Belur tahsildar N.V. Natesh, on Wednesday, directed officials of Hagare Gram Panchayat to provide jobs for Hakki-Pikki community people of Angadihalli under the MGNREG programme. The officer visited the village on Wednesday and interacted with people of the tribal community about the problems they had been facing during the COVID pandemic.
The Hindu had carried a news report about their difficulties on July 13. Taking note of the report Hassan Deputy Commissioner R. Girish had directed the tahsildar to visit the village. The tahsildar, after his visit, submitted a report to the Deputy Commissioner. In his report, the tahsildar said the people had got foodgrains under the public distribution system; however, they complained of inability to purchase other essential items.
“The Panchayat Development Officer of Hagare Panchayat has been directed to issue job cards for the residents under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme and provide them jobs so that they could earn money”, he said. He also suggested that they take up work in agriculture fields. The total population of the village is 1,516. They reside in 404 houses and the number of ration cards distributed in the village is 474. The taluk administration provided food kits for those who did not have ration cards as well, he added.
The tribal community people collect minor forest produces with medicinal value and take them to different places to sell them. Some of them offer body massage. However, in recent days, due to the COVID pandemic, they could not move out to earn, as the public hardly entertained outsiders fearing the spread of the infection.