RTI Kya Na Kare Kaam: 6 Farmers of Karlapat GP in Thuamul Rampur got their money from Horticulture department due to RTI application

Note: Our congratulation to those who took this initiative
Contributor: Sri Dillip Kumar Das

6 Farmers of Karlapat GP in Thuamul Rampur got their money from Horticulture department due to RTI application.

In the year 2010 Jagannath Singh, Sanatan Majhi & Kana Majhi of Melghara village, Mardaraj Singh of Dalguma village, Sarat Nayak & Bidyadhar Patra of Karlapat village in Karlapat GP of Thuamul Rampur block got selected under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) by the horticulture department to take up Vermin Compost tank with a subsidized support of government. The beneficiary selection was done by ANTODAYA. Under the scheme the farmer / beneficiary has to construct a Vermin compost tank costing Rs. 15000/- out of which the Horticulture department gives Rs. 7500/- as support to the farmers free of cost. These six farmers (all of them are small and marginal farmers) took up the work after getting the order from Horticulturist Bhawanipatna in the month of July 2010. Afterwards they were also given three day training on Vermin compost by the department at Bhawanipatna.

Farmers arranged all the materials for construction of the tank and constructed those by the end of October 2010. Then ANTODAYA informed the matter to the Horticulturist for payment of subsidy money @ Rs. 7500/- to each farmer, but no response from the horticulturist till December 2010. In the month of December again with lot of persuation the Horticulturist asked us to submit the photographs of the Farmers and their compost tanks for the case record at the department. ANTODAYA facilitated the process of photography. Seeing the photographs the Horticulturist again asked us to put a display board (uniformly prepared by the horticulture department) at the tank and take a fresh photograph. That was also done in the month of December 2010 and reported to the Horticulturist and he assured the farmers for early release of money.

The farmers waited for money till end of February 2011 but in vain. Again we asked the Horticulturist about the delay in releasing the money, but he tried to avoid the matter taking the plea that the officials would visit the farmers and inspect the tanks and then only the money can be released. Here we smelt something fishy. The Horticulturist and his staff members were trying to extract some bribe from the farmers.

At the beginning of March ANTODAYA wrote a letter to the Horticulturist on the delay and sent the copy of the letter to the Collector Kalahandi.

ANTODAYA also facilitated the filing of RTI application in the office of the Horticulturist (on 4th March 2011) through the volunteer Sri Rabinarayan Singh asking the information regarding the delay in payment of subsidy money under RKVY.

Seeing the RTI application the Horticulturist and the Engineer of Horticulture department fell in line. Immediately after the government holidays in the 1st week of March 2011 they visited the farmers on 14thMarch and released the money for five farmers on 18th March 2011. Now only Kana Majhi of Melghara has to wait for some days as his tank got damaged partly by termites and Kana Majhi has to repair it to get the money. Though Rabinarayan Singh has not yet got the information he asked but the purpose is solved and the farmers got their money.