Even as the whole nation is preparing to rejoice in festive atmosphere with the advent of Dashain, most of the remote settlements in the district are, however, reeling under food scarcity.
Even as the whole country is preparing to rejoice in festive atmosphere with the advent of Dashain festival, most of the remote settlements in the impoverished district are, however, reeling under food scarcity.
The acute food shortage emerged due to low agricultural production in the already food-insecure areas in the district. But the problem was further compounded by the failure of the state-owned Nepal Food Corporation (NPC) failing to supply subsidized rice to the depots in the remote villages of the district.
Although the NFC’s godown in the district headquarters is currently storing 350 quintals of rice, four depots located in remote villages in the district have run out of food grains due to the failure of the corporation to supply rice and other food provisions for the past eight months.
Moreover, villages in the flood and landslide affected areas such as Ramidanda, Sakla, Rokayagaun and Nayakbada VDCs are reeling under severe food scarcity.
Similarly, some 18 VDC’s including Dandagaun, Ragda, Bhagwati, Pajaru, Daha, Laha, Garkhakot, Dashera are also facing acute food shortage, said local Nar Bahadur Malla.
Malla said that with the remote villages facing food scarcity, the number of people from there coming to the district headquarters in search of food has risen
considerably.
“The depot has not received its supply of subsidized rice for the past eight months. As a result, the locals are facing famine like situation during the festive season,” Malla said, adding that the locals are compelled to buy expensive rice available in the market by taking high interest rate loans.
At Rs 100 per kilogram, rice is very expensive in the remote VDC’s of the district, which, as a result, have a knock-on effect on the purchasing power of local people.
He further said although the government has been supplying subsidized rice chiefly to areas suffering from low annual crop production in order to protect the people living there from famine, the failure to properly manage the supply of rice to the depots of remote villages and subsequent distribution has resulted in people there not getting the regular supply of subsidized rice they are entitled to get since many years.
Meanwhile, the victims of recent landslide and flood in the district have demanded that the government ensure the supply of food provision in the flood hit areas.
“All the crops in our fields and the food grains and provisions we stored in our homes have been swept away by recent floods. What should we eat now since we have no food left?” flood victim Nanda Lal Pun asked.
NFC officer Dharma Bahadur Basnet admitted that subsidized rice has not been supplied to the depots of the remote villages due to complications in the tender process for supplying rice.
He further said that around 550 quintals of subsidized rice has already been dispatched to the food depots in the remote villages following a demand for 1500 quintals of rice as a special measure to prevent famine in the district during the festive season.
Bad condition of roads also create problem in the supply of rice in remote villages, which creates problem in tackling food scarcity.
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