Dear all
The plight of Binders draws hardly any attention of people,officials,even media even though they perform the most crucial task of grading and binding for more than six months.Last year I had covered a story on them which was published in the Pioneer.I am posting the story in my blog for your perusal
With best wishes
Yours
SudhirMishra/Pioneer/Balangir
===================================
The plight of Binders draws hardly any attention of people,officials,even media even though they perform the most crucial task of grading and binding for more than six months.Last year I had covered a story on them which was published in the Pioneer.I am posting the story in my blog for your perusal
With best wishes
Yours
SudhirMishra/Pioneer/Balangir
===================================
BHUBANESWAR
| Tuesday, February 22, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back
They bind golden leaves only to seal their own fate!
February 22, 2011 9:37:52 PM
SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR.
They bind golden leaves only to seal their own fate!
February 22, 2011 9:37:52 PM
SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR.
========================================================
Ironically, the persons, who pick up the Kendu leaf, decide the grades,
bind and pack up for sale amid harsh conditions, do not even get a
minimum living wage while the State Government earns a huge profit.
Even though the Government makes a huge profit, about `100 core
annually from the Kendu leaf trade and has raised recently the price of
the leaf per carry, the real workers, who perform the skillful and
crucial job of selecting, grading and binding the golden leaves for
six-eight months in a year, are neglected most and denied the due
payment of wages besides the harsh working and living conditions.
In the Kendu-leaf operation, besides the forest department, the leaf-
pluckers, Munshis, Chaparasis, Dakuas, Mates (labour contracters)
binders, seasonal labourers and transporters are involved.
The Kendu leaf, dubbed as golden leaf, is found mostly in Balangir,
Patnagarh and Titiligarh Kendu Leaf Divisions.
However, the entire KBK region, namely Padampur (Bargarh district),
Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi district), Khariar (Nuapada district),
Nabarangpur and Jeypore KL divisions come under the Balangir Kendu Leaf
Circle.
The Kendu leaf is not grown as it is grows naturally and it grows
mostly in the private farmers’ lands.
The bush-cutting operation starts in the third week of February and
plucking starts by the second week of April till the third week of May.
After the Kendu leaves are plucked, they are dried and some dressing is
done for seven days.
After the leaf is dried, the role of the binders starts. First of all,
the binders select the quality of leaves and according to the quality,
it is graded 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6.
A minimum of two persons are required and one has to select the quality
and another person keeps it in the bag.
The number of bundles they pack into the jute bags, they get the wage.
A binder gets `27 per bundle for class one to two and `23 for grade
three to four and grade five to six.
Besides, two persons pack these bags into it and they get `22 per
bundle. The binders leave behind their homes from April and return by
December- January.
During the eight months, they face a lot of ordeals, including life
risk and death.
Death, due to snakebite, is common and many even go unreported.
As they stay away from homes and carry their children along with them,
they lose their entitlements and benefits from various Government
schemes, including the Public Distribution System (PDS) and more
importantly, the discontinuation of their children’s education. Even
though they work as skilled labours, they do not even get the minimum
wage let alone the wage of a skilled labour.
Moreover, the day they do not work, they do not get wage. When the work
is affected due to absence of jute bag or fibre rope, they do not get
wage besides, the weekly food assistance is also inadequate.
When they shift from place to place, it also affects them. The place
where they reside during the work is not good. They become victims of
snakebite mishaps and even malaria.
Ironically, the Government policy is also unfavourable. As per the
Government rules, when a binder completes binding 250 bundles, he/she
is eligible for insurance cover. A labourer who has worked for two
months is eligible for insurance.
“What is the guarantee that a labourer would not be attacked within a
day or two? This norms should be relaxed,” opined an NGO activist.
Even as there are around 4,50,000 kendu leaf pluckers in the district
here and around 6,000 binders, performing the skillful job, they are
getting hardly `80-90 a day even after losing the PDS entitlement and
the child’s education besides the harsh living conditions.
“The Government should extend much more benefits besides relaxing the
norms for insurance cover as the Government is earning at least `100
crore of profit only at their costs,” opined another NGO worker.
Ironically, the KL Grant, given to the Panchayats, hardly reaches the
pluckers, binders and often ends up in construction of buildings and
other things.
Even as the Government is earning a huge profit from the grassroots
level kendu leaf workers, they are not getting timely wage and other
benefits.
“They work more than normal hours, but ill-fated. The Government, that
runs on the profit earned from this trade, should take steps so that
these people get the wage timely and other benefits reach them,”
demanded Kulamani Sahu, adding if the State would look into it.
=====================================================Ironically, the persons, who pick up the Kendu leaf, decide the grades,
bind and pack up for sale amid harsh conditions, do not even get a
minimum living wage while the State Government earns a huge profit.
Even though the Government makes a huge profit, about `100 core
annually from the Kendu leaf trade and has raised recently the price of
the leaf per carry, the real workers, who perform the skillful and
crucial job of selecting, grading and binding the golden leaves for
six-eight months in a year, are neglected most and denied the due
payment of wages besides the harsh working and living conditions.
In the Kendu-leaf operation, besides the forest department, the leaf-
pluckers, Munshis, Chaparasis, Dakuas, Mates (labour contracters)
binders, seasonal labourers and transporters are involved.
The Kendu leaf, dubbed as golden leaf, is found mostly in Balangir,
Patnagarh and Titiligarh Kendu Leaf Divisions.
However, the entire KBK region, namely Padampur (Bargarh district),
Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi district), Khariar (Nuapada district),
Nabarangpur and Jeypore KL divisions come under the Balangir Kendu Leaf
Circle.
The Kendu leaf is not grown as it is grows naturally and it grows
mostly in the private farmers’ lands.
The bush-cutting operation starts in the third week of February and
plucking starts by the second week of April till the third week of May.
After the Kendu leaves are plucked, they are dried and some dressing is
done for seven days.
After the leaf is dried, the role of the binders starts. First of all,
the binders select the quality of leaves and according to the quality,
it is graded 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6.
A minimum of two persons are required and one has to select the quality
and another person keeps it in the bag.
The number of bundles they pack into the jute bags, they get the wage.
A binder gets `27 per bundle for class one to two and `23 for grade
three to four and grade five to six.
Besides, two persons pack these bags into it and they get `22 per
bundle. The binders leave behind their homes from April and return by
December- January.
During the eight months, they face a lot of ordeals, including life
risk and death.
Death, due to snakebite, is common and many even go unreported.
As they stay away from homes and carry their children along with them,
they lose their entitlements and benefits from various Government
schemes, including the Public Distribution System (PDS) and more
importantly, the discontinuation of their children’s education. Even
though they work as skilled labours, they do not even get the minimum
wage let alone the wage of a skilled labour.
Moreover, the day they do not work, they do not get wage. When the work
is affected due to absence of jute bag or fibre rope, they do not get
wage besides, the weekly food assistance is also inadequate.
When they shift from place to place, it also affects them. The place
where they reside during the work is not good. They become victims of
snakebite mishaps and even malaria.
Ironically, the Government policy is also unfavourable. As per the
Government rules, when a binder completes binding 250 bundles, he/she
is eligible for insurance cover. A labourer who has worked for two
months is eligible for insurance.
“What is the guarantee that a labourer would not be attacked within a
day or two? This norms should be relaxed,” opined an NGO activist.
Even as there are around 4,50,000 kendu leaf pluckers in the district
here and around 6,000 binders, performing the skillful job, they are
getting hardly `80-90 a day even after losing the PDS entitlement and
the child’s education besides the harsh living conditions.
“The Government should extend much more benefits besides relaxing the
norms for insurance cover as the Government is earning at least `100
crore of profit only at their costs,” opined another NGO worker.
Ironically, the KL Grant, given to the Panchayats, hardly reaches the
pluckers, binders and often ends up in construction of buildings and
other things.
Even as the Government is earning a huge profit from the grassroots
level kendu leaf workers, they are not getting timely wage and other
benefits.
“They work more than normal hours, but ill-fated. The Government, that
runs on the profit earned from this trade, should take steps so that
these people get the wage timely and other benefits reach them,”
demanded Kulamani Sahu, adding if the State would look into it.
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