Nayagarh: Workers and helpers of the farm sector in Nayagarh district are allegedly being fleeced by middlemen of their hard-earned money in exchange for registration of their names at the district labour office. Each of these workers has to pay anything between Rs 700 to Rs 1,200 to the touts for registration of their names. They also have to spend another Rs 10 to Rs 20 to buy the registration form, despite the state government proclaiming that those are available free of cost. In spite of shelling out such hefty amounts, the farmhands have to wait for months to see their names registered in the portal and lose out on benefits.
As a result, the registration in the number of farm labourers has failed to see a rise in Nayagarh district. This apart, many farm labourers have also failed to register their names due to lack of awareness. As per reports, only 1,385 farm workers in this district have been able to register their names till July 31, 2022.
Notably, Odisha’s agri workers are among the lowest wage earners in India Reports said that Nayagarh is predominantly an agriculture-dominated district. However, natural calamities like floods and cyclones have acted as a huge hindrance to farmers in cultivation of agricultural produces. The financial assistance they receive from the government is also very minimal in comparison to the costs and labour involved.
As a result many are seeking their livelihood elsewhere. Realising their difficulties, the Odisha government has accorded them the status of labourers in the unorganised sector and made arrangements for registration of their names in the designated portal. But they are facing obstructions in the form of touts.
Sources said that so far 1,18,659 farm labourers have registered their names in Odisha in the designated portal. Kendrapara has the highest registration of 25,099 labourers while Bolangir district has none. Similarly, seven in Jharsuguda, 549 in Sundargarh, 569 in Sambalpur, 636 in Mayurbhanj, 731 in Khurda, 834 in Deogarh, 1,439 in Angul, 3,938 in Balasore, 4,151 in Bhadrak, 2,478 in Bargarh, 10,223 in Boudh, 2,613 in Chhatrapur, 4,061 in Cuttack, 1,092 in Dhenkanal, 1,546 in Gajapati, 4,998 in Ganjam, 2,475 in Jagatsinghpur, 2,971 in Jajpur, 1,335 in Kalahandi, 2,027 in Kandhamal, 2,717in Keonjhar, 4,927 in Koraput, 7,371 in Malkangiri, 10,940 in Nabarangpur, 8,187 in Nuapada, 1,837 in Puri, 3,827 in Rayagada, 2,588 in Subarnapur and 1,108 labourers in Talcher have registered with the portal. Ramamani Mallick of Nuagaon said that no awareness drive is being undertaken to sensitise these gullible labourers.
Bhama Sahu of Daspalla said that a labourer has to spend anything between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 and even then the registration is not done on the same day. Ullash Patra of Odagaon area informed that women of his community work as farmhands but they are not aware that such a scheme exists for them. Budha Swain of Ranpur demanded stern action against the middlemen indulging in such wrongdoings. When contacted, DLO Shiba Narayan Sahu said he had joined recently and he will make every effort in increasing the number of registration by farmhands in Nayagarh district.