Jagruta Mahila Okkoota says GP officials neglecting works by small and marginal farmers

Jagruta Mahila Okkoota members have complained that gram panchayat officials in Surapur and other villages are neglecting works by small and marginal farmers sanctioned two years ago under the erstwhile MGNREGA.

Activist Shilpa Vante told reporters in Belagavi on Monday that works approved two years ago under the now repealed MGNREGA have not been taken up till today.

She said that officials have not taken up small value works like borewell recharge even after two years in several villages.

“In my village alone, 16 farmers have suffered this delay. In these days, we have gone around complaining against the delay to gram and taluk panchayat and agriculture and horticulture officials but in vain. Most of us are small and marginal farmers. Our land holdings are small and we have to depend on the lone borewell in our backyard. However, these borewells stop yielding water from January. If we need to cultivate in the kharif season, we need to build recharge pits around the borewells. All the officials know our problems well. But they are not helping us,” Ms. Vante said.

JMO member Mahananda Devi said that officials have forced farmers to spend money to put up boards near their borewells saying the work has been sanctioned or, even, completed.

“Poor farming families have spent nearly ₹10,000 from their pockets for these boards, but the work never started,” she said.

She threatened to launch a protest in front of gram and taluk panchayat offices, if the works are not taken up this month.

Another activist Sharada Gopal said that gram panchayat officials are insensitive to the problems faced by poor farmers.

“We met Additional Chief Secretary of the Rural Developmen and Panchayat Raj Department Uma Mahadevan during the Winter Session in Belagavi. She directed officials to complete these works. But then, the only change was we got more boards. No work was started,” Ms. Gopal said.

She said that there is little attempt by the rural local bodies to create awareness about various horticulture and agriculture schemes. “We have observed that small and marginal farmers suffer neglect at all levels from villages to districts. There is absolutely no clarity about the future of MGNREGA in the coming financial year. Now that MGNREGA will cease to exist from April 1 and the new VB-G RAM G Act will start, what happens to all those schemes that have been approved but not taken up? We need answers,” she said.

Social activist Shivaji Kaganikar and others were present.