NewKerala.com

Odisha Acts on Tribal Grievances in Malkangiri After Ethnic Violence

Following ethnic violence in Malkangiri, the Odisha government has announced a series of measures to address long-standing tribal grievances. Key decisions include expediting permanent land titles for landless tribal families and providing titles to those displaced by the Machhkund Irrigation Project. The state will also fill vacant tribal language teacher posts, create more school seats and hostels, and provide financial assistance to families and businesses damaged in the violence. A high-level review mechanism has been established to monitor the implementation of these revenue, education, and welfare initiatives.

Key Points: Odisha Addresses Tribal Grievances Post-Malkangiri Violence

  • Land titles for landless tribals
  • Fortnightly review of pending cases
  • Financial aid for violence-affected
  • Filling tribal language teacher posts
3 min read

Odisha govt takes step to address tribal grievances in Malkangiri after ethnic violence

Odisha govt announces land rights, reviews, and aid to address tribal grievances in Malkangiri following December's ethnic violence. Key measures outlined.

"Expeditious arrangements will be made to provide permanent 'pattas' under the FRA and OGLS. - Chief Minister's Office"

Bhubaneswar, Jan 1

In the wake of large scale ethnic violence that occurred last month in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district, the Odisha government, on Thursday, took a series of decisions to address various grievances of the tribals in the district.

The decisions were made during a high-level meeting held at the Lok Seva Bhawan under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

As per a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), it was decided that the Malkangiri District Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay will review hundreds of pending cases under Regulation 2/56 (as amended in 2002) every fortnight and apprise the progress to the Southern Revenue Divisional Commissioner Sangram Keshari Mohapatra and the state government.

The state government has also decided to provide permanent land titles to the landless and homeless tribal families in the state.

"Expeditious arrangements will be made to provide permanent 'pattas' under the FRA (Forest Rights Act) and OGLS (Odisha Government Land Settlement Act). The District Collector shall review the progress every month and inform the state government," the CMO added.

The Odisha government further resolved to provide permanent 'pattas' to families displaced by the Machhkund Irrigation Project.

As per the state's high-level meeting's decisions, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Deoranjan Kumar Singh, will conduct a quarterly review of all revenue-related matters of Malkangiri district and report to the state government.

"The Water Resources Department will take steps in the coming days to provide irrigation facilities to upland agricultural lands of tribal and other communities located near water bodies," the CMO noted.

The state government also decided that arrangements will be made to ensure tribal applicants can benefit from the Chief Minister's Agriculture Development Scheme, PMEGP (Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme), and PMFME (Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises).

Vacant Multilingual Education teacher posts in Koya, Didayi, and Bonda tribal languages at the primary school level will be filled immediately by the State School and Mass Education Department.

Additionally, the state government resolved to create more seats in higher secondary schools of Malkangiri district so that tribal and other students can continue their studies beyond Class 10.

More hostels will also be constructed in schools and colleges to provide accommodation to students from remote areas in the state.

A special financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund will be provided to the family of the deceased Lake Padiami, a resident of Rakhelguda village, whose brutal killing by miscreants from the nearby MV-26 village of Malkangiri district triggered large scale violence by local tribals against refugees from Bangladesh on December 7 and 8 last year.

"Based on the district administration's report, each partially or fully damaged house in MV-26 village will receive financial assistance of up to Rs 75,000 as per the assessed loss. Similarly, for the repair of damaged shops, each shopkeeper will be provided assistance of up to Rs 20,000 according to the assessed value. The concerned departments shall regularly inform the Chief Minister's Office about the implementation of the above decisions," the CMO told.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good decisions on paper, but implementation is key. We have seen many such announcements after violence. The fortnightly review is a good measure, but will the Collector actually visit the remote villages? The focus on irrigation and education is the right long-term approach.
A
Arjun K
Filling teacher posts in Koya, Didayi, and Bonda languages is crucial! Preserving tribal culture and language through education is how you build real trust. This, along with more hostels, can change lives. Hope they follow through.
S
Sarah B
While the financial assistance for damaged property is necessary, I hope the government is also working on community reconciliation. Compensating the family of Lake Padiami is just, but preventing future violence requires addressing the underlying tensions between communities.
V
Vikram M
The link to central schemes like PMEGP is smart. It's not just about giving aid, but creating sustainable livelihoods. If tribal youth get jobs and start enterprises, it will reduce frustration. A step in the right direction, but the bureaucracy must not slow it down.
K
Karthik V
With respect, this feels like a reactionary measure after terrible violence. Where was this urgency before? The grievances over land and displacement from the Machhkund project are decades old. Permanent solutions should not need a tragedy to trigger them.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50