MAUTAAM

-By  S Singlianmang Guite

Lamka, April 11: Saying they were compelled, following the objection raise by nominees of four MLAs on their earlier call for repealing the FCS commissioner order giving MLAs and their nominees a free hand in dealing with PDS supplies, CDSU has issued an open letter address to the CM with seven critical posers.

“There is no dispute over the representative role of our MLAs or Ministers whom we elect to represent us in the Assembly; speak for and on our behalf, address our grievances an, d help in time of distress,” says the letter that also spoke well of the efforts of their nominees, yet it adds, “other than the CDSU, the public court is there to judge whether their efforts is satisfying or not”.

Being caught on the quagmire of Mautaam famine, the pressing need of the people today is nothing, but availability of rice/foodgrain for survival is another contention it made, and for this neither the government nor the civil societies have done enough to counter the calamity, the letter went on lamenting.

“Other than raising famine issue at the assembly none of our representative is found to have comeforth with tangible material support to redress our grievances,” noted the letter further, and said under such circumstances the basic issue of ‘availability of rice’ remains the same.

On the points raise by the MLA nominees several days back, the union said they fully agreed that is not Mautaam related scheme but, disagreed that NREGS money ? which seems to be the only option available with the government at present, should not be used for purchasing rice.

As it has effectively bestowed to the interior populace, the PDS supply with a cheaper rate.

Against all these backdrop, the union calls on the Chief Minister to answer seven queries of their including, why only 40% of the population is BPL and AAY status while the entire population is practically living under AAY conditions; whether there is any MLA quota in PDS items and under what provision and circumstances; where is the 8000 qntls of additional monthly allocation of rice promise on the floor of the assembly and the 5000 MT FCI godown promise prior to the assembly election; why public has to pay transportation cost of PDS items; what steps were taken to combat Mautaam famine in Churachandpur; and, who is responsible for lifting and distribution of all PDS items, the MLAs and their nominees or the FCS department.

And as to why, they were expecting a reply and prompt follow up action, the union said, the famine affected public who needs “Rice, Rice and sufficient stock of rice” to prevent starvation death, deserves to know it.

By : M Kaimuanthang

Lamka, Apr 10: As it has become all the more clear that the Mautaam famine will hit most interior areas of Churachandpur district the need for PDS items particularly rice has intensified.

While no representatives of the public from the district found doing anything except some to support and empower the poor economically, the support and assistance given by near and dear ones as well as other people from within and outside the states are found to be highly inadequate for facing the calamities.

So far, according to a source, the AID ZOMI JAPAN, Mautaam organisations including the churches have donated some amount for the purpose in spite of the fact that 8000 quintals of rice of additional foodgrains promised by the government remains unfulfilled.

The PDS rice which is thought to be the best for facing the famine has been lifted by the MLA nominees with the claims that it was distributed to the needy poor public. However, they were found lifting only BPL/AAY rice while keeping the APL rice untouched for reasons best known to them, sources added.

Here, the unenviable tough time encountered by the nominees has been that while only 40 percent of the population is put into BPL/AAY status a whopping 100 percent lived under AAY conditions in this part of the land where general economy of the people is very low.

In spite of this the conversion of NREGS to PDS has helped the people to buy rice at somewhat economical prices. For instance, at Sinzawl (in Thanlon) and Parbung (Tipaimukh) the public can purchase rice at Rs. 9 or Rs. 8.50 per kg in case of BPL and AAY respectively.

This has been made possible only recently when the government made a stop gap arrangement by an order No. 1/5/2007-Rd(MC) dated 13th March 2008 giving permission to utilise all the NREGS money for procurement of foodgrains supply to the famine affected areas.

However, NREGS is not for permanent solution of the people’s food problems though it gives some relief to the famine-affected people. Under such circumstances the CDSU recently asked some questions to the FCS minister - Why only 40 percent of the people are put under BPL and AAY? How and why can there be minister’s quota on PDS items? Where is the 5000 MT capacity FCS godown in Churachandpur? Why should the public pay the transportation cost of PDS items? And what steps has the government taken so far to combat Mautaam famine?

By- S Singlianmang Guite

Lamka, April 05: For the first time in Churachandpur, the district administration exploited the provisions of ’social audit’ today to settle a squabble that surfaces during the course of executing NREGS at Zenhang Lamka.

The typical approach was roped in as a large number of the Job Card holders made it known their annoyance over the handling of NREGS by their village authority.

The card holders were allegedly skeptical of the sluggish approach opted by the village authority as they were awarded a mere 14 days of works even at the end of this fiscal.

However, the ’social audit’ today cleared that skepticism as members of the village authority responded to all the queries put forward by the villagers.

During the course of the audit it was established that a mere fourteen days of work has been allotted to the card holders in the first and second phase as against the twenty five days approved by the district administration.

With the entire amount allotted to Zenhang Lamka now revealed to the mass during the audit, the Village Authority has vowed to dessiminate the remaining works to the people beginning Monday.

The district administration has also warned the VA of severe consequences including filing of a criminal case and blacklisting the village.

Despite the competence and effectiveness of the district administration in implementing the centrally sponsored scheme, failure on the part of the village chief and VAs has been impairing the scheme and impeding its implementation.

In a bid to avoid any further recurrence of the impasse such as that happened in Zenhang Lamka, and unwilling to take any chances further, Deputy Commissioner Sumant Singh has immediately lined-up various initiatives to sensitize the general public.

An aggressive awareness campaign through the media and village level public meetings, establishment of a fast track grievance redressing cell, introduction of complaint box and shelving of additional allotment for ‘black sheep’ were some of the steps the DC mooted.

Churachandpur being one of the badly affected district by Mautaam famine, and acknowledging its effectiveness in implementing the NREGS, a massive Rs 34 crore of NREGS fund was awarded to the district during the last fiscal.

Of the ten TD blocks in the district, full 100 days of job, has been allotted to three blocks severely affected by Mautaam while 65 days and 50 days of job have been awarded in two partially affected blocks and the remaining fiver other blocks respectively during the same period.

By-S Singlianmang Guite

Lamka, April 03: The inter-ministerial central team deputed for a ‘quick assessment of the immediate relief needs of the Mautaam affected area’ today practically rubs shoulder with the people devastated by it and listen to their accounts.

Visiting more than a dozen interior villages, dependent mainly on jhum the team confides that Mautam or rat menace has indeed really affected the crops, and in many places where they interviewed the farmers it is amply clear that more than 50% of the crop were damaged.

In most of the cases, farmers have to either save their meagre harvest or purchased paddy from the market even for sowing.

Women folk, who were interviewed most by the team also confessed their concern as rats were still prevalent in their unsoiled jhum fields.

The team while interacting with the media commented on the effectiveness of the new employment programme NREGS, yet most of the farmers sustaining with a subsistence level of income, according to Pankaj Kumar the team leader they need assistance atleast before their next harvest.

Upon enquiring what difference would the central team bring about, ‘we hope that the visit will result in a kind of package, a relief package for the people of the district and we will provide them some sustenance till the next crop is harvested,’ he said adding, ‘we certainly would like to expedite it as much as we can’ so that any form of relief reaches the people before the onset of monsoon.

Pandey nevertheless claimed that his team was still in the process of determining the magnitude of devastation in the state of Manipur and therefore it would be premature to say how much assistance would be needed to sustain the farmers until their next harvest.

Apart from the minor variations, the central team has maintain that the basic nature of the problem in Mizoram were similar to that of the state.

A prominent Church body the Evangelical Baptist Convention, which has set aside Rs.7 lakhs for relief fund in 2008-2009 and had already exhaust another 20 lakhs in the preceding years, PCI (R), MPC, Civil Pensioners and numerous other civil societies have also presented memoranda to the visiting central team today.

The inter-ministerial team would further access the situation in other district affected by Mautaam tomorrow.

Team to assess damage | Indian Army fights rodents in Manipur 

IMPHAL, Apr 2: A six member inter-ministerial Central team on a mission to study the extent of devastation cause by Mautam arrived at CCpur today, three days after initiating their study, amidst hope and expectation of the hill tribes, reports our CCpur correspondent.

The central team led by Pankaj Kumar, Jt Secretary, Dept of Agriculture has comprehensively studied the situation in Mizoram and they have been apprised by the officials there including Chief Minister Zoramthanga before their arrival here. Immediately on their arrival at about 6 pm, the team was apprised of the situation by the district administration with a power point presentation. They also received memoranda from the district’s apex student body CDSU, Zomi Mothers’ Association and ZEPADA.

Through its representation the CDSU made it known that their concern on the increasing rate of school drop-outs due to Mautam, and also the adverse impact of Mautam in the educational atmosphere of the hill tribes. The six member team comprising of Sarvan Kumar, Director Planning Commission, Nalini Pathak, Assistant Director Ministry of Finance, Sube Singh, Assistant Commissioner RD Ministry, Dr SK Biswas, Director Jute Board, Kolkota, MK Gogoi, General Manager FCI Guwahati and the Joint Director are set to immediately begin their field study early tomorrow.

According to an informed source, they team is likely to split into two, one attending Guite Road and the other Tipaimukh Road. However, security concerns for the officials could jolt the preparation any moment so, until such time they practically leave for the interiors, their schedule will remain untold. The team is set to leave the State on Saturday in an Indigo flight, and in all probability have to furnish their findings by next Monday.

| SOURCE: The Sangai Express |
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Indian Army fights rodents in Manipur

KOLKATA: Alongside fighting a dozen insurgent groups in Manipur, the Indian Army has just finished its successful campaign against an unknown enemy — a band of rodents.

“The Army was called in to fight the rat menace in Henglep and Thingat subdivisions of Churachandpur district in Manipur,” said Group Captain R K Das, the Army’s spokesman in the Eastern Command, on Wednesday.

These subdivisions along with other areas in Churachandpur were worst hit by rodents as a result of Mautam, an ecological event of bamboo flowering that happens every 48 years.

The situation became so acute that soldiers posted in the area to combat insurgency were called in to kill rats.

“Army personnel also held educational classes in the affected subdivisions to teach villagers how to eradicate rats,” Captain Das said.

The Manipur government requested Army and Assam Rifles personnel to escort vehicles carrying foodgrains to be distributed in the interior villages of militant-prone areas, the spokesman said.

Delivering foodgrains to the villagers posed a problem for the state government officials as insurgents often plant mines on the roads.

Army doctors provided medical assistance to the affected people in the state, he said.

Besides counter-insurgency operations, the Army was engaged in providing aid to the famine-affected people since 2006 when the crisis began to rear its head. Rats devoured stored foodgrains and damaged standing crop, causing famine in Churachandpur bordering Mizoram, another state reeling under the same problem.

The flowers and seeds of a certain kind of bamboo attract rats which feed on them and multiply rapidly, posing a threat to local farmers.

| Source: PTI |