THE GOAN NETWORK
CANACONA
Gaondongrim Sarpanch Dhillon alias Yeshtwant Dessao has threatened an indefinite hunger strike, after accusing the agriculture department of failing to distribute materials obtained under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) to 11 anganwadis in the village.
His decision on an indefinite hunger strike is likely to be finalised at the upcoming panchayat body meeting, and all panch members are likely to participate in a chain-hunger strike till the materials obtained under water conservation initiative of PMKSY are distributed to the anganwadis in Gaondongrim.
Speaking to reporters, Dessai said residents had been upset as materials allotted to the village anganwadis had not been distributed till date.
“People had earlier decided to boycott the Lok Sabha polls through a Gram Sabha resolution, but later relented after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant just before the polls had assured to resolve the problem soon after elections are held,” said Dessai.
“The chief minister had agreed to provide these materials to village anganwadis to whom it was originally allotted. But it has been months since the Lok Sabha elections, and there is no sign of the allotted materials being distributed to the village anganwadis listed in the committee meeting. We have no choice, but feel hunger strike is the only solution to get the people’s issue resolved.”
“Accordingly, we have decided to sit on a hunger strike, and this will be done once this decision will be recorded in the panchayat’s monthly meeting held by the month end.”
“Our panch members will sit on a chain hunger strike, and I will, as the village sarpanch, sit on an indefinite hunger strike till the allotted materials are distributed to the anganwadis of our village,” Dessai added.
THE MATERIALS
Under the Central government’s PMKSY initiative for the Water Conservation Initiative of ‘Pani Adwa, Pani Jirva’ scheme, the first phase expenditure of about Rs 15 lakh was released.
Tables, steel cupboards, water-filters and plastic chairs were purchased from the funds, to be distributed to all anganwadis in Gaondongrim panchayat area on recommendations of the PMKSY Gaondongrim village committee consisting of Sarpanch as chairman and agriculture officers as executive members.
The Sarpanch had then informed that materials which had been obtained were stocked at the Zonal Agriculture Office (ZAO) in Canacona, and no one took steps to distribute the materials to the anganwadis for over two years.
While Dessai blamed the Canacona ZAO for the delay in distributing the materials, he further alleged while some materials had been stocked in the ZAO office, the remaining materials were kept at someone’s private place and continued to gather dust.
People began to raise the issue at every gram sabha and finally passed a resolution to boycott the 2024 Lok Sabha polls over non-distribution of the materials to 11 Anganwadis of Gaondongrim.
The matter further escalated after the sarpanch accused the ZAO of distributing the materials to some other beneficiaries who were not listed by the Gaondongrim village PMKSY committee.
