The Odisha government, on Thursday, announced a financial grant of Rs 10 lakh for the family of a tribal woman murdered during a land dispute, alongside house damage compensation of up to Rs 75,000 following clashes in Malkangiri district last month.
Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik, speaking to reporters, said that the state is also launching a series of strategic measures to resolve long-standing grievances regarding land rights, rehabilitation, and education within Malkangiri’s tribal communities.
He said the decisions were taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently. The resolutions were based on findings from a ministerial delegation, headed by Deputy CM KV Singh Deo, which visited the violence-hit MV-26 village on December 11 to mediate between tribal groups and Bengali settlers.
The unrest began in Rakhelguda after the headless body of a 51-year-old tribal woman was discovered in a nearby river. In the ensuing retaliation, residents set fire to over 200 homes in the Bengali settlement of MV-26.
The police have arrested the accused person following the clash, and prohibitory orders had been imposed in the area and internet service suspended for about a week due to the tension.
“The state government has decided to provide the special financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased tribal woman identified as Lake Padiami of Rakhleguda village from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” Mallik said, adding that the government has also decided to provide financial assistance for house damages in the clash.
Based on assessments by the district administration, fully or partially damaged houses will receive up to Rs 75,000 depending on the severity of the loss. Furthermore, local shopkeepers whose businesses were vandalised are eligible for repair grants of up to Rs 20,000 each, the minister said.
Beyond financial aid, the government addressed the root causes of tribal resentment. The District Collector has been mandated to review hundreds of pending land-related disputes every fortnight, providing regular progress updates to the state government, he said.
The state will also expedite the issuance of permanent land pattas (records) under the Forest Rights Act and the Odisha Government Land Settlement Act. The Collector will monitor this progress monthly to ensure the legal handover of land to the rightful owners.
In a significant move to address grievances stemming from the Machhkund Irrigation Project, the government pledged permanent pattas for displaced families. The Revenue & Disaster Management and Water Resources departments will collaborate to provide a definitive, long-term solution for these displaced communities, the minister stated.
To ensure accountability, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue & Disaster Management Department has been tasked with conducting quarterly reviews of all rehabilitation and land matters in Malkangiri, reporting directly to the leadership.
The high-level meeting also approved irrigation projects for upland farms near the Machhkund reservoirs. This initiative aims to integrate tribal farmers into the Chief Minister’s Agriculture Development Scheme and other state-led welfare programs.
The minister said that the School and Mass Education Department will take steps to fill up vacant MLE (mother language education) teacher posts in Koya, Didayi and Bonda tribal languages at the primary school level.
In a bid to provide higher education to local tribals, the government decided to create more seats in higher secondary schools of Malkangiri district so that tribal and other students can continue their studies beyond Class X.
“More hostels will be constructed in schools and colleges to provide accommodation to students coming from remote areas,” the minister said.
