Kalahandi District of Odisha is one of India's 250 most backward districts. In fact, the sociologists and development workers have a nomenclature for this resource cursed district - ‘The Kalahandi Syndrome’ because in the 1980s, Kalahandi became infamous for drought, malnutrition and starvation death.
One-third of Kalahandi District is covered in thick jungle. It is primarily an agricultural society but minerals Bauxite and Graphite are found in abundance and mined here. This district is now under the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts Programme’ a development model plan of Government of India, aiming to improve economic status, health, education, agriculture and basic infrastructure of the districts.
The Community Correspondent (CC) Satya Banchor, in this video is showing us a public gathering, where eminent social workers such as Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Aandolan are addressing the crowd of villagers, about their environmental rights. The occasion was the World Environment Day 5th June, 2022 and people gathered were listening to the speeches and singing songs of freedom and environmental justice.
Their main agenda that day is to protest about the altering plan of Karlapat Sanctuary area and cancellation of Bauxite lease of Khandual hill. They were insisting that the Government follow the PESA law {The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996)}, and if they do not respect the law, people will stand up against them.
CC Satya Banchor is requesting all of us to share this video - the issues the people of Kalahandi are facing have a resonance with all the raised voices across the world to protect the environment.
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