Govt refuses to procure Dal from SHGs

BHUBANESWAR: After promoting women self-help groups of five western Orissa districts in procurement of ‘dal’ under the Mid-Day Meal scheme since 2003, the Government has decided to kill the micro-economic activities by refusing to lift the pulses from SHGs.While more than 30,000 quintals of ‘kandula dal’ procured by SHGs are rotting in the godowns of Central Warehousing Corporation for more than a year, the Government on Saturday instructed the Orissa Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), an autonomous agency of the Panchayati Raj department facilitating ‘dal’ procurement, to dispose of the stock in the open market.ORMAS has engaged Maharashtra State Trading Corporation, a Central PSU, to sell off the pulses through e-tendering.While about 40,000 SHG members will be deprived of an assured earning of ` 2.5 cr towards profit, the Government decision will cost ORMAS dearly which had extended financial support to the tune of ` 10 cr to the SHGs as revolving fund.Besides, farmers, who got a better price for the foodgrain last year (` 42 a kg as against ` 12 in 2004), sold raw ‘kandula,’ a local variety of ‘arhar dal,’ at ` 25 a kg to private traders this year.“The Government decision not to procure ‘dal’ from the women SHGs defeats the very purpose of economic empowerment of the rural women,” said a senior government functionary.As the Centre revised the support price of ‘arhar dal’ to ` 75 a kg last year, ORMAS procured about 37,000 quintals from the SHGs at ` 42 a kg. Intervention by ORMAS benefited the farmers, who were being exploited by the private traders.Had the Government lifted the processed ‘dal,’ the SHGs could have earned about ` 2.5 cr with a profit margin of ` 10 a kg. Now the ‘dal’ stock will fetch a much lesser price in the open market as there is slump in the prices of all varieties of pulses, including ‘arhar,’ a field functionary of ORMAS told ‘The Express.’ Procurement, processing and supply of ‘kandula dal’ under Mid-Day Meal scheme are key activities of women SHGs of five KBK districts __  Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Kalahandi __ since 2003.  The Women and Child Development department, which is embroiled in the ‘dal’ scam, refused to lift ‘kandula dal’ from ORMAS despite several instructions from the Government.