On 22nd June 2005 the Government of Odisha signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the South Korean Steel Company POSCO enabling the latter to set up an integrated steel plant and captive port in Jagatsinghpur District Odisha.

Since its inception the project has been met with resistance by the people of Jagatsighpur who stand to lose the land on which they have depended for generations.

The Village councils of the concerned villages have time and again reiterated their opposition to any acquisition of their land as the people will lose forest land, water bodies and rice-paddies in the area, which are important sources of livelihood.

Despite this the government has gone ahead and forcefully acquired the land resulting in gross violations of human rights, of laws like the Forest Rights Act (which gives the people of the land final say on its use) and of several international treaties ratified by the Indian Government. The sentiments on the ground are that the government cares more about POSCO than its own people.

For eight years the people of the land have led a peaceful resistance movement to hold on to their land and livelihoods. The sit-ins, hunger strikes and non-violent protest rallies have been met with brute force from authorities who have resorted to using rubber bullets and lathi charges among other means.

The misuse of sedition laws and arbitrary arrests have often been used to break up the movement. An independent fact-finding report by the Alternative Law Forum estimates that more than 800 people have been framed with false charges and consequently arrested.

For those who have escaped arrests life in the village continues in a shadow of fear. Several residents have professed to experience feelings of trauma, stress, chronic anxiety and depression and insomnia. Some haven’t stepped out in 6 years for fear of arrest. Seeking essential services like medicine are near impossible.

“The repeated condemnation of the state government has had little affect on it. The state continues to perpetuate its tyranny on the people… Every night our villagers sleep in the fear that the police forces and POSCO goons will come and capture our land. They want the people to get tired and resign”, says PPSS spokesperson Prashant Paikaray.

The people are determined to hold on what is rightfully theirs. Most openly declare that they will die fighting but wont give up their lands.

For more background information on the movement read here

The Right to Education Act states that no child should be physically or mentally harassed by teachers. Community Correspondent, Bhan Sahu reports from Kesritola village, Chhattisgarh about a clear violation of this rule.

The young students at the school in Kesritola tell Bhan that they are repeatedly hit and that teachers use foul language with them under the guise of disciplining them. Their physical scars are as prominent as the emotional ones.

“I do want to educate my child here but if things carry on this way, I think we’ll have to send her elsewhere”, says one concerned parent.

“Corporal punishment is not a legitimate method for disciplining a young child. It does more damage than good but it is still used freely. Things will have to change one school at a time”, says Bhan.

Please support Bhan Sahu in her efforts to end its practice at this school.

Call to Action: Please call the District Education Officer, BL Kurre on 09826127644 and ask him to take action against the teachers.

For more on our upcoming RTE campaign read this blog: http://www.videovolunteers.org/the-great-indian-education-crisis-rte/

There is more to Jammu and Kashmir than a separatist movement and violence. IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent, Sajad Rasool brings us the stories that slip below the radar.

In this video he tells us about the failing Mobile Schools set up in the state for the benefit of children belonging to nomadic tribes like Gujjars and Bakarwals. The illiteracy rates among the tribes are around 70%.

The system of mobile schools was set up in 2007 to boost this number.

“The scheme has been a failure. The teachers hardly ever come”, says one concerned parent.

The migratory nature of their work is a major hindrance for children who want to get an education. Under the Mobile school system, makeshift classes are set up for the children between April and September. At the end of this period, the students can return to their ‘home’ schools.

In the conditions reported by Sajad it looks highly unlikely that the students get any education in the mobile schools. An empty, tattered tent with no seating is a tell tale sign.

“This is something that needs to be addressed, or else we will have another generation with no prospects”, says Sajad.

Krupakar Chahande grew up in Mangali Village, in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur District. After spending a lifetime as a social activist bringing basic facilities like drinking water and education to his native village, Krupakar joined the IndiaUnheard team in February 2013. This is his first video on an issue particularly close to him.

The District Secondary School in Mangali has classes from the 1st to 7th grade. Vicky Donadkar is a student in the 5th grade but hasn’t been able to get a quality education like the rest of his peers. The reason: he is almost blind and there is no teacher who is able to cater to his special needs.

Under the Right to Education Act it is mandatory for schools to hire special teachers to enable children with disabilities to complete their education. Support classes can be held on school grounds or in bridge classes.

In this school the special teacher comes when he feels inclined to. He usually leaves soon after he has signed his attendance register. Vicky sits in regular class but often comes home by lunch time.

“We have been given special books and instruments but haven’t used them because we don’t know how to. I want my son to grow up and make something of himself”, says Durga Donadkar, Vicky’s mother.

Krupakar grew up with a father who despite being physically challenged reached out to the entire community as a preacher. He believes that having a physical handicap need not prevent an individual from living life to the fullest and that given the right support this is possible.

“My son studies with Vicky. If he is getting an education, I see no reason why a child like Vicky should be left behind”, says Krupakar.

Call to action: Please call Mr Narayana Sanat, The Block Development Officer, on 09960039610 and ask him to appoint a teacher who can cater to Vicky’s needs.

29 lakhs is not a small sum of money. Prakash Gupta reports on how this exorbitant sum was wasted on a bridge.

Just a month after its construction, the bridge built by the Irrigation Department in Murka Village, Balrampur District, Chhattisgarh collapsed into a pile of rubble. The official reason given- the water damaged it.

The real reason however is corruption, claims Prakash:

“Corruption is a problem that plagues people at every level in this country. How can a bridge collapse when that much money has gone into making it? Surely the money has gone into people’s pockets instead of being spent on raw materials.”

Our team of community correspondents report on many such cases of corruption. As always, we ask you to hold the authorities in charge accountable.

Please call: District Collector, CR Prasanna on 09826442277 and ask him to take action against the culprits.

Many of our community correspondents have been asking a pertinent question: Can the displacement of the people from their land and the destruction of the environment on which they depend be treated as collateral damage in India’s journey towards economic growth?

Correspondent Jairam Hansda is a tribal and the secretary of the gram sabha in his village of Sarjamda, Jharkhand. As a community leader, he has been fighting for the rights of his community for many years now. One of the gravest issues he has worked on has been the issue of land.

He documents how life in his and surrounding villages has been affected by pollution in the river that runs past. For years now the neighbouring Tata Power plant has been letting off waste water into this river. It’s once powerful tide has reduced to a near trickle.

40,000 people from 17 villages depended on this river to get drinking water, to bathe and for getting fish. They can do none of these at the moment.

Raghu Soren from a neighbouring village and an activist puts down the sentiments of the people bluntly:

“People don’t understand the issues of the tribals. If you don’t understand their feelings, how will you solve the problem? If you save the tribals, they will save the forest, rivers, hills etc.”

Soon after Jairam’s video, the power plant has stopped draining waste water into the river, but pollutants like fly-ash still affect the water quality.

Call to Action: Please call Varun Kumar, Corporate Affairs Officer, Tata Power Jamshedpur on 07209000583 and ask him to prevent the pollution of the river in Sarjamda

“When I got married around 16 years ago and started coming here to visit my family, the journey would leave my bones weak with rattling,” recalls Community Correspondent Sunita Kasera.

The road she is referring to is the stretch that leads up to the GSS residential colony in Karauli, Rajasthan. This 2km stretch had become a bane in the lives of the residents. It’s potholes tossed passengers around and became breeding grounds for mosquitos in the monsoon.

For years on end, they residents requested the Municipal Corporation to fix the road and to put lights on the street, but nothing came of it.

Eventually a resident, Mr Rajesh, brought his neighbours together under a resident’s welfare association. Each of the residents contributed money towards the repair work of the road. They then put in hours of work in the cruel summer heat to level the road.

But they didn’t mind. The entire community had come together and made it their goal to fix the road that led to their homes. They succeeded. A year later, in 2013, Sunita has documented their joy through her video.

“There is a power grid which is half a kilometer away from GSS colony. The road leading up to it has also been crumbling for the past decade. While the residents have come together to fix their road, the municipal authorities haven’t gotten around to repairing the other road yet,” says Sunita.

“This really goes to show how well things can work if people stand by each other. The government sometimes doesn’t do it’s job. We all know that. More people should come together to solve their own problems instead of just complaining,” she says.

In April 2013 a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India showed that the funds provided to the Government of Odisha for the implementation of the Indira Awas Yojana were slashed by 223.95 Crores.

The reasons for this reduction are the irregularities in the implementation of the scheme and several instances of malpractice and corruption at the block level. Community Correspondent Anupama brings evidence of one such incident in Kujang block, Jagatsinghpur District Odisha.

In May 2013, 300 bags of cement were delivered to the block office for the purpose of being distributed to families living below poverty line. On paper however, the block office authorities claim they have received only 17 bags. The others wasted away in the rain or were siphoned off. Either way, those who were meant to receive the cement, did not.

Rasmi Ranjan, a local journalist investigated the matter when he heard about this gross wastage. He talked to the Block Development Officer who had no answers for him. He was promised an investigation by the District Collector but nothing came of that.

Call to Action: Please call the District Collector, Satya Kumar Mallick on 9437239444 and ask him to investigate into and stop the squandering public funds.

The Indira Awas Yojana was put into place to ensure that those living below the poverty line could have the money to built roofs over their head. Beneficiaries receive up to Rs. 70,000 for the purpose.

While the official website of the scheme states that middle men and contractors are discouraged from entering the process, the reality is quite different.
Community Correspondent Kamal Purty brings a story from Khuntpani Block, Bayhatu Village, Jharkhand revealing the gross corruption that is affecting the lives of 10 families in the village.

Raju Pan, earns a living through a modest poultry business; he makes just about enough to put food on the plates for his family. His earnings however have not been enough to build him a house and he lives in his brother’s house.

Raju and 10 other families had been counting on the money from the scheme to start construction work for their homes. The plans were put on hold even before they could see the money.

A ward member informed them that each family would have to pay a sum of Rs. 3,000 in order to receive money from the scheme. He defended himself on the pretext that the money wouldn’t go to him but to officers higher up.

The villagers saw no option but to pay up. They later however rallied together to get their money back.

“If the government provides schemes for us, why should we pay?” asks Raju.

Kamal tells us that the villagers have now been returned their money as the block officers got whiff of the video he had made.

“The people at the office know my work. I had visited them last year for a similar case.
(see here: worked.http://indiaunheard.videovolunteers.org/iu-impacthomes-built-by-peoples-media/) I believe it is the same officers who have asked for money this time as well. It startles me that despite being caught out once, they go ahead and indulge in such corrupt ways,” says Kamal.

Though the bribe has been returned, the families are yet to see money to build their houses. Kamal suggests you give the officers at the Block office a bit of a nudge.

Call to Action: Please call Sanjay Kumar, Block Development Officer on 09955423934 and ask him to make sure that the 10 families of Bayhatu get the money from Indira Awas Yojana to build their houses.