JHARKHAND : They say, true revolution stems from necessity, and a strong sense of justice. Om Prakash Sahu’s decision to exit the Maoist organisation came out of the realisation that they were being exploited by the top leaders, which paved the way for a small revolution among fellow ex-Maoists, who joined together to form a fish farming community in Gumla, Jharkhand.
“It was danger at every step when I left the organisation. Several attempts were made to kill me, but I survived each of them and fought on, with a group of 18-20 people. About 8-10 of my supporters got killed by the Maoists, but I did not lose hope and moved on with my stone crusher business. The government later banned the stone crusher business in 2017, which left me unemployed” said Om Prakash Sahu.
“During this phase, my friend Jyoti Lakra, already a fish farmer, encouraged me to take up fish farming,” said Sahu. More than 200 families of the Basia Block of Gumla are indebted to Sahu for helping them with a livelihood.
“More than 150 ex-Maoists are directly or indirectly engaged with me in fish farming” said Sahu. Locals asserted that he wore his life on his sleeves and helped drag out Maoists from the region, which brought peace to the region.
“The training given by the fisheries department proved to be a turning point in my life,” said Sahu. Later, in 2024, he received assistance under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for six ponds with advanced Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) technology
Ishwar Gope, 42, an ex-Maoist and friend of Sahu, now harvests eight quintals of fish worth `2,50,000 annually from a government pond. Likewise, Lakhan Singh, 51, had been doing fish farming traditionally in his own pond, but after meeting Sahu, started doing it in an organised way in the five ponds he owns and is making a good profit.
Singh returned home after several years as a daily wage labourer, due to Sahu’s efforts- he had to leave more than 150 acres of ancestral land when Maoist menace hit peak.
Lakra, who has received `18 lakh grant to set up his mill at Basia block of Gumla says “Fish feed was not available locally, and villagers had to travel about 150 km to get it.
This made me set up a fish feed mill in Basia itself.” Lakra not only produces and sells fish feed, but also gives information to the locals about PMSSY, and encourages them to take advantage of it. According to Lakra, he has encouraged about 150 people in the area for fish farming, and has earned a net profit of `8,00,000 last year through his business.
Gumla District Fisheries Officer Kusum Lata revealed that PMMSY has proved to be a boon to hundreds of people in the district, especially in rural areas. Over 25% of fish farming families in the district are former Maoist supporters or cadres, she said.