Koraput: Living in the twilight zone that is Kotia can have both its advantages and disadvantages. Caught in the middle of a territorial dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, many in the 21 villages of Kotia panchayat’s Pottangi block have benefitted from social welfare measures across both sides of the border.
But there is also a flip side, as hundreds of women living in the disputed villages are finding out. Most eligible women are unable to access Odisha’s Subhadra Yojana — a financial assistance initiative introduced by the BJP govt — as their Aadhaar cards show them as residents of Andhra Pradesh. Under the scheme, eligible beneficiaries get Rs 50,000 over a period of 5 years, with the money deposited into their bank accounts. For this, eligible women have to get themselves registered.
“When we enter the Aadhaar numbers of women from these disputed villages, the system recognises them as belonging to Andhra Pradesh, which leads to the rejection of their applications,” explained Kantamani Khora, an anganwadi worker from Madkar village.
Around 2,000 women living in the 21 disputed villages are facing this problem. In Madkar, out of 83 women who had applied for the scheme, only 17 applications were approved. A similar situation was reported from Phagunusenari, where only 15 of the 82 applications were accepted.
“I had applied for the scheme, but my application was rejected as my Aadhaar was marked under Andhra Pradesh,” said Ratnamani Khillo, a resident of Madkar village.
The dual identity issue stems from villagers possessing Aadhaar cards of both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with identical numbers but slight variation in names. This ambiguity has persisted for years, with villagers often holding dual voter IDs and ration cards, enabling them to access benefits from both states. Many of them reportedly also vote in the elections in both states.
To address the Aadhaar situation, Benudhar Sabar, chief development officer and executive officer of Koraput zilla parishad, said, “The block authorities will be directed to look into the matter, and necessary steps will be taken to ensure that all women beneficiaries in Kotia panchayat receive their due benefits under Subhadra Yojana.”
Kotia region has long been a subject of dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The ownership battle over the 21 villages reached the Supreme Court in 1968. In 2006, the apex court ruled that resolving inter-state boundary disputes falls under the purview of the Parliament, imposing a permanent injunction on the contested areas.