Once a Red Corridor, J'khand hamlet is now set for green drive

Jiyan village, a sleep hamlet about 80km from here, is all set to cultivate land scientifically for better yields.
The East Singhbhum district police and Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) have come together to start a green revolution in this remote village, previously a stronghold of the CPI(Maoists), Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop T Mathew said.
"With little help from farmers of adjoining areas, the district police officers have recently started training the residents of Jiyan on how to cultivate land scientifically," he said.
The initiative is a part of a promise made by the police department to the people of this village following the surrender of two Maoists from this area, Kanhu Munda and Fogra Munda, in February.

"A majority of the villagers depends on agriculture, thus we have decided to focus on developing farming facilities here with an aim to improve their earnings," Mathew said, admitting that the village lacked irrigation facilities.
Last week, Mathew, along with a police team and the officials of Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), had visited the place to offer farming tips to the villagers.

As of now, the Tata Steel Rural Development Society has made arrangements for sourcing water from a nearby hilltop and utilising it in the farms, he said while assuring people that a check dam would be set up in the vicinity soon.

About 60 villagers along with some reformed Maoists have been participating in the development process.
The department has also made arrangements for some residents to visit the adjoining Patamda village for a first-hand experience of scientific farming from the cultivators there.
As a part of the initiative, 25 acres were ploughed so far and fertilizers and seeds for farming vegetables such as brinjal, tomatoes, cabbage, and cauliflowers were distributed among the Jiyan villagers, Mathew said.
"Our motive was not just to force the Maoists to surrender but to solve the problems that prompted them to join the Maoist outfits," he told PTI.

Efforts are on to improve irrigation facilities in and around the hamlet so that the villagers get to earn their livelihood through farming, Mathew, who is confident that a green revolution would bring an end to the red revolution, said.