Malkangiri: Around 80 panchayats of the 111 panchayats of Malkanagiri district in the backward KBK region do not have banking and telecommunication facilities.
Sources said there are only 45 government and private bank branches in the district in places like Block Sadara Mahakunma Khairaputa, Chittrakonda, Padia, Kalimela, Korukonda, Mathili, Balimela NAC and Malkangiri Municipality.
Although the state and the Centre are launching schemes like Make in India, Digital India etc, basic things like banking and telecom facilities are still a dream for the people of Malkanagri district.
The population of the district is around seven lakh, but there are only 45 bank branches.
Malkangiri district is one of the districts with the lowest per capita income in Odisha. Its share in the Gross State Domestic Product is also one of the lowest.
The money sanctioned through government schemes like MNREGA, PMAY, water projects and payments for farmers for paddy sold in government procurement centres are given through online banking. So the people from Swabhiman areas like Panasaputa, Jadmba, Andrapalli, Rallegeda, Papermetala, Kurmunur, Papulur etc have to travel 50 to 60 km to get their money from the government.
The poor telecom service adds to the woes of the public here. There are no mobile phone networks in 50 per cent of the villages in this district.
When Malkangri SP Jagmohan Meena was asked about this, he said the government had put up 24 mobile phone towers, and that they will submit a proposal to the state government for another 125 towers.
The district has been a stronghold of Maoists for long as it is 600 km from the state capital. No government employee, unless belonging to the district, is willing to serve here. Most of them consider a posting in this faraway district as a punishment.
Similarly, mobile phone companies have not shown interest in putting up towers in the district as Maoists have damaged them several times. SP Jagmohan has assured tower companies that the police would provide security to them for putting up towers.
PNN