ITDA goat scheme makes no difference in tribals lives

Mahbubnagar: The district’s Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) has failed in providing sustainable self-employment to the Tribal youth in the district. Recently ITDA, as part of the Indira Kranthi Patham scheme, has distributed more than 670 goats to about 189 Chenchu families in five mandals of Kollapur and Achempeta Constituencies, spending around Rs 57 lakh, however more than 75 per cent of these goats are small, sick and unhealthy and most of them are dead now because of these reasons.

• ITDA distributed goats to Tribal people under IKP
• Most of them were sick and have died within no time
• Chenchus openly state that the scheme is worthless

Hardly 25-30 families out of 189 could retain the livestock. Among them, 50 per cent have sold it to butchers as the government could not provide proper facilities for sheltering the goats. According to officials from the ITDA, each family was given 7 goats worth Rs 40,000. However, the beneficiaries complained that except one or two almost all the remaining goats were small and most of them were unhealthy.

“As most of the goats are small, the cost would as high as the officials claimed. How could they spend Rs 5600 on such goats? Small ones would cost less while the bigger ones cost more. In fact, the entire self-employment scheme is a hollow and there is a lot of corruption going on in this scheme.

The goats offered are also not healthy. More than 50 per cent have died. The ITDA officials have also ignored providing health checkups for goats, insurance and facilities like construction of sheds for the same,” said a beneficiary from Iynonpally village in Achempeta mandal.

While 15 Chenchu families were given 105 goats in Iynonpally, 10 goats have died within just 2-3 days. In Bommanpally village of Achempeta mandal, about 14 families got 98 goats of which 15 died the next day. Under Kollapur constituency, the officials distributed 214 goats to 30 families in Chenchu gudem of Narlapur village. While 25 of them have died immediately, many more became sick. Because of fear of deaths, majority Chenchus tribes sold their goats in just 2-3 days time.

About 26 Chenchu families from Petron Chenchu guda and Vatvarlapally villages under Amarabad mandal received about 170 goats from the ITDA, however, 15 goats have dead within no time. Similarly, about 41 Tribal families from Mallapur and Kommanpet were also given 339 goats and many have faced the same fate of death and could not sustain for long.

In Balmur Mandal out of 160 goats distributed to 23 families, 20 goats were dead. In Lingal mandal, 30 Tribal families from Srirangapur village were benefited with 214 goats, of them, 12 fell sick and died the next day. “This is not a sustainable self-employment for us. Even though they might have offered goats in good faith to help us economically, the diseased goats will die and since there is no insurance or other veterinary healthcare facilities being provided, it becomes tough for us to reap benefits for a long period of this scheme,” opined a Tribal beneficiary.

Overall the first phase of goat distribution scheme for the Tribal families was full of flaws and gave ample scope for corruption. The ITDA officials involved in implementing scheme are allegedly benefitting from the scheme. As there is no insurance and other veterinary care for the livestock, this scheme is flawed and do not give intended results for the Chenchus. Despite the glaring failure, the ITDA is embarking on the second phase of distribution; it wants to distribute 270 goats in Balmur and Kollapur mandals.

Of which, 117 goats will be distributed in Balmur mandal and 152 goats in Peddkothapally of Kollapur mandal. When questioned, the Project Officer of ITDA Venkataiah said, “I can understand there are some discrepancies in the first phase of the scheme. We will take necessary action against the officials who have failed in insuring the livestock before distributing it to the Tribals. We will enquire about the flaws at the ground level and take all necessary corrective measures in the second phase.”