Kendu leaf workers warn of protest across Odisha from April 15
SAMBALPUR: The Odisha Kendupatra Karmachari Sangh (OKKS) on Friday strongly opposed the state government’s policies and decisions affecting the livelihoods of kendu leaf workers and decided to stage protests across the state if its demands are not addressed by April 15.
Attending the state council meeting held at Tapaswini Hall here, the OKKS members expressed dissatisfaction over a `50 crore budget cut, discrepancies in formation of Kendu Leaf Development Board (KLDB), delay in implementation of girl marriage allowance scheme, non-revision of leaf prices and stagnant wages for seasonal staff.
The OKKS criticised the state government for slashing Rs 50 crore from the kendu leaf budget last month and said the cut would disrupt social security and welfare schemes for kendu leaf.
A major point of contention was the 18 per cent GST imposed on kendu leaf trade by both the Central and state governments. Demanding an immediate rollback of the GST, the Sangh said kendu leaf is a minor forest produce and such taxation directly harms the rural and tribal economy.
The OKKS alleged that the KLDB was reconstituted without proper representation from the 19 kendu leaf divisions. Besides, the state government has failed to implement the girl marriage assistance scheme announced in February 2024.
Further, the Sangh demanded a revision in the wages of seasonal employees. Though the government announced a new minimum wage in July 2024, no change has been made to the piece rates of bonded labourers or the monthly honorariums of seasonal staff despite repeated representations.
The OKKS announced that if the government fails to act on its demands by April 15, it will launch protest outside DFO offices across all divisions from April 15 to 22.
The meeting was chaired by OKKS president Bijay Kumar Mohanty. Among others, vice-president Gokul Meher, secretary Binod Pradhan, state secretary Sanjit Mohanty and hundreds of representatives and volunteers from 21 districts participated.