From promise to performance: The ground reality of welfare schemes

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: It was about 10.30 am when the Sentinel team reached the Rangamati Health and Wellness Centre under Bahenti Maniyeri Parakuchi gaon panchayat (GP) on May 9, 2023. The Rangamati Health and Wellness Centre is situated at Rangamati near Bijoynagar in the Palasbari constituency.

The gate of the centre was locked. Local people said that a Community Health Officer (CHO) is posted there and the centre sometimes remains closed. People from two villages come to this centre for medical treatment. The team managed to get the mobile phone number of the CHO. Talking over the phone, the CHO said that the centre was closed that day because she was away on field duty for making Ayushman Bharat cards. She further said that the centre remains closed whenever she has field duty.

This is perhaps where the government needs to make some policy changes. Whenever CHOs are engaged in field and outreach activities, alternative arrangements must be made so that patients who come to the health centres do not have to return without getting any medical treatment.

The team also visited the Jharobori mini PHC. The doctor who is posted there was present on duty during the time of the team’s visit. But on talking to the patients who had come to the mini PHC, it was revealed that the situation here is the same as that in the Loharghat State Dispensary. Some medicines are not available due to which patients have to buy those medicines from private pharmacies. The staff of the mini PHC admitted that there was a shortage of calcium tablets, injections and tablets for gastritis, and painkillers. Ringers lactate (RL) saline was out of stock while Normal Saline (NS) and saline IV bags were not available in sufficient quantity. There was also a shortage of wound dressing materials.

“About 70% of the population in Rangamati village is engaged in agricultural activities,” said Ramesh Malakar, a farmer of Bamunpara, Rangamati. “We farmers are heavily dependent on rainfall because there are no irrigation facilities. In 1979, two deep tubewells were erected in Rangamati. This was the last irrigation scheme that was taken up here. Urea, Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), and potash must be applied to foodgrains, especially during the Assamese month of xaun. But when fertilizers are not available in licenced shops, we have to buy at higher rates from other shops,” he added. He further said that few years ago he received a power tiller at a subsidized rate from the State Agriculture Department.

Another farmer, Bholaram Nath has been farming on his 32-bigha land for the past 50 years. He now grows Ranjit paddy in his agricultural field. He too said that lack of irrigation facilities poses problems for farmers like him. “A railway track passes through a paddy field in Rangamati. During the construction of this railway track, NF Railway had dug earth from the nearby areas for the purpose of earth-filling. As a result, in the spots from where the earth was dug, water got accumulated and these spots developed into ponds in course of time. We installed pumps in those ponds and laid water pipes to our fields. With the help of these pumps we now supply water from the ponds to our fields. These ponds have proved to a blessing for us,” said Nath.

He rued the fact that although the government has schemes to distribute free seeds to farmers, he received free paddy seeds only last year. The gram sevak of the area had visited to distribute the seeds. “The gram sevak doesn’t visit regularly,” Nath added.

There is a village named Lengtajoji under Haropara GP. There are many xatras in this village. During the visit to this village, the Sentinel team observed that there is a pucca road that leads to the village. Under a water supply scheme, taps have been installed in households, but local people alleged that last year they had access to water supply only for a brief period. Now they do not get any water. The villagers have made arrangements for alternative sources of water. (To be continued)

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