All Niyamgiri villages turn down Vedanta’s mining proposal

livemint, Aug 19, 2013
Gaurav Jain  |  Neha Sethi 
The environment ministry now has to decide if it will issue a permit to Vedanta to mine bauxite in the area

New Delhi: All 12 villages in the Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa have rejected Vedanta Resources Plc.’s proposal to mine bauxite in the region after a decade-long battle between tribespeople and the London-listed mining company run by non-resident Indian tycoonAnil Agarwal.

Jarapa in Rayagada district, the last of the villages that were asked by the Supreme Court to decide whether the project should go ahead, chose on Monday to follow the example of the 11 other villages and vote against the miner’s proposal.

These 12 villages were selected by the Orissa government out of more than 100 in the Niyamgiri hills after a Supreme Court ruling on 18 April. In its order, the apex court gave village councils in the Rayagada and Kalahandi districts three months to prepare their reports on whether bauxite mining should be allowed and to what extent.

The environment ministry now needs to decide whether it would issue a permit to Vedanta to mine bauxite in the area, according to the apex court’s ruling.

The local Dongria Kondh and Kutia tribes say their deity Niyam Raja lives in the hills and the proposed mine will impinge upon their socio-cultural and religious rights.

The verdict of the gram sabhas has been overwhelmingly against mining in the region. Seven of the village councils had by 30 July rejected Vedanta’s proposal to mine bauxite it wanted to use as ore for its alumina refinery. Four more subsequently voted against the project.

Activists who have been campaigning against the Vedanta mining proposal rejoiced on social media.

“Match Over! The final score card #Niyamgiri 12 - #Vedanta 0. Jarapa says a big unanimous NO to mining,” Surya Shankar Dash, an independent documentary film maker, tweeted.

The voices of tribespeople should be heard in a democratic country, according to Sidharth Nayak of Green Kalahandi, an Orissa-based not-for-profit body. “The livelihood of a lot of the tribals is dependent completely on the Niyanmgiri hills and their votes should be respected,” Nayak said. “If so many people have rejected (the mining proposal) and it is a matter of their lives, then the decision should be respected.”

The Naveen Patnaik-government of Orissa and Vedanta should close the Niyamgiri chapter in a dignified manner, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper on 17 August.

“At this moment, I won’t be able to comment on anything,” a manager at Vedanta Aluminium Ltd said, requesting anonymity. “But our memorandum of understanding with Orissa Mining Corp. is still intact.”

He cited Pinaki Misra, a member of Parliament from Orissa’s ruling Biju Janata Dal, as saying that the state administration remained committed to providing 150 million tonnes of bauxite as per the agreement.

Vedanta’s one million tonne per annum alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district, about 600km from Bhubaneswar, could never operate at full capacity due to a shortage of bauxite, and it is now closed.

Vedanta has a joint venture with state-owned Orissa Mining to develop a bauxite mine in Niyamgiri hills and supply the material to Vedanta’s alumina refinery. The apex court’s ruling in April came in a case pitting the state-run firm against the environment ministry.

Saswat Mishra, managing director of Orissa Mining, couldn’t be reached for comment over the phone despite repeated attempts. An emailed query was not answered.

This outcome was largely expected and Vedanta will face difficulties in this regard, an analyst with a Mumbai-based brokerage firm said, requesting anonymity.

“They will continue to operate their alumina refinery at reduced capacity with minimal margins on imported alumina or bauxite sourced from nearby areas or Gujarat,” the analyst said.

“But they have to apply for mines afresh, and this being an election year, it’s going to be a daunting task.”

    

Blood donation camp in Dharamgarh

Reported by Sri Anshuman Patra
Dharitri, Aug 18, 2013

NDtv, Aug 16, 2013

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Full transcript: BJD's Pinaki Misra on Odisha government's efforts to bring Vedanta back

NDTV.com | Updated: August 16, 2013 01:34 IST

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New Delhi: Eleven out of 12 villages in Odisha have rejected mining of bauxite, used to make aluminium, in Niyamgiri by Vedanta. But despite the no from the villagers, speaking exclusively to NDTV's Anchal Vohra, the ruling Biju Janata Dal's Pinaki Misra says the government of Odisha is determined to provide Vedanta bauxite, if not from Niyamgiri then from an alternative site.

Here's the full transcript of the interview:
 
NDTV: Sir, now that the villagers have said no to mining by Vedanta, what does it mean for Vedanta, and what does it mean for the government because the government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vedanta promising them bauxite?

Pinaki Misra: Well, it means very little actually because we will give them bauxite. We are committed, you know. I think the day the Congress party thought it was a fit case to take Rahul Gandhi there and exhort the people to say no, this is the direct consequence of that. So, I am not surprised at all that Congress party which has always exhorted povertarianism, even while they's always said they want to remove poverty, they've actually wanted to perpetuate poverty.

NDTV: Sir, how is Rahul Gandhi's visit linked to villagers saying no to Vedanta?

Pinkai Misra: Because Rahul Gandhi went there three years back, had a huge public rally and said 'I am your saviour from Delhi and I will ensure that mining doesn't take place in Niyamgiri'. I will give you the example of Posco - it is the classi doublespeak of the Congress. The PM, the Finance Minister, the Planning Commission are desperate for FDI. Posco, which is the third largest steel manufacturer in the world, has committed to Rs. 75000 crore, 10 million tonne steel plant in Odisha. The local Congress is opposing it tooth and nail.

NDTV: Have you shortlisted how and where you are going to be giving bauxite to Vedanta now?

Pinaki Misra: We have already identified... you know, L&T has a joint venture with Vedanta. L&T is sitting on some very good mines which they have not yet exploited. So that's already being looked at. Plus OMC has bauxite as well, so we will give Vedanta bauxite from OMC, there's no problem.

NDTV: Koraput what they are saying...

Pinaki Misra: ...Karlapat, that's right. Again NGOs will immediately, not NGOs but the Congress party will immediately start raising some environmental issue there as well. But... I mean... you know, we will see what the court's wisdom in that matter will be.

NDTV: And Vedanta has been discussing this with the government?

Pinaki Misra: Yes, of course. The government is very anxious, you know. It is a large investment. Naveen Patnaik brought them to Kalahandi and the fact that Vedanta came and put up a plant in Kalahandi, which is one of the most backward regions, is because the Chief Minister personally requested them to do so. Unfortunately, they got kicked in the tooth by the Congress.

Odisha: Congress MP Bhakta Charan Das met Prime Minister over plight of farmers

Orissadiary, Aug 15, 2013
Report by Odisha Diary bureau, New Delhi: Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das met Prime Minister today and apprised him of the plight of the farmers of Kalahandi and Nuapada who lost their harvested paddy due to heavy rains.  Das has urged the PM to compensate the farmers with the Minimum Support Price per quintal and also requested him to provide help from the natural calamity fund as the State Government doesn't seem to take the matter seriously which is evident from the amount it has announced as the compensation i.e. Rs. 6500/- per hectare which is not adequate. Mr Das said that farmers in Odisha had to suffer heavy losses because of excess rainfall this year. This year (till June) the total rainfall was measured to be 3436.0 mm whereas the normal amount of rainfall is only 240.4 mm. Due to such heavy rainfall around 570 Quintals of paddy got washed away. This year during Rabi, out of the total paddy area of 146890.00 acres, 21014.45 acres got affected. The paddy crops were ready, lying open in the market for sale but it took more than a month’s time to the state government for procurement of the crop. MP Das also draws attention of PM over lack of storage facility in the state. Mr. Das said because Of this all small, medium and marginal farmers had to bear heavy loss. Their entire crop has gone wasted. Things have always been bleak for these farmers and this calamity has made their lives even worse.  MP Das requested Prime Minister to  take up the issue of the loss of these poor farmers considerately and get them at least 50% compensation for their destroyed crops as per the minimum support price per acre.  MP Das has written a letter to Chief Minister in this regards. 

Religion Reverses Mining Move

Note: I liked this article's neutrality and in-depth study, to me this is how a good reporter and journalist should make an article for the benefit of the society at large

Tathya, Aug 11, 2013
Bhubaneswar : 11/August/2013 

Religion is the opium of the people, but few understand what we exactly meant.” This million dollar statement of Karl Marx seems to have its reflections on the Gram Sabhas being conducted in the hill slope villages of Niyamgiri Hills to determine the fate of country’s most controversial mining project for Vedanta.

The state government has so far conducted 10 of the 12 gram sabhas in these villages and all such exercise have strongly opposed the proposed bauxite mining atop Niyamgiri Hills in one voice. There has been not a single person from among the 10 villages who supported the bauxite mining atop Niyamgiri Hills, considered as the Niyam Raja, the presiding deity of the local residents belonging to Dangaria, Jharania and Kutia Kanda tribes.

The tribals worship Niyam Raja as their God and they consider the entire Hills range as the places of worship even though the proposed bauxite mining is 10 kilometer away from the seat of their Hill God. The state government and the entire scientific community are of the view that bauxite mining will never affect the local ecology nor it has any impact on the religious activities of the local people. They cited such activities at Panchpatmali mines of Koraput where Nalco was mining bauxite. There is absolutely no damage in Panchpatmali area, observed geologists in a recent statement.

However, the tribal inhabitants of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts do not believe state government and scientific community even as they are told that the bauxite mining will change their socio and economic situation. They refused any kind of benefits and stick to their stand and said that they can do anything including sacrificing their lives for the protection of their Niyam Raja.

“The people in all the gram sabhas have clearly and categorically opined that their religious practice will be affected if mining is allowed atop Niyamgiri Hills,” said both the Judges who acted as Observers in Kalahandi and Rayagada district gram sabhas.

“It is religion which has stood as the hurdle before the proposed mining at Niyamgiri Hills. Had there been no religious angle to it, things would have been very easy. However, one cannot change the religious sentiments of the people,” said an independent observer adding that people who work against Vedanta Group could successfully motivate the tribals under the garb of religion to say no to mining. And they have been successful in their bid. Thanks to the religious belief of the people.

The Supreme Court’s April 18 judgment had opened a new chapter in the history of mining in the country. As the Apex Court has allowed the local tribals to take a decision through gram sabhas to decide the fate of bauxite mining at Niyamgiri, the people in other areas, particularly in Khandadhar region may oppose Posco’s proposed iron ore mining in Sundargarh district. As all the tribals have their own God in the hills, mountains, trees and nature, they could now raise the issue whenever there is any move to start mining. After Vedanta, possibly Posco could be the next victim of religious opposition to mining.

Surprisingly, the state government has been stuck in a typical situation. Despite opposition from different quarters including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti (NSS),  NGOs, and Congress MLAs & local MP, the state government decided to hold Gram Sabhas in only 12 hill slope villages. The government refused to conduct gram sabha in all the few hundred villages as demanded by others including MoTA.

It was perceived that the state government and Vedanta will motivate the residents of hill slope villages for supporting mining. But, surprisingly, none did their beat and the people have come out against the proposed mining activities at Niyamgiri Hills.

Interestingly the BJD government, which is perceived to be favoring Vedanta could not took note of the activities of NGOs, who influenced the tribals to a large extent and government’s intelligence apparatus failed as well as with political institution. The
Congress and AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was against mining at Niyamgiri hills since a long time. Even Rahul  has come out with agitating tribals and identified himself as their “Sepoy” in Delhi Durbar.

General feeling was that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has effective mechanism among the tribal population and his government can easily motivate a few hundred people living in hill slopes. However, the people opposition has confirmed that Rs 1 a kg rice has little impact on the people when it comes to their presiding deity. The people are totally opposed to mining. This is not that Naveen has lost popular mandate. But it can be said that people will not go by anyone including one who gives cheap rice for survival of their children.

In a way, one can conclude that religion is supreme and people will not hesitate to invite trouble and bad times for protection of their Dharma. Since the opponents could successfully infuse the religion into the controversy, they reaped the benefits. Therefore, Karl Marx’s statement on religion could be true to certain extent, observed political observers.

After selecting 12 villages, the government was supposed to launch a campaign to make people aware about the good impact of mining and its affect on the economy of the locals. The government could have make people understand that the mining project could also change their place of worship by developing it. It was responsibility of the government officials to give solid assurances to the people about the mining project.

On the other hand, the state government announced the dates for the gram sabhas in view of the Apex Court order while the opponents planned out strategies to reach each and every far flung village and make people aware about their religious rights. It is different matter that the people were influenced that mining activities would adversely affect their Niyam Raja.

And the state government officials made no efforts to win the hearts of the people. Whereas anti-Vedanta NGOs and opposition leaders camped in the villages and result was obvious, pointed out an activist, who worked very hard to convince the people that the mining project will harm their socio-cultural and religious interest.

So it the  religion played a major role in reversing the Odisha mining plan. But one thing is clear that for last so many years community was kept at a bay so far deciding the fate of natural resources is concerned. Now it has made a full circle and with the blessing of Supreme Court, community will have the final say on ownership of these resources. So Community is the real owner not the state government, which claims ownership on the mineral resources of the state under MMDR Act.

Foreigners barred from gram sabha

Times of India, Aug 13, 2013
Satyanarayan Pattnaik, TNN Aug 13, 2013, 04.31AM IST

KORAPUT: After the controversy over presence of two Englishmen at Lakhpadar gram sabhaon August 7, the Rayagada district administration has decided to deploy officials to check entry of foreign nationals to Khambesi, the venue for the 11th gram sabha to be held on Tuesday.

"A team of officials will be stationed at Panimunda. Any foreign trespasser will be prosecuted, according to the law," said collector (Rayagada) Sashi Bhusan Padhi. Panimunda provides a gateway to Khambesi, a non-descript village under Muniguda block. It is about 100 km from Rayagada town.

"Since the duo reached Lakhpadar from Kalahandi district, we had means to check them," the collector added. Following the human safari row earlier this year, the administration had imposed certain restrictions on foreign tourists, visiting the district. Photography is also banned in areas inhabited by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), sources said.

Khambesi is home to around 23 Dongria Kondh families, categorized as a PVTG. There are around 72 voters and 49 among them are women. The gram sabha will be held under the supervision of Rayagada district judge Sarat Chandra Mishra.

The earlier gram sabhas held in both Rayagada and Kalahandi districts have voted against the Vedanta Aluminuim Limited's proposal to mine Niyamgiri hills.

Jyoti: Poverty made her "Baunsa Rani" in Dharamgarh

Reported by Sri Anshuman Patra
Dharitri, Aug 13, 2013

Congress leader joined BJP in Dharamgarh

Reported by Sri Anshuman Patra

Dharitri, Aug 12, 2013

Hope for future: Youth speak during independence day 2013

Reported by Anshuman Patra
Dharitri, Aug 11, 2013

Sambad Seminar on Literature in Bhawanipatna

Sambad, Aug 9, 2013

Vedanta rejection at Niyamgiri won't be the last; jinx of bauxite mining may continue

Economic Times, Aug 8, 2013
By MEERA MOHANTY, ET Bureau | 8 Aug, 2013, 04.00AM IST
When the voting stops on August 19, the scorecard, which is currently 9-0, may well read 12-0. An emphatic and embarrassing rejection of state and corporate plans to mine bauxite atop the Niyam Dongar hilltop in the Kalahandi district of Odisha.

Twelve tribal villages that call this mountainrange home have, in all likelihood, secured their religious rights over the hill and its natural resources, including 72 million tonnes of bauxite that the $15 billion mining giant Vedanta Resources has been trying to get its hands on to convert to alumina at its neighbouring refinery.

India's highest court had ordered this referendum in April, after noting that project considerations had not taken into account whether scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers had any rights of worship over the Niyamgiri hills.

There may never have been as much at stake, or such media scrutiny, or judicial intervention, but the unanimous message coming from the gram sabhas being held since July 18 is not new: Odisha's troubled bauxite journey must reassess its challenges. And it could start by revisiting its history.

This is not the first time a plan to mine bauxite in eastern India—home to about 70% of the country's reserves of the mineral used to make aluminium—has collided with a conflation of interests, and stalled or crumbled. Chances are it won't be the last, and will continue to ring-fence the industry's expansion.

"It is a matter of great irony that Odisha has some of the best minerals of all kinds, particularly the finest bauxite, but there's not a single new mine in the last 30 years," says SK Roongta, managing director of Vedanta Aluminium.

In the period that Roongta refers to, six major bauxite projects have found themselves tangled in conflict. These six, which are the gateway to about 30% of India's bauxite reserves of 3.5 billion tonnes, all lie in the eastern belt of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, passing through some of the poorest parts of the country.

The story of each reveals the details and nuances of the jinx that bauxite mining has come to be. It's not just a Vedanta that is opposed; every aluminium company wanting to secure raw material, be it from the private sector (Hindalco, JSW, etc) or the public sector (Nalco), has felt the backlash. The actors on the other side vary: locals, a Norwegian NGO, a minister, the state itself. The reasons have differed: from religious significance to rehabilitation, from perceived intrusion to policy revision.

And all this goes back to the beginning of the short history of this mineral in India.

A report on Women's College Dharamgarh

Reported by Sri Anshuman Patra
Dharitri, Aug 7, 2013

Thanks to state Govt. for taking this issue: L&T bags Rs 646.56 cr lift irrigation contract

Note: I am thankful to our state Govt. for taking this issue that we have been raising earlier, one my read our letter http://kalahandia.blogspot.fi/2010/10/mega-check-dam-in-tel-river.html
Indeed it will be good boost to irrigation facilities in KBK region.

 L&T bags Rs 646.56 cr lift irrigation contract
Business Standard, Aug 7, 2013
Larsen and Turbo Ltd (L&T) has been awarded Rs 646.56 crore contract for equipment supply and construction of 28 mega lift irrigation projects in Tel River basin by the water resources department of Odisha government.

The Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the Tel River basin is meant to provide irrigation facility in 35,400 ha farm fields of drought prone districts of Kalahandi, Bolangir, Subarnapur and Boudh districts.

Each lift irrigation scheme will be designed to cover 500 to 2000 ha area close to rivers and existing reservoirs.

The contract was awarded to L&T for two clusters, out of five clusters selected for implementation in the first phase. The government has plans to cover 15 clusters with an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore for 174 lift irrigation projects.

“Looking at the experience and expertise of L&T in this field, we are confident that the projects will be completed on time and farmers will reap the benefit,” said a state government release.

These projects will be completed within 30 months from the date of signing of agreement.

Individual efforts for a noble cause

Times of India, Aug 6, 2013
Bikash Khemka, TNN | Aug 6, 2013, 01.02 AM IST
BHAWANIPATNA: Far away from the hustlebustle of the cities, where education is a priceless commodity, a doctor has taken it upon himself to teach the people the benefits donating their body parts.

Dr Debendra Samal, a 48-year-old Ayurvedadoctor in the tribal heartland of Kalahandi, has dedicated his life for educating people to donate body organs for the needy. Despite obstacles, Dr Samal has continued with his mission over the past couple of years.

On July 8, 2011 when Samal, a resident of Manoharpur under Medinipur gram panchayat near Bhawanipatna who has been practicing since 1994, organized the first organ donation awareness camp at Medinipur village under the banner of 'Life Vision', a non-government organization he set up, he got no response from the public.

The next year, he again organized a similar camp at the same place, this time for a week. Still there was no response.

Despite two back-to-back failures, Samal made a third attempt this year. He organized a two-week camp this July, at the same place.

This time, his efforts paid dividends, finally. "One person came and pledged to donate his eyes," the doctor said, smiling.

"The man who pledged to donate his eyes has not yet completed the legal formalities because we do not have enough money. I have received around 10 calls from people who want to donate organs after the recent campaign, which has boost my confidence and now I want to work more through the organ transplantation campaign," he said.

Samal says about 6,605 persons are blind in Kalahandi, which has a population of over 13 lakh, as per government records till July 2013.

"My experience says the people of urban areas are more interested to pledge their bodies in comparison to the rural area," the doctor, who has not married, said.

The NGO "Life Vision", which was registered in 2009, has earlier focused on HIV-AIDS, including SHG training programme, agriculture, plantation and environment, is now focusing on the transplantation of human organs. However, the NGO has not yet received financial aid from the state or central government.

Samal toured the country on a cycle in 2010 for the HIV-AIDS awareness. He earns from ayurveda medicines and spends all his income towards organ donation camps. He said the government should now focus on the transplantation of human organs in the country. "The government focused on HIV-AIDS awareness and it succeeded in minimizing it. If crores can be spent on AIDS, why not on organ donations?" he asked.

He said in the modern era, the use of pesticides in agriculture has developed the diseases in human beings. Another reason for pancreas-related problems is the use of unhygienic water mostly in rural areas. Pollution in cities is affecting the lungs which is a major concern.

If we compare the health 30 years ago, diseases in organs have increased up to 60%.

"We should be a part of the organ donation campaign and feel proud to save precious lives of human beings," Samal summed up.

Sahitya Ghara organised by Sambad in Bhawanipatna town hall on Aug 8, 2013

Shared by Sri Debendra Bisi
Sambad, Aug 5, 2013

In the name of god

The Week, Aug 5, 2013
By Soumik Dey

From a distance, the hills of Niyamgiri look like giant pillars, jutting out of the dense green cover beneath. As you get closer, you can see perennial streams gurgling around the tall sal trees, carrying bauxite-rich water from a network of interconnected aquifers to the valleys below and further down to the vast expanse of agricultural fields.

The Niyamgiri hills, near Hundaljali in Kalahandi district of Odisha,
have become the epicentre of anti-mining protests. Around the hills are green bajra fields and small huts of the Dongriya Kondh and other tribes—the original inhabitants of Dandakaranya forests—who fear losing the forests and agricultural land, once the mining starts.

There are rich bauxite reserves underneath these hills. The area is earmarked for mining by the Odisha government for supplying bauxite to Vedanta Aluminium Ltd, a subsidiary of the Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta Resources. Vedanta has already invested $1 billion for an aluminium refining and smelting plant in Lanjigarh, in Kalahandi district. Under an agreement with Vedanta, the government is required to provide raw material to the plant for the next 20 years.

However, the Niyamgiri hills are worshipped by the tribals as their god ‘Niyamraja' or the law-giver. “He is invoked in our spirit by just breathing in the presence of these hills,” said Sana Sikaka, a 27-year-old tribal activist from the neighbouring Jharapa village, one of the many villages that would be affected by the mining.

On April 18, while disposing of a petition filed by Vedanta, the Supreme Court ordered that the opinion of the tribal people should be sought before starting mining in the region. The court wanted to know whether mining in the Niyamgiri hills would constitute an infringement of the religious and cultural rights of the tribals.

After dragging its feet for three months, the government finally announced the gram sabha meetings in 12 villages of Rayagada and Kalahandi districts from July 18. Anti-mining activists, however, opposed the move to limit the number of villages to be surveyed to 12. They said Niyamraja was worshipped in more than 100 villages in the region and, by excluding them, the government was going against the spirit of the apex court's order. This view is supported by the Union ministry of tribal affairs as well. In the seven villages where the gram sabha meetings were held so far, the tribals have overwhelmingly rejected mining.

The last gram sabha meeting, according to the government's schedule, will be held on August 19 and with that, the government hopes to decide the fate of a dense forest spread across 670 hectares, covering four hills, in two districts. “Our temple is made of trees and stones. These hills have provided us with vegetables, fruits, animals to hunt, shelter and water, everything we need, forever,” said Prafulla Samantra, leader of the National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM) and one of the original petitioners who had moved the Supreme Court against mining. Samantra has also written to Odisha Governor S.C. Jamir, highlighting the plight of the tribals and how they are denied their traditional rights. “We are neglected by the government to serve the interests of Vedanta,” he said.

Vedanta officials and critics of the movement, however, said they suspected a foreign hand behind the protests. “The Amnesty International is funding these people,” said an official. The company said it had incurred a loss of Rs.2,000 crore, apart from Rs.150 crore it spent towards resettlement and rehabilitation of those affected by the plant. According to company officials, the new plant in Niyamgiri is more energy efficient and technologically advanced. “Technology used in our refinery requires less energy and chemicals,” said a Vedanata spokesperson.

Calling the gram sabha meetings "a sham", Vedanta officials said they were collecting evidence to show that the activists were trying to influence the tribals. They also suspect a Maoist hand. “The Maoists threaten those who work with us,” said an official. However, on ground zero, journalists and activists complained about police oppression. Video clippings of police attacking tribal women and smashing cameras of journalists can be found on the web.

Local officials said they were strictly following the instructions of the government. “The presence of a district judge at these gram sabha meetings requires adequate security as mandated by protocol. Police barricades are used only to prevent people from other villages entering the gram sabha meetings. We are going by the latest voters' list,” said Sashi Bhushan Padhi, district magistrate of Rayagada.

Once the gram sabha meetings of the 12 villages get over by August 19, more than 100 tribal and non-tribal villages are planning to conduct their own gram sabha meetings, independent of the administration. “The narrow definition of the project-affected people by the government runs contrary to the letter and spirit of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Just because they do not live in the hills does not mean that they have no rights there,” said Naresh Saxena, a former bureaucrat, who as part of an expert group conveyed this point to the Supreme Court in 2010.

The next step for the anti-mining activists is to apprise the Supreme Court and the Union environment ministry that mining in the Niyamgiri region will affect the religious sentiments of more than 100 villages comprising 10,000 people, and not just 12 villages with 500 people. Meanwhile, production problems at the refinery are likely to continue even as Vedanta plans to move ahead with the project.

Survival at stake
* Dongriya Kondhs are part of the Kondh tribe, one of the primitive tribal groups in Odisha
* Estimated population is 10,000
* Normally living at altitudes above 5,000ft in the Niyamgiri hills
* Estimated sex ratio is 1,352 females for 1,000 males
* Literacy rate is less than 10 per cent (3 per cent among women)
* The tribe is endogamous, patrilineal and patriarchal
* They rely on hunting, gathering and shifting cultivation in the Niyamgiri hills

Nature's bounty* Niyamgiri has 72 million tonnes of bauxite reserves
* Three tonnes of bauxite is needed to produce one tonne of alumina and two tonnes of alumina is required to produce one tonne of aluminium
* Thus, approximately 12 million tonnes of aluminium can be produced from Niyamgiri's bauxite reserves
* One tonne of aluminium is worth approximately Rs.1.3 lakh
* So, the total value of aluminium will be approximately Rs.156,000 crore

Farmers threatened to strike on 13 Aug in Junagarh Tehsil

Reported by Sri Debendra Bisi
Sambad, Aug 5, 2013

Congress seeks 15K for farmers

Times of India, Aug 1, 2013
BHAWANIPATNA: To woo farmers ahead of the general elections, the Congress leaders on Wednesday demanded Rs 15,000 compensation for the flood-hit. Stating that the government had failed on all fronts, they accused the ruling BJD of misappropriating 10 kg BPL rice at a farmers' convention here.

The Congress leaders including AICC general secretary B K Hariprashad staged a demonstration outside the collector's office and submitted a 21-point demand to the collector.

Hariprasad said Odisha, under the BJD regime, has made no economic progress. The state's precious mineral resources have instead been looted. He appealed to the voters to defeat the BJD in the next election if they wished for development of the state. "The Centre has been providing hundreds of crores to Odisha for implementation of different welfare schemes. But the money instead is being pocketed by the BJD leaders," he alleged.

OPCC president Jayadev Jena threatened to intensify the demonstration if 10 kg BPL rice is not returned to the people.

Union minister Srikanta Jena demanded chief minister Naveen Patnaik's resignation as the state government's affidavit on Niyamgiri had proved wrong with the gram sabhas voting against the proposal.