The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Government of Odisha to make welfare schemes and basic amenities available to 1,902 families, many of them displaced by different projects in Koraput and Keonjhar districts.
It was a rare occasion when the NHRC disposed close to 2,000 applications in a single session in the presence of the Chief Secretary of Odisha, six other departmental heads, and the Collectors of the two districts.
Human rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy had moved the NHRC with 2,601 petitions highlighting welfare schemes that were not being availed by people on November 25, 2011.
There were 1,451 complaints concerning deprivation of housing benefits in Koraput district under the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana alone. Moreover, many applicants had not been linked to other social welfare schemes.
On January 31 this year, State Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra and other departmental chiefs were asked to conduct inquiries and submit their respective reports within six weeks to the NHRC.
“In 983 cases, applicants have been provided the facilities of ration card, job card, pension and other benefits, as per the entitlement,” Mr. Tripathy said. He pointed out that many of these beneficiaries had not been mapped in the Socio Economic and Caste Census.
“In 77 cases, the complainants did not have their record of rights and they were residing in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited area. Hence, they could not be considered for entitlement of benefits under the schemes,” he added.
The Chief Secretary had assured that other benefits like individual latrines, cooking gas connections, piped water supply, and electricity connections were being extended in accordance with the schemes.
With regards to Keonjhar district, the Collector submitted that 220 applicants were covered under the rehabilitation and resettlement policy and 189 families had received the compensation, Mr. Tripathy said.
“I have been taking up cases regarding human rights violations with the NHRC for more than a decade. But I never imagined that the NHRC would dispose so many cases by holding special session,” he said.
