NH Impact: Starving villagers Banda district get ration cards, food packets

On May 23, government officials including the area SDM descended on village Kherwa in Banda district of Bundelkhand region and issued ration cards to the families who were staging a protest demanding free food grains under government’s subsidiary scheme.

There were 17 families who were staging the protest. But by May 24 the officials gave provisional ration cards to 52 families of the adjoining gram sabha too.

The interesting fact is that despite May 24 being a Sunday, officials camped in that village and ensured that everyone gets a ration card.

National Herald had raised the voice of these villagers in a write-up that appeared on May 21 under the headline “Starving villagers put up banner, launch ‘hunger strike’ to draw attention to their plight”.

The story talked about the plight of the villagers who had put up a banner which read: “Hazoor Bhook se mar rahe hain”.

Raja Bhaiya of Vidya Dham samiti said that officers all of sudden came to the scene and asked villagers to end their protest as they will get ration card. They got all the details and the cards were ready for 17 families in a jiffy.

“Next day, despite being a Sunday, they came again and made ration cards for other families too. They also gave ration kits containing rice, flour, cooking oil, salt and masala to each family,” raja Bhaiya said.

The Kherwa village is inhibited by Kucchbandiyas community, who are dalits. The livelihood of these families is dependent on ‘Pheri’ – which includes selling small household tools and delivering services to nearby villages by roaming around from one village to another.

“The villagers were worried about their survival but with this government help coming in time,they will be able to tide over the situation,” he said adding that news in English medium always has an impact among officers.