BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday,
February 22, 2011 | Email | Print | 
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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.
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WOMEN KENDU LEAF PLUCKERS HOLD DEMO Friday, 07 July 2017 | PNS |
BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar
WOMEN KENDU LEAF
PLUCKERS HOLD DEMO
Friday,
07 July 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar
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5
Women kendu leaf pluckers of Ramsingha village
under Dhamnasar keduleafphadi in Gadshankar Dungripali Kenduleaf Range staged a
dharna in front of the DFO office here on Tuesday demanding immediate payment
of wages, bonus and other benefits to them.The agitating women said they have
not received dues and benefits while other Kendu leaf pluckers of the village
have got dues and umbrella.
Mukhi Pradhan, a plucker, said though
officials have taken Xerox copies of their documents for checking bank
accounts, they have not turned up to them for a long days.
“We
will continue our stir until we haven’t received our dues and other benefits,”
threatened the women. Gadshankar
Dunguripali, Range officer (KL) BiranchiMshra said, “I will enquire into the
incident and take necessary measures.
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B’NGIR VILLAGERS DEMAND WORK IN KENDU LEAF PLUCKING Wednesday, 06
May 2015 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar
B’NGIR
VILLAGERS DEMAND WORK IN KENDU LEAF PLUCKING
Wednesday, 06 May 2015 |
PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar
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5Villagers
of Badtelenpali in the Lower Suktel Project area in Balangir district led by
Samajwadi Party leader Arun Mishra on Monday submitted a petition to district
Collector M Muthukumar demanding engagement in Kendu leaf plucking.
In the petition, the villagers alleged that
while Badtelenpali consist of two Wards, villagers of only one ward are given
Kendu leaf plucking work. “Due to arbitrary policy of Munshi, a temporary kendu
leaf employee, they were not provided the bush cutting work in February.
Moreover, the Munshi has not called us
for plucking of Kendu leaves this month, whereas villagers of another ward are
engaged in the same,” said a villager. After getting complaints, Balangir DM
Ashok Naik spoke to Divisional Forest Officer (Kenduleaf) PK Sahu, who assured
the villagers to look into the matter.
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KENDU LEAF SMUGGLED FROM BALANGIR
Saturday, 24 June 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar
KENDU LEAF SMUGGLED FROM BALANGIR
Saturday, 24 June 2017 | PNS | BALANGIR |
in Bhubaneswar
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It is common to find electronic
items, gold and other costly goods smuggled and sold in market illegally to
make huge profit and often caught by police.
However in a new development,
Kendu leaf, which is nationalised product and whose trade is carried out by a
Government agency and provides a minimum annual profit of over Rs 100 crore to
the Government, has turned out to be a new target of smugglers.
Balangir district, which is
otherwise infamous for its poverty, distress migration of poor people to brick
kilns in other States in search of livelihood, produces one of the finest
quality of Kendu leaves.
According to sources, three
days ago, a forest official in charge of Kendu leaf trade had gone to the
Balangir railway station and noticed suspicious movement of some women. When he
inquired, he came to know that Kendu leaf was being smuggled from here to
Kolkata.
When the official followed a
woman, she fled from the spot. Following the lead, the official located a house
near the railway station but couldn't find any Kendu leaf in the house.
However, this has lent credence
to reports that Kendu leaf is being smuggled from district to Kolkata in
connivance with dishonest officials here. Local have demanded a through inquiry
in this regard and action against the culprits.
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