Worse than usury
On May 28,1995, 3 jeeps full of uniformed officers and forest guards along with a truck and a tractor arrived in Haliasahi, a remote Adivasi hamlet in Kashipur block, Rayagada district, Orissa, and seized the entire stock of hillbrooms belonging to the local Mandibisi Mahila Mandal (MMM).
Hillbrooms are a restricted forest item made from a particular grass, and the Tribal Development Cooperative Cooperation (TDCC) has the monopoly lease over their purchase. The TDCC, formed by the state to check exploitation of Adivasis by contractors, has been subleasing the purchase of hillbrooms to local businesspersons. Bundles of hilibrooms, weighing anything between 1-1,5 kg were bought at the price of Rs 1 to Rs 1.50 by the businesspersons, whiletthe government rate was Rs 3.00 per kg. A I kg bundle yields 3 finished brooms sold at the minimum price of Rs 5 per broom in the open' market. Thus, the women actually got 1/10th of the ultimate selling price.
The MMM raised a capital of Rs 14,850 - in 1993 to counter this exploitation, and demanded license and lease to sell the brooms. However, all their efforts were in vain. In 1995, the MMM decided to go ahead with plans to purchase brooms.from the local people. Thus, people from Mandibisi block sold All their stocks to the MMM, leaving the traders empty-handed. In retaliation, the TDCC began harassing the women. The final revenge came with the MMM's broom stocks being seized, leaving MMM activists in despair.