Ekta or unity is our strength

Ekta or unity is our strength

October 2022

There are three tribal-dominated villages  in Orissa, namely, Muhuliya, Sibida, and  Nandoor, in which people of the Kaundh  community reside. After independence, the  rays of development spread all across India,  but these three villages were amongst those  deprived of the light because they were forest  villages. These three villages did not have basic  facilities like hospitals, schools, rural child care,  preschool centres, electricity, or even roads.  The villagers had to travel 60 km to Banpur for  medical treatment and eight km to Barbara to  get their rations from the Public Distribution  System, i.e., PDS shops. 

The tribals of the villages wanted the conversion  of their villages from forest to revenue villages  because, as forest villages, they did not have  access to basic facilities, and development was  hampered. These people consistently tried to  get this reformation done, but it wasn’t so easy.  However, they were determined to get their  villages registered in the list of revenue villages.  With this objective, in 2002, they joined  Ekta Parishad, an NGO based on Gandhian  principles. 

After joining, the villagers started raising their  issues at various levels. Land and education  

medical facilities, PDS systems, roads, etc.  were some of the major issues. Initially, the  government didn’t pay heed to the non-violent  action of the organisation. 

Ultimately, in 2015, the Odisha Government  took the initiative to convert these three villages  into revenue villages. On August 3, 2015,  the collector of Khordha wrote a letter to the  tehsildar (revenue officer) ordering him to take  permission from the Gram Sabha to convert  the villages to revenue villages. Following the  orders, a meeting was held on September 3,  2021. Currently, all the processes like Gram  Sabha resolution, making of revenue maps, etc.  are being completed by the tehsildar and the  district development officer in the presence of  the villagers and the Ekta Parishad activists.  They asserted that in a few days, these villages  were going to be marked on the revenue map of  Odisha. 

The real credit for this success goes to all  the families residing in these three villages  who have won this battle together with Ekta  Parishad. This shows us that unity can indeed  achieve anything. 

rights, rural child care centres, drinking water.

By Jamuna Rangchari