Story 1: Corona Tragic – Ten Kandha families leading a miserable life

The article focused on the lives and the livelihood of ten Kandha families and how they became victims of COVID-19. Lathiguda village of Bariniput GP near Jeypore block is situated on the top of the hills between three hillocks which is about 10 km from Jeypore town. 10 Kandha families are residing in this village. They used to depend on wage labour at Jeypore town, but they lost their wage during this period..  There is no road connectivity to this village. They have to walk down around 6 km in the hill route to come to the Gram Panchayat to avail their rations and other benefits. They have been deprived of health and other essential facilities. They are deprived of different social security schemes under Govt. During the period of Corona restrictions, these families suffered a lot. They struggled to get their food for their existence.

Their constraints were narrated through the living experiences of four families on how they struggled to make their living during the pandemic situation of Covid-19 lockdown and travel restrictions. How they managed with the little millet grown on the hill slopes against hunger. Nutritive food for children and women is a daydream for them.

This article first published on The Sambad, Jeypore Edition, 24 Nov 2020