TODAY IS Eid, but not a single family in the village has the money to celebrate it. I never thought we would see such dark days,” says 45-year-old Jaygun Bibi from Belma village. This year is the first time Bibi broke her 15-hour fast during the month of Ramadan with water and maadbhat, a simple dish of soaked rice in salted water. “We usually consume dates to break the fast, followed by water and other delicacies,” she says.
Just a week earlier, Hindu residents of Belma felt equally dejected when they did not have the money to celebrate Charak Puja, their most important religious event. “The celebrations last for a week when the village turns into a fair. Our relatives from faraway villages attend it. This year, we could not even afford a single festive meal,” says Kalupad Mahato, 64-year-old resident of the village that is located some 300 km away from state capital Kolkata.
Similar stories were heard across seven villages of Purulia and neighbouring Bankura districts that Down To Earth (dte) travelled to in April. The residents’ ordeal began in December 2021 after the Centre decided to stop transferring funds to West Bengal under the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Later in June 2022, after six months of not paying wages, the Centre also stopped rolling out jobs under the scheme.
Denne historien er fra May 01, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra May 01, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
