A CORRESPONDENT
NUMALIGARH: At a time when widespread irregularities and discrepancies have been alleged in various parts of the state under the Orunodoi 3.0 Scheme, today, hundreds of women, under the leadership of the Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS), surrounded the offices of the Marangi Development Block and Marangi Revenue Circle in protest. The protest was against massive irregularities and the deprivation of eligible beneficiaries in 11 Gaon Panchayats under the Marangi Development Block within the Khumtai Assembly Constituency.
Led by Pintu Gogoi, the Central Assistant General Secretary of SMSS and a conscious youth of the Greater Marangi region, the protest included many widowed women, differently-abled individuals, and members of extremely poor families holding ration cards, whose annual income is below Rs 2 lakh. Speaking at the protest site, student leader Pintu Gogoi said, “Under the name of the Assam Government’s Orunodoi Scheme 3.0, eligible beneficiaries have been deprived. The main reason behind this is that BJP party leaders and workers have prepared their own lists in villages, unfairly prioritizing their party workers over genuinely eligible individuals. Due to this, many deserving beneficiaries from 11 panchayats under the Marangi Development Block have been deprived of the benefits from the Orunodoi Scheme. That is why today, many widows, differently-abled individuals, and poor families holding ration cards have taken to the streets to claim their rights. Unless all widowed women, differently-abled individuals, and ration card-holding families are included under the Orunodoi Scheme, we will stage an intense protest at the Morangi Development Block office.”
Furthermore, Gogoi alleged that BJP leaders and workers are threatening and blackmailing common villagers, stating that if they do not vote for the BJP, their names will be removed from government schemes, including the Orunodoi Scheme and housing lists. He demanded strict action against such malpractices. Additionally, he emphasized that the funds for the Orunodoi Scheme should be sanctioned and implemented only through government officials and employees, rather than political party members.
During the protest, the entire premises of the Marangi Development Block Office and the Marangi Revenue Circle Officer’s Office at Purabangla echoed with anti-government slogans. Eventually, Rananmoy Bhardwaj, the Marangi Revenue Circle Officer, and Nirmali Terangpi, the Block Development Officer, arrived at the protest site and assured that all eligible beneficiaries who had been deprived of the scheme would be included immediately. Only after this assurance did the protesters withdraw their demonstration.
Notably, this protest, led by SMSS, received widespread support from the local public. Many people also expressed their gratitude to Pintu Gogoi for his strong and well-reasoned leadership in the movement. At the conclusion of the protest, all necessary documents were submitted to the concerned office. Along with Pintu Gogoi, Tapan Das (President of SMSS Marangi Regional Committee), Pranabjyoti Bora (General Secretary), and other regional committee members were also present at the protest.
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