North Korean authorities are launching a project to help low-income people who skip meals during the year-end and New Year holidays. However, it is said that the standards for selecting low-income people are strict, which is causing resentment from residents.
According to sources in North Hamgyong Province, the provincial, city, and county People’s Committees surveyed the food reserves of local residents from the 11th to the 20th, saying they would supply food to low-income households.
The authorities plan to supply food based on the survey results, and plan to provide at least 3kg of rice per household on January 1st in the name of holiday supply.
However, the problem is that the criteria for selecting energy saving households are applied very strictly. According to the source, the Hoeryeong City People’s Committee conducted a detailed investigation of each house through the district office and the People’s Unit, and excluded households that had even 1 kg of rice in their homes from the support for energy saving households.
In addition, if you have electronic devices such as a TV, recorder, transformer, or sewing machine at home, you are also excluded from support.
In response to this, residents asked, “Does it make sense that if you have even 1 kg of heavy equipment (electronic appliances) or rice in your house, you cannot be included in the energy-saving household?”, “They say you are a consumption-saving household when you swing a stick and nothing catches, but who lives on the bare floor with nothing? ”, “I would rather not receive rice even if I starve to death right now,” are pouring out complaints.
In addition, some residents are responding by saying, “When did the government ever take interest in people starving to death?” and “It is strange that they are suddenly supplying rice and then surveying households that are frugal.”
In particular, many residents expressed dissatisfaction when village office staff and people’s unit leaders visited each household and searched the houses to check for rice and electronic devices.
A resident of Hoeryeong City said to a local office worker (executive) and an inminban leader who came to his house to conduct a household survey, “You’re giving them rice? Stop lying too. He protested harshly, saying, “I won’t ask for rice, so don’t call me out to mobilize effort (manpower) and leave immediately.”
The reason why residents express strong dissatisfaction with household surveys aimed at supplying rice to low-income households is because the authorities have previously said they would distribute food to low-income households, but often ended up making promises.
The source said, “People who are starving because they don’t have food believe that rice will be provided and wait thirstily for food supply,” adding, “Then, when they don’t give them rice, they become so desperate.”
At the same time, he lamented, “Nowadays, no one believes in the state, so if you just don’t control it and leave it to the people to live on their own, they will make a living. I don’t understand why they make it more difficult by conducting unnecessary investigations and controlling.” .
Source: www.dailynk.com
