Rice sent to Mautaam affected areas

Lamka, Mar 28: Four months after a team of media persons exposed the true extend of devastation caused by Mautaam in the interior locations of Churachandpur district, the government today began dispatching rice bought out of NREGS wages to relieve starvation scare/deaths.

The seven truckload of rice flagged off by the Deputy Commissioner Sumant Singh today were part of the relief measure taken up by the government.

however the fact that these rice being purchased from 40 days NREGS wages of the people themselves, to an extend belies contention of the package being a relief measure of the government.
Notably, the efforts of the district administration in utilizing NREGS wages for purchasing PDS rice and delivering thereof is remarkable. yet many a civil society including the ZEPADA and the CDSU feel that something more has to be done.

Today’s stop-gap arrangement may have for the time being sustained the 8217 fully affected households of Thanlon, Tipaimukh and Vangai blocks, but for how long, is the haunting query.

Partly affected blocks of Henglep and Singngat were not included in the arrangement. However, the arrangement was significant as it has effectively addressed the peoples’ lack of purchasing power and that the rarely delivered PDS rice will be delivered, at a much cheaper rate.

With the PDS rice bought out of NREGS wages arriving in the affected villages, AAY, BPL and APL rice will be made available at the rate of Rs. 5.37, Rs. 8.11 and Rs. 10.56 per kilogram.

PLA claims

The proscribed PLA has today claimed that its cadres of the 252 Bn were responsible for the attack launched at the post of 9 Assam Rifles located at CCpur district near Singhat PS at 5 am yesterday. A spokesman of the outfit said that the PLA cadres used rockets and lethode and claimed that many personnel must have suffered deaths and casualties in the attack. All the PLA cadres have returned safely, added the spokesman. The outfit has also refuted the claim of the police that Loitongbam Kanhai (47) of Haobam Marak is a cadre of the PLA.