Kandhamal burning to Kandhamal shining

31/1/2011
Two-and-A-half years ago, Kandhamal was tagged as a “national shame”, after communal violence triggered by the killing of a Hindu seer left 38 people dead, with houses and churches burnt and vandalised, and thousands of people homeless.

But on February 2, Kandhamal is set to get a different tag — one of “national pride” — as the Union Ministry of Rural Development awards it for being one of the top 10 districts which have implemented the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) effectively.

“What set Kandhamal apart was the kind of work it did in the difficult circumstances,” said N K Sahu, director (monitoring wing) in the Ministry of Rural Development. Kandhamal has been chosen for using NREGS to generate livelihood and promote communal harmony.

Sahu, accompanied by a team of officials from the ministry, visited Baliguda and Phulbani blocks in Kandhamal last week. The team was From Kandhamal Burning to Kandhamal Shining impressed with the building of roads and farm ponds in Mediakia village, Sirtiguda gram panchayat and Sindhipankhala.