Odisha: Kotia youth delegation meets revenue minister, seeks basic amenities for border villages

By Suryanarayan Panda

Koraput, June 10: A delegation of youth members from the Kotia Bikash Committee met Odisha revenue minister Suresh Pujari in Bhubaneswar on Monday, submitting a detailed memorandum demanding essential infrastructure and services for the villages under Kotia panchayat in Koraput district. The appeal seeks to address longstanding challenges in health, education, and livelihoods in the sensitive border region.

Led by Kameswar Gemel and Laxman Gemel, the team presented a 30-point charter of demands, highlighting the need for the establishment of Anganwadi centres in remote hamlets like Tala Sembi, Harmandingi, Salapguda, Konadora, Arjuvalasa, Naredivalasa, and Kurudipadar. They also urged the state government to announce a special development package for Kotia under the South Odisha Development Council to fast-track infrastructure and welfare projects.

Calling for measures to curb youth migration, the committee proposed the deployment of local youths working outside the region to serve in Kotia villages, alongside providing them with training and soft loans to promote self-employment ventures.

In the education sector, the delegation demanded the upgradation of existing schools and the setting up of higher educational institutions in Kotia to prevent students from migrating to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for studies. They also suggested the promotion of indigenous crops and proposed making Kotia a focal point in the district’s coffee plantation expansion initiatives.

Addressing the region’s acute healthcare gaps, the memorandum sought the establishment of health sub-centres at Dhulipadar and Phatusinery to ease access to medical services, as residents currently struggle to reach the lone health facility at Kotia. The team also advocated for the introduction of doorstep banking services for senior citizens, taking cues from similar schemes implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government in nearby villages.

Responding to the delegation’s appeal, Minister Pujari assured the youth leaders that their demands would be sympathetically examined. He urged the committee to actively collaborate with the government in realizing the collective vision of developing Kotia into a progressive and self-reliant region.