Kotpad 1st February 2025 Beneficiaries from 13 villages under Kusumi Panchayat in Kotpad, Koraput district, have lodged a complaint with the local Block Development Officer (BDO) regarding the non-distribution of Mandia (Millet). The state government had announced that each ration card-holding family would receive rice along with 60 kg of Mandia. However, beneficiaries from Semiliguda, Bandaguda, and Kuagaon villages in Kusumi Panchayat have reported that they have not received their allotted Mandia.
Despite repeated complaints to the PDS officer and supply assistant, the beneficiaries claim they are still waiting for the distribution. Officials have allegedly responded that the supply of Mandia is insufficient and that it would be distributed once it arrives, but this has been the case for the past three months. Since rural communities heavily rely on Mandia during drought periods, the delay has caused significant hardship.
As a result, beneficiaries from the three villages collectively submitted a written complaint to local BDO Vikram Dora. The BDO assured them that the shortfall in Mandia supply is the reason for the delay and promised an investigation into the matter. He assured the beneficiaries that the distribution would be carried out once the issue is resolved.
However, village representatives such as Labakusha Dora, Choyatan Harijan, Gupta Gauda, Sadashiva Bhumia, Mukta Dora, Lakshmi Raut, and Bishwanath Gauda have stated in their written complaint to the Jeypore Sub-Collector and District Collector that if the Mandia is not received within the next 15 days, they will stage a protest in front of the Panchayat office.