finance company, is going to set up its second training centre in Phulbani.
Kumar said that 540 persons have been identified for livelihood training programme imparted by IL&FS.
The Bangalore-based Construction Skill Training Institute (CSTI), a concern of engineering and construction giant Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and National Academy of Construction, Hyderabad, have offered to provide training in masonry, plumbing, carpentry, electrical wiring and related trades in the construction business.
The two training institutes will provide three months training for which 600 youths have been identified. The two institutes have also assured job guarantee to the trained persons.
Kumar said job mela will be organised every quarter to facilitate employment opportunities for the unemployed of the district. As registration at the employment exchanges is almost nil, efforts will be made to register unemployed youth at panchayat level, he added.
PM enquired about Kandhamal riot victims during Orissa visit
Date : 28th December 2009
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enquired from a Congress delegation about the situation in Kandhamal, the scene of last year's communal riots, during his brief visit to the state, surprising those who tried to raise issues like multi-crore mining scams and farmers' suicides.
"How is the ground situation in Kandhamal?” Singh asked the delegation, led by the leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh, Monday.
The Congress delegation, mostly comprising sitting MLAs of the Orissa Assembly, which tried to impress upon Singh on the multi-crore mining scam and a series of farmer suicide incidents in the state, were instead asked whether normalcy had completely returned in the district.
"Have all the people returned to their villages?” the PM asked, according to a member of the delegation.
Though there had been no violence in the district since last 15 months, all those who fled the region were yet to return to villages, they informed the PM adding, those remained in the district were still under apprehension of fresh violence.
"The sense of fear still continues among the people belonging to minority community," the delegation told the Prime Minister.
The riots had claimed at least 38 lives besides burning of hundreds of houses and churches in the aftermath of the VHP leader Swami Laxamanananda Saraswati last year.
Singh had earlier dubbed the incident as a "national shame".
During its about 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, the Congress delegation sought his intervention into the mining scam.
"We wanted the PM to do something so that the case would be probed by the CBI instead of the state vigilance", said an MLA.
The delegation which met Singh at Raj Bhavan here between his two programmes - inaugural function of Indian Economic Association and foundation stone laying ceremony of the new campus of the NISER, also drew the Prime Minister's attention to the distress sale of paddy in the state.
The delegation informed the PM about the plight of tribals, dalits and other backward class population in the state's KBK region besides drawing his attention to the increasing Maoist violence here.
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enquired from a Congress delegation about the situation in Kandhamal, the scene of last year's communal riots, during his brief visit to the state, surprising those who tried to raise issues like multi-crore mining scams and farmers' suicides.
"How is the ground situation in Kandhamal?” Singh asked the delegation, led by the leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh, Monday.
The Congress delegation, mostly comprising sitting MLAs of the Orissa Assembly, which tried to impress upon Singh on the multi-crore mining scam and a series of farmer suicide incidents in the state, were instead asked whether normalcy had completely returned in the district.
"Have all the people returned to their villages?” the PM asked, according to a member of the delegation.
Though there had been no violence in the district since last 15 months, all those who fled the region were yet to return to villages, they informed the PM adding, those remained in the district were still under apprehension of fresh violence.
"The sense of fear still continues among the people belonging to minority community," the delegation told the Prime Minister.
The riots had claimed at least 38 lives besides burning of hundreds of houses and churches in the aftermath of the VHP leader Swami Laxamanananda Saraswati last year.
Singh had earlier dubbed the incident as a "national shame".
During its about 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, the Congress delegation sought his intervention into the mining scam.
"We wanted the PM to do something so that the case would be probed by the CBI instead of the state vigilance", said an MLA.
The delegation which met Singh at Raj Bhavan here between his two programmes - inaugural function of Indian Economic Association and foundation stone laying ceremony of the new campus of the NISER, also drew the Prime Minister's attention to the distress sale of paddy in the state.
The delegation informed the PM about the plight of tribals, dalits and other backward class population in the state's KBK region besides drawing his attention to the increasing Maoist violence here.
Christmas passes off peacefully in Kandhamal
Phulbani, Dec. 25 2009: Christmas celebrations passed off peacefully in Kandhamal district of Odisha on Friday. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.
Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in areas having Christian population across the district to make the event peaceful.
Members of the Christian community attended the midnight mass in different churches in the district without fear.
Police had intensified patrolling round the clock to keep the miscreants at bay.
People were also seen visiting churches and prayer house throughout the day.
Christmas celebrations were hampered in Kandhamal during the past two years due to communal tension.
When many churches were attacked on Christmas day in the district in 2007, there was little celebration last year as thousands of Christian families that fled their homes in the wake of communal riots during August, September and October had not returned to their villages.
Hundreds of Christian families have not returned to their villages till date as communal tension continues to prevail in the interior pockets of the district.
The district had witnessed large scale attacks on Christians and their homes and places of worship following the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati in August last year.
Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in areas having Christian population across the district to make the event peaceful.
Members of the Christian community attended the midnight mass in different churches in the district without fear.
Police had intensified patrolling round the clock to keep the miscreants at bay.
People were also seen visiting churches and prayer house throughout the day.
Christmas celebrations were hampered in Kandhamal during the past two years due to communal tension.
When many churches were attacked on Christmas day in the district in 2007, there was little celebration last year as thousands of Christian families that fled their homes in the wake of communal riots during August, September and October had not returned to their villages.
Hundreds of Christian families have not returned to their villages till date as communal tension continues to prevail in the interior pockets of the district.
The district had witnessed large scale attacks on Christians and their homes and places of worship following the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati in August last year.
Ten convicted in arson cases in Kandhamal
Phulbani (Orissa), Dec 23 2009 Ten people were today sentenced to three to five years of rigorous imprisonment for torching houses of some people belonging to a minority community during last year's communal violence in Kandhamal district of Orissa.
Five persons were sentenced to five years of RI by a fast track court judge S K Das, while five others were awarded three years imprisonment by another fast track court judge C R Das for burning houses at Bedinaju and Kirtiguda villages respectively.
Both the incidents took place after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati on August 23, last year.
About 25,000 people fled their homes after they were attacked by thousands of people who held the Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing.
Five persons were sentenced to five years of RI by a fast track court judge S K Das, while five others were awarded three years imprisonment by another fast track court judge C R Das for burning houses at Bedinaju and Kirtiguda villages respectively.
Both the incidents took place after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati on August 23, last year.
About 25,000 people fled their homes after they were attacked by thousands of people who held the Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing.
Extra policemen in Kandhamal for trouble-free Christmas
Thousands of policemen have been deployed in Orissa's trouble-hit Kandhamal district to ensure peaceful Christmas celebrations, authorities said on Tuesday.
The district witnessed widespread communal violence last year after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
"We have deployed adequate number of policemen in all sensitive places of the district. We have also intensified checking in all entry and exit points," Superintendent of Police S Praveen Kumar told IANS.
"We are intensifying police patrolling to ensure trouble-free Christmas celebrations," he said.
A district-level peace committee meeting was held at the district headquarters of Phulbani Monday. It was attended by leaders of all religious communities, local political leaders and officials.
"We decided in the meeting to hold such a get-together on a regular basis, especially a few days before any religious celebration," District Collector Krishan Kumar told IANS.
"Such meetings would also be held in block headquarters. The local authorities will organise them," he said.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of the VHP leader and four of his aides at his ashram August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after they were attacked by mobs.
The district witnessed widespread communal violence last year after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
"We have deployed adequate number of policemen in all sensitive places of the district. We have also intensified checking in all entry and exit points," Superintendent of Police S Praveen Kumar told IANS.
"We are intensifying police patrolling to ensure trouble-free Christmas celebrations," he said.
A district-level peace committee meeting was held at the district headquarters of Phulbani Monday. It was attended by leaders of all religious communities, local political leaders and officials.
"We decided in the meeting to hold such a get-together on a regular basis, especially a few days before any religious celebration," District Collector Krishan Kumar told IANS.
"Such meetings would also be held in block headquarters. The local authorities will organise them," he said.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of the VHP leader and four of his aides at his ashram August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after they were attacked by mobs.
Kandhamal nun rape: Main accused arrested
Date: 7th Dec 2009
BHUBANESWAR: The main accused in the gang rape of a nun in Orissa's Kandhamal district during last year's communal clashes has been arrested,
"We have arrested Gururam Patra from Dharampur area of the district on Sunday evening," investigating officer B K Mohanty said.
Patra had allegedly led the mob that attacked the nun at K Nuagaon village in the district on August 24 last year and then raped her.
With Patra's arrest, the total number of people held in the case has gone up to 19. Mohanty said at least 11 accused in the case are absconding and efforts are on to nab them.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs.
BHUBANESWAR: The main accused in the gang rape of a nun in Orissa's Kandhamal district during last year's communal clashes has been arrested,
"We have arrested Gururam Patra from Dharampur area of the district on Sunday evening," investigating officer B K Mohanty said.
Patra had allegedly led the mob that attacked the nun at K Nuagaon village in the district on August 24 last year and then raped her.
With Patra's arrest, the total number of people held in the case has gone up to 19. Mohanty said at least 11 accused in the case are absconding and efforts are on to nab them.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs.
Re-build civil society in Kandhamal of Orissa
Date : 04 Dec 2009
Original Trackback URL
From John Dayal in Kandhamal: Of the 12 murder cases tried in the Fast Track courts in Phulbani, Kandhamal district of Odisha, the accused have been let off in 11 murders and convicted in just one. A member of the State Legislative assembly on the Bharatiya Janata party ticket, Manoj Pradhan, has been let off in the four cases in which he has been tried so ar. He and his henchmen have been accused by the witnesses of terrorising them, or seeking to bribe them.
A belated effort is now being made to revive civil society and the process of justice and reconciliation towards a lasting peace in Kandhamal, which remains the worst single case of persecution of Christians in South Asia. Most of the over 5,000 houses destroyed in
the December 2007 and August 24-October, 2008 mayhem remain un-built, and several thousand of the 50,000 Christian refugees are still to return home. Many cannot as they have been told they have to convert to Hinduism before they will be accepted in the villages. The threats and coercion continue till today.
The police and administration, as usual, look on. The one change is the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s acceptance, in an answer in the State legislature, that it was the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its sister organisations of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which were responsible in the anti Christian violence, the first time the government has accepted this reality. Two judicial commissions of
enquiry, plodding on in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, are yet to admit this fact.
The following is an update:
I. The Harsh Reality of Odisha and especially of Kandhamal is:
1. No one raised a voice when violence hit the Christians in December 2007 and August 2008, not even the governments.
2. Civil Society in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, if it existed, played dead, and nation was not moved.
3. Barring a few Left parties who could protest, the Political Apparatus remained silent and invisible, including so called friendly parties and groups
4. The Media was violently biased, specially the Odia Media
5. Fact Finding groups either misunderstood the causes, or just blamed either Conversions or Dalit-Tribal conflicts as the cause of the violence, and even people’s enquiry commissions including a Judge and Teesta Setalvad have yet to give their reports on the 2007 violence.
6. Post violence, civil society and peace institutions have yet to be revived.
7. Church was shattered, deeply wounded and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the violence. Barring the PILs in the Supreme Court, no real pressure on Government to construct all houses fully, pay sustenance allowances etc, and government jobs.
II. Post Violence;
1. Church is focussed on helping complete houses instead of using the law to let government complete the houses. As a result, though the Catholic Church says it will help complete 1,200 houses, Believers Church 900 Houses, Eficor about 300 houses, and CNI a similar number, another 2,500 houses remain without help. Also, without help are the 250 or so victims of the 2007 violence, especially in Barakhama, who have been left to thereon devices.
2. Although there has been much work by religious groups in distributing Holy Bibles and clothes, and in counseling victims, there has not been commensurate work in enhancing the sense of security.
3. The result is that complainants and witnesses to violence feel very insecure and are susceptible to coercion, blackmail and perhaps allurement.
4. The result has been that despite the effort of well meaning young lawyers, especially of the CLA and HRLN, not much progress has been made in getting convictions especially in the murder cases involving BJP political leaders.
5. In many villages, refugees have not been able to return because the threat of forcible conversion to Hinduism remains.
6. The government peace committees remain on paper, or are loaded against Christians
7. Not much headway has been made in getting the Collector to secure land for non Tribals so they can construct their houses.
8. No headway has been made at village level towards reconciliation
III. Reviews:
1. Civil Society groups have met sporadically to assess the situation, including those coming from Delhi, but there has not been much sharing of info and concepts.
2. The first major initiative was taken by Father Ajay and Dhirendra Panda to call a meeting on 3rd November, 2009 in Bhubaneswar to assess the satiation. Almost the entire political spectrum, excluding the BJP, BJD and Congress, were present, incouding women groups, tribal and Dalit groups and specialists. Several victims were also present. The author (Dr Dayal) and Advocate Sr Mary Scaria, Lansinglu Rongmei, Tehmina Ram Arora and Vrinda Grover met several times in New Delhi to discuss the legal issues.
3. As part of the follow up of the decisions and recommendations of those meeting, some activists held meetings. It was also decided to get senior advocates and observers to be present for some time in the Fast Track courts so that grounds could be prepared for intervention in superior courts.
4. As a follow-up of those meetings and after consultations with senior Bishops of Odisha of various denominations, it was felt that the Church had a major role to play at the grassroots level to reconstruct social and civil society structures to give courage and
strength to the victims. This can be done only at the homeland village level and not by outsiders from Bhubaneswar or elsewhere in the country.
5. It was therefore decided to call a meeting in Berhampur, the nearest big town, of all religious workers – Priests, pastors, catholic religious, NGO workers, catechists and others – on 7th December 2007 for a full day discussion cum workshop to discuss the
issue and to encourage the religious groups to begin grassroots work apart from the religious work and relief they have been doing.
6. It was decided to bring experts to brief the religious people on these issues.
[The author is the secretary general, All India Christian Council, New Delhi. Please send your comments and suggestions at janatavikasmanch@gmail.com]
Original Trackback URL
From John Dayal in Kandhamal: Of the 12 murder cases tried in the Fast Track courts in Phulbani, Kandhamal district of Odisha, the accused have been let off in 11 murders and convicted in just one. A member of the State Legislative assembly on the Bharatiya Janata party ticket, Manoj Pradhan, has been let off in the four cases in which he has been tried so ar. He and his henchmen have been accused by the witnesses of terrorising them, or seeking to bribe them.
A belated effort is now being made to revive civil society and the process of justice and reconciliation towards a lasting peace in Kandhamal, which remains the worst single case of persecution of Christians in South Asia. Most of the over 5,000 houses destroyed in
the December 2007 and August 24-October, 2008 mayhem remain un-built, and several thousand of the 50,000 Christian refugees are still to return home. Many cannot as they have been told they have to convert to Hinduism before they will be accepted in the villages. The threats and coercion continue till today.
The police and administration, as usual, look on. The one change is the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s acceptance, in an answer in the State legislature, that it was the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its sister organisations of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which were responsible in the anti Christian violence, the first time the government has accepted this reality. Two judicial commissions of
enquiry, plodding on in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, are yet to admit this fact.
The following is an update:
I. The Harsh Reality of Odisha and especially of Kandhamal is:
1. No one raised a voice when violence hit the Christians in December 2007 and August 2008, not even the governments.
2. Civil Society in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, if it existed, played dead, and nation was not moved.
3. Barring a few Left parties who could protest, the Political Apparatus remained silent and invisible, including so called friendly parties and groups
4. The Media was violently biased, specially the Odia Media
5. Fact Finding groups either misunderstood the causes, or just blamed either Conversions or Dalit-Tribal conflicts as the cause of the violence, and even people’s enquiry commissions including a Judge and Teesta Setalvad have yet to give their reports on the 2007 violence.
6. Post violence, civil society and peace institutions have yet to be revived.
7. Church was shattered, deeply wounded and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the violence. Barring the PILs in the Supreme Court, no real pressure on Government to construct all houses fully, pay sustenance allowances etc, and government jobs.
II. Post Violence;
1. Church is focussed on helping complete houses instead of using the law to let government complete the houses. As a result, though the Catholic Church says it will help complete 1,200 houses, Believers Church 900 Houses, Eficor about 300 houses, and CNI a similar number, another 2,500 houses remain without help. Also, without help are the 250 or so victims of the 2007 violence, especially in Barakhama, who have been left to thereon devices.
2. Although there has been much work by religious groups in distributing Holy Bibles and clothes, and in counseling victims, there has not been commensurate work in enhancing the sense of security.
3. The result is that complainants and witnesses to violence feel very insecure and are susceptible to coercion, blackmail and perhaps allurement.
4. The result has been that despite the effort of well meaning young lawyers, especially of the CLA and HRLN, not much progress has been made in getting convictions especially in the murder cases involving BJP political leaders.
5. In many villages, refugees have not been able to return because the threat of forcible conversion to Hinduism remains.
6. The government peace committees remain on paper, or are loaded against Christians
7. Not much headway has been made in getting the Collector to secure land for non Tribals so they can construct their houses.
8. No headway has been made at village level towards reconciliation
III. Reviews:
1. Civil Society groups have met sporadically to assess the situation, including those coming from Delhi, but there has not been much sharing of info and concepts.
2. The first major initiative was taken by Father Ajay and Dhirendra Panda to call a meeting on 3rd November, 2009 in Bhubaneswar to assess the satiation. Almost the entire political spectrum, excluding the BJP, BJD and Congress, were present, incouding women groups, tribal and Dalit groups and specialists. Several victims were also present. The author (Dr Dayal) and Advocate Sr Mary Scaria, Lansinglu Rongmei, Tehmina Ram Arora and Vrinda Grover met several times in New Delhi to discuss the legal issues.
3. As part of the follow up of the decisions and recommendations of those meeting, some activists held meetings. It was also decided to get senior advocates and observers to be present for some time in the Fast Track courts so that grounds could be prepared for intervention in superior courts.
4. As a follow-up of those meetings and after consultations with senior Bishops of Odisha of various denominations, it was felt that the Church had a major role to play at the grassroots level to reconstruct social and civil society structures to give courage and
strength to the victims. This can be done only at the homeland village level and not by outsiders from Bhubaneswar or elsewhere in the country.
5. It was therefore decided to call a meeting in Berhampur, the nearest big town, of all religious workers – Priests, pastors, catholic religious, NGO workers, catechists and others – on 7th December 2007 for a full day discussion cum workshop to discuss the
issue and to encourage the religious groups to begin grassroots work apart from the religious work and relief they have been doing.
6. It was decided to bring experts to brief the religious people on these issues.
[The author is the secretary general, All India Christian Council, New Delhi. Please send your comments and suggestions at janatavikasmanch@gmail.com]
Mercury dips to 8.2 degrees in Orissa
2009-11-28 11:00:00
Parts of Orissa continued to shiver in a cold wave Saturday with Phulbani town recording a temperature of 8.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the state, an official said.
The cold wave forced people to stay indoors for several hours in the morning. A large number of people irrespective of their age were seen huddling around bonfires to keep themselves warm in Phulbani town, about 200 km from here, an eyewitness said.
The minimum temperature has dipped below ten degrees in several places in western parts of the state but most of the state's coastal regions remained warmer.
The towns in the western districts which recorded a temperature below ten degrees include Sambalpur 8.9, Bolangir 9.8, Sundergarh 9.9, and Bhabanipatna 9.5 degrees Celsius, an official at the Bhubaneswar meteorological office told IANS.
'The temperatures were recorded early in the morning,' he said.
The state capital Bhubaneswar however remained warmer, recording a minimum temperature of 13.9 degrees, the official said.
The coastal towns which also remained warmer were Puri, Gopalpur, Paradip, Balasore recording a minimum temperature of 17.1, 16.1, 15.2 and 14.6 degrees Celsius respectively, he said.
Parts of Orissa continued to shiver in a cold wave Saturday with Phulbani town recording a temperature of 8.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the state, an official said.
The cold wave forced people to stay indoors for several hours in the morning. A large number of people irrespective of their age were seen huddling around bonfires to keep themselves warm in Phulbani town, about 200 km from here, an eyewitness said.
The minimum temperature has dipped below ten degrees in several places in western parts of the state but most of the state's coastal regions remained warmer.
The towns in the western districts which recorded a temperature below ten degrees include Sambalpur 8.9, Bolangir 9.8, Sundergarh 9.9, and Bhabanipatna 9.5 degrees Celsius, an official at the Bhubaneswar meteorological office told IANS.
'The temperatures were recorded early in the morning,' he said.
The state capital Bhubaneswar however remained warmer, recording a minimum temperature of 13.9 degrees, the official said.
The coastal towns which also remained warmer were Puri, Gopalpur, Paradip, Balasore recording a minimum temperature of 17.1, 16.1, 15.2 and 14.6 degrees Celsius respectively, he said.
'Sangh parivar activists involved in Kandhamal riot' - Zee news
Original Trackback URL
Bhubaneswar: Members of the Sangh parivar were involved in the communal violence in Kandhamal which claimed at least 38 lives besides causing damage to 4640 houses, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday.
"It is learnt from investigation into the riot cases that the members of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal were involved in the violence that took place last year," Patnaik told the Assembly while replying to a question by a CPI member.
Sangh Parivar activists were arrested in this connection. Of them 85 were of the RSS and 321 members of VHP were rounded up on charge of riot. The number of Bajrang Dal workers arrested on charge of violence was 118, he said.
At least 27 persons allegedly involved in the riots were still in jails, the Chief Minister said.
He said house damage and house burning incidents were reported from at least 13 police station areas in Kandhamal.
To another question, Patnaik said the commission of inquiry probing the violence in Kandhamal after the killing of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati had so far received affidavits of 383 persons and examined at least 34 government officials.
Bhubaneswar: Members of the Sangh parivar were involved in the communal violence in Kandhamal which claimed at least 38 lives besides causing damage to 4640 houses, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday. "It is learnt from investigation into the riot cases that the members of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal were involved in the violence that took place last year," Patnaik told the Assembly while replying to a question by a CPI member.
Sangh Parivar activists were arrested in this connection. Of them 85 were of the RSS and 321 members of VHP were rounded up on charge of riot. The number of Bajrang Dal workers arrested on charge of violence was 118, he said.
At least 27 persons allegedly involved in the riots were still in jails, the Chief Minister said.
He said house damage and house burning incidents were reported from at least 13 police station areas in Kandhamal.
To another question, Patnaik said the commission of inquiry probing the violence in Kandhamal after the killing of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati had so far received affidavits of 383 persons and examined at least 34 government officials.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam's 3G services in Orissa by year-end
BHUBANESWAR: State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will expand its third-generation (3G) network across Orissa by the
year-end, a senior company official said on Sunday.
BSNL launched 3G services, a mobile communications system
that enhances performance of multimedia applications, high speed mobile broadband and Internet access, in the state March 25.
Currently, the service is available in 33 urban centres in the state, said BSNL chief general manager for Orissa AN Ray.
According to him, the service will be launched in other centres by the year-end, which includes Paradip port town and district headquarters of Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Rayagada, Boudh and Phulbani.
The service will be launched in these towns in phases during the current year, he said.
'Over a period of time, other features like mobile banking and mobile commerce will be added,' Ray said, adding that all services will be available in both prepaid and postpaid platforms.
year-end, a senior company official said on Sunday.
BSNL launched 3G services, a mobile communications system
that enhances performance of multimedia applications, high speed mobile broadband and Internet access, in the state March 25.
Currently, the service is available in 33 urban centres in the state, said BSNL chief general manager for Orissa AN Ray.
According to him, the service will be launched in other centres by the year-end, which includes Paradip port town and district headquarters of Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Rayagada, Boudh and Phulbani.
The service will be launched in these towns in phases during the current year, he said.
'Over a period of time, other features like mobile banking and mobile commerce will be added,' Ray said, adding that all services will be available in both prepaid and postpaid platforms.
Maoists killed seer: Cop before riot panel
Bhubaneswar: Slain VHP seer, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was an obstacle for Maoists and they eliminated the leader to spread their base in Kandhamal. Former inspector-in-chare of Kotagada police station, Harekrushna Pradhan told this before the one-man judicial commission probing the seer’s assassination and the subsequent riots in Kandhamal last year.
Schism between the tribal Kandhas and Christian Panas also came to fore during the cross examination.
“The inspector also told about the conflict between Kandha and Pana communities over fake certificates. This was another reason behind the communal riots in Kandhamal,” lawyer, Ajit Pattnaik said.
Former officer-in-charge of G. Udayagiri police station, Aswini Kumar Nayak was also quizzed by the commission on Thursday.
The then circle inspector of Phulbani Sadar and former inspector-in-charge of Daringibadi would depose before the panel on Friday. The commission would visit Kandhamal for hearing from November 9 till 13.
Schism between the tribal Kandhas and Christian Panas also came to fore during the cross examination.
“The inspector also told about the conflict between Kandha and Pana communities over fake certificates. This was another reason behind the communal riots in Kandhamal,” lawyer, Ajit Pattnaik said.
Former officer-in-charge of G. Udayagiri police station, Aswini Kumar Nayak was also quizzed by the commission on Thursday.
The then circle inspector of Phulbani Sadar and former inspector-in-charge of Daringibadi would depose before the panel on Friday. The commission would visit Kandhamal for hearing from November 9 till 13.
Naveen seeks special package for irrigation in the tribal hinterland, power
Original Trackback
BHUBANESWAR: Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday sought a special package from the centre to provide irrigation facilities and
improve productivity of lands belonging to tribals by dovetailing various programmes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) etc.
Addressing the conference of chief ministers, state ministers in charge of tribal/social welfare departments on "Implementation Status of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) ACT 2006" inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh at New Delhi, Mr Patnaik said a host of initiatives taken by the state government to improve the lifestyle of the tribals needs to be backed up by the central assistance.
Scheduled Tribes [ST] constitute almost a quarter of the total population and Orissa has the unique distinction of having 62 different types of Scheduled Tribes including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PTGs), Mr Patnaik informed the conference.
Listing out the initiatives taken by his government, Mr Patnaik said, the state had set up 1004 ST girl's hostels, provided scholarship for ST boys and girls, established 19 educational complexes in micro-project areas for promotion of girl's education among the PTGs, one B.Ed Training College in Kandhamal, and 11 Ekalavya Model Residential Schools etc.
“The State Government is also committed to establish another 5000 ST Girl's Hostels over a period of five years to provide residential facilities for five lakh ST Girls”, Mr Patnaik stated.
Chief Minister further mentioned that after the promulgation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act), 2006, the state government had taken pro-active measures to settle the land rights (both individual and community) in favour of the tribals and other forest dwellers which they had beenoccupying/enjoying for ages without any legal record of rights.
Substantial progress has been made on implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and about 2.64 lakh cases have already been verified out of more than 3 lakh cases filed by the Tribals with the Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) as on 31st October 2009, according to Mr Patnaik. He further informed that the Gram Sabhas have approved about two lakh cases and out of which the Sub Divisional Level Committees have already approved 72,000 cases.
The District Level Committees have approved about 68,000 cases out of which Certificates of Title have been distributed to more than 55,000
cases. About 4,000 Certificates of title have been distributed among the PTGs out of about 16,000 PTG families in the State.
Admitting that it might not be enough to only confer legal rights to the tribals over the land, Mr Patnaik suggested that steps should be initiated to provide irrigation facilities and improve productivity of these lands by dovetailing various programmes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) etc.
Since his government has constituted a Watershed Mission to improve the productivity of rain fed lands, the centre should generously support this programme so that it can be extended to development of the lands being settled with the Tribals.
Earlier Mr Patnaik met Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission Vijay L Kelkar and lodged protest against the Centre's “denial of benefits” to the state under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (APDRP).
Demanding a special package from the 13th Finance Commission, Mr Patnaik said though Orissa pioneered a reform programme and privatised the power distribution system in the state; it was denied the benefit of the APDRP.
BHUBANESWAR: Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday sought a special package from the centre to provide irrigation facilities and
improve productivity of lands belonging to tribals by dovetailing various programmes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) etc.
Addressing the conference of chief ministers, state ministers in charge of tribal/social welfare departments on "Implementation Status of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) ACT 2006" inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh at New Delhi, Mr Patnaik said a host of initiatives taken by the state government to improve the lifestyle of the tribals needs to be backed up by the central assistance.
Scheduled Tribes [ST] constitute almost a quarter of the total population and Orissa has the unique distinction of having 62 different types of Scheduled Tribes including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PTGs), Mr Patnaik informed the conference.
Listing out the initiatives taken by his government, Mr Patnaik said, the state had set up 1004 ST girl's hostels, provided scholarship for ST boys and girls, established 19 educational complexes in micro-project areas for promotion of girl's education among the PTGs, one B.Ed Training College in Kandhamal, and 11 Ekalavya Model Residential Schools etc.
“The State Government is also committed to establish another 5000 ST Girl's Hostels over a period of five years to provide residential facilities for five lakh ST Girls”, Mr Patnaik stated.
Chief Minister further mentioned that after the promulgation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act), 2006, the state government had taken pro-active measures to settle the land rights (both individual and community) in favour of the tribals and other forest dwellers which they had beenoccupying/enjoying for ages without any legal record of rights.
Substantial progress has been made on implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and about 2.64 lakh cases have already been verified out of more than 3 lakh cases filed by the Tribals with the Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) as on 31st October 2009, according to Mr Patnaik. He further informed that the Gram Sabhas have approved about two lakh cases and out of which the Sub Divisional Level Committees have already approved 72,000 cases.
The District Level Committees have approved about 68,000 cases out of which Certificates of Title have been distributed to more than 55,000
cases. About 4,000 Certificates of title have been distributed among the PTGs out of about 16,000 PTG families in the State.
Admitting that it might not be enough to only confer legal rights to the tribals over the land, Mr Patnaik suggested that steps should be initiated to provide irrigation facilities and improve productivity of these lands by dovetailing various programmes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) etc.
Since his government has constituted a Watershed Mission to improve the productivity of rain fed lands, the centre should generously support this programme so that it can be extended to development of the lands being settled with the Tribals.
Earlier Mr Patnaik met Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission Vijay L Kelkar and lodged protest against the Centre's “denial of benefits” to the state under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (APDRP).
Demanding a special package from the 13th Finance Commission, Mr Patnaik said though Orissa pioneered a reform programme and privatised the power distribution system in the state; it was denied the benefit of the APDRP.
Bar members seek medical college in Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
PHULBANI: Members of Phulbani Bar Association submitted a memorandum containing a charter of demands to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during his visit to the district recently.
The demands included extension of the two -year period under Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by scheduled tribes) Amendment Regulation 2000 which came into force on September 4, 2002. Due to the amendment, a number of people, other than scheduled tribes, will be rendered homeless as they are totally ignorant about the law, the members contended.
They also urged the Chief Minister to ask Women and Child Development Department to take over the management of District Disabled Rehabilitation Centre as it is plagued by fund crunch.
They also demanded immediate steps to fill up the vacant posts in the headquarters hospital and rural health centres of the district.
As Phulbani is a growing town, a number of encroachment cases are pending since long. So they appealed to settle the non-objectionable lands under “Sarva Kshyama” scheme in favour of the encroached persons taking premia as admissible. For higher education
, the memorandum demanded establishment of a medical or an ayurvedic college or a college for science and technology in the district.
Advocates Samarendra Pattnaik, Bijaya Mohanty, Rabi Mishra and Pratap Patra submitted the memorandum to Chief Minister. Naveen assured to take steps in this regard.
MP THANKS CM: Kandhamal MP Rudra Madhab Ray expressed his gratefulness to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a statement for extending KBK type scheme to the tribal-dominated district by launching Biju Kandhamal Yojana.
He said when he put forth a demand before the Centre to include the district in KBK Plan, the latter rejected it outright. But the Chief Minister felt that development of such a backward district can only be possible by extending KBK type scheme, he said. By the announcement of the Chief Minister a long-standing demand of the people of the district was fulfilled, Ray said.
PHULBANI: Members of Phulbani Bar Association submitted a memorandum containing a charter of demands to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during his visit to the district recently.
The demands included extension of the two -year period under Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by scheduled tribes) Amendment Regulation 2000 which came into force on September 4, 2002. Due to the amendment, a number of people, other than scheduled tribes, will be rendered homeless as they are totally ignorant about the law, the members contended.
They also urged the Chief Minister to ask Women and Child Development Department to take over the management of District Disabled Rehabilitation Centre as it is plagued by fund crunch.
They also demanded immediate steps to fill up the vacant posts in the headquarters hospital and rural health centres of the district.
As Phulbani is a growing town, a number of encroachment cases are pending since long. So they appealed to settle the non-objectionable lands under “Sarva Kshyama” scheme in favour of the encroached persons taking premia as admissible. For higher education
, the memorandum demanded establishment of a medical or an ayurvedic college or a college for science and technology in the district.
Advocates Samarendra Pattnaik, Bijaya Mohanty, Rabi Mishra and Pratap Patra submitted the memorandum to Chief Minister. Naveen assured to take steps in this regard.
MP THANKS CM: Kandhamal MP Rudra Madhab Ray expressed his gratefulness to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a statement for extending KBK type scheme to the tribal-dominated district by launching Biju Kandhamal Yojana.
He said when he put forth a demand before the Centre to include the district in KBK Plan, the latter rejected it outright. But the Chief Minister felt that development of such a backward district can only be possible by extending KBK type scheme, he said. By the announcement of the Chief Minister a long-standing demand of the people of the district was fulfilled, Ray said.
Naveen sounds PM for aid
Original Trackbak URL
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3: Two days after announcing two state-funded schemes for backward Kandhamal and Gajapati districts, chief minister Naveen Patnaik today requested the Prime Minister to formulate special plans for developing the two districts.
Naveen had announced the schemes — Biju Kandhamal Yojana and Biju Gajapati Yojana — during his visit to riot-hit Kandhamal district on Thursday.
Today, he wrote a letter to Manmohan Singh, urging him to formulate special schemes on the lines of the one being implemented in the KBK region, one of the most backward regions of the country.
As per estimates of the 55th round of NSS survey conducted in 1999-2000, the incidence of rural poverty was 87.14 per cent. The region also suffers from acute economic, social and gender disparities, and very adverse socio-economic and human development indicators.
A revised long-term action plan has been effective in the KBK region since 2002-03. The project was prepared in a sub-plan mode to address the peculiar socio-economic problems of this chronically poor region, which is also geographically contiguous.
The project envisages an integrated approach for speeding up socio-economic development of this region by synergising effectively the various developmental activities and schemes under implementation both in central as well as state sectors. The plan includes a special annual central assistance of Rs 130 crore.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Naveen said he had been repeatedly drawing the attention of the Centre to include backward Kandhamal and Gajapati districts, located close to the KBK region, in the special scheme. “However, it’s unfortunate that the Centre has not yet accepted the state’s rightful demand,” he lamented.
Naveen informed the Prime Minister that his government had recently decided to execute two special schemes for backward Kandhamal and Gajapati districts out of its own resources. About Rs 1.5 crore has been provided for each block for basic facilities like electricity, road connectivity and drinking water.
Political observers believe that the recent move of the state government was to put pressure on the Centre to include the two districts in the KBK scheme.
In 2007, in a bid to snub the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for its “apathy” to backward regions of Orissa, Naveen had launched Rs 600-crore Biju KBK Yojana spread over a period of five years, alleging that the inflow of central funds was too meagre to develop the region.
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3: Two days after announcing two state-funded schemes for backward Kandhamal and Gajapati districts, chief minister Naveen Patnaik today requested the Prime Minister to formulate special plans for developing the two districts.
Naveen had announced the schemes — Biju Kandhamal Yojana and Biju Gajapati Yojana — during his visit to riot-hit Kandhamal district on Thursday.
Today, he wrote a letter to Manmohan Singh, urging him to formulate special schemes on the lines of the one being implemented in the KBK region, one of the most backward regions of the country.
As per estimates of the 55th round of NSS survey conducted in 1999-2000, the incidence of rural poverty was 87.14 per cent. The region also suffers from acute economic, social and gender disparities, and very adverse socio-economic and human development indicators.
A revised long-term action plan has been effective in the KBK region since 2002-03. The project was prepared in a sub-plan mode to address the peculiar socio-economic problems of this chronically poor region, which is also geographically contiguous.
The project envisages an integrated approach for speeding up socio-economic development of this region by synergising effectively the various developmental activities and schemes under implementation both in central as well as state sectors. The plan includes a special annual central assistance of Rs 130 crore.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Naveen said he had been repeatedly drawing the attention of the Centre to include backward Kandhamal and Gajapati districts, located close to the KBK region, in the special scheme. “However, it’s unfortunate that the Centre has not yet accepted the state’s rightful demand,” he lamented.
Naveen informed the Prime Minister that his government had recently decided to execute two special schemes for backward Kandhamal and Gajapati districts out of its own resources. About Rs 1.5 crore has been provided for each block for basic facilities like electricity, road connectivity and drinking water.
Political observers believe that the recent move of the state government was to put pressure on the Centre to include the two districts in the KBK scheme.
In 2007, in a bid to snub the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for its “apathy” to backward regions of Orissa, Naveen had launched Rs 600-crore Biju KBK Yojana spread over a period of five years, alleging that the inflow of central funds was too meagre to develop the region.
Original Trackback URL
Kandhamal launch for Naveen schemes
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1: In an apparent bid to snub the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, chief minister Naveen Patnaik today announced two state-funded schemes for Kandhamal and Gajapati.
Naveen announced Biju Kandhamal Yojana and Biju Gajapati Yojana during today’s Kandhamal visit, which also saw him flag off a slew of schemes, facilities and programmes for the state.
Earlier, Naveen had urged the Centre to include Kandhamal and Gajapati in its special programme for the backward KBK region (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi). As his plea went “unheeded”, Naveen launched the two programmes out of the state’s resources, to be effective from the current fiscal.
Under the programme, Rs 1.5 crore will be released to each block in the two districts for the construction of roads, supply of drinking water and power. Naveen said he would soon write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh informing him of the schemes.
In 2007, the Naveen government had launched a state-funded, Rs 600-crore Biju KBK Yojana, alleging that the inflow of central fund was “too little” to develop the region.
Under the KBK yojana, Rs 1.5 crore would have been spent on each block of eight districts of the region.
During his visit to Dutipada Tribal Girls’ School in Kandhamal today, Naveen also launched the School Health Programme, an ambitious scheme that would cover 58-lakh students in 60,000 schools across the state.
Rs 12.29 crore has been sanctioned for implementing the scheme this fiscal, said the chief minister. “It will take health care to the doorsteps of each and every school in the state,” he said.
Students of Classes I to X, belonging to both residential and non-residential schools, will benefit under the scheme, which will screen students twice a year and treat minor ailments, while referring critical and chronic cases to hospitals.
On an inauguration spree, Naveen also launched Project Arogya, a special package to provide health services to remote areas in Phulbani district headquarters. He cut the ribbon for a special intensive care unit (ICU) for infants and inaugurated a resthouse for accredited social health activists and distributed bicycles among them.
The same day, he launched a single-window system for integrated services such as on-the-spot payment under Janani Suraksha Yojana, issue of birth certificates, distribution of mother and baby kits, immunisation, family planning counselling, Janani Express Helpline for pregnant mothers and Asha grievance cell.
Also on his agenda, a mega-nursery at Mula Gudari, for which the chief minister laid the foundation stone, as he did for a hostel at Phulbani sports complex and for a government teachers’ training college at Sartaguda village.
Naveen also distributed land pattas under Forest Rights Act, old age and widow pensions under Madhubabu Pension Yojana and loans to women self-help groups.
Two more welfare schemes after Biju Patnaik
Bhubaneswar: Adding to the list of a chain of welfare programmes after his father Biju Patnaik’s name, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made public two more pro-poor schemes in the state after the name of the legendary chief minister on Thursday.
The welfare programmes, christened as Biju Kandhamal Yojna and Biju Gajapati Yojna, would be on the lines of the Biju KBK Yojna.
“Like the Biju KBK Yojna, the two welfare schemes would be called as Biju Kandhamal Yojna and Biju Gajapati Yojna. The poor people in the two districts would be benefited under the programme. Bijli, Pani and Sadak (electricity, water and road) would be given prime importance in the programme,” Naveen said. He was here to inaugurate some welfare programmes in the district.
Naveen said he would write to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh urging him to launch similar Yojanas for the people of Kandhamal and Gajapati districts. He added that the state government's demands to include the two poverty stricken districts in poverty amelioration programmes were ignored by both NDA and UPA governments at the Centre.
The Biju Kandhamal Yojana and Biju Gajapati Yojana would be funded from the state's own resources and would work for electrification, roads, creation of water sources and livelihood schemes.
Under the new schemes the state government would spend Rs 1.5 crore per annum for each block of Kandhamal and Gajapati districts.
The welfare programmes, christened as Biju Kandhamal Yojna and Biju Gajapati Yojna, would be on the lines of the Biju KBK Yojna.
“Like the Biju KBK Yojna, the two welfare schemes would be called as Biju Kandhamal Yojna and Biju Gajapati Yojna. The poor people in the two districts would be benefited under the programme. Bijli, Pani and Sadak (electricity, water and road) would be given prime importance in the programme,” Naveen said. He was here to inaugurate some welfare programmes in the district.
Naveen said he would write to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh urging him to launch similar Yojanas for the people of Kandhamal and Gajapati districts. He added that the state government's demands to include the two poverty stricken districts in poverty amelioration programmes were ignored by both NDA and UPA governments at the Centre.
The Biju Kandhamal Yojana and Biju Gajapati Yojana would be funded from the state's own resources and would work for electrification, roads, creation of water sources and livelihood schemes.
Under the new schemes the state government would spend Rs 1.5 crore per annum for each block of Kandhamal and Gajapati districts.
Orissa Chief Minister to visit Kandhamal district on 1st October
The Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will visit Kandhamal district on Ist October Thursday. The Chief Minister will proceed Phulbani by Helicapter and after landding in the Reserve Police ground will go directly to the Circuit House. Then proceed to Dutipada under Khajuripada Block and inaugurate the Hostel Building of Girls High School constructed by the ITDA and launch first time introduced Help in Education programme. Then proceed to Mulapujari to inaugurate a mega Nursery and also lay foundation stone of Sports Hostel in the Stadium.
The Chief Minister will also inaugurate INCU building constructed in the District Hospital and lay foundation stone of a Nursing School. Then will lay foundation stone of B.Ed. College and C.T school at Sartaguda. Then the Chief Minister will address in a Public Meeting at Phulbani Coronation Ground and will distribute Madhubabu Pension to beneficiaries and distribute land patta to the landless. Minister of Health Prassana Acharya will be accompanied with the Chief Minister
The Chief Minister will also inaugurate INCU building constructed in the District Hospital and lay foundation stone of a Nursing School. Then will lay foundation stone of B.Ed. College and C.T school at Sartaguda. Then the Chief Minister will address in a Public Meeting at Phulbani Coronation Ground and will distribute Madhubabu Pension to beneficiaries and distribute land patta to the landless. Minister of Health Prassana Acharya will be accompanied with the Chief Minister
Police identifies Kandhamal blast victim
Phulbani (Orissa), Sept 29 The person, who was killed in a bomb explosion at a rehabilitation centre in Kandhamal district, has been identified, police said today.
The victim was identified as Ajaya Digal (35) of Gutingia village under Sarangagada police station area in the district, Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said.
He said that his antecedents and whether he had links with Maoists were being enquired into as he had left his village in March.
Digal's parents were also being questioned, he said.
The victim was identified as Ajaya Digal (35) of Gutingia village under Sarangagada police station area in the district, Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said.
He said that his antecedents and whether he had links with Maoists were being enquired into as he had left his village in March.
Digal's parents were also being questioned, he said.
Three detained for blast in Kandhamal
Phulbani (Orissa), Sept 28 Three persons were detained today for interrogation in connection with the bomb blast at a rehabilitation centre in Kandhamal district which left one dead.
They were being interrogated for their suspected Maoist links, Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said.
Seizure of four guns from the site of the blast led to the suspicion that they had Maoist links, he said.
The identity of the person killed in the explosion yesterday has not been ascertained so far, while the injured has been identified as Patrasen Mallick of Batikola village.
The person who died in the blast did not belong to Batikola village and had arrived at the rehabilitation centre at Nandagiri barely five days ago, he said.
A forensic team visited the spot to determine the nature of the explosive used in making the bomb.
They were being interrogated for their suspected Maoist links, Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said.
Seizure of four guns from the site of the blast led to the suspicion that they had Maoist links, he said.
The identity of the person killed in the explosion yesterday has not been ascertained so far, while the injured has been identified as Patrasen Mallick of Batikola village.
The person who died in the blast did not belong to Batikola village and had arrived at the rehabilitation centre at Nandagiri barely five days ago, he said.
A forensic team visited the spot to determine the nature of the explosive used in making the bomb.
Orissa requests Centre to set up Tribal University in Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
Bhubaneswar ( Orissa ): Orissa Chief Miinister Naveen Patnaik, Kanti Lal Bhuria, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs at New Delhi today and discussed about issues relating to tribal welfare in Orissa.
He asked for an early release of Central assistance for undertaking various tribal welfare activities for which a proposal was submitted by Govt. of Orissa and the Union Minister acceded to the request of the Chief Minister for grant of Rs 64.26 crore.
The Chief Minister highlighted the action being taken by the State Govt. for issue of land rights (pattas) to tribal community in Orissa and informed that it will be concluded in a time bound manner.
The Chief Minister further emphasized for inclusion of more eligible communities from Orissa in the SC/ST List so that the deserving people could benefit from government programmes. He informed that 167 such proposals have been sent by the State to the Centre for inclusion in the list.
The Chief Minister also asked for release of Rs.140 crores during 2009-2010 for construction of 400 new 100 bedded ST Girls Hostels in the State.
The Chief Minister requested that a Tribal University be set up in the Kondhamal district in Orissa. The Chief Minister requested for grant of Rs 5 crores for modernisation of the existing small Tribal Museum at Bhubaneswar and separate fund for opening of Tribal Museums in all the 17 Micro Project Areas in the State.
He highlighted the need for increase in the amount of Post Matric Scholarship for ST/SC Students.
Recalling his recent letter written to the Union Minister, the Chief Minister asked for sanction of more Ekalabya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in the 4 uncovered KBK districts i.e., Nuapada, Malkangiri, Sonepur & Bolangir in the current academic session.
The Chief Minister informed that the DFID assisted Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Project has been well accepted by the Tribal Communities in the State and requested the Union Tribal Affairs Minister for augmentation of the DFID assistance to the tune of US $ 40 Million.
The Union Minister assured full cooperation of the Government of India for tribal development in Orissa.
Bhubaneswar ( Orissa ): Orissa Chief Miinister Naveen Patnaik, Kanti Lal Bhuria, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs at New Delhi today and discussed about issues relating to tribal welfare in Orissa.
He asked for an early release of Central assistance for undertaking various tribal welfare activities for which a proposal was submitted by Govt. of Orissa and the Union Minister acceded to the request of the Chief Minister for grant of Rs 64.26 crore.
The Chief Minister highlighted the action being taken by the State Govt. for issue of land rights (pattas) to tribal community in Orissa and informed that it will be concluded in a time bound manner.
The Chief Minister further emphasized for inclusion of more eligible communities from Orissa in the SC/ST List so that the deserving people could benefit from government programmes. He informed that 167 such proposals have been sent by the State to the Centre for inclusion in the list.
The Chief Minister also asked for release of Rs.140 crores during 2009-2010 for construction of 400 new 100 bedded ST Girls Hostels in the State.
The Chief Minister requested that a Tribal University be set up in the Kondhamal district in Orissa. The Chief Minister requested for grant of Rs 5 crores for modernisation of the existing small Tribal Museum at Bhubaneswar and separate fund for opening of Tribal Museums in all the 17 Micro Project Areas in the State.
He highlighted the need for increase in the amount of Post Matric Scholarship for ST/SC Students.
Recalling his recent letter written to the Union Minister, the Chief Minister asked for sanction of more Ekalabya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in the 4 uncovered KBK districts i.e., Nuapada, Malkangiri, Sonepur & Bolangir in the current academic session.
The Chief Minister informed that the DFID assisted Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Project has been well accepted by the Tribal Communities in the State and requested the Union Tribal Affairs Minister for augmentation of the DFID assistance to the tune of US $ 40 Million.
The Union Minister assured full cooperation of the Government of India for tribal development in Orissa.
Five awarded life term in Kandhamal riots case
Phulbani, Sept 23 (PTI) Five youths were today sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court for killing a pastor during riots in Orissa's Kandhamal district last year.
Fast Track Court-I judge S K Das awarded life term to Sabito Digal (30), Mania Pradhan (28), Dharmaraj Pradhan (32), Abinash Pradhan (29) and Papu Pradhan (30) for the murder of Akbar Digal, a pastor of a Baptist church at Tatamaha village under Raikia police station area.
Digal's throat was slit by the youths in presence of his wife Lodia Digal on August 26, 2008, barely two days after riots broke out in the aftermath of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati's killing.
The five persons were arrested on an FIR lodged by the pastor's wife.
Fast Track Court-I judge S K Das awarded life term to Sabito Digal (30), Mania Pradhan (28), Dharmaraj Pradhan (32), Abinash Pradhan (29) and Papu Pradhan (30) for the murder of Akbar Digal, a pastor of a Baptist church at Tatamaha village under Raikia police station area.
Digal's throat was slit by the youths in presence of his wife Lodia Digal on August 26, 2008, barely two days after riots broke out in the aftermath of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati's killing.
The five persons were arrested on an FIR lodged by the pastor's wife.
Medical team to investigate Kandhamal poison' deaths
BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: Even as a four-member expert team from MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur rushed to Gudrikia village under
Kandhamal district's Daringibadi block to ascertain the exact cause of the series of deaths in the locality, no more casualty was reported on Monday, keeping total number of human deaths at eight.
"The expert team, consisting of specialists from medicine, community medicine, microbiology and paediatric departments, has rushed to the village to study the cause of the sudden death of the villagers," principal of the MKCG medical college Sonamali Bag said. The team proceeded for tribal-dominated Kandhamal following a state government directive.
While two medical teams arrived in the village on Sunday, more doctors from nearby locations were being sent to the area to prevent spread of the "mysterious disease" to other parts of Saramuli gram panchayat and adjacent Gadapur gram panchayat.
Though it is suspected that the villagers have fallen prey to either food poisoning caused by consumption of wild mushrooms or to cerebral malaria, doctors are yet to ascertain the reason.
While two persons died on Saturday, another six perished on Sunday. Those dead include at least six children. Several others in the village are also suffering from the disease, with at least half a dozen people admitted to the government-run hospital at Daringibadi.
Initially, doctors suspected that the deaths were owing to food poisoning caused by consumption of wild mushrooms. But when more and more people showed similar symptoms of vomiting and high fever, they guessed the cause might be malaria. But officially the exact for the deaths remains to be announced. "The exact cause could be ascertained only after medical tests are conducted by the expert team," chief district medical officer (in-charge), Kandhamal, Jatin Patnaik said.
Despite the administration trying to control the spread of the disease, panic-stricken villagers have started deserting the remote village, which has around 40 tribal families.
Kandhamal district's Daringibadi block to ascertain the exact cause of the series of deaths in the locality, no more casualty was reported on Monday, keeping total number of human deaths at eight.
"The expert team, consisting of specialists from medicine, community medicine, microbiology and paediatric departments, has rushed to the village to study the cause of the sudden death of the villagers," principal of the MKCG medical college Sonamali Bag said. The team proceeded for tribal-dominated Kandhamal following a state government directive.
While two medical teams arrived in the village on Sunday, more doctors from nearby locations were being sent to the area to prevent spread of the "mysterious disease" to other parts of Saramuli gram panchayat and adjacent Gadapur gram panchayat.
Though it is suspected that the villagers have fallen prey to either food poisoning caused by consumption of wild mushrooms or to cerebral malaria, doctors are yet to ascertain the reason.
While two persons died on Saturday, another six perished on Sunday. Those dead include at least six children. Several others in the village are also suffering from the disease, with at least half a dozen people admitted to the government-run hospital at Daringibadi.
Initially, doctors suspected that the deaths were owing to food poisoning caused by consumption of wild mushrooms. But when more and more people showed similar symptoms of vomiting and high fever, they guessed the cause might be malaria. But officially the exact for the deaths remains to be announced. "The exact cause could be ascertained only after medical tests are conducted by the expert team," chief district medical officer (in-charge), Kandhamal, Jatin Patnaik said.
Despite the administration trying to control the spread of the disease, panic-stricken villagers have started deserting the remote village, which has around 40 tribal families.
Remote dists to get mobile health units
BHUBANESHWAR: As malaria is staging a comeback stealthily in inaccessible tribal-dominated districts of the State, the Government has decided to reach out to the affected persons through mobile units. Two of the backward districts, Kandhamal and Kalahandi, are under the scanner of the State Government because of their inaccessibility and general lack of services. Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Kumar Acharya announced that more mobile health units will be pressed into service in these two backward districts to cater to needs of the people in interior areas. Arrangements for this will be made by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), he said.Diarrhoea had killed more than 50 persons in Kalahandi this year while Lanjigarh area of the district is known to be prone to malaria.Many people in inaccessible pockets of Kandhamal also fall prey to malaria every year.While 15 mobile health units are already working in Kandhamal under the NRHM, seven more will be provided for the district. Similarly, three mobile health units will be pressed into service in Kalahandi.One of the units will be specifically earmarked for the Lanjigarh block.Experts expressed concern at the recently held three-day workshop organised here by the NRHM over the increasing number of deaths due to malaria. It has been estimated that more than 25 per cent deaths due to malaria take place in Orissa.Sources said that malaria has spread in all the tribal- dominated districts of the State despite steps taken by the State Government to bring it under control. Orissa now tops the list of cerebral malaria affliction which is 44 per cent of the all-India figure of over 7 lakh cases per annum.Orissa also tops the fatality rate due to plasmodium falciparum at 18 per cent followed by 15 per cent in Maharashtra, 11 per cent in Chhattisgarh and north-eastern states, nine per cent in West Bengal, five per cent in Gujarat, four per cent in Rajasthan and two per cent in Karnataka.Acharya said that out of the 191 mobilehealth units in the State, 96 have been engaged in the KBK (un-divided Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput) districts.He said that 81 units had been deployed in the non-KBK tribal districts.
Kandhamal victims still await rehabilitation
New Delhi, 19 Aug: "It was the darkest night of my life," recalls 45-year-old Mr Ravinder Nath Pradhan, who a year ago saw his house and paralysed brother being doused with petrol and burnt by a fanatic mob. Since then life has been drudgery, he says, and justice is "nowhere near".
"It was around 8 p.m. A mob of some 500 people attacked the village. My house was destroyed. Within moments they flung petrol on my wheelchair-bound younger brother and torched him. We fled for our lives," Mr Pradhan, a retired soldier, said. His peaceful village Guttergaon, in Kandhamal district, where people of all communities had been living in harmony, was scarred for ever. After the violence of 24 August 2008, his family and a group of 120 Christians were forced to flee their homes. They made their way to a relief camp at Bhubaneswar.
"We went back once in December to reap our crop. Tension still loomed large. We (minority and majority community families) used to share all our joys and sorrows. Now they say a passing hello, and enquire where you are headed and that's it," he added.
Having returned to his village now, Mr Pradhan relies on alms from the local church for survival. "We live underneath trees where we once had our own home."
Mr Pradhan is one of the thousands from the Kandhamal district in Orissa, where communal clashes had caused international outrage an year ago. The district had witnessed widespread violence following the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on 23 August last year.
Another victim is Mrs Kanak Rekha Nayak, 24, from Raikia village. A mother of two girls, she witnessed her husband being butchered by a mob on 25 August, 2008. "He was cut to pieces. The perpetrators went into hiding after that. But now they roam free. I see them sometimes ~ they try and avoid me now," she said, choking on her words.
With support from civil society organisation Peoples Initiative for Justice and Peace (PIJP), the two, along with Nayak's brother are in Delhi till 21 August, to try and meet home ministry and minority affairs ministry officials and put forth a plea to ensure rehabilitation and justice for the Kandhamal victims.
"We have given all into the hands of the justice system. Police and the district collector assured us that justice will be given but maybe delayed," the victims said.
According to a PIJP survey undertaken by its volunteers in Kandhamal "the state system for enforcement of law and order has broken down. Witness intimidation is rampant and the state itself seems to have surrendered ...Though there are 2,500 complaints filed with the police following the August 2008 atrocities the number of first information reports (FIRs) is only 827 and only 679 have been arrested even as 11,000 are named in the FIRs." Speaking on behalf of PIJP, human rights activist Mr Joseph Sebastian from NGO Indo Global Social Service Society said: "Rehabilitation of the displaced people is another grey area since there is no reliable data of the originally displaced people and of those who have yet to go back to their homes. We demand that a census should be prepared in a time-bound manner by 15 September and the return of the displaced should be completed by a target date."
It is pertinent to note that Home minister Mr P Chidambaram had visited the riot torn villages a couple of months ago and observed rehabilitating over 4000 families is not a difficult task for a determined state government.
Christmas and New Year celebrations had passed off peacefully and more recently even the 1st death anniversary of Laxmanananda Saraswati observed without any untoward incident established that peace had returned to the district.
"It was around 8 p.m. A mob of some 500 people attacked the village. My house was destroyed. Within moments they flung petrol on my wheelchair-bound younger brother and torched him. We fled for our lives," Mr Pradhan, a retired soldier, said. His peaceful village Guttergaon, in Kandhamal district, where people of all communities had been living in harmony, was scarred for ever. After the violence of 24 August 2008, his family and a group of 120 Christians were forced to flee their homes. They made their way to a relief camp at Bhubaneswar.
"We went back once in December to reap our crop. Tension still loomed large. We (minority and majority community families) used to share all our joys and sorrows. Now they say a passing hello, and enquire where you are headed and that's it," he added.
Having returned to his village now, Mr Pradhan relies on alms from the local church for survival. "We live underneath trees where we once had our own home."
Mr Pradhan is one of the thousands from the Kandhamal district in Orissa, where communal clashes had caused international outrage an year ago. The district had witnessed widespread violence following the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on 23 August last year.
Another victim is Mrs Kanak Rekha Nayak, 24, from Raikia village. A mother of two girls, she witnessed her husband being butchered by a mob on 25 August, 2008. "He was cut to pieces. The perpetrators went into hiding after that. But now they roam free. I see them sometimes ~ they try and avoid me now," she said, choking on her words.
With support from civil society organisation Peoples Initiative for Justice and Peace (PIJP), the two, along with Nayak's brother are in Delhi till 21 August, to try and meet home ministry and minority affairs ministry officials and put forth a plea to ensure rehabilitation and justice for the Kandhamal victims.
"We have given all into the hands of the justice system. Police and the district collector assured us that justice will be given but maybe delayed," the victims said.
According to a PIJP survey undertaken by its volunteers in Kandhamal "the state system for enforcement of law and order has broken down. Witness intimidation is rampant and the state itself seems to have surrendered ...Though there are 2,500 complaints filed with the police following the August 2008 atrocities the number of first information reports (FIRs) is only 827 and only 679 have been arrested even as 11,000 are named in the FIRs." Speaking on behalf of PIJP, human rights activist Mr Joseph Sebastian from NGO Indo Global Social Service Society said: "Rehabilitation of the displaced people is another grey area since there is no reliable data of the originally displaced people and of those who have yet to go back to their homes. We demand that a census should be prepared in a time-bound manner by 15 September and the return of the displaced should be completed by a target date."
It is pertinent to note that Home minister Mr P Chidambaram had visited the riot torn villages a couple of months ago and observed rehabilitating over 4000 families is not a difficult task for a determined state government.
Christmas and New Year celebrations had passed off peacefully and more recently even the 1st death anniversary of Laxmanananda Saraswati observed without any untoward incident established that peace had returned to the district.
Village presents picture of harmony
Original Trackback URL
RAIKOLA (KANDHAMAL): Like most other places in Kandhamal, the communal fire had scalded Raikola a few months ago. But unlike many other places,
this village, nestled among picture-postcard mountains and forests in G Udayagiri block, on Wednesday presented a canvas of calm and religious harmony
. It is refreshing in the context of the fact that gun-toting security personnel are back in the troubled district to prevent return of violence during Janmasthami festivities.
Dozens of battered houses and a completely desecrated church at Raikola village which reminds one of those days of unchecked frenzy which swept the area about a year ago. The communal chasm formed in the aftermath of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati's slaying on August 23, 2008, are still evident from the camp set up by homeless church-goers on the edge of the village. But what is heartening is the restraint and tolerance members of both communities have shown in recent months with a hope to usher in peace.
"We are staying at a camp because we have not managed to rebuild our houses yet. But the reconstruction process has started and we would gradually move into our houses. Three Christian families have already shifted to their houses," said Sribasta Naik, explaining their stay in a camp. "We are not feeling insecure. They (tribal Hindus) are no longer hostile towards us. We are optimistic that old times would return in the future," added the sexagenarian, who is a Christ believer.
In Raikola, Christians outnumber Hindus. Even then they had been victims of the violence last year. "People from adjacent villages came over and attacked us," pointed out Ajay Naik (40), who is keen to resume his life as a daily wage labourer. "Most of our houses were destroyed, but no one was killed, supplemented Apasari Naik, an elderly woman.
While the church-goers are attempting to rebuild their houses, and their lives, their "opponents", the tribal Kandhs, have supported restoration of normalcy. "There is no tension. What is gone is gone. We want the good old times to return," said Subash Mahamallick, a Hindu. "I won't say that all Hindus are helping their Christian brethren, but some certainly are. After all everyone wants the village to stand united," he summed up.
RAIKOLA (KANDHAMAL): Like most other places in Kandhamal, the communal fire had scalded Raikola a few months ago. But unlike many other places,
this village, nestled among picture-postcard mountains and forests in G Udayagiri block, on Wednesday presented a canvas of calm and religious harmony
. It is refreshing in the context of the fact that gun-toting security personnel are back in the troubled district to prevent return of violence during Janmasthami festivities.
Dozens of battered houses and a completely desecrated church at Raikola village which reminds one of those days of unchecked frenzy which swept the area about a year ago. The communal chasm formed in the aftermath of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati's slaying on August 23, 2008, are still evident from the camp set up by homeless church-goers on the edge of the village. But what is heartening is the restraint and tolerance members of both communities have shown in recent months with a hope to usher in peace.
"We are staying at a camp because we have not managed to rebuild our houses yet. But the reconstruction process has started and we would gradually move into our houses. Three Christian families have already shifted to their houses," said Sribasta Naik, explaining their stay in a camp. "We are not feeling insecure. They (tribal Hindus) are no longer hostile towards us. We are optimistic that old times would return in the future," added the sexagenarian, who is a Christ believer.
In Raikola, Christians outnumber Hindus. Even then they had been victims of the violence last year. "People from adjacent villages came over and attacked us," pointed out Ajay Naik (40), who is keen to resume his life as a daily wage labourer. "Most of our houses were destroyed, but no one was killed, supplemented Apasari Naik, an elderly woman.
While the church-goers are attempting to rebuild their houses, and their lives, their "opponents", the tribal Kandhs, have supported restoration of normalcy. "There is no tension. What is gone is gone. We want the good old times to return," said Subash Mahamallick, a Hindu. "I won't say that all Hindus are helping their Christian brethren, but some certainly are. After all everyone wants the village to stand united," he summed up.
Fast track court convicts 5 in Kandhamal riot case
Phulbani (Orissa), Jul 27 (PTI) Five persons were sentenced to six years in jail by a fast track court here for setting on fire houses during the communal riots in tribal-dominated Kandhamal district 11 months ago.
Fast track court-I judge S K Das also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on the convicts - Durbasa Kanhara, Bisara Kanhara, Rabi Kanhara, Gupteswar Kanhara and Naresh Kanhara of Salaguda village.
The convicts were also given an imprisonment for two years in a separate case of assembling in an unlawful manner along with weapons.
Two others - Umesh Kanhara and Sukdev Kanhara - were acquitted for lack of evidence in the case relating to attacking and torching of houses of minority members on September 13, 2008.
Fast track court-I judge S K Das also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on the convicts - Durbasa Kanhara, Bisara Kanhara, Rabi Kanhara, Gupteswar Kanhara and Naresh Kanhara of Salaguda village.
The convicts were also given an imprisonment for two years in a separate case of assembling in an unlawful manner along with weapons.
Two others - Umesh Kanhara and Sukdev Kanhara - were acquitted for lack of evidence in the case relating to attacking and torching of houses of minority members on September 13, 2008.
Orissa to develop 36 tourist destinations
The Orissa government plans to develop 36 tourist destinations in the state under various schemes. While 31 destinations are proposed to be refurbished under Destination Development Scheme (DDS) and Circuit Development Scheme (CDS), the remaining five locations will be developed under Mega Circuit Scheme.
The destinations like Sambalpur, Hirakud, Dhama, Pradhanpata, Khandadhar,Vedavyas, Pitamahal, Khinda, Deogarh, Debrigarh, Barabati, Paramhansa, Nemala, Churchika, Dhabaleswar, Tara Tarini, Rambha, Bhanjanagar are proposed to be developed under Destination Development Scheme (DDS) and Circuit Development Scheme (CDS).
Similarly, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput and Raygada will be developed under Mega Circuit Scheme (MSC). The state government has requested the Centre for development of these destinations, Debi Prasad Mishra, tourism minister said.
He said, the state government plans to develop the Samuka Sea-beach project and an aquarium at Puri. A maritime museum and an aquarium will be opened at the state museum. A tourism plaza will come up at Bhubaneswar and the government also plans to beautify the Ansupa lake.
The destinations like Sambalpur, Hirakud, Dhama, Pradhanpata, Khandadhar,Vedavyas, Pitamahal, Khinda, Deogarh, Debrigarh, Barabati, Paramhansa, Nemala, Churchika, Dhabaleswar, Tara Tarini, Rambha, Bhanjanagar are proposed to be developed under Destination Development Scheme (DDS) and Circuit Development Scheme (CDS).
Similarly, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput and Raygada will be developed under Mega Circuit Scheme (MSC). The state government has requested the Centre for development of these destinations, Debi Prasad Mishra, tourism minister said.
He said, the state government plans to develop the Samuka Sea-beach project and an aquarium at Puri. A maritime museum and an aquarium will be opened at the state museum. A tourism plaza will come up at Bhubaneswar and the government also plans to beautify the Ansupa lake.
Letter to CM by Professor Chitta Baral to have two campuses of IGNTU in Orissa: one in Kalahandi and other in Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
Dear Esteemed Chief Minister and Higher Education Secretary:
Recently in response to an RTI query MHRD Delhi wrote that "it had already been decided by this Ministry that the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University could consider establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during the 11th Plan Period,subject to availability of resources."
This has now been reported in Samaja (see attachment) and possibly in other papers.
Earlier in December 2008 when Mr. Sharad Pawar was visiting Orissa, you had demanded that a branch of IGNTU be established in Kandhamal. (See Pioneer; Expressbuzz.com, Zee news, a PTI report in Hindu)
Please follow up on that and now that in their RTI response MHRD has mentioned Kalahandi, please ask for two campuses of IGNTU, one in Kalhandi and one in Kandhamala. They can not say NO to Kandhamala and since they have already mentioned Kalahandi in their RTI response they can not now say NO to that.
If it will help we can fax (or scan and email) a copy of the RTI response to your office.
sincerely
Chitta Baral
Professor, Arizona State University
Another Letter by Dr. Sanjib Kumar Karmee:
Respected Chief Minister of Orissa and Higher Education Secretary
Sirs,
I am sure, you are aware of the opening of regional centers of Indira
Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in the different states of
India. The University has special provisions for the admission of
women, and persons belonging to the weaker sections of the society (in
particular, the Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes).
Many districts of our state are predominantly inhabited by the tribal
communities. The higher education facilities and medical facilities in
these hill districts are inadequate.
This would be of great help in promoting education among the tribal
communities in Orissa; if regional campuses of the IGNTU will be
established in Kandhamal and Kalahandi.
Unfortunately both these places are well-known inside and outside the
country for wrong reasons.
Sirs,
Earlier in December 2008 your administration has proposed to the
central govt. for the opening of a branch of IGNTU in Kandhamal
(http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/1743). However, your forgetful
govt. has not followed up this matter.
Recently, in response to an RTI query MHRD Delhi wrote that "it had
already been decided by this Ministry that the IGNTU could consider
establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during
the 11th Plan Period, subject to availability of resources." This has
now been reported in various news papers.
Now, the state govt. should pursue this matter seriously, and ask for
two campuses of IGNTU, one in Kalahandi and one in Kandhamal. Also,
please ask for medical colleges in both the places as Orissa govt.
does not have enough funds for establishing govt. medical colleges in
these tribal dominated districts.
Thanking you with best regards,
Sanjib
--
Dr.Sanjib Kumar Karmee, PhD
Biocatalysis and Organic Chemistry group
Department of Biotechnology
Delft University of Technology
Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft,
The Netherlands
My Version:
Dear honorable chief minister Mr. Patnaik,
You are well aware that Kalahandi has been struggling for a Central University since decades. Nothing had been achieved so far except recently proposed Engineering College by Orissa state Government.
Many people of Kalahandi also feel that at the last moment Orissa Government betrayed the feeling of local people by announcing the Central University of Orissa (CUO) in Koraput.
However, to know the fate of our petition to the central Government on CUO in Kalahandi through RTI route we were informed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India that “it had already been decided by this Ministry that the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) could consider establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during the 11th Plan Period, subject to availability of resources."
Though state Government had earlier proposed a similar branch of IGNTU in Phulbani in Dec 2008, the reply received from MHRD indicates the decision to establish one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi was made before Dec 2008.
The aspiration of people of Kalahandi to have Central University of Orissa in Kalahandi did not materialize due to larksome support received from the state Government. However, proposed off campus of IGNTU in Kalahandi by MHRD may release some of the ongoing tension for a Central University in the region.
IGNTU has already started its campuses in Amarkantak and Manipur. Now when the MHRD is willing to establish off campus of IGNTU in Kalahandi, we urge you to kindly expedite and facilitate the process so that an IGNTU establish it’s off campus with a medical college attached to it in Kalahandi from the academic year 2010-11.
If the state Government will support the long standing demand of Kalahandi people and take proper initiative IGNTU may be possible in Kalahandi from the coming academic year. State Govt. can also simultaneously pursue to establish another branch of IGNTU in Kandhamal.
I hope you will take appropriate action and write to the central Government to start off campus of IGNTU in Kalahandi.
Thank you and with best regards
Dear Esteemed Chief Minister and Higher Education Secretary:
Recently in response to an RTI query MHRD Delhi wrote that "it had already been decided by this Ministry that the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University could consider establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during the 11th Plan Period,subject to availability of resources."
This has now been reported in Samaja (see attachment) and possibly in other papers.
Earlier in December 2008 when Mr. Sharad Pawar was visiting Orissa, you had demanded that a branch of IGNTU be established in Kandhamal. (See Pioneer; Expressbuzz.com, Zee news, a PTI report in Hindu)
Please follow up on that and now that in their RTI response MHRD has mentioned Kalahandi, please ask for two campuses of IGNTU, one in Kalhandi and one in Kandhamala. They can not say NO to Kandhamala and since they have already mentioned Kalahandi in their RTI response they can not now say NO to that.
If it will help we can fax (or scan and email) a copy of the RTI response to your office.
sincerely
Chitta Baral
Professor, Arizona State University
Another Letter by Dr. Sanjib Kumar Karmee:
Respected Chief Minister of Orissa and Higher Education Secretary
Sirs,
I am sure, you are aware of the opening of regional centers of Indira
Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in the different states of
India. The University has special provisions for the admission of
women, and persons belonging to the weaker sections of the society (in
particular, the Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes).
Many districts of our state are predominantly inhabited by the tribal
communities. The higher education facilities and medical facilities in
these hill districts are inadequate.
This would be of great help in promoting education among the tribal
communities in Orissa; if regional campuses of the IGNTU will be
established in Kandhamal and Kalahandi.
Unfortunately both these places are well-known inside and outside the
country for wrong reasons.
Sirs,
Earlier in December 2008 your administration has proposed to the
central govt. for the opening of a branch of IGNTU in Kandhamal
(http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/1743). However, your forgetful
govt. has not followed up this matter.
Recently, in response to an RTI query MHRD Delhi wrote that "it had
already been decided by this Ministry that the IGNTU could consider
establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during
the 11th Plan Period, subject to availability of resources." This has
now been reported in various news papers.
Now, the state govt. should pursue this matter seriously, and ask for
two campuses of IGNTU, one in Kalahandi and one in Kandhamal. Also,
please ask for medical colleges in both the places as Orissa govt.
does not have enough funds for establishing govt. medical colleges in
these tribal dominated districts.
Thanking you with best regards,
Sanjib
--
Dr.Sanjib Kumar Karmee, PhD
Biocatalysis and Organic Chemistry group
Department of Biotechnology
Delft University of Technology
Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft,
The Netherlands
My Version:
Dear honorable chief minister Mr. Patnaik,
You are well aware that Kalahandi has been struggling for a Central University since decades. Nothing had been achieved so far except recently proposed Engineering College by Orissa state Government.
Many people of Kalahandi also feel that at the last moment Orissa Government betrayed the feeling of local people by announcing the Central University of Orissa (CUO) in Koraput.
However, to know the fate of our petition to the central Government on CUO in Kalahandi through RTI route we were informed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India that “it had already been decided by this Ministry that the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) could consider establishment of one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi district during the 11th Plan Period, subject to availability of resources."
Though state Government had earlier proposed a similar branch of IGNTU in Phulbani in Dec 2008, the reply received from MHRD indicates the decision to establish one of its off-campuses in Kalahandi was made before Dec 2008.
The aspiration of people of Kalahandi to have Central University of Orissa in Kalahandi did not materialize due to larksome support received from the state Government. However, proposed off campus of IGNTU in Kalahandi by MHRD may release some of the ongoing tension for a Central University in the region.
IGNTU has already started its campuses in Amarkantak and Manipur. Now when the MHRD is willing to establish off campus of IGNTU in Kalahandi, we urge you to kindly expedite and facilitate the process so that an IGNTU establish it’s off campus with a medical college attached to it in Kalahandi from the academic year 2010-11.
If the state Government will support the long standing demand of Kalahandi people and take proper initiative IGNTU may be possible in Kalahandi from the coming academic year. State Govt. can also simultaneously pursue to establish another branch of IGNTU in Kandhamal.
I hope you will take appropriate action and write to the central Government to start off campus of IGNTU in Kalahandi.
Thank you and with best regards
Maoist couple Surrendered
BHUBANESWAR: A Maoist couple, allegedly involved in a dozen crimes, surrendered before the police at south Orissa town of Rayagada on
Wednesday.
Surendra Brekkeda (20) and his wife Jaya Ruppi (19) laid down arms and handed themselves to the police with a hope to start a normal life, Rayagada district superintendent of police Ashis Kumar Singh said.
The couple, the core committee members of the Vamsadhara division of the banned CPI (Maoist), are allegedly involved in serious crimes like murders and extortion, according to police.
They joined the outlawed outfit in 2003 and got married in 2005.
“We are fed up with Maoist violence. We want to begin a normal life by joining the mainstream,” police quoted the couple as saying.
The couple’s surrender came on the day when the Maoists called state-wide bandh in protest against the Centre’s decision to ban their organisation.
The Vamsadhara division, which is led by top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda – carried out major Maoist operations in Orissa, including the alleged murder of the Hindu preacher Swami Laxmanand Saraswati and four of his aides in Kandhamal district on August 23, last year.
The killings triggered large-scale communal violence in the district resulting in the death of at least 41 people and destruction of scores of churches in the district.
Wednesday.
Surendra Brekkeda (20) and his wife Jaya Ruppi (19) laid down arms and handed themselves to the police with a hope to start a normal life, Rayagada district superintendent of police Ashis Kumar Singh said.
The couple, the core committee members of the Vamsadhara division of the banned CPI (Maoist), are allegedly involved in serious crimes like murders and extortion, according to police.
They joined the outlawed outfit in 2003 and got married in 2005.
“We are fed up with Maoist violence. We want to begin a normal life by joining the mainstream,” police quoted the couple as saying.
The couple’s surrender came on the day when the Maoists called state-wide bandh in protest against the Centre’s decision to ban their organisation.
The Vamsadhara division, which is led by top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda – carried out major Maoist operations in Orissa, including the alleged murder of the Hindu preacher Swami Laxmanand Saraswati and four of his aides in Kandhamal district on August 23, last year.
The killings triggered large-scale communal violence in the district resulting in the death of at least 41 people and destruction of scores of churches in the district.
Maoists explode police outpost in Kandhamal
Phulbani (Orissa), July 18 (PTI) Armed Maoists triggered an explosion at a police outpost in Orissa's Kandhamal district, police said here today.
A group of ultras stormed into the outpost at Katingia in Bamunigaon area, about 145 km from here, late last night and set off an explosive device causing partial damage to the building, Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said.
The Maoists, then ransacked the office causing extensive damage to the wireless communication system, furniture and documents after overpowering and tying up three security personnel, he said.
The attackers also set afire a portion of the building and a motorcycle parked outside before triggering the explosion, which caused partial damage to the outpost and a police personnel's residence nearby.
However, no police personnel have been injured in the attack, Kumar said.
A group of ultras stormed into the outpost at Katingia in Bamunigaon area, about 145 km from here, late last night and set off an explosive device causing partial damage to the building, Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said.
The Maoists, then ransacked the office causing extensive damage to the wireless communication system, furniture and documents after overpowering and tying up three security personnel, he said.
The attackers also set afire a portion of the building and a motorcycle parked outside before triggering the explosion, which caused partial damage to the outpost and a police personnel's residence nearby.
However, no police personnel have been injured in the attack, Kumar said.
Kandhamal riots a black spot in Orissa: PC
Bhubaneswar: Though the strife-torn Kandhamal is calm since past few months, Union Home minister P Chidambaram preferred to go to the flashback and described the Kandhamal riots as a ‘black spot’ in the history of Orissa.
While replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Chidambaram said that the reputation of the state government has been slurred due to the anti-Christian violence in August last year.
“A large number of people were displaced in Kandhamal. 800 to 900 displaced people are still in relief camps,” he said. “It is shame that minorities were targeted,” he added.
Earlier BJP MP Rudra Narayan Pani alleged that Christian missionaries had an unholy alliance with Naxalites and referred to the killing of Swami Laxamananda Saraswati in August last year.
Chidambaram said the state government made some arrests and pointed out that one of them has taken oath as MLA in Orissa.
It many be mentioned that Chidambaram had visited Kandhamal last month and said sorry to the riot victims holed up in camps. He had also requested the victims to shed fear and return to their houses. He also assured them protection through a concerted effort by Centre and State.
While replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Chidambaram said that the reputation of the state government has been slurred due to the anti-Christian violence in August last year.
“A large number of people were displaced in Kandhamal. 800 to 900 displaced people are still in relief camps,” he said. “It is shame that minorities were targeted,” he added.
Earlier BJP MP Rudra Narayan Pani alleged that Christian missionaries had an unholy alliance with Naxalites and referred to the killing of Swami Laxamananda Saraswati in August last year.
Chidambaram said the state government made some arrests and pointed out that one of them has taken oath as MLA in Orissa.
It many be mentioned that Chidambaram had visited Kandhamal last month and said sorry to the riot victims holed up in camps. He had also requested the victims to shed fear and return to their houses. He also assured them protection through a concerted effort by Centre and State.
Orissa disburses Rs 42.3 Lakhs for church repair in Kandhamal
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Orissa government on Wednesday said it has disbursed Rs 42.3 lakh as assistance for repair of church and prayer houses damaged during communal violence last year.
This was stated by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S N Patro while replying to a question in the assembly.
Stating that 196 churches and prayer houses were damaged during riot in Kandhamal, Mr. Patro said six prayer halls were also vandalised in Bargarh district.
Communal violence broke out in Kandhamal and spread to other districts in the aftermath of VHP leader Laxmananada Saraswati's killing in August 2008.
Regarding assistance to a prayer hall at Tentuli Jharia under Talsara block in Kalahandi district, the minister said that the government was awaiting a report from the concerned collector before sanctioning repair assistance.
"The prayer halls in Bargarh were given Rs 10,000 each for repair work," Mr. Patro said.
The government's financial assistance to places of worship damaged during riot came a day after the Centre made public that it had disbursed Rs 1.05 crore to riot victims in Kandhamal.
This was for the first time in the history of Orissa that financial assistance was provided for repair and re-building of religious institutions, official sources said.
This was stated by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S N Patro while replying to a question in the assembly.
Stating that 196 churches and prayer houses were damaged during riot in Kandhamal, Mr. Patro said six prayer halls were also vandalised in Bargarh district.
Communal violence broke out in Kandhamal and spread to other districts in the aftermath of VHP leader Laxmananada Saraswati's killing in August 2008.
Regarding assistance to a prayer hall at Tentuli Jharia under Talsara block in Kalahandi district, the minister said that the government was awaiting a report from the concerned collector before sanctioning repair assistance.
"The prayer halls in Bargarh were given Rs 10,000 each for repair work," Mr. Patro said.
The government's financial assistance to places of worship damaged during riot came a day after the Centre made public that it had disbursed Rs 1.05 crore to riot victims in Kandhamal.
This was for the first time in the history of Orissa that financial assistance was provided for repair and re-building of religious institutions, official sources said.
Govt disburses Rs 1.05 cr to Kandhamal riot victims
NEW DELHI: The government said it has disbursed Rs 1.05 crore as assistance among 35 families affected during last year's communal violence in
Kandhamal district of Orissa.
Under the Central Scheme of 'Assistance To Victims Of Terrorist and Communal Violence', which came into effect from April 1, 2008, an amount of Rs three lakh is given to the next of kin of the deceased, a home ministry spokesperson said.
The Central scheme aims at providing assistance to the next of kin of victims of terrorist, including militancy and insurgency, and communal violence.
Kandhamal district of Orissa.
Under the Central Scheme of 'Assistance To Victims Of Terrorist and Communal Violence', which came into effect from April 1, 2008, an amount of Rs three lakh is given to the next of kin of the deceased, a home ministry spokesperson said.
The Central scheme aims at providing assistance to the next of kin of victims of terrorist, including militancy and insurgency, and communal violence.
CRPF withdrawn from Kandhamal
BHUBANESWAR: The last four companies of the Central Reserve Police Force personnel deployed in Kandhamal district of Orissa were withdrawn on Wednesday, according to Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar.
More than 50 companies of the Central forces were deployed in the district when anti-Christian riots raged after Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati was killed on August 23 last.
In another development, 300 people have returned to their villages from the relief camps that were set up during the riots.
More than 1,000 people have still been living in the camps.
Meanwhile, the S.C. Mohapatra commission of inquiry that probed the riots submitted its interim report to the State government. It suggested remedial measures.
More than 50 companies of the Central forces were deployed in the district when anti-Christian riots raged after Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati was killed on August 23 last.
In another development, 300 people have returned to their villages from the relief camps that were set up during the riots.
More than 1,000 people have still been living in the camps.
Meanwhile, the S.C. Mohapatra commission of inquiry that probed the riots submitted its interim report to the State government. It suggested remedial measures.
First conviction in Kandhamal riot case
A Phulbani fast track court on Tuesday convicted a person for his involvement in the Kandhamal riots, follwing the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in August last year.
Chakradhar Mallik of Daringbadi area was arrested on charges of arson and other cases.
The court sent him to two years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000. Mallik was the first person to be convicted in the Kandhamal case
Violence Videos
Violence Video 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0G0wwovu7I
Violence Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7y_kLQ3u0k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0G0wwovu7I
Violence Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7y_kLQ3u0k
Chidambaram offers an apology at Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
Vinay Kumar
PHULBANI (KANDHAMAL DISTRICT): Moved by the plight of violence-affected families living in tented accommodation in three relief camps here since last August, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday apologised “for certain wrong happenings of last year.” Offering full protection to them, he urged them to return to their villages and resume normal lives.
Eight to 10 village panchayats were affected when groups claiming allegiance to extremist Hindu organisations went on the rampage targeting Dalit and tribal Christians. The attacks were a fall-out of the killing of Swami Laxmanand Saraswati.
Mr. Chidambaram took considerable effort to convince the people to go back to their villages; at the Mandakia camp, he even gave his official phone numbers, asking them to contact him freely in case they feared for their safety. “Go back to your villages, build your homes and churches and practise your religion without any fear. I am assuring you of full security,” he told them.
Many people complained that several “criminal elements” were roaming free and threatening them, asking them to convert to Hinduism.
At the Tikabali relief camp, he said: “Christians are living everywhere in the country. I went to a Christian school and a Christian college. We will protect you, you are all citizens of India, do not fear, fear is your worst enemy. Be brave, resume your normal life, send your children to schools.
Vinay Kumar
PHULBANI (KANDHAMAL DISTRICT): Moved by the plight of violence-affected families living in tented accommodation in three relief camps here since last August, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday apologised “for certain wrong happenings of last year.” Offering full protection to them, he urged them to return to their villages and resume normal lives.
Eight to 10 village panchayats were affected when groups claiming allegiance to extremist Hindu organisations went on the rampage targeting Dalit and tribal Christians. The attacks were a fall-out of the killing of Swami Laxmanand Saraswati.
Mr. Chidambaram took considerable effort to convince the people to go back to their villages; at the Mandakia camp, he even gave his official phone numbers, asking them to contact him freely in case they feared for their safety. “Go back to your villages, build your homes and churches and practise your religion without any fear. I am assuring you of full security,” he told them.
Many people complained that several “criminal elements” were roaming free and threatening them, asking them to convert to Hinduism.
At the Tikabali relief camp, he said: “Christians are living everywhere in the country. I went to a Christian school and a Christian college. We will protect you, you are all citizens of India, do not fear, fear is your worst enemy. Be brave, resume your normal life, send your children to schools.
Home Minister P Chidambaram to visit Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
By: Babu Thomas
Riot-stricken Kandhamal will today welcome one of India's top government official who will take stock of the situation in the communally sensitive region.
The Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is scheduled to travel Orissa beginning June 25, official sources said.
During the two-day visit, Chidambaram who handles one of the most high profile ministry after the Prime Minister, will visit Kandhamal and Koraput where he will review the rehabilitation and security measures taken.
Koraput became part of the schedule after it witnessed heightened Maoist activity in recent weeks.
The cabinet minister of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has expressed grave concern over the chaotic law and order situation in the state, which will be discussed with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Chidambaram is also expected to visit relief camps where more than 2,000 people have taken shelter. The few thousands are the remnants of 50,000 who fled their homes after violence broke out with the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati.
According to sources, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will request for the extension and addition of para military forces to guard the relief camps and other Maoist affected areas in the state.
By: Babu Thomas
Thursday, 25 June 2009, 16:46 (IST)
Riot-stricken Kandhamal will today welcome one of India's top government official who will take stock of the situation in the communally sensitive region.
The Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is scheduled to travel Orissa beginning June 25, official sources said.
During the two-day visit, Chidambaram who handles one of the most high profile ministry after the Prime Minister, will visit Kandhamal and Koraput where he will review the rehabilitation and security measures taken.
Koraput became part of the schedule after it witnessed heightened Maoist activity in recent weeks.
The cabinet minister of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has expressed grave concern over the chaotic law and order situation in the state, which will be discussed with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Chidambaram is also expected to visit relief camps where more than 2,000 people have taken shelter. The few thousands are the remnants of 50,000 who fled their homes after violence broke out with the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati.
According to sources, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will request for the extension and addition of para military forces to guard the relief camps and other Maoist affected areas in the state.
Steps taken to restore normalcy in Kandhamal not enough: NCM
Original Trackback URL
Press Trust of India / Bhubaneswar June 15, 2009, 16:02 IST
The National Commission for Minorities today said the Orissa government had failed to take "enough" steps to restore normalcy in Kandhamal district where communal riots had broken out in December 2007 and again in August 2008. "Steps taken to restore complete normalcy in Kandhamal are not enough though the situation there has improved," NCM Vice-Chairman M P Pinto told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Since about 1900 out of over 20,000 people were still in relief camps, it showed that complete normalcy was yet to be restored in Kandhamal, Pinto said.
"It is the duty of the government to ensure that not a single person remains in relief camps, but 1900 people are still there," he said. The NCM would also recommend to the Centre to take measures, including the state's demand for retaining the CRPF personnel already deployed for three more months for restoring complete normalcy in Kandhamal, he said.
To a question on possibility of violence erupting in the district in the event of withdrawal of central security forces, he said: "we will look into the matter while making a recommendation to the Centre."
During the meeting, the chief minister pointed out that despite the state government's request, the Centre was set to withdraw the CRPF from Kandhamal by June end, sources said.
Of the 53 companies (nearly 5300 personnel) deployed in Kandhamal, the Centre has withdrawn 48 companies, while the remaining five were set to leave the district in the next fortnight.
"The state government told Pinto to ensure that at least 10 companies of CRPF were needed in Kandhamal," a senior police official said.
Communal violence erupted in Kandhamal in August last year following the killing of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati. At least 43 people were killed and scores of churches damaged in the violence targeting minority communities.
Describing implementation of a package for rebuilding vandalised churches as the first of its kind in the country, Pinto said the state had already given Rs 25 lakh for repiar of churches.
The NCM vice-chairman also met Governor M C Bhandare, Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy and senior officials.
Press Trust of India / Bhubaneswar June 15, 2009, 16:02 IST
The National Commission for Minorities today said the Orissa government had failed to take "enough" steps to restore normalcy in Kandhamal district where communal riots had broken out in December 2007 and again in August 2008. "Steps taken to restore complete normalcy in Kandhamal are not enough though the situation there has improved," NCM Vice-Chairman M P Pinto told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Since about 1900 out of over 20,000 people were still in relief camps, it showed that complete normalcy was yet to be restored in Kandhamal, Pinto said.
"It is the duty of the government to ensure that not a single person remains in relief camps, but 1900 people are still there," he said. The NCM would also recommend to the Centre to take measures, including the state's demand for retaining the CRPF personnel already deployed for three more months for restoring complete normalcy in Kandhamal, he said.
To a question on possibility of violence erupting in the district in the event of withdrawal of central security forces, he said: "we will look into the matter while making a recommendation to the Centre."
During the meeting, the chief minister pointed out that despite the state government's request, the Centre was set to withdraw the CRPF from Kandhamal by June end, sources said.
Of the 53 companies (nearly 5300 personnel) deployed in Kandhamal, the Centre has withdrawn 48 companies, while the remaining five were set to leave the district in the next fortnight.
"The state government told Pinto to ensure that at least 10 companies of CRPF were needed in Kandhamal," a senior police official said.
Communal violence erupted in Kandhamal in August last year following the killing of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati. At least 43 people were killed and scores of churches damaged in the violence targeting minority communities.
Describing implementation of a package for rebuilding vandalised churches as the first of its kind in the country, Pinto said the state had already given Rs 25 lakh for repiar of churches.
The NCM vice-chairman also met Governor M C Bhandare, Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy and senior officials.
Punjab National Bank to leverage technology for business growth
Hrusikesh Mohanty / Kolkata/ Berhampur June 11, 2009, 0:00 IST
Original Trackback URL
Original Trackback URL
Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country’s second largest public sector bank aims to reach out to the customers in rural areas of the country through banking correspondents and also on the back of technology enabled services like biometric smart cards.
We are not in favour of opening of the traditional bank branches, rather we want the banking facilities to reach the door steps of the people in rural areas”, said KC Chakrabarty, chairman and managing director of PNB.PNB has opened its first technology enabled branch on a pilot basis at Daringibadi in south Orissa’s Kandhamal district. Depending on the success of this branch, PNB would open similar branches in other parts of the country, Chakrabarty told Business Standard.
The PNB chairman was here to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of the bank’s Farmers’ Training Centre at Karapalli, about 20 km from here.
The customers of PNB in the rural areas are issued biometric smart cards. With the help of these smart cards, the customers can make transactions at their doorsteps without going to the bank’s branch.
PNB’s business correspondent who travels in the villages is provided with a point of transaction (POT) machine. The system provides receipt record to the customers instantly.
“In the next four years, the bank will concentrate on spreading its business through the business correspondents in rural areas, where low value but high volume transactions take place” Chakrabarty said.
Despite harnessing of technology enabled transactions, the bank would open 115 more branches in strategic locations across the country in the current fiscal, he added.
Ruling out any impact of the global financial meltdown on the bank’s business growth, Chakrabarty claimed PNB had reported a 59 per cent jump in its net profit at Rs 865 crore in 2008-09.
The total income of PNB rose by 38 per cent to reach Rs 6,098 crore. The net profit of the bank stood at Rs 3,091 crore by the end of March 31, 2009.
PNB aimed to grow at the rate of 25 per cent and 22 percent on deposits and advances respectively in 2009-10. On the advances side, the bank has stressed on agriculture, SME (small and medium enterprises) and education loans, he said.
Orissa: Hindu extremists burn three Christian homes in Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
by Nirmala Carvalho
The victims identified the ring leaders, but the police have advised them against naming him on the report. The attack took place on May 31st, the very day the armies sent to protect Christians in the area withdrew.
by Nirmala Carvalho
The victims identified the ring leaders, but the police have advised them against naming him on the report. The attack took place on May 31st, the very day the armies sent to protect Christians in the area withdrew.
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) - Three Christian houses, were set on fire by Hindu extremists in Sirsapanga village of Kandhamal, (Orissa). The episode took place on May 31st in the evening, the very day the Central reserve police force (Crf), sent to the area to protect the Christians, began their phased withdrawal as mandated by the central government. The incident seems aimed at stopping from Christians returning to their villages.
The three houses belong to Manoj Pradhan, Lankeswar and Sunil Digal and lie only 3 km from the headquarters of the Crpf. Eyewitnesses report that the extremist group celebrated the police withdrawal by attacking the homes. Deployed for months across the region to halt assaults and another pogrom of the Christians, the New Delhi government decided to withdraw the Crpf. The Orissa governor, Naveen Patnaik, has however asked the Minister for Internal Affairs Chidambaram to leave the last 10 companies - circa 1000 men – at least for another three months.
The withdrawal coincides with the closure of the refugee camps and the Orissa governments appeal to the Christians to prepare for their return to their home villages. On June 5th the district administration in Kandhamal organised a peace meeting between the Christians in the camps and the communities of their local villages. Fr. Bijay Pradhan, parish priest in Raikia, sees in the burning of the three homes in Sirsapanga “an attempt to stop this”.
Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (Gcic), explains that “The Christians from Sirsapanga village have not returned to the village, they are still in the Refugee camps. The administration is keen that the people go back to the villages and be resettled, so occasionally, the Christians go to their homes and try to make some temporary repairs. This is being objected to by the dominant community, and the burning of the three Christians homes is an attempt to control our people”.
The situation is still unstable. The three owners of the burned houses in Sirsapanga have presented official reports to the police. According to Fr.Ajay Kumar Singh, Director of Jan Vikas, Social Action Initiative “the gang was led by Dilu Mohanty, who is mastermind behind attacks against Christians in Raikia and G.Udayagiri”. The victims identified him in First Information Report. “But the police – continues Fr. Singh – asked them to change tehir report ommitting the extremist agng leaders name”.
“Culprits [of the violence] continue to roam about freely, - concludes Fr. Pradhan - and some of them threaten our people that if they don’t withdraw their police reports against them, they will not be able to return to their villages”.
Girls high schools ready, water supply not ensured
Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: Construction of new schoolbuildings and hostels in the seven most affected blocks of the riot-hit Kandhamal district is nearing completion.However, the major area of concern for the district administration is water supply to these and hostels as there are no dedicated water sources near these upcoming educational institutes.As these new schools are scheduled to start from the ensuing academic session, steps are afoot to supply water to these institutes and their hostels through borewells and the Rural Development Department has promised to ensure water supply within a month, Kandhamal Collector Krishen Kumar told a review meeting on the progress of Chief Minister’s special package for the district here, recently.In the aftermath of the communal violence last year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a special package including seven new girls high schools for seven most affected blocks of K. Nuagaon, Tumudibandha, G. Udaygiri, Tikabali, Kotagarh, Khajuripada and Phiringia. These blocks do not have girls high schools.The Chief Minister had also sanctioned a B.Ed college for the district. The Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste Development Department made a budgetary provision of Rs 1.5 crore for the proposed teachers . Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Baliguda, has floated tenders which will be finalised soon, he said.The proposal to upgrade the Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Phulbani, to a centre of excellence is put on hold as the principal said that he had received separate funds for opening new trades, including information technology, plumbing and increasing the intake capacity of existing trades.The District Collector sought a fresh instruction from the Government on the proposal. He also requested the Chief Secretary to reconsider the decision to keep the proposed institute under Employment Mission for skill upgradation of self-help groups. He further said that eight new tehsils had been created and tehsildars posted. Steps have been taken to recruit staff and infrastructure development of the new tehsils.The proposal for creation of 41 new revenue inspector circles is pending for approval of the Revenue Department, he told the meeting.
BHUBANESWAR: Construction of new schoolbuildings and hostels in the seven most affected blocks of the riot-hit Kandhamal district is nearing completion.However, the major area of concern for the district administration is water supply to these and hostels as there are no dedicated water sources near these upcoming educational institutes.As these new schools are scheduled to start from the ensuing academic session, steps are afoot to supply water to these institutes and their hostels through borewells and the Rural Development Department has promised to ensure water supply within a month, Kandhamal Collector Krishen Kumar told a review meeting on the progress of Chief Minister’s special package for the district here, recently.In the aftermath of the communal violence last year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a special package including seven new girls high schools for seven most affected blocks of K. Nuagaon, Tumudibandha, G. Udaygiri, Tikabali, Kotagarh, Khajuripada and Phiringia. These blocks do not have girls high schools.The Chief Minister had also sanctioned a B.Ed college for the district. The Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste Development Department made a budgetary provision of Rs 1.5 crore for the proposed teachers . Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Baliguda, has floated tenders which will be finalised soon, he said.The proposal to upgrade the Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Phulbani, to a centre of excellence is put on hold as the principal said that he had received separate funds for opening new trades, including information technology, plumbing and increasing the intake capacity of existing trades.The District Collector sought a fresh instruction from the Government on the proposal. He also requested the Chief Secretary to reconsider the decision to keep the proposed institute under Employment Mission for skill upgradation of self-help groups. He further said that eight new tehsils had been created and tehsildars posted. Steps have been taken to recruit staff and infrastructure development of the new tehsils.The proposal for creation of 41 new revenue inspector circles is pending for approval of the Revenue Department, he told the meeting.
CRPF to be withdrawn from Kandhamal by month-end
Original Trackback URL
BHUBANESWAR: Much to the chagrin of the State Government, the Centre turned down its request for continued deployment of the Central para-military forces in the communally sensitive Kandhamal district.As per the latest communique of the Home Ministry to the State, the seven companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed in Kandhamal will be withdrawn by the end of this month.Earlier, the Home Ministry had directed the CRPF headquarters for withdrawal of its existing force from Kandhamal by May 26. The Ministry, however, deferred the date of shifting to May 30 for some unknown reasons, official sources said.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took up the issue with the Home Ministry requesting not to withdraw the Central forces as four relief camps are still operating in the district and those taking shelter in relief camps are not prepared to return home.Although peace has returned to the district which has not seen a single untoward incident even during the , the decision for withdrawal of Central forces has unnerved the district administration.Highly placed sources in the Home Department told this paper that arrangements are underway for deployment of Orissa State Armed Police (OSAP) in place of CRPF. The Government is well prepared to take over the security measures in the district after withdrawal of the Central forces, the sources said.There were 42 companies of CRPF in the district till January. However, the Centre started withdrawing para-military forces from the district in phases leaving 20 companies till the end of elections. Immediately after the elections, 13 companies were withdrawn.The Home Department sources said that redeployment of Central forces for anti-Naxal operation in Kandhamal district is likely and the Government expects an early decision from the Centre.
BHUBANESWAR: Much to the chagrin of the State Government, the Centre turned down its request for continued deployment of the Central para-military forces in the communally sensitive Kandhamal district.As per the latest communique of the Home Ministry to the State, the seven companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed in Kandhamal will be withdrawn by the end of this month.Earlier, the Home Ministry had directed the CRPF headquarters for withdrawal of its existing force from Kandhamal by May 26. The Ministry, however, deferred the date of shifting to May 30 for some unknown reasons, official sources said.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took up the issue with the Home Ministry requesting not to withdraw the Central forces as four relief camps are still operating in the district and those taking shelter in relief camps are not prepared to return home.Although peace has returned to the district which has not seen a single untoward incident even during the , the decision for withdrawal of Central forces has unnerved the district administration.Highly placed sources in the Home Department told this paper that arrangements are underway for deployment of Orissa State Armed Police (OSAP) in place of CRPF. The Government is well prepared to take over the security measures in the district after withdrawal of the Central forces, the sources said.There were 42 companies of CRPF in the district till January. However, the Centre started withdrawing para-military forces from the district in phases leaving 20 companies till the end of elections. Immediately after the elections, 13 companies were withdrawn.The Home Department sources said that redeployment of Central forces for anti-Naxal operation in Kandhamal district is likely and the Government expects an early decision from the Centre.
American radio stations to raise money for Kandhamal victims
Original Trackback URL
An organisation that represents Christian religious broadcasters on television and radio in America plans to raise money to rebuild the houses of Kandhamal victims.
Ron Harris with National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) grieves that in Orissa's Kandhamal last August Christians were being killed, churches razed down and homes burned "many times with Christians inside the homes."
Harris laments that "some of the people are still homeless from what took place in the summer and early fall."
"They need their homes, and they need their churches. Some are still living in tents and out in the woods, and we need Christians to come alongside," he urged.
The NRB through the Gospel for Asia (GFA) ministry will help revamp the houses of Christians who were attacked after the murder of a Hindu religious leader.
Despite Maoists claiming repeated responsibility for the slaying, Hindu extremists accused Christians and destroyed their homes, forcing over 50,000 to flee for refuge.
Harris feels the project apart from constructing buildings will also unify and embolden the Christians "in areas where they are often persecuted."
Both GFA and NRB appealed to radio and television stations in U.S. to raise money for this project scheduled for June and July. They estimate that $ 40,000 raised by a station can restitute an entire community including its church building.
"That would be a worthy goal for a station to throw out there to their listeners. We can rebuild a whole community and their church in a place where Christians are persecuted; we can come alongside them and encourage and strengthen them," Mission Network News quoted him saying.
To enhance the initiative, the NRB will provide stations with web site banners, web pages, and their own toll-free number.
An organisation that represents Christian religious broadcasters on television and radio in America plans to raise money to rebuild the houses of Kandhamal victims.
Ron Harris with National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) grieves that in Orissa's Kandhamal last August Christians were being killed, churches razed down and homes burned "many times with Christians inside the homes."
Harris laments that "some of the people are still homeless from what took place in the summer and early fall."
"They need their homes, and they need their churches. Some are still living in tents and out in the woods, and we need Christians to come alongside," he urged.
The NRB through the Gospel for Asia (GFA) ministry will help revamp the houses of Christians who were attacked after the murder of a Hindu religious leader.
Despite Maoists claiming repeated responsibility for the slaying, Hindu extremists accused Christians and destroyed their homes, forcing over 50,000 to flee for refuge.
Harris feels the project apart from constructing buildings will also unify and embolden the Christians "in areas where they are often persecuted."
Both GFA and NRB appealed to radio and television stations in U.S. to raise money for this project scheduled for June and July. They estimate that $ 40,000 raised by a station can restitute an entire community including its church building.
"That would be a worthy goal for a station to throw out there to their listeners. We can rebuild a whole community and their church in a place where Christians are persecuted; we can come alongside them and encourage and strengthen them," Mission Network News quoted him saying.
To enhance the initiative, the NRB will provide stations with web site banners, web pages, and their own toll-free number.
Kandhamal turmeric price at all-time high
Orignal Trackback URL
PHULBANI: Deficient rainfall in Kandhamal is likely to affect the turmeric output this year. Due to rising temperature, the soil has become hard making it difficult for the farmers to dig out the rhizomes. Being a delicate crop, turmeric needs to be cultivated and harvested with care to avoid damage to the rhizomes. As a rain-fed crop, turmeric needs a well-distributed annual rainfall of 250-400 cm for successful production.In the wake of increasing profit margin in turmeric cultivation, the acreage has been increased to 15,000 from 12,000 in the district and more than 60,000 farmers are into it. The crop fetches around Rs 60 crore to Rs 70 crore annually.This year, market price of Kandhamal turmeric is at its all time high. Unlike previous years, when it was sold at Rs 30 to Rs 35 a kg, this year the price has been fixed at Rs 40 to Rs 45.Recently, a private entrepreneur signed an MoU with the district administration to purchase 8,000 quintals of turmeric from the district farmers after paying Rs 2 extra per kg against the prevailing market price. The farmers had hoped that this would help them compensate their loss incurred during the riots. However, the rains have played the spoilsport.Kandhamal turmeric has spread its aroma worldwide in the last few years. To boost turmeric cultivation in the district, the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana was implemented in Phringia, K.Nuagaon, Raikia, Daringbadi and G.Udaygiri blocks in 1995 at a cost of Rs 3.10 crore. In 2004, organic turmeric project was implemented in these blocks at the cost of Rs 4.80 crore. Following these two projects, around 400 varieties of turmeric have been developed in the district which are being exported to Holland, England and Germany.
PHULBANI: Deficient rainfall in Kandhamal is likely to affect the turmeric output this year. Due to rising temperature, the soil has become hard making it difficult for the farmers to dig out the rhizomes. Being a delicate crop, turmeric needs to be cultivated and harvested with care to avoid damage to the rhizomes. As a rain-fed crop, turmeric needs a well-distributed annual rainfall of 250-400 cm for successful production.In the wake of increasing profit margin in turmeric cultivation, the acreage has been increased to 15,000 from 12,000 in the district and more than 60,000 farmers are into it. The crop fetches around Rs 60 crore to Rs 70 crore annually.This year, market price of Kandhamal turmeric is at its all time high. Unlike previous years, when it was sold at Rs 30 to Rs 35 a kg, this year the price has been fixed at Rs 40 to Rs 45.Recently, a private entrepreneur signed an MoU with the district administration to purchase 8,000 quintals of turmeric from the district farmers after paying Rs 2 extra per kg against the prevailing market price. The farmers had hoped that this would help them compensate their loss incurred during the riots. However, the rains have played the spoilsport.Kandhamal turmeric has spread its aroma worldwide in the last few years. To boost turmeric cultivation in the district, the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana was implemented in Phringia, K.Nuagaon, Raikia, Daringbadi and G.Udaygiri blocks in 1995 at a cost of Rs 3.10 crore. In 2004, organic turmeric project was implemented in these blocks at the cost of Rs 4.80 crore. Following these two projects, around 400 varieties of turmeric have been developed in the district which are being exported to Holland, England and Germany.
Peace in Kandhamal
Original Trackback URL
by Ananta Kumar Giri, 26 April
I
It was two o clock in the morning. I had just woken up in the quiet village of Lakebadi in Kandhamal, still asleep in the lap of Nature and the Divine, and was looking at the beautiful mountains bathed in light with the rays of a blooming moon and the stars. I was remembering the prayer for peace offered by Gokul Diggal two days ago when we first met: “God, please forgive us all so that all of us can realise our own weaknesses and mistakes. The Hindu brothers who are doing all these without knowing, you talk to them.”
Gokul Diggal is a Dalit Christian or what is known as Pana Christian in this village; his house was destroyed in violence in Kandhamal after the murder of Swami Lakshmananda and his fellow Ashramites on August 23, 2008. The villagers resisted for nearly twentyfive days and finally gave in to the mob of destruction coming from outside but with collaboration of some in the village. Lakebadi has 37 families of Dalit Christians and the same number of Adivasi Hindus or tribal Hindus. Almost all the houses of Dalit Christians have been destroyed but before the final act of house demolitions the Dalit Christians were able to store their valuable goods, commodities and bags of grains in the houses of Adivasi Hindus. Initially the Hindu tribals offered protection to Dalit Christians but there was constant pressure on them from the violent outside forces who would come in the night, shout slogans against Christians and instigate the Hindu tribals. Says Arti Apa, the quiet-willed and radiating wife of Gokul Bhai: “Oh what noise! Oh those slogans! We had never heard: Bajrang Dal ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! We used to tremble in fear. Before darkness we used to leave our homes with children and all of us together went up the hills and took shelter. We used to come down only when daylight broke.” Says Sabita Apa, another woman in the village: “Only when they broke our house, we felt safe. Otherwise we have had to live with their threat for ever.”
Gokul Bhai is a young man in the village and had a flourishing business—he had a ration shop. But he was able to store most of his goods in the house of his Hindu tribal friend. After their houses were demolished all the Dalit Christian families of the village went to live in the relief camp in K. Nuagaon, nearly twenty kilometres away from the village. But two families did not leave the village even in the midst of destruction and continued threat of violence. I was resting in the house of one such family. Mahanabati Apa, the woman in the family, who radiates a sense of divine peace and strength, said: “Why should man be afraid of another man? If they want to kill us let them but we won’t leave our village.” She further said: “I prayed during the evening. I got an answer: do not be afraid. We did not go to the relief camp. But I was always praying: let the people of our village come back from the relief camp. Now that they have come back from the relief camp we feel very happy.” Mahanabati Apa leads a spiritually inspired life and she spends most of her time praying with Jesus and doing work in the village and the forest. Her husband goes for collecting wood and sells it in the neighbouring small town of Raikia. They have a grown-up son who during the violence stayed away in the block headquarters of Baliguda. Mahanabati Apa, like many men and women in the village, is praying for peace in the village, and in Kandhamal.
I had visited Lakebadi on January 8-9, 2009. After spending nearly two months in the relief camp villagers had come back to the village just two days before my arrival in the village. There was a spirit of a new beginning and building again from the edges of ravages and destructions. Gokul Bhai, who was a rich man in the village and had a comfortable bed to sleep on, slept on the floor in the tent in the relief camp. He said as we were having dinner at his home one night: “Oh, at least the relief camp taught us that we are all equal. I, who used to have fine food and sleep on our luxurious bed, stood in the queue.” But not all the inmates in the relief camp are as philosophically and spiritually attuned as Gokul Bhai. Life in the camp was hard and many complained that they were not being given proper food. But when they left the camp each of the families was given some ration of rice and other essential goods by the government so that they could start their life again.
But in the camp Gokul Bhai and his fellow brothers filed a case in the police station against fellow villagers, that is, the Adivasi Hindus for destroying their homes. Says Gokul Bhai: “People had come from outside but people from the village were also involved. If they had wanted they could have saved our homes. We had built our homes with great difficulty. They have taken even our doors and windows and roofs from most of our homes.” A case has also been filed against some Adivasi Hindus who had kept the goods and belongings of Dalit Christians in their homes. For example, the case filled in Lakebadi has named one who had kept the goods and household belongings of Gokul Bhai. Some innocent tribal Hindus seem to have been implicated in this case. Says Gokul Bhai: “I feel sorry. I did not want to include the name of Jagdish [pseudonym] in the case. He is my sangata [ritual friend] from my childhood. But other brothers from our side said: ‘Oh, you are not giving his name because he saved your belongings.’ The police also said that we have to include everybody in the village.”
But during my discussion with the Adivasi Hindus I found that case has not been registered against all the Hindu tribal families in the village. The local postman is one such person who has not been named in the police case. So it may not be true that the police insisted that the registered case has to include all the Adivasi Hindus of the village indiscriminately. Says Gokul Bhai: “I was not sure in my conscience that Jagdish was not involved in the destruction of our homes.” At the same time, he is grateful to Jagdish for the help he had rendered in saving his goods and belongings. During our discussion Gokul Bhai said: “I am prepared to pay for his court case and may be after a few hearings I can withdraw the case against him.”
Withdrawal of case is a demand from the local tribal Hindus for return of peace and normalcy in the village. This is also a demand from some tribal organisations in the area. Now the Dalit Christians are not allowed participation in the employment activities of the village. In an early morning I walked with the village Sarpanch, who is an Adivasi Hindu, and Johsua [name changed], a Dalit Christian, towards the village river. The Sarpanch told me: “We need a bridge over our river. We need development in the village.” But what is the meaning of development without peace, without inclusion of all? On the way to the river a road was being constructed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme [NREGS] and I spoke with the men and women working there. I asked the Sarpanch whether Dalit Christians can work in this project. He said that there was no bar. But after a few hours I met with an older tribal Hindu who told me that unless cases against the tribal Hindus are withdrawn Dalit Christians would not be welcome in the village work project. During our meeting men and women in the Dalit Christian neighbourhood said that they still face continuing threat from the Adivasi Hindus about exclusion from the village’s common resource such as forest and the cemetery and from the village work project. But despite such threats Dalit Christians do use the village’s common resource as the forest and collect woods.
II
Joshua Nayak is a Dalit Christian in the village who lives in a small plot of land in Lakebadi with his wife Prabha [name changed]. Joshua and Prabha had not left the village for the relief camp even if their house was destroyed. In a meditative afternoon we sat together in the only cot in this damaged house. Joshua and Prabha said that they had built the house with a lot of difficulties. This is the fruit of their labour from the scratch for the last thirty years. Everything evaporated in a few days. Like other families in the Dalit Christian neighbuorhood they had also saved their belongings in the houses of their Hindu tribal neighbours. They have got back some but still the table on which their TV used to stand is in the house of the Hindu family which had sheltered their belongings. Prabha has asked for it a number of times but still she has not got it back. There was sadness in her face. Said Joshua: “You see Prabha, please do not ask for it again. It would make them unhappy. They do not have a table. Now our TV is on a chair and we can manage. Whenever they get a table won’t they return it to us?”
Joshua said that before the destruction of the houses there were meetings in the village several times on the issue of safety and returning to Hinduism. People came with weapons and swords from outside and along with the villagers a meeting was held in a remote place in the village river bed. “They said that if we become Hindus nothing would happen to us. Many of our brothers said: how can we do this? We have been Christians for generations.” They were given a handwritten application form and were asked to sign. Joshua did not know how to sign and put his finger print. The application form read as follows:
The President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Orissa (Through the President of the Village Committee)
Sub: Coming back to original Hindu religion
Sir,
[..] We were earlier living as Hindus. But unfortunately some years ago we accepted Christianity. But today on 1st October, 2008 I and my family accept our original religion on our own and would be guided by Hindu culture. [..]
It must be noted here that this paper reconversion took place on October 1, 2008 while the homes of the Dalit Christians in Lakebadi were demolished on September 18. There is pressure for reconversion all around. For example, in another village named Sirki near the block headquarters of G. Udayagiri there were two Christian families in a predominantly Hindu tribal neighbourhood. One of them is a Dalit Christian, the other a tribal Christian. The son in this tribal Christian family has become a Hindu while the mother has not. During our conversation an old woman from an Adivasi Hindu family said: “How can the old mother continue to manage as a Christian when his son and daughter-in-law have become Hindus?” In the same village of Sirki I met with the son-in-law of a prominent Dalit Christian of the village who has also become a Hindu because the Hindus of the neighbourhood have given him a plot to build his home. But on Sunday he goes to church, his father-in-law told me with a smile. This church is far away because the church in Sirki, as it is in Lakebadi, has been destroyed during the violence. But in the same Hindu Adivasi neighbourhood lives a Dalit Christian family.
However, the situation varies from village to village. One single Dalit Christian family living in the predominantly Adivasi neighbourhood in Sirki offers a ray of hope. But all the Dalit Christians do not have that sense of security and ease with which they can can live in their home villages nor can they return, especially if their home village has some strong and staunch followers of the Sangh Parivar. While I was in Lakebadi, Dalit Christians told me that if one leader in Dharampur (a local village with a strong base of the Sangh Parivar), wants peace they would come back to the area quickly. So even if it was getting dark I took a bus to the neighbouring village though the sisters of Lakebadi pleaded with me not to go to Dharampur alone: “Please do not go! They would ask you a lot of questions.”
I got down at the bus stop of the hilly village of Dharampur around 6.30 pm on January 9, 2009. I asked for the direction to the house of the local Sangh Parivar leader and people brought me to a local shop near the bus stop as the leader was sitting there. I was encircled by about ten people and all of them started asking me a volley of questions—who are you? Why have you come? I said that I am human being and as a fellow human being I am deeply pained at the killings, violence, threats, intimida-tions, destruction of life and peace in Kandhamal. One young Brahmin man sitting there said: “Hinduism does not believe in violence. When a Hindu rises up early morning he prays for the well-being of all people. But this is a reaction to the murder of Vedantakeshari Swami Lakshmananda. But all this talk of violence in Kandhamal is a fiction created by the outsiders who want to give Kandhamal a bad name.” The leader of the Sangh Parivar said: “But still the Christians of our village are living in peace here. We have given full protection to the Christians of our village. We have a Christian family here whose son is a pastor.” I requested him to take me to this family. The leader sent two people to escort me to his house. We came to the front of a house where an old man was sitting by the fireplace. It was cold and we all sat around the fire. I said: “Mausa, namaskar [Hello Uncle]! How are you?” He said: “I have become a Hindu two months ago.” There were two dilapidated houses nearby belonging to two Christian families of the village. The escorting men said: “Oh, we have told them so many times to come back to our village. They are still in the relief camp. Despite our repeated assurances they are not coming back.” The thatched roofs in these two houses have become dilapidated and the livestocks of these two families are not to be seen around.
I came back to the village bus stop hoping to speak further with the leader of the Sangh Parivar. But he had left the place. I asked one accompanying young man: “You all said that the Christian family is living in peace in your village and as Hindus you have provided him protection. But he has become a Hindu. What is this?” He said: “He became afraid in your presence thinking that you are from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. So out of fear he said he has become a Hindu.” I told him: “Let us then go back to his home again and speak with him.” Then the young man said: “It would be of no use as he would become afraid again that you are from the VHP.” So in the villages where the Sangh Parivar is dominant Christians can live with security only when they become Hindus and they can always be presented as a model of Christians offered peaceful protection to the outside world.
III
G. Udayagiri was an epicentre of violence and there is a relief camp in the local high school. I, accompanied by two friends of a voluntary organisation from Chennai, reached the relief camp in the evening of January 7, 2009. We were not able to go inside the relief camp. We were standing outside the relief camp and slowly the inmates of the camp passing by the road started speaking with us. One woman narrated her life of pain. She said that she was being forced to go back to her village where the condition for return is not safe. Not being able to go inside the relief camp without required permission from the District Collector we could not continue our conversation. But an hour later we came to the BDO office not far from the camp and met with the BDO of G. Udayagiri. We asked him about the issue of forcible ouster of refugees from the relief camp. He said: “No, this is not true. We are trying our best to create an amicable situation of safety and security so that people can return to their villages. Peace would come only when people come back to their villages and everybody starts living together. Relief camp is not the permanent solution. Whatever has happened has happened like a batya [a storm]. Now people from both sides are yearning for peace.”
During our hour-long conversation, the BDO, who is a young, sensitive and optimistic government officer, said: “We are working for peace. We are organising peace committee meetings. We are starting activities involving both Hindus and Christians. We want to celebrate the Republic Day in the villages with the participation of both the Hindus and Christians. We want to commemorate the local martyrs who had fought for freedom during the freedom struggle and this would be another occasion for the tribals and Harijans, Hindus and Christians to come together. We are also planning to start new economic activities in the villages such as brick-making. We are planning to start joint cultural activities and sports activities in the villages as well.”
The BDO said: “But if people do not come back to their villages, how can peace return?” The situation is quite complex and intractable in some cases. The vested interests in many villages are threatening the Dalit Christians of dire consequences if they come back. This way they can capture their land and other resources. But despite threats, asked the BDO, if people do not come back and start asserting their own right how can fear be overcome and life resumed? Some people always can issue threats and based upon the fear of those who have left can capture their land and home. We asked the BDO if he can pinpoint a village where people have come back from the relief camp. He told us about the village Sirki at a distance of around 10 kilometres from G. Udayagiri.
In Sirki, Dalit Christians living in the nearby relief camp in G. Udayagiri have come back. It was early morning and the sun was rising in the beautiful hills in front of the village. I was speaking with some of the villagers consisting of both Hindu Adivasis and Dalit Christians. The leaders of both the communities were present and so was the village ward member. There was a sense of picking up the threads of life and of beginning anew after the violence. The village ward member said: “All the villagers have come back except two persons. They do not have any land. They are worried about what they would eat if they come back.”
The leader of the local Adivasi Hindus said that during the violence while Dalit Christians took shelter in the relief camp, the tribal Hindus went up to the forests and the hills in fear of the police and the CRPF. They were afraid of being arrested. Feeling reassured about his sense of ease and welcome, I asked him if he had taken part in the violence against the Christians in the village. He said with a smile: “What can I say? Let the truth come out in the court?”
There was a beautiful church on the outskirts of Sirki as there was on the outskirts of Lakebadi. I asked the leader of the Hindu tribals in Sirki if the village church would be rebuilt. He said: “Yes only if it is on a legal plot of land. Many of the churches destroyed in Kandhamal were originally built on encroached land.”
But there are still many people living in the refugee camps. In the second day of my stay in Kandhamal while I visited Sirki in the morning and Lakebadi during noon I came to Baliguda in the afternoon and visited a noted Gandhian Ashram whose Ashramites are working among the tribals for the last sixty years. This is the Banabasi Sevashrama led by Biswanath Patnaik who is in his nineties and who had started land satyagraha among the tribals for their land rights and dignity way back in the 1940s. I wanted to discuss with him about challenges of peace in Kandhamal but he had left for his other Asrham in Rayagara. It must be noted that in the Kandhamal violence Gandhians and Gandhian organisations have not done much for building peace in the region.
On my way back I stopped at K. Nuagaan which headquarters the Christian development organisation Jan Vikash. Nuagaon is also the place where a nun was allegedly raped on August 25, 2008. I met Gokul Bhai of Lakebadi in a restaurant in the town as I had gone there for a cup of tea. I had come to his village a few hours ago during noon time. Gokul Bhai brought me to the relief camp in K. Nuagaon. As Gokul Bhai was staying in the relief camp we could go inside the camp. At the gate he started addressing the police guard: “Jai Jagannath.”1
We came inside the camp. Earlier many people were staying in this camp; now nearly half of them have gone back to the villages. We sat together with men, women and children of the camp and they shared their stories. They told us that during the early days of the camp some tuition was arranged for the children of the camp.
Usually people in the relief camps are portrayed as victims. But the people I met in that evening were not just victims. There was a radiance and quiet dignity in their faces embodying a creative soul force.
At the same time there is the unbearable grief of violence. In the camp it was deeply tragic to meet with a person from the village Gunjibadi whose wife had gone to the paddy field for harvesting the crop. Even after weeks she has not come back. Her husband’s vacant eyes are still looking for her return but many fear that she has been murdered. Another pastor is also not traceable in this region, and he is feared to have met the same tragic fate by brutal unidentified killers.
It was getting late and Gokul Bhai so kindly invited me to come to his village Lakebadi. We came and at the bus station met with two men just back from the peace committee meeting held in the Chanchdi Panchayat Office. (It must be noted that in the relief camp in Nuagaon, Dalit Christians from two panchayats, namely, Baligada and Chanchdi, are still unable to come back to their home villages because of threat of violence.) At the bus stop they told us with a heavy heart: “The peace committee meeting was being held in the Panchayat Office. The Collector, Sub Collector, BDO all of them had come. We thirty people had gone from the relief camp while four thousand people had come from the Panchayat. From the beginning they started shouting: ‘Ame Yudhya Chahu [We want war].’ Whatever they said we sat silently and heard with our bowed heads. We were just praying when the meeting would end. They had prepared food for us but we did not eat. We came back without food. Our heart was pained hearing all these slogans, shouting and accusations. On hearing the Jai Sree Ram slogan the Collector said: ‘Could you all become silent for a moment? Go back and sit silently for five minutes and meditate whether in Ram Rajya houses of innocent and helpless people are demolished.’ The Collector also said: ‘You are accusing the Christians of murder of Swamiji but do you have any proof? If you give me proof of any Christians involved I would immediately arrest them. Regarding their being Christian, India is a secular country and everybody has a right to practice one’s religion.’”
These two grief-stricken men went to the relief camp and Gokul Bhai and myself, accompanied by his aged father, boarded the bus to his village. While going these two men said that they are not being forced to leave the relief camp as the condition for return was not yet safe.2 In the bus I was thinking if this might be my last night and a fear was overtaking me as I was going to spend a night in a village ravaged by violence and still living with its ever-present hanging sword.
I was also thinking of the previous evening and night—our conversation with the BDO in G. Udayagiri when the BDO said that the killers of Swami Lakshmananda and his associates do not have any religion: “A Hindu killed Mahatma Gandhi but should we hold all Hindus responsible for his killing?” After our meeting with the BDO I went to the home of a Dalit Chirstian named Gopal Nayak. He lives with his wife and three children in a rented house in G. Udayagiri. He was working as a contractor in his home village of Tiangia as well as in the neighbouring villages. But his home village was the site of gruesome violence where three Christians—one his close relative who was visiting the village—were murdered brutally. Gopal and his family are living from hand to mouth in the bock headquarters of G. Udayagiri. But there is a sense of quiet determination in the face of his wife who is working hard and praying for the education of their children. Their eldest son, Abhishek, is to appear for the High School Board exam in Class 10 this year and for the last many months nothing has been taught in the school as there is a relief camp in their school premises. During our conversation in the evening Abhishek came back from his tuition class. Their second son, Avijit, is studying in a Nabodyaya3 school in Class Eight and now their daughter is preparing for the Entrance examination of Nabodyaya. All their hopes are now in the education of their children as it is in the families of many Dalit Christians in the village such as Lakebadi which I visited.
After being together with them sharing their grief and meditating, Gopal Bhai took me in his motor cycle and dropped me at the town centre of G. Udayagiri. I was taking a walk and saw a roadside omelette joint. One young man was standing there waiting for his ordered omelette. I also ordered an omelette for myself and greeted him. We sat in the verandah of a nearby shop. He was once active in the local RSS and had taken part in some of the Gita discourses given by Swami Lakshmananda during his school days. He said in a filthy language but a grief-stricken voice: “Why did you kill him? What had the old man done? He was scolding the Christians. But why could not we be silent? Mahatma Gandhi tuni rahile au tume rahi parilani—Mahatma Gandhi remained quiet on many occasions and could you not remain quiet?” After a while being a little intimate through the process of our conversation I asked him: “What do you think about the innocent people being killed and rendered homeless in Kandhamal? What is your thought about Christians being forced to become Hindus?” This young man, apologising to me for the fact that had taken a bit of liquor in the evening, started saying: “No, whatever religion one has, let one be in one’s religion. Let everybody be in their own religion and let no one kill another. Sabutharu badadharam heuchi bandhu dharma—the greatest religion of all is the religion of friendship. My father is now quite old. But his dearest friend is a Christian. Even now he cannot live without seeing him. I go in my motor cycle and bring him once a week. He has taken the Avda of Jagannath.”4
There is a tradition of friendship in Kandhamal among people across boundaries—Hindus and Christians, Adivasis and Harijans. Both Adivasis and Harijans speak the same Kui language and despite the politicisation and subsequent opposi-tional construction of identities there is still intimate interaction between people across boundaries such as tribal Kandhas and Pana Kandhas getting married to each other. Hindus and Christians have also lived side by side and for many, it is the outside Oriyas (who are mainly caste Hindus and some of whom are members of the Sangh Parivar) who have instigated conflicts between Adivasis and Harijans, Dalits and Christians so that their continued exploitation of local resources and domination of local politics and economy remains unchallenged.
As I was lost in these thoughts our bus reached the bus stop in village Lakebadi. In Lakebadi by the little hearth as Arti Apa (Gokul Bhai’s wife) was preparing a meal for us Gokul Bhai told us about his long friendship with both tribals and the Hindus. “In our village we have had no problem. The land for our church was given by a Hindu who told his children that after his death he should be buried there. Whenever a yagnya is organised in Dharampur I send ghee for the sacrifice. I attend Hindu worship and take prasada. I have taken the avda of Mahaprabhu Jagannath.” The next day in Lakebadi I was in the house of Joshua and Prabha in whose home I saw a beautiful photo of Lord Krishna with his flute by the side of a serene photograph of Mother Mary. Joshua has put a garland of paddy around Krishna. He said: “Paddy is Lakshmi. You burnt everything but what fault the paddy had done? You can get everything but not a flower of paddy corn. It is Goddess Lakshmi. Why did you burn Goddess Lakshmi?” His wife commented: “He knows more about Hinduism than many Hindus in the village. He loves Krishna.” Joshua said: “Unfortunately tribals have been made Hindus but they have not been told about the significance of Rama and Krishna. Before this they used to worship in their own ways. They have been made Hindus without being told the essence of Hinduism. Would they have burnt our houses had they realised the essence of Rama and Krishna?”
IV
There is a striving for peace in the hearts, prayers and action of many people in Kandhamal and around the world. They know that it is not an easy task, there is a spectre of violence but nonetheless there is a sense of radiance in the hearts and minds of the people. Kandhamal needs support in this quiet striving for peace beyond rhetorics. Kandhamal needs bold initiatives in peace and development to support the deep yearning for peace among all concerned after the gruesome violence which has afflicted many. Many have silently borne this brunt. During my last visit to Kandhamal and Orissa I met with a leading public intellectual of Orissa in Bhubaneswar who is in his mid-eighties now. He said: “So much blood has been spilled. Is this not enough? Cannot all pray together?” He also said: “As this violence was engulfing I was one night in the bathroom. I do not know what happened. I lost my balance, fell down and broke my hand.”
So Kandhamal touches some sensitive souls in Orissa, India and the world though at the same time it must be stated that many intellectuals and people in Orissa have maintained silence. During our conversation in Kandhamal many referred to the violence in Kandhamal as a batya, a mahabatya—a cyclone, a super-cyclone. During the super-cyclone in 1999 many people in Orissa came out with relief but what has been their response during the manushyskruta mahabatya—man-made super-cyclone—in Kandhamal? Most of the people in Orissa, and especially the elites, have looked the other way and forgotten their duty to their own conscience and responsibility to their own fellow beings—helplessly chased, rendered homeless and killed. The media, instead of calming down, aroused passions that poisoned the public mind with false and hateful accusations against the Christians. During the last Durga Puja, as is the tradition of literary creativity in Orissa, many magazines came out with their special Puja numbers but a very voluminous Puja special which I read did not have even a single article on the violence, suffering and tragedy in Kandhamal. Like the silence of the majority of the people in Gujarat the majority of the people of Orissa, especially the Hindu religious leaders and intellectuals, have maintained silence on the violence that Chirstians were and are still being subjected to in Kandhamal.
But there is an urgent need for peace, development and transformation in Kandhamal. Many people are living a miserable life without homes and many are still in the relief camps. Many have left the relief camps not for their villages but to other cities in Orissa and places like Kerala. Those who are left behind are praying for peace and building their broken homes and worlds. Should not the sensitive souls from all around Orissa, India and the world come and build together some of these demolished houses? If Hindus could not come from both inside and outside Kandhamal and rebuild the houses of their Christian brothers and sisters, then what is the test of the spiritual potential of their religious identity and assertion?
Kandhamal also needs bold initiatives in peace education and reconstruction. The government is paying some compensation for the houses demolished—for example, Rs 20,000 for the partially damaged houses and Rs 50,000 for the fully damaged houses. This is woefully inadequate. But our Christian brothers and sisters in Kandhamal need not only more resources, they also need all of us concerned, especially the brothers and sisters from other religions—Hindus and Muslims—to stand by their side and build together demolished houses and churches. This act of reconstruction involving shared participation from people of all religions and communities in the villages as well as sympathetic volunteers from outside can be undertaken as an experimental project in some villages.
Along with rebuilding of homes and places of worship there is the urgent task of rebuilding mutual trust among the tribals and Harijans, Christians and Hindus in Kandhamal. In the process of violence many people have been involved in cases and some of them may be innocent. Moreover, violence in the villages was instigated by the merchants of hatred coming from outside; they are happily roaming around now while the Hindu Adivasis in the villages, who worked as foot soldiers to such merchants of death and destruction, are bearing the brunt of arrests and continued court cases. There is need for a Peace and Reconciliation Commission in Kandhamal where such cases could be discussed in villages themselves with the participation of both the victims and alleged perpetrators. The police, sensitive lawyers, people from the government machinery, representatives of civil society organisations—all could be part of such meetings of peace and reconciliation and people in the village meetings could decide which case to continue and which case to drop. As we have seen in villages like Lakebadi, cases have been registered against some Adivasi Hindus who have helped Dalit Christians in saving their goods and house-hold belongings.
Along with the above, there is an urgent need for bold initiatives in peace education in particular and education in general. Hindus and Christians as well as Adivasis and Harijans have been put into an orchestrated battle whose choreographers are the high-caste Oriyas coming from outside the region and controlling the resources and political destiny of the people of Kandhamal. It is in this context that there is an epochal need for peace education for the children as well as adults from both the communities and religions. This would help them understand their intertwined histories and continued legacies of co-existence and how to speak with each other over contentious issues such as the fear of the other.
But initiatives in peace education need to be accompanied by bold initiatives in education. There is a disparity between Harijans and tribals in terms of education and other indices of standard of living and human development. Because of the work of missionaries and church institutions there is a high level of education and literacy among the Harijans of Kandhamal. The tribals lag behind and the government schools in Kandhamal, as it is in most other tribal parts of Orissa, are not working. Crows are flying in such schools and goats are singing songs while the teachers come once a month only to collect their salary. Harijans also, by dint of their hard work and networking with the outside world, have a relatively better standard of living and education which the merchants of hatred always capitalise on and instigate the tribals to target them that the Dalits have prospered at the expense of the tribals. But both the tribals and Dalits of the region lead a precarious existence dominated by the outside merchants, money lenders and government officers. Kandhamal needs bold initiatives in education.Christian institutions have helped Dalit Christians in their educational aspiration by building schools. They could build similar schools for the Hindu tribals and these schools could become secular spaces of quality education and appropriate education relevant to the needs of self-development and blossoming for the local people. It should not be a mere replication of the existing education which just presents literacy and prepares for examinations and jobs. Rather, these schools should be places of appropriate learning so that students can live in their world with dignity, the curriculum should be based upon integration of the heart and the hand and should prepare the local tribal children for a life of dignity in their surroundings by giving them appropriate training. This education should also prepare them to venture out into the world but not just leaving the villages for jobs outside. Such schools could learn from creative experiments in indigenous education from all over the world, for example, initiaves such as the University de Tiera (University of Earth) in the Chiapas region of Mexico.
Christian institutions are running quality schools for the elites of Orissa in many towns and cities and these are secular spaces. Similarly Christian institutions could open up appropriate schools for the poor tribals of Kandhamal and the teachers in such schools need to come from all religions and not only Christian. This would also be a concrete experimental project of going beyond the current politics of accusation and counter-accusation that Christian missionaries are engaged in conversion in the name of service delivery. Similarly Christian development organisations working in Kandhamal need to employ workers from all religious backgrounds. At present this is not the case as it is also the case with voluntary organisations emerging from the Hindu space where the workers are exclusively Hindu while their counterparts in Christian service organisations are exclusively Christian. Such exclusivity breeds isolation and hatred, especially from the other, and in these difficult times while life and death of so many of our fellow beings are at stake, leaders of such institutions should take bold steps to make their public institutions much more inclusive rather than just having people from their own respective religions.
Kandhamal needs a Peace, Reconciliation and Reconstruction Commission which can build upon the lessons of such initiatives in both South Africa and Rwanda. The Peace and Reconciliation Com-mission in South Africa, led by Desmond Tutu, created a space for both the victims and perpetrators of violence to speak with each other and seek forgiveness and grant forgiveness and move beyond the prison of hatred. The Commission could not solve all the problems but it created an opening for moving beyond the prison of the existing hatred. Similarly, after the genocide in Rwanda, there has been a national unity government there that has focused a lot on education, especially the education of the girl children. Kandhamal needs a Peace, Reconciliation and Reconstruction Commission and instead of waiting for the government to start it, some concerned individuals and voluntary organisations can start it as an experimental project. There is a fertile ground for starting this in villages like Lakebadi and Sirki that I have visited. Such a Commission could undertake the following activities, among others:
(a) to create a space for sharing of experience and seek for forgiveness and reconciliation between the victims of violence and perpetrators and seek the possibility of withdrawal of cases, especially against those who are innocent;
(b) to rebuild homes and places of worship with the collaborative labour and participation of people of all religions, especially Hindus and Christians, from within the villages as well as outside;
( c ) to undertake new initiatives in education, especially peace education.
The root of the problem in Kandhamal is complex and so the striving for peace in Kandhamal has to be multi-dimensional. There have been conflicts along oppositionally mobilised aggressive and assertive tribal/Dalit identities and to this renaming the district as Kandhamal by the then Biju Patnaik Government has made the non-Kandhas of the region, especially the Dalits, feel as if they do not have access to any of the resources of the region, especially land and forest. Added to this is the dimension of religion and now the work of the Maoists. A month ago, a counter-Mao group has also come up; it is named M2 and many believe it to be an outfit of the Sangh Parivar to target the Christian communities. Along with these complex sources of conflict lies the existential fear and threat of violence among those who are still in the relief camps and who are not able to return to their home villages. But at the same time, there is a deep yearning for peace among the people of Kandhamal and let all of us concerned take part in nurturing and building peace. As I was leaving Lakebadi before dawn it is this yearning for peace that embraced my soul and, saying bye to the brothers and sisters assembled in the village’s bus stop, I was thinking about the soul-touching question of Mahanabati Apa: “Why should man be afraid of another man?”
Reference
Pradhan, Pramodini and Ranjana Padhi, 2008, “Normalcy Far from Returning to Kandhamal”, Economic and Political Weekly, November 1-7.
Notes
1. Lord Jagannnath is the presiding deity in Orissa and the address Jai Jagannath by Gokul Bhai to the police guard suggests a respect for the cultural and religious feelings of the police officer in the camp who may have been a Hindu.
2. At the same time there are reports of forcible ouster from relief camps by observers and participants. For this see Pradhan and Padhi, 2008.
3. Nabodyaya schools are schools of excellence set up by Government of India where students join after Class Five being selected through an entrance examination.
4. Avda is the blessed prasad of Lord Jagannath.
Ananta Kumar Giri is on the faculty of the Madras Institute of Development Studies; his e-mails: aumkrishna@yahoo.com/aumkrishna@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)