OrissaMatters

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

There is a remark on my write-up on stone eating in Sinapalli attached thereto. From the end of this remark, two sentences- Addressing these issues is difficult. Simply crying that people are eating stones is easy-were dropped at moderation stage as, to the administrator of this site, these were not commensurate with the gravity of the remark. With these two sentences revived, the remark goes as follows:

There is no doubt that people living in KBK region of Orissa have serious challenges in overcoming poverty, unemployment and disease. Lot of work remains to be done in protection of common property resources,land improvement and skill development. But to say that people are eating stones is simply an affront to human dignity.Firstly, it is obviously a false statement. Secondly, it is a statement made with a view to gain cheap political mileage. Thirdly, it is an irresponsible stance, as nothing can replace the hardwork of trying to work with the communities, let them understand the theoretical opportunities of NREGA and the practical ways of trying to get the maximum of it etc., just to cite one of the opportunities available for the people. For example, many job card holders do not know that they need to apply a second time, after getting the job card. It is also a challenging task to see the correspondence between the NREGA labour side and the creation of assets side. What kind of assets are being created? Are they really the right ones, as decided by the community? Another important question is the stance that contractors are not allowed. In reality, somebody is required to get all the material for a public work together, stand there and get the men and women organised for work, pull up those who are not working properly and generally taking care of quality and speed of work. You have a choice of calling that person by any name you like, Mahatma Gandhi or work executant or field worker or supervisor or whatever. Whatever name you may give him, the person exists. NREGA pretends that such person does not exist. What is important is to see that such persons are transparently selected in open meeting of the community or gram sabha, give him reasonable margin of profit and ensure that he is held responsible in case of any faulty work. Right now in NREGA works, nobody is held accountable for quality and this person gets decided through non-transparent means by way of a simple device that officially you do not recognise that he exists! This is the same mindset which pretends that sharecroppers and absentee landlords do not exist. Rather than recognise the fact that you have people who cultivate the lands recorded in favour of somebody else, give each of this category some basic rights apportionment, the State pretends that by law all the tenancy in Orissa has been abolished. This has pushed the tenancy under the carpet. This has affected the profitability of agriculture as an occupation. This has also resulted in lots of lands lying fallow and valuable agricultural land not getting adequate resources for development. Neither the absentee landlord invests because he is not present all the time. Nor would the tenant invest in land, because anyway the land does not belong to him. In NREGA also, this is the same manner in which the State does not recognise the existence of contractors and thereby the quality of work is hampered and the assets are not generated worth the money that is spent. Addressing these issues is difficult. Simply crying that people are eating stones is easy.

It is a note worthy remark. It reflects serious application of mind to the issue. Looking as if coming from an administration insider (the commentator having used obviously a pseudonym like Observer), it confirms that the people of the area of stone eating, undoubtedly, have serious challenges in overcoming poverty, unemployment and disease and in the area, through NREGA, assets are not generated worth the money that is spent.

But for this confirmed malady, the only factor located as responsible is lack of open presence of contractors. Notwithstanding ban on execution of works under NREGA through contractors, Observer says, the works are being executed through them, who exist despite the “pretence” that they do not exist.

Instead of calling a person a contractor, You have a choice of calling that person by any name you like, Mahatma Gandhi or work executant or field worker or supervisor or whatever. Whatever name you may give him, the person exists and, Observer reveals, this person gets decided through non-transparent means by way of a simple device that officially you do not recognise that he exists!

So the remark is en route reality. The reality is that people are perishing under poverty, unemployment and disease and the works done under NREGA are not worth the money that is spent and this is so, because, in spite of ban on execution of works through contractors they are engaged through non-transparent means.

En route this reality, Observer says, even though contractors are engaged, as because the NREGA pretends that such person does not exist, responsibility for deficient execution of works is not being fixed as work orders are allocated clandestinely, in absence of legal authority. To quote him, Right now in NREGA works, nobody is held accountable for quality.

This is a very helpful observation to understand the ailments that the State administration is downed with.

NREGA is an Act that gives guarantee of employment to rural workers. Contractor is a person that operates for his personal profit and evidences are rampant that the engineers and administrative officers, in most of the cases, act as commission agents of contractors and the nexus they build up leads to extension of time and expansion of estimates to the detriment of public exchequer.

I have cited the survey report of non-official CEFS to show how Muster Rolls are manipulated to misappropriate the money provided for ensuring food security in the region comprising the stone eating area of Sinapalli. Now I think, the observations of the highest official authority on audit, the CAG, needs be referred to. This may help in understanding as to why contractors are banned under NREGA.

The CAG has umpteen times shown that contractor-centric corruption spanning from massive projects to tiny works has severely affected both planning and exchequer of the State. Situational relevance justifies CAG observations on the latter ones.

Open the report on civil audit of 2005-06. The CAG notes, Avoidable extra cost, unfruitful expenditure and undue benefit to contractors amounted to Rs 90.11 crore in Rural Development (Rs 28.99 crore), Works (Rs 6.41 crore), Water Resources (Rs 48.08 crore), School and Mass Education (Rs 1.54 crore), Higher Education (Rs 1.30 crore), Housing and Urban Development (Rs 1.14 crore), Cooperation (Rs 2.22 crore) and Panchayati Raj (Rs 43 lakh) Departments.

There were instances of blockage of funds and idle investments of Rs 13.84 crore in Women and Child Development (Rs 4.68 crore), Cooperation (Rs 2.86 crore), Industries (Rs 1.79 crore), Tourism (Rs 1.26 crore), Rural Development (Rs 1.07 crore), Culture (Rs 1.35 crore) and Information and Public Relations (Rs 83 lakh) Departments. Besides, there was irregular expenditure of Rs 4.64 crore in Water Resources (Rs 2.69 crore), Revenue (Rs 0.99 crore) and Higher Education (Rs 0.96 crore) Departments. These are only samples of how the contractors highjack the exchequer as well as the projects.

The Executive in Orissa is subservient to contractors. So, deficient and defaulting contractors are seldom penalized. At Paragraph 4.4.1 of the report noted supra, the CAG says, failure to penalise a defaulting contractor by the Executive Engineer (EE), OECF Division No. I, Bada jhara and non-initiation of suitable action to recover the outstanding dues led to loss and non-recovery of Rs 34.44 crore.

Go to any other year, similar scenarios would snare attention. As for example, in auditing 2004-05 transactions, the CAG says, Avoidable extra cost, unfruitful expenditure and undue benefit to contractor amounted to Rs 23.09 crore in Water Resources (Rs 14.61 crore), Works (Rs.8.22 crore) and Health Family Welfare Departments (Rs 26 lakh). There were instances of blockage of funds and idle investments of Rs 6.22 crore in Home (Rs 3 crore), Water Resources (Rs 1.61 crore), Agriculture (Rs.78 lakh) and Higher Education Departments (Rs 83 lakh) besides irregular expenditure of Rs 6.47 crore in Finance, Information Technology and Panchayati Raj Departments.

In respect to projects linked to poverty amelioration, the scenario is worse. At Paragraphs 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 (2005-06), the CAG has reported, Item rate of Water Bound Macadam (WBM) under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the Rural Development Department was computed incorrectly resulting in an undue benefit of Rs 16.07 crore to contractors. Besides, there was excess payment of Rs 11.27 crore to the contractors due to wrong computation of item rate of Granular Sub Base (GSB). Even wrong computation of item rates of Cement concrete works, evasion of ST and other unwarranted favours led to undue benefit of Rs.20.88 crore to contractors.

What was the earlier finding?

See, how the CAG has recorded it in its report of 2004-05. I quote:

Govt. of India (GoI) launched the Food for Work Programme during 2002 with a view to
augmenting food security through wage employment. The scheme provided for supply of 5 kg of rice per day at subsidized rate of Rs.5.65 per kg and payment of balance wages in cash. To ensure that the benefit of subsidy reached the labourer and as a safe guard against the sale of rice at higher rate in the market, the scheme stipulated that rice should be supplied to the
labourers at the work site along with cash component on muster rolls in presence of the local representatives.

“However, 8 EEs issued 4057 tonnes of rice to contractors after completion of works executed through 1092 agreements between 2001-02 and 2004-05. The delays ranged between 7 days and 18 months. Since distribution of rice to daily wage workers after completion of the works was not practicable, the subsidy of Rs.2.06 crore provided by GoI was not passed on to the labourers and instead led to undue benefit to the contractors.

While providing benefits to contractors, as that helps the Executive sharing the booty, the Food for Work scheme is so mismanaged that an Assistant Engineer of Minor Irrigation Division, Sambalpur has misappropriated 1345 MT of subsidized rice valuing Rs.1.68 crores received under Food for Work Programme, the CAG has exposed at Paragraph 4.1.1 of its Report for 2005-2006.

As stressed supra, these are mere samples. The corruption continuing by the contractor- executive nexus is unfathomable.

Against this backdrop, there is no doubt that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would be totally defeated if contractors are accommodated. Hence under NREGA engagement of contractors was blatantly banned. The entire money provided under the scheme is to be spent on guaranteed employment.

But as transpires from the remark of Obeserver, this scheme has been sabotaged in Orissa and job-orders are being given to contractors while pretending that they do not exist.

This pretension being official, the NREGS funds are also looted. My earlier report incorporating the survey findings of CEFS has thrown light on that. According to Observer, this has to happen as the work orders are given through non-transparent means. It is a reality. In reality, it is indicative of how the government has failed.

Observer has rightly observed, Many job card holders do not know that they need to apply a second time, after getting the job card. Making people know of this cannot be expected of a job-contractor. It is the work of the government machinery.

Observer is right in saying, somebody is required to get all the material for a public work together, stand there and get the men and women organised for work, pull up those who are not working properly and generally taking care of quality and speed of work. But he says, this somebody should be a contractor under any attire, transparently selected to do the job with reasonable margin of profit and answerability.

Instances have been cited supra from CAG reports and, in these pages, elsewhere, light is thrown on how contractors enjoy immunity in Orissa and how administration has failed in Orissa to penalize erring and willfully irresponsible contractors. So, call the contractor in any style (Mahatma Gandhi or work executant or field worker or supervisor or whatever suggests Observer), in Naveenraj, they shall, in every matter of corruption, continue enjoying immunity.

And this administrative collaboration with contractor-centric corruption has defeated Food for Work program, has defeated Gramin Rojgar Yojana etc as show above and as open engagement of contractors has been punishably banned under the NREGA, the officials, who earn salary for executing official programs, have hijacked wage-funds under this scheme to their respective pockets, compelling people to thrive on stones under stark starvation.

My esteemed friend, whose remark so far is highly commensurate with reality, has dismissed the stone-eating phenomenon as simply an affront to human dignity. According to him, firstly, it is obviously a false statement. Secondly, it is a statement made with a view to gain cheap political mileage. Thirdly, it is an irresponsible stance, as nothing can replace the hardwork of trying to work with the communities, let them understand the theoretical opportunities of NREGA and the practical ways of trying to get the maximum of it etc.. I think the falsity of the third observation needs no proof as in the write up that has generated this debate the researchers of CEFS have been adequately quoted in showing how the Scheme has become less of Employment Guarantee Scheme for the hungry and poor villagers and more of a money-spinning machine and Income Guarantee Scheme for Orissas officials and how job cards have been kept in the homes of VLWs against the will of cardholders. I have further quoted there the report of CEFS that says, Most of the VLWs are inaccessible to villagers because they stay in towns located 50-60 kms away from Panchayats. They come once or twice a month in the Panchayat office. A poor Adivasi has to walk on foot and cover this long distance just to meet VLW. Even after walking this long distance, poor Adivasi is not sure whether he would be able to meet VLW. Had this reality been contradicted with convincing proofs, the third observation of Observer could have been really helpful. Absence of any proof in support of hardwork of trying to work with the communities, let them understand the theoretical opportunities of NREGA and the practical ways of trying to get the maximum of it etc., makes the observation that the stance of the write up is irresponsible deserves to be dismissed. The second observation, I am afraid, is ambiguous besides being irrelevant. I am unable to see a phenomenon like cheap political mileage anywhere in the report that was transmitted/televised or in the write up that I authored and published in this site or in saubhasyablog under my other site www.saubhasya.com. Had Observer substantiated this observation, it could have merited attention. But sadly it is not substantiated. Now the first observation, i.e. it is obviously a false statement. So far, only two statements have been acted upon in context of stone eating. One is of Baru Singh Pahadia who stated before camera that he eats stone to overcome hunger and the other is of Dasamati Pahadia who allegedly gave a statement before a team of officers headed by DWO of Nuapada at 9 PM of 25.5.2007 to the effect that Khuturam Sunani and his companion journalist instigated people to eat stone and took pictures thereof when some of the villagers were eating the stones. If the second statement is false I have nothing to say; because I have analyzed that Dasamatis statement of confession was false and fabricated. If the first one were false, it would have been proper to show how it is false.

Khaturam Sunani, who spotted the alarming event, has affirmed that stone eating by people of Nangalghat is true. In a statement issued on 20.6.2007 from Komana of Nuapada he has further stated that not only in Nangalghat, but also in habitations nearby, people of Pahadia tribe have been thriving by stone eating since long. He has stated that he has investigated into this matter and has accumulated firsthand evidences in support of this information. Sunani is a journalist of the concerned area and has first hand knowledge over the issue. Unless otherwise proved, the truth he has discovered cannot be said to be false simply because that exposes misrule.

When the news is reliable that people are eating stone to overcome hunger, it cannot be an affront to human dignity. It would be, if we, as a civilized people, fail to stand with Sunani in his fight against false charges of sedition framed against him by a corrupt, inefficient and anti-people administrative set-up because he has found out the truth of stone eating in Sinapalli.

En route reality, any proof propelled remark on my write-ups would be most welcome. I will be really happy if the stone eating news could be proved to be false.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Even as the Minister-in-charge, responding to an adjournment notice, rejected on June 25 the Opposition demand for an inquiry by a House committee into dubious deals in mining lease, heavyweights in the treasury benches warned the State Government that unless it changes its style of functioning, its support to industries may aptly be interpreted as squandering away the mining wealth mother nature has given to Orissa.

Stressing on the instance of Jindals procurement of around 2000 acres spread of mines through purchase from a Kolkata based company, reprimands rolled out from the treasury side over irregular allocation of the mines to the seller without assessment of his mining ability and industrial requirements.

In these pages it was earlier shown that the State Government has not yet framed a Mining Policy in order to remain unanswerable in matters of arbitrary allocation of mines.

Treasury Bench heavyweights endorsing their calling attention notice wondered if the Government has ever thought it prudent to be guided by a Mining Policy and also showed how in absence of a Policy it has granted 5000 Acres of land where 2000 Acres could have been sufficient to meet the requirement. Such squandering away of mineral and natural wealth would be detrimental to interests of Orissa, they warned.

Despite this they disagreed with the Opposition demand for a House Committee probe. The probe may be conducted by any other credible agency, they pleaded.

The Minister-in-charge rejected the probe demanded by both the Opposition and the Treasury benches. There is no necessity of any special probe, he emphasized.

However, the Minister perhaps inadvertently, revealed a chilling reality. That is, the Governments own organization IPICOL was found not reliable in handling such probe or scrutiny in mining matters.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Chief Minister of U.P. Ms. Mayawati has informed that she has accumulated wealth to the tune of Rs.52 crores in course of her political career.

Daughter of a low paid employee, Mayawati had started her earning as a teacher in a Delhi Administration School. But politics provided her with the money, which a School-teacher, in a span of a thousand births anywhere in India, could never have accumulated.

If she is honest in her affidavit filed along with her nomination papers before the Returning Officer seeking a berth in the Upper Chamber of UP Assembly, the amount of Cash in her hand at the moment is Rs.50.27 lakhs. Her cash deposits in banks, financial institutions and non-banking financial companies amount to Rs.12.88 lakhs. Jewellery? See, she has 380.17-carat diamonds worth Rs.49.75 lakhs, gold and studded jewellery worth Rs.50.87 lakhs. The new aristocratic aura she believes she has, has made her procure even a 18.5kg silver dinner set costing Rs1.12 lakhs. She has, as she has revealed, assets that comprise murals worth Rs.15 lakhs.

Over and above these movables, she has commercial and residential establishments under her ownership in New Delhi and Lucknow worth several crores of Rupees. According to her own version, she owns two commercial establishments in Connaught Place, New Delhi, priced at Rs. 2.05 crores and Rs.1.27 crores and another commercial establishment at Okhla which is priced at Rs.15.50 crores. Her residential properties comprise one mansion at Nehru Road in the Cantonment of Lucknow and another at Sardar Patel Marg in Delhi, the cost of which, according to her, is Rs.97.42 lakhs and Rs.18.02 crores respectively.

Are you surprised?

Why should you be? Becoming surprised would be surprising.

If you know your Motherland is being looted and if in your opinion Vajpayee was a perfect Prime Minister and Man Mohan Singh is, why should you be surprised if Mayawati has fetched this massive fortune out of politics?

I am not surprised. The present India is a swamp where crabs like Mayawati have their congenial environment to possess anything that they can grab.

India has been transformed to a Plutocracy and in a Plutocracy, by using facilities of enfranchisement the rich or the agents of the rich grab power under any guise and work for the rich on commission basis. Mayawati is just a sample.

Mayabati is just a sample of how the politico-bureaucratic nexus serving the Masters in private industries have ruined our nation.

When a man like Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, who was more conspicuous by his support to commission agents as in Fernandez case and by denuding the country of her industrial assets while crowning this anti-national mechanism as Ministry of disinvestments, we as a nation did not stop him.

Now a man like Dr. Man Mohan Singh, who, as Finance minister, had sabotaged our Constitution by subjecting India to GATT behind back of the people, as it was impossible to terminate our solemn resolution enshrined in its Preamble to constitute Sovereign India into a SOCIALIST Secular Democratic Republic, is being tolerated by all of us as the Prime Minister! And, look at the irony, the Communists, ethically expected to remain alert sentinels of socialism, are his allies!

What more proof we need to know that we are no more a democracy; but a plutocracy?

And, in a plutocracy, who other than Mayawati and her likes, irrespective of affiliations, can fetch profit sans any industry, out of party politics?

After disclosure of her assets by herself, the hypocrites in her opposite camps and in different media organizations have started raising their eyebrows to the reality of vandalism that has given birth to the new property queen and have most meretriciously started shedding crocodile tears over Indias discernible fall in to the state of no-probity.

This is a farce. Instead of indulging in this farce, instead of lamenting that the country is plundered, it is time to exterminate the political climate that has so far suited the scoundrels.

If we cannot rise against plutocracy, we have no right to bother about how and who plunders the Country.

Mayawati is nothing but a living replica of our nation’s ugly face.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

People of Orissa have observed June 22, the day of signing of Memoranda of Understanding with POSCO by the State Government, as the day of endangering freedom and have resolved to sharpen their fight against the mischief.

Thousands of inhabitants of Kujang, where POSCO is playing havoc with the lives of the people staged a mass demonstration of protest in front of the State Pollution Control Board at Bhubaneswar on Fri day and branded the SPCB as an anti-people wing of administration that runs under commission agents of polluting industries in blatant disregard to the Environment and Pollution Laws.

Environmental clearance to POSCO project is worst assault on Orissas eco-system perpetrated by the people who are supposed to be the official sentinels of environment, they charged. What other than bribe could have corrupted them to this necked extent? This question reverberates even till now.

Why should the SPCB and its high boss in the State Secretariat shy at this question and fail to answer? Dose silence help?

How can Naveen Patnaik and his acolytes say that they have not been purchased by POSCO if they fail to convince the people otherwise?

Satyrs procure prostitutes to fuck for pleasure; imperialists are selectively procuring our political leaders and bureaucrats to fuck for treasure.

Whosoever loves his Motherland, loves his fellow citizens, loves freedom of India, must cogitate the question raised by the people of Kujang.

Our freedom is really imperiled, as they have shown. They have correctly diagnosed that the day MoU was signed with POSCO was the day our freedom was dragged into danger.

Decide your own course of action, dear countrymen.

Subhas Chadra Pattanayak

Orissa stands face to face with Sahara on Latitude 20 in the northern hemisphere of the Globe. CEFS, esteemed body of socio-economic researchers, has held that its government has already transformed it to Sub-Sahara of India.

We will come to that.

When stone eating by people of Sinapalli Block in the District of Nuapada belonging to KBK region under stark starvation were shown by a TV channel at 7 P. M. of 31. 5. 2007 and the State Assembly commenced next day on 1. 6.2007 to repeated adjournments over the issue, the State Government through its Revenue Minister had succeeding in ending the impasse at 5 P.M. by stating in the House that the telecasted news was baseless because the people were never in starvation as on field inspection the District Welfare Officer has seen that job cards have been issued to all the families, NREGA works are going on regularly and there is enough food materials in every household.

Elsewhere I have shown how records were prepared overnight to show that the telecasted information was wrong. But now the Center for Environment and Food Security (CEFS) has come out with a survey report that shows how the assertion of the Minister in the Assembly was wrong.

Founded by a combine of eminent scholars, writers, environmentalists, scientists and activists like Prof. Ashis Nandy, Dr. Kamla Chowdhry, Dr. Pradipto Roy, Mr. Anupam Mishra, Prof. P. S. Ramakrishnan, Dr. T. N. Khoshoo, Mr. P.N.Singh and Mr. Parshuram Ray in 2001 with the broad objective of knowledge-based activism on the issues of poverty, hunger, food security, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable development and ecological security, CEFS is well known for research, advocacy and campaign on these issues. Its Research Study on Political Economy of Hunger in Tribal Areas of India is so authentic and referable that no plan for the Tribes can succeed unless this evaluation is kept in mind.

This esteemed organization has come out with the observation that the Current level of hunger, poverty and deprivation in Orissas KBK areas is as deep, demeaning and dehumanizing as ever despite the so- called successful implementation of NREGS with the highest allocation of funds anywhere in the country.

Observing that this Scheme has become less of Employment Guarantee Scheme for the hungry and poor villagers and more of a money-spinning machine and Income Guarantee Scheme for Orissas officials, the CEFS has revealed, out of 100 sample villages covered for this survey, 18 villages have not received any job card , 37 villages have not received any job under OREGS even after 16 months of launch of the scheme, 11 villages have received neither job cards nor any job, Job cards of 21 villages are lying with Village Level Workers and Job cards of 2 villages are lying with Junior Engineers , in 25 villages only half, one third or partial payments have been made

Narrating how the researchers of CEFS received a call from the Personal Secretary of the Secretary to Government in the Panchayati Raj Department asking them as to whether they had obtained permission of the District Collector or any higher authority for meeting the concerned BDO, the Report says, When we asked as to why do we need District Collectors permission, he told us as how dare we go to BDOs office without District Collectors permission. The researchers were shocked. The report narrates how they were asked in stern voice to return back from the Block office and not to visit any village in the Block.

Penning down this paining experience they were subjected to in Nandapur Block, the researchers note, we also got three telephone calls from APD (DRDA-Koraput) asking us not to visit any village of Nandpur block.

Shocked to the core, they had besought intervention from the offices of District Collector(Koraput), Chief Secretary and Chief Minister of Orissa. Despite all these efforts, the researchers say, we did not succeed in seeing the muster rolls. This whole experience in Nandapur block was highly demeaning and disgusting and we wonder whether there is a big scam that was sought to be covered up.

Acting against all such odds, the researchers from CEFS went into the midst of the people. In 13 villages, they inform, we found scandalous difference in the number of workdays recorded in the job cards and the number of actual workdays physically verified with the workers/labourers in these villages. There are 3 villages where no payments have been made even after 4-8 months of the work done. We found 6 villages in Kashipur block of Rayagada district where OREGS work is being done without any job cards being issued to the villagers.

On keen observation the researchers found that the Panchayati Raj Institutions have been completely sidelined and marginalized in the implementation of OREGS. Sarpanches are asked by VLWs to sign on blank cheques and VLWs decide everything. In most of the Panchayats, VLWs do not share single information about the OREGS work in the Panchayat with any of the elected representatives of Gram Panchayat.

Holding it as a mockery of grassroots democracy, the researchers have noted, Muster Rolls are more secret a document in Orissa than the Nuclear secrets of the country. We could not meet a single person in these 100 villages who has ever seen muster rolls of the OREGS work in his village. Muster Rolls are always kept in the house of VLWs and villagers who work in OREGS projects are made to sign on blank muster rolls.

Noting that the way Orissa Government is implementing OREGS, this scheme seems to be a cruel joke on hungry and poor Adivasis and Dalits, the researchers have thrown light on 21 sample villages that they studied. Accordingly, job cards have been kept in the homes of VLWs against the will of cardholders. Most of the VLWs are inaccessible to villagers because they stay in towns located 50-60 kms away from Panchayats. They come once or twice a month in the Panchayat office. A poor Adivasi has to walk on foot and cover this long distance just to meet VLW. Even after walking this long distance, poor Adivasi is not sure whether he would be able to meet VLW.

As a result, they have noted, hunger and abject poverty is wide spread in all the 100 villages of KBK region we visited. Our interactions and interviews with villagers suggest that about 99% of the Adivasis and Dalits living in KBK villages are suffering from chronic hunger and malnutrition. Large numbers of children in these villages are suffering from severe malnutrition. Hunger and abject poverty is so apparent and writ large on the hollowed cheeks, sunken eyes, distended bellies of children, skeleton figures, listlessness and despair in their looks, that the scenario looks worse than Sub-Saharan Africa.

The researchers unambiguously say that their preliminary analysis of field survey has revealed that more than 80-90% of the money spent in Orissa Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(OREGS) has been directly pocketed by officials responsible for executing this scheme. Only leakages and crumbs have reached the rural poor of Orissa. This scheme has become less of Employment Guarantee Scheme for the hungry and poor villagers and more of a money-spinning machine and Income Guarantee Scheme for Orissas officials.

The brazenness and callousness of Orissas officials involved in the implementation of this scheme is outrageous and unparallel anywhere in India, says CEFS while emphasizing that if social audit as provided for under the NREGS is conducted in all the Panchayats where this Scheme is shown as implemented, more than 95% of the officials and bureaucrats involved in the implementation of this Scheme will loose their jobs and will go behind the bars immediately.

When the Orissa Assembly resumes it session after the recess and takes up the House Committee report on stone eating in Sinapalli Block, will any of the Members show the courage to test that matter on the matrix of this information?

The CEFS has stressed and we agree that contravention of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) passed by Indian Parliament should be construed as contempt of Parliament.

And, so, it would be proper for the Members of Orissa Assembly, while discussing the House Committee report as well as the Budget, to see that the State does not continue committing contempt of parliament and all of the functionaries beginning from the present Chief Secretary, who was the Chief of KBK administration for the longest period, to the VLWs, who manipulate Muster Rolls to the defeat of NREGA, are subjected to social audit and are mercilessly booked.

I will wait and watch and report.