With all due respect to Mr. Jairam Ramesh, I believe the Minister has misconstrued the central thrust of the article. As the lead paragraph makes clear, activists are concerned that “a development plan intended for tribals in Jharkhand has been hijacked by mining interests”.
At no point does the article imply that the Saranda Development Plan itself is a ruse by mining interests, or that Mr. Ramesh has interceded on behalf of said interests. Rather, it quotes activists who feel the SDP is being selectively implemented to suit certain powerful lobbies. As Mr. Ramesh himself has said in the past, a Union Ministry can only provide funds and guidance for projects like the SDP; implementation remains in the hands of the State government and local administration. This is why I chose to travel through Saranda and speak with villagers and local officials rather than rely on indicators like “funds sanctioned” or “projects okayed.”
Mr. Ramesh's Ministry may be allocating funds on a war footing, but the results are yet to reach beneficiaries. On October 25, 2011, Mr. Ramesh wrote to the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Arjun Munda, and outlined certain short-term interventions to be completed in six months (such as the distribution of solar lanterns, bicycles and transistor radios, distribution of BPL cards) and medium-term interventions to be completed in two years.
For the purposes of brevity, I offer the following anecdotes from a visit I made seven months after Mr. Ramesh's letter to Mr. Munda:
— The Special Executive Officer in Charge of the SDP in Chaibasa said he was yet to receive his terms of office and his responsibilities were still being finalised.
— According to a SAIL official, in seven months the local authorities had distributed 200 radio transistors, 200 bicycles and 2,000 solar lamps out of an intended 7,000 of each.
— Not a single integrated development centre had been installed, though a foundation stone had most certainly been laid. Officials said the pre-fabricated structures were on their way.
— No BPL cards had been issued in the villages of Baliba or Thalkobad when I visited, and so neither village was eligible for houses under the Indira Awaas Yojana. While Mr. Ramesh may have sanctioned the construction of 6,000 houses, no official or villager could point me to a scheme beneficiary.
The only project that does seem to be progressing, my article notes, is the construction of 21 police camps. The article quotes the Superintendent of Police of West Singhbhum who says the camps will provide security for development works.
As a counterpoint, I spoke with Congressman Sushil Barla, who claimed that mining corporations have hijacked the SDP.
It must be pointed out that the SDP is primarily a confluence of existing schemes, rather than a special package. If anything, its implementation was supposed to set it apart from business as usual.
Keywords: Saranda Development Plan, private mining, tribals, displacement, Jharkhand
The author has certainly offered evidence that implementation is poor. But he has not offered any neutral evidence on the point that private companies are hijacking the SDP. Rather, he is quoting the private impressions of some activists and the claims of a Congress politician. Because the present chief minister is not from the Congress, Congress-friendly individuals will say anything they like. The author cannot convince the public by quoting them.
I really think instead of infusing corers of money in SDP the govt
should spend some money in reviewing all the mining areas in jharkhand
and see the basic living conditions of tribals and all the aide if at
all it has reached them.Jharkhand is richest state in India in terms of
mineral but glaring in terms of actual inhabitants, with so much of
poverty and underdevelopment. Who has benefited the govt should find out
and lay it before the people concerned.
The defence was good.And the comment by Shyam dhani prasad hilarious and informative!
This article has created interest in me.Firstly,SDP also stands for my name.Secondly,I am associated with SAIL.Thirdly,I,presently live in Jharkhand. Why we are facing so many problems,today at national level? If I try to answer this question;I find,that:- 1.We(those in power) have created so many `yes` men around us and ignored right thinking men(may they be teacher, professor, engineer, doctor,IAS,IPS and others)who could stand erect and put the things in right direction. `Yes` man can continue to say yes,but cannot deliver. 2.A man becomes `yes' man by loosing his bone.Only having flesh ,it is difficult to stand erect. You need Bony people to stand erect. 3.My submission is that we must develop and support Bony people(right thinking ),for right administration,development and services to common people.
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