The monga problem

Monga is a recurring feature in this part of the country that lasts up to several months when there is serious scarcity of food. The interregnum between the last harvest in September and the next in November is the crucial period when there is no crop to harvest and no form of employment to provide for the people of this region. That being the case, we fail to understand why no sustainable measures have been put in place to help the locals see through this period of severe want. The affected people of the region are flocking to the urban areas creating pressure on the towns. And in a crisis situation like this not much of NGO activity is in evidence either.

The affected areas are isolated pockets, but surprisingly there are no local arrangements for a buffer stock to tide over the period of scarcity, neither is there any scope for employment for these people. Under such circumstances, till such time appropriate projects are developed, which should have been in place long ago, to employ these people locally, there is a need for bringing the most marginalised under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) scheme on an urgent basis. Special projects must also be undertaken to implement Food for Work (FFW) programme which give some respectability to the people in earning their livelihood without having to beg or to flock the cities to eke out a living.

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Not only must the administration move fast to see that the situation is addressed most promptly, particularly given the forthcoming Eid, we also urge upon it to undertake longer-term measures to tackle this recurring feature.