Newindpress, 24th April, 2008
Thursday April 24 2008 11:21 IST
Ump Shankar Kar
BHAWANIPATNA: ALIENATION of land is continuing to be a socio-economic problem in the predominantly tribal Thuamul Rampur and Lanjigarh blocks of Kalahandi district despite land reforms.However, the execution of Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihood Programme (OTELP) is seen as a success in some pockets where poor tribals got back their lands after long years of mortgaging them. Two types of land mortgages are prevalent in the area - Kat-ti bandha and Kado bandha. In Kat-ti bandha, the loanee while mortgaging his land makes an agreement with the money-lender for a specific period and for a specific amount.During this period, the money-lender cultivates the land and he keeps the return as repayment of the loan. At the end of the specific period, the owner gets back his land. In case of Kado bandha, for a specific amount the loanee mortgages his land with the money-lender which he gets back after returning the principal.In this case also the money-lender cultivates the land and the return he gets is taken as annual interest of the loan amount. It is an unending process and the innocent tribals, in most cases,never get back their land.OTELP is in operation in the two blocks for past four years. Through the programme, 28-year-old Nua Majhi, a poor farmer with marginal land holding in Amjhola village under Thuamul Rampur block, could get back his land after long years.Eleven years back his father Dinjang Majhi mortgaged his one acre paddy land for a small loan of Rs 1600 to purchase a pair of bullocks under Kado bandha. The money-lender enjoyed the produces of the land for last 11 years. However, after working for the fitment of uplands of the village through land and water management component of OTELP in February and March he could get more than Rs 4500 and repaid the loan and got back his ancestral land. Like Nua Majhi eight others also got back their lands with support of OTELP.
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The list of the farmers of Amjhola village of Th. Rampur block who got back their land from monely lenders (sahukar/ mahajans) after intervention of OTELP are:
1.Bali Majhi-13yr-2500/-2 ac. 2.Rata Majhi -1 yr-400/-0.5 ac.
3.Gopera Majhi -3yr-1000/-1 ac.
4.Nua Majhi -11yr-1600/- 1 ac.
5.Tarik Majhi -13yr-1000/-1 ac.
6.Betang Majhi -9yr-1500/-1.25 ac.
7.Teli Majhi -1yr-2000/-1.5 ac.
8.San Mali Majhi -5yr-1500/-1 ac.
9.San Rabnu Majhi-10yr.-900/-1 ac.
The unique Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods programme i.e. OTELP has already imprinted its impact in many aspects in many of its villages and more & more is expected in coming days.
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