Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the plight of tribal villagers residing in a forest village named Dhurkuch, Gram Panchayat Kota in Jawa block of district Rewa in Madhya Pradesh from Panchsheel Sewa Sansthan,a local voluntary organization. Sansthan found that there is no Public Distribution Shop (PDS) shop, earmarked to sell subsidized rations, to those entitled in the village with a population of some 900 people. Furthermore, the villagers have to travel by foot to a village 11 kilometers away to pick up their rations.
CASE NARRATIVE:
The AHRC has learnt that the inhabitants of a forest village Dhurkuch in Kota Gram Panchayat of Rewa district have no PDS shop in their village despite having been demanding it for a long time. Further, they are listed in a PDS shop in village Gaiduraha that is a full 11 kilometers away from their village. Though covering this distance causes distress to all residents, it makes life particularly difficult for most vulnerable groups like single women, pregnant women, the elderly and destitute.
To reach Gaidurha, the villagers have to go to Dabhaura, 5 kilometres away. Then they have to change buses to another village a further 5 kilometers away and then walk for another kilometre to reach the PDS shop. Ironically, their entitlements could, at least, have been attached to the PDS shop in Dabhaura. Allegations of massive corruption and leakages made the authorities put their assignments in a village a further 6 kilometers away.
The village has a population of around 900. Barring some 30 families which fall under the Other Backward Communities (OBC), all other residents of the village are tribal people. Further, most of the villagers are poor daily labourers and eke out a living by doing odd jobs available in the rural areas. Being very poor, most of them depend on the PDS ration to survive and are thus distressed by the huge distance between their village and the PDS shop they are assigned to. On the other side of the coin, this village does have facilities to accommodate a PDS shop.
Quite the contrary, the village having a functioning Anganwadi and a primary school can certainly accommodate a PDS shop. This is why the villagers had demanded a PDS shop in the village some four ago. But the authorities allegedly denied them by classifying the village as inaccessible. The villagers allege that no government official came to the village to ascertain facts. Evidence of the plain lie about the inaccessibility of the village is the forest road constructed by the Forest Department that has made the village easily accessible.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below demanding the immediate opening of a PDS shop in the village. You may also demand an inquiry into why there has been no shop in the village and also why the villagers had been assigned to a shop in a village 11 kilometers away from their homes.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ......................,
INDIA: Villagers forced to get their rations from a PDS shop 11 kilometres away.
Name of the victims:
Residents of Dhurkuch village, Kota Gram Panchayat of Rewa district In Madhya Pradesh
Alleged perpetrators: Government authorities
The AHRC has learnt that the inhabitants of a forest village Dhurkuch in Kota Gram Panchayat of Rewa district have no PDS shop in their village despite demanding one for a long time. Further, they are listed in a PDS shop in village Gaiduraha that is a full 11 kilometers away from their village. Covering this long distance, in picking up their entitlements, causes distress to all residents. It makes life particularly difficult for the most vulnerable groups like single women, pregnant women, the elderly and the destitute.
To reach Gaidurha, the villagers have to first go to Dabhaura, 5 kilometres away. Then they have to change buses to another village a further 5 kilometers away. Lastly, they walk for another kilometre to reach the PDS shop. Ironically, their entitlements could, at least, have been attached to the PDS shop in Dabhaura. But allegations of massive corruption and leakages made the authorities put their assignments in a village a further 6 kilometers away.
The village has a population of around 900 persons. Barring some 30 families, which fall under the Other Backward Communities (OBC), all other residents of the village are tribal people. Most of the villagers are poor, daily labourers and eke out a living by doing odd jobs available in the rural areas. Being very poor, most of them depend on the PDS ration to survive. Thus, the huge distance between their village and the PDS shop they are assigned to puts them at a disadvantage. It causes them great hardship and distress.
Quite to the contrary, the village having a functioning Anganwadi and a primary school can certainly accommodate a PDS shop. This is why four years ago the people demanded a PDS shop in their village. However, the authorities allegedly denied their request and furthermore classified the village as inaccessible. Allegedly, no government official came to the village to ascertain the facts.
To add to the situation, the forest department constructed a road into the forest that has made the village easily accessible. So this road stands as a witness to the lie concocted by the government as to the inaccessibility of the village.
I, therefore, urge you to intervene immediately in this case. I would request that you seek to:
1. Ensure that a PDS shop is opened immediately in the village.
2. Ensure that a free and fair inquiry is conducted into why the residents of the village are assigned to a PDS shop 11 kilometres away from their homes.
3. Ensure that other villages with similar issues are identified and provided with an Anganwadi and/or PDS shop as required,
4. Ensure that lapses imperilling the food security of vulnerable groups are not repeated.
Sincerely,
.................
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Shri Jairam Ramesh
Ministry of Rural Development
Government of India
Krishi Bhavan,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road,
New Delhi – 110001
INDIA
FAX: +91 23385876
2. Prof. K.V. Thomas
Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Government of India
Krishi Bhavan,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road,
New Delhi – 110001
INDIA
FAX: +91 23386098
3. Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi 110001
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 2338 4863
E-mail: chairnhrc@nic.in
4. Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Chief Minister
Government of Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 755 2441781; 2540501
Email : cm@mp.nic.in
5. Shri R. Parasuram,
Chief Secretary,
Government of Madhya Pradesh,
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,
India.
Fax: +91 755 2441751; 2441521
Email: cs@mp.nic.in
6. Shri S.N. Rupla, IAS
District Collector
Collectorate
Rewa
Madhya Pradesh
INDIA
Fax : 07662-242806
Email : dmrewa@mp.nic.in
Thank you
Hunger Alerts Programme
Right to Food Programme (foodjustice@ahrc.asia)
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
