TV
These days, the residents of Kutikia panchayat under Baliguda block in Kandhamal district are going to a nearby forest on a daily basis. The reason why they are going to the forest will leave you surprised.
Investigation revealed that in the coming days ration card holders won’t get rice if they don’t update their biometric details including recording their fingerprints. This requires every family member to get their e-KYC done.
To register their fingerprints, hundreds of villagers, including children to elders, of 11 wards are going to the jungle where the PDS salesman of the supply department has opened his temporary kiosk.
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When asked, what led him to open his kiosk in the forest; he said he had no other option.
Their suffering gets compounded when the power of the biometric machine runs out. As there is no facility to recharge the machine in the jungle, all work comes to a halt, forcing the villagers to go back and come the next day to try their luck.
“Because the mobile network is not available in the panchayat, I cover a distance of three kilometres and open my kiosk in the jungle. I ask the villagers to come to my kiosk there. I come at 9 'o'clock in the morning and work as long as the power of the machine lasts,” said Bibhuti Majhi, PDS salesman.
The villagers alleged they have a mobile tower in their village but it is yet to be made functional.
“With no mobile network available in our village, we are facing a lot of problems. To get our e-KYC updated, we walk three kilometres in a forested area,” rued Damburu Bindhani, a villager.
The villagers demanded that the administration should take steps to address their problem.
