A situation report on the impact of the lockdown in the rural
areas of Darjeeling suggests that the three biggest concerns among the
residents are food (57 per cent), LPG cylinders (36 per cent) and family
health (22 per cent).
The findings also suggests that while
three-fourths of students have access to study materials being provided
by teachers, many guardians (40 per cent) in the rural areas are
struggling to guide children in completing assignments.
DLR
Prerna, a Darjeeling-based NGO, did a status update of rural Darjeeling
and though the survey included only 158 respondents, the representation
was varied as it included 16 tea gardens, three forest and nine khasmal
villages.
“The respondents also included primary school teachers
in low-cost private schools (27 per cent), tea plantation workers (27
per cent), community health and social workers (10 per cent),skilled and
semi-skilled workers (7 per cent), farmers (5 per cent) and unemployed
people (13 per cent),” said Roshan Patrick Rai, a DLR Prerna official.
While 57 per cent of all respondents cited food as a major
concern, the figure was as high as 70 per cent among non-teacher
respondents.
“In some rural areas shops are not opening at all.
While most people have now received free rations, they have concerns
about securing lentils, oil and vegetable,” Rai said. The study also
suggested that 50 per cent of those who sell vegetables and milk are no
longer selling their produce, while none are selling livestock, meat and
poultry.
The survey indicates that in the rural areas of
Darjeeling, only one-third of the respondents are growing any kind of
food. “Even among those growing food, 82 per cent are doing so for home
consumption,” said Rai.
This probably also explains the food fear among the rural population at a time income sources are drying up.
The fear of cooking gas has also surprised many with 36 per cent of the respondent listing it as a major concern.
The Telegraph
spoke to some gas agency officials and they were of the opinion that
restrictions on the movement of vehicles from villages might be a reason
for the fear.
“There is no shortage of LPG. Even though we have
point centres in village, there is a practice among villagers to hand
over their refill books to drivers who come to town and take all the
required cylinders on one particular day,” said an agency official.
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