TRIBALS – 2007 - Indian Social Institute

epidemic and has got his mother admitted, seemed to be least bothered about his own losses.Getting the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) nearby, he asked, "Can a small bridge be built ona mountain stream within three days which can make his village accessible to Dongasili".At theTikiri PHC Abhiram Majhi an attendant of a gastro patient admitted for the last four days wasmore excited about the good free meal packets and drinking water pouches they were gettingfrom the administration rather than the improving condition of his patient. For Govind Hial fromDikaral village, whose sister in law has almost recovered from the gastro infection, had acomplaint that doctors did not give any injection to his patient. For these ignorant tribal injectionsare the best remedies for any ailment. He hinted that due to nonavailabilty of doctors, quacksmake rounds of their inaccessible villages administering injections for any ailment for a goodprice. Most of them had a major worry, how to get back to their road less villages after patientsget cured as the patients and their attendants had been transported by vehicles of administrationto the medical centres. The scantily-clad, ill-fed children scampering around pigs and sanitationless tiny inaccessible hamlets are proof that despite the much claimed KBK project and publicizedactivities of NGOs in this area little has changed in this area in last two decades. The irony is thatalthough official records show Kashipur is the experimenting ground for NGOs no NGO activitycould be seen during the recent gastro epidemic although the administrative officials are workinground-the-clock for the past 10 days to check it……. (The Hindu 28/8/07)27 tribal groups dwindle in numbers (6)BHUBANESWAR: It may sound strange, but it’s true. When population growth remains a majorconcern in the country, population of as many as 27 tribal communities in Orissa has shownnegative growth rate. Population of 13 major tribes has gone down below 3,100. The stunningaspect of tribal population came to the light when Directorate of Census Operation (DCO) andSCs and STs Research Training Institute (SSRTI) released community-wise status based on the2001 census of these two backward classes here on Wednesday. Some of the prominent tribalcommunities whose population growth rate decreased included Desia Bhumij, Mankidi, Chenchu,Ghara, Baiga and Tharua, said ‘Status of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in Orissa(Community Wise): Census 2001’ here. According to the report, population growth rate of DesiaBhumij had gone down by 90.58 per cent while Mankidi tribes suffered 88.70 per cent declinecompared to the 1991 census. Similarly, the 13 tribes whose population was less than 3100included Chenchu (28), Mankidi (130), Desia Bhumij (177), Ghara (275), Thaurua (453), Baiga(539), Birhor (702) and Mankirdia (2803). Orissa has a sizable tribal population with 22.13 percent of its total population. The State houses 62 types of tribes, of which 13 are primitive. TheState has one of the richest diverse tribal populations in the country. The status report, however,said population of 10 tribal communities had shown positive growth rate in 2001 compared to theprevious census. Some of the communities have been identified as Kol (137.20 per cent),Parenga (116.43 per cent), Madia (109.66 per cent) and Kondadora (77.59 per cent). However,good news is that the tribal population has maintained a good sex ratio. Compared 972 of overallsex ratio of the State, the tribal population is having a healthy sex ratio of as high as 1003. Whenit comes to the rural area, the sex ratio goes up to 1006, but urban tribal population seems to betoeing the general trend with the sex ratio going down below 1,000. The analysis by SSRTI saidthe State’s tribal population is having more widows than widowers. (The Hindu 30/8/07)Encroachment on forest land to be verified (6)MUMBAI: The Adivasis’ struggle for land rights has received a boost after Maharashtra ForestMinister Babanrao Pachpute ordered that the survey of “encroached” forest land be completed inSakhri taluk of Dhule district. People there have been protesting against diversion of forest landfor wind energy projects. Kishore Dhamale of the Satyashodhak Grameen Kashtakari Sabha,who has been spearheading the forest communities’ struggle for land, told The Hindu that theMinister also stayed construction of wind towers on forest land. Ever s ince two large tracts offorest land were leased to Suzlon Energy Limited some time ago, the Adivasis have beenprotesting that their rights are ignored. In January, 127.94 hectares in the villages of Vitave,Vatve, Pangan, Panchmauli and Raikot was leased by the Forest Department. Another 212hectares has also been leased to the company for wind energy projects. The new ScheduledTribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act passed in December