IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGS IN NABARANGAPUR: AN INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE IN AN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT

IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGS IN NABARANGAPUR: AN INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE IN AN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT 

In this troubled time of COVID-19 Pandemic , Lockdowns and Shutdowns, there in unimaginable hardship, pain, inconvenience and, above all, fear psychosis faced by every human being across the Globe. The daily bulletin of Persons tested positive, persons recovered and Number of Deaths has been frightening though there has been the incessant fight to contain the Pandemic. It seems NOW there is a turn of the tide as things are being contained and managed so that many things could be revived, special normal Life and Economy. I doubt if things will be brought back to pre-Covid 19 state. Even if there is a cure; there is a Vaccine, this scar will remain!

In this extraordinary time and situation, I have not lost faith in two things - a) We can fight back by Efforts of Each One of Us and Union Of All, b) We can Build a New Society by a new Paradigm of Development Planning and Implementation. Disaster can give impetus to Development.
I can see it all across - the Reimagining and Recreating.

I have always thought that a time has come to come back to BASICS, the Gandhian visualisation of Gram Swaraj and there will be self-sustaning communities with the foundation of “The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.” 

I know people especially the tribals across the country will face Food and Livelihood Insecurities during this COVID-19 Pandemic, especially Small Land Holders and Poor Households which are the victims of Distress Migration. To my mind, they have to be brought back to Sustainable Agriculture somehow by changing our policies and practices. We have to see that everyone is growing crops they want to eat and market. For this what is needed is Soil and Water Conservation, Revival of Forests and Ecology, Conservation of Local seeds, and above all the reassertion of Putting the Farmers First. Many as I notice argue that our Agriculture Sector will not absorb the large labour force and the Income from the Small Landholding will not be enough! It may be partially correct but we can have a robust Rural and Tribal Economy by both On Farm and Off Farm activities. We can have processing and marketing of Non-timber Forest Produce. We can have combination of a range of strategies to ensure Sustainable Livelihood. We have shown that Family Farms in Ecovillages promoted by Agragamee are Pulling many Households out of poverty. We have observed that Farmers covered under Odisha Millet Mission are ensuring their Food and Nutrition Securities.

I have been advocating on GO-NGO/CSO Collaboration in the present context and the large scale implementation of MGNREGS. I have written to authorities , especially to several Collectors and the best response has come from the Collector Nabarangapur. The Land Development of 180 tribal families in Tentulikhunti Block who have got land under FRA have been started under MGNREGS and some of the Photographs are attached. A Repair of Water Harvesting Structure and Farm Ponds are about to start under MGNREGS on priority basis with Agragamee's support of Mobilisation. The Collector Nabarangapur has shared updates on MGNREGS and some photographs are attached herewith. He has a Target of generating 50000 person days per day across the district. I congratulate him and his team for such great initiative and such commitment!

I am sure the Collectors of other districts have such initiative. Our NGOs friends from Bolangir like Bolangir Bikash Parishad have indicated that the Collector Bolangir has taken up large scale MGNREGS work across the district to generate employment for the Poor Households especially Migrants. I also congratulate him.

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