From promise to performance: Ground reality of welfare schemes

Sentinel report

Palasbari LAC, Part-I

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government has completed two years in power in Assam. In this span of two years, the government announced various ambitious schemes for the welfare of the people and the overall development of the State. To find out whether the rural people have benefited from these government schemes, a team from The Sentinel recently visited the Palasbari constituency in the Kamrup district.

The team randomly selected a few villages to assess whether or not the benefits of various government schemes have trickled down to the rural people and whether these schemes have helped them lead better lives. During the three-day visit, the team made various observations, and this news report is based on these observations.

The State Government has always laid stress on improving the healthcare sector so that people, especially those in rural areas, have access to proper healthcare facilities. The team visited the Loharghat State Dispensary at Loharghat under Satpur Gaon Panchayat (GP) on May 8, 2023. The doctor who is posted in this dispensary was present on duty. However, it was seen that most of the medicines prescribed by the doctor were not available in the dispensary. There are three private pharmacies situated just in front of the Loharghat State Dispensary. Due to the non-availability of many medicines in the dispensary, patients have to buy these medicines from these pharmacies.

One such patient, Basanti Rabha, who hails from Aliha village, while talking to The Sentinel, said, “Out of all the medicines that the doctor has prescribed, only ORS (oral rehydration salts) sachets were available in the dispensary. The rest of the medicines I had to buy from outside.”

Another patient, Bichitra Rabha of Hazarani village, also rued the fact that the medicines prescribed by the doctor were not available in the dispensary and she had to buy them from private pharmacies. The parents of a seven-and-a-half-year-old child (name withheld) could not find the medicines prescribed for their child in the dispensary and had to buy them from a private pharmacy.

When quizzed about the non-availability of medicines in the dispensary, the on-duty female doctor was at first hesitant to talk to the team. Finally, she agreed to talk. She acknowledged the fact that some medicines were not available in the dispensary at present, but she said that indents had been submitted for those medicines.

Interestingly, the dispensary also has a laboratory to conduct blood tests. But for the past three months, this laboratory has been closed because the lab technician met with an accident, and the authorities concerned have not posted any other lab technician in his place. It is the people who are bearing the brunt of this, as they have to get their blood tests done in private laboratories, which is a costly affair.

Next, The Sentinel team inspected the Rangamati Water Supply Scheme at Rangamati under Rajapara GP. While visiting the houses in the neighbourhood, the team observed that taps have been installed in all households, but people said that they are not getting water supplies under this scheme.

Local resident Lakhima Kalita said, “Taps were installed in all the households in this area about a year ago, but water never flowed through these taps. The office of this water supply scheme has been well constructed, but what purpose is it serving if people are not getting water supply?”

She further said, “Honestly speaking, there was no requirement for this water supply scheme in this area because all households have water supply facilities like wells, tubewells, etc. But since the government has spent so much money on this scheme, it will be fruitful if water is supplied to households under this scheme.”

“In our village, about 1 km of road needs to be made of concrete. Instead of spending money on the water supply scheme, if the government had constructed the 1-km road, the people would have benefited,” she added.

Another resident, Bhogeswar Das, echoed similar views. He said that the Rangamati Water Supply Scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was not serving any purpose as people were yet to get supply of water. He added that some taps had started to break.

The Narayanpur Water Supply Scheme under Satpur GP is also defunct. In Jharapata village, taps under this scheme have been installed, but water supply to households has not started yet.

When The Sentinel team contacted the local Public Health Engineering (PHE) officials and asked them about these water supply schemes, they admitted that the Rangamati Water Supply Scheme was not working and it was time to prepare a revised estimate of the scheme. Regarding the Narayanpur Water Supply Scheme, they said that the Public Works Department (PWD) had undertaken some road construction work, and in the process, some water supply pipes were broken. Because of this, water is not being supplied under this scheme.

As per the JJM guidelines, a person should get a minimum of 55 litres of water per day.

Proper implementation of developmental work at the grassroots level requires coordination between various government departments and agencies. Under the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the PHE department does the work of laying water pipes. But often the PWD carries out some construction works, due to which the water pipes get broken and the water supply is stopped. Repairing these water pipes takes time, and more funds have to be invested.

Anganwadi centres provide an integrated package of services, including supplementary nutrition, basic healthcare, and pre-school education. Since the health and nutritional needs of a child cannot be addressed in isolation from the mother, the programme also extends to pregnant and lactating mothers. The Anganwadi centre at Puijala under Rajapara GP cuts a sorry figure. It is in a dilapidated state without tin (CI sheet) roofs. Due to its poor infrastructure, children do not like visiting the centre. Local people said that the Anganwadi centre was supposed to be upgraded to a model Angwandi centre, but as yet no steps have been taken for its upgrade.

The people of Satpur village under Rajapara GP mostly depend on the agricultural sector for their livelihood. People alleged that fertilizers are usually not available in licensed fertilizer shops. These shops give the excuse of a low stock of fertilizers to justify the non-availability of fertilizers. People have to buy fertilizers from other shops at a price higher than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).

There is a fertilizer shop at Loharghat named Lakshmi Krishna Bhandar. When The Sentinel team visited the shop and inquired about the rate at which fertilizers are sold, the shopkeeper said that a bag of fertilizers weighing 45 kg is sold for Rs 350. But the MRP of the bag is Rs. 266.50. According to rules, fertilizers cannot be sold at a rate higher than the MRP. When the team brought this to the shopkeeper’s attention, he said that he brings fertilizers from Uparhali near Bijoynagar to Loharghat. He has to incur transportation expenses, due to which he has to sell the fertilizer bags at a rate higher than the MRP.

An inspection of the road communication links in the Palasbari constituency showed that the roads in the area are fairly good. The road from Palasbari via Mirza to Loharghat Muduki was not in good condition until last year. But under the Asom Mala scheme, the road has been reconstructed, making travelling on this road a smooth experience. There are a few roads in the villages that are still kutcha. Once these roads are concretized in a phased manner, the people of the area will greatly benefit. (To be continued.)

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