Belgaon is a small hamlet of Kolam Adivasis under the Nandappa Group Gram Panchayat. There was a time when this hamlet had its own fair price shop which served a total of around 100-110 card holders. This shop was closed down and ration cards were linked first to the shop at Pittiguda and more recently with Mathadi Gondguda which is around 2 kms from Belgaon. Since the last couple of years the Adivasis are trying to get the fair price shop in their village to restart functioning.
Presently the Saraswati Mahila Bachat Gat of Mathadi Gondguda is running the fair price shop whereas Sharda Bachat Gat formed by Kolam women in Belgaon have come forward to run the same. The road between Belgaon and Mathadi Gondguda is hilly and the Adivasis of Belgaon find it difficult to transport the grains on their bicycles.
On 30/11/2020 a resolution was passed by the Gram Panchayat, Nandappa that since villagers were facing inconveniences, a fair price shop should be started at Belgaon itself. Since then the villagers including Kolam women have taken delegations to the Tehsildar, Jivti and the District Supply Officer at Chandrapur, but the matter remains unresolved.
Meanwhile, the issue of lack of internet connectivity has also come up. While the Tehsildar Jivti has written to DSO asking for ration to be distributed under through the ‘nominee’ process, the villagers are insisting that the first the shop should be started at Belgaon.
Although the government’s stated policy is to distribute ration at the doorsteps of the Adivasis, this does not seem to be happening in Belgaon. Even though Belgaon is part of PESA area and is inhabited by Kolam PVTG group which happens to be a priority group for the government, they are still running from pillar to post for their food.
