The most recent case of death of 20 children of Juanga tribe in Nagada village of Chingudipal gram panchayat under Sukinda block in Jajpur district due to malnutrition unveils the precarious condition of the Juanga tribe which is one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) among 13 PVTGs inhabiting in Odisha.
Not only Juanga, Sukinda block is also home to Mankidia tribe and STs constitute about one third of the total population of the block. The socio-economic indicators of PVTG continue to remain below the State average of other STs. Malnutrition is not an issue itself; rather it is interconnected to employment, food security, drinking water, health care, sanitation, housing, education, communication and overall living condition and quality of life. The people of these areas usually always suffer from malaria.
A recent media report says hundreds of ST students in ashram schools are suffering from malaria. Many people have been dying and suffering for a long time. The long time sufferings have an impact over their socio-economic life and productivity. It is a fact that many of the Government social security schemes for the poor, women and children, such as ICDS, are not reaching to the people in interior parts. There has been lack of regular supervision and monitoring of such schemes for the poor. The marginalized people in these areas have no access to safe drinking water, primary school and sanitation and healthcare facilities. Mostly tribals depend on traditional healthcare systems of middle age in the absence of modern healthcare system.
Sukinda valley is internationally known as natural resource rich zone with mineral bearing, mining and industry in operation. It is not just Nagada there are hundreds of such villages in the valley which are equally backward and people are deprived of basic amenities.
Why in spite of all our plan interventions and efforts of the Government, corporate bodies and NGOs for last so many years, the basic minimum for life has not been guaranteed for all. There are regular schemes under Tribal Sub Plan and special projects added to a host of region specific new development schemes such as periphery development, Corporate Social Responsibility under Companies Act, 2013 and District Mineral Foundation under MMDR Amendment Act 2015 and grant under lWE area as the zone is identified as Maoist prone area. Juanga tribe people are spread over the districts of Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Jajpur. Juanga Development Agency (JDA) as a micro project exclusively for Juanga has been in operation since 1978 with introduction of TSP that focuses tribal development within in the planned annual budget. The Government has been implementing dispersed tribal development programme (DTDP) to cover tribal outside ITDA areas.
The Sukinda Chrome valley located between the rivers Brahmani and Baitarani is a major mineral bearing area. It has about 98 per cent of the chrome deposits of the country and having mining operation for last 50 years. The valley covers adjacent blocks of Sukinda in Jaipur bordering Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts. With 26 mines, the mining companies including OMC, FACOR, IMFA, Tata, Jindal, IDC, ISPAT Alloys, ICCl, Ml mines and BC Mohanty and Sons are operating in an area of around 5,000 hectares.
Odisha is continuing to be the major chromite producing State with 99 per cent of share in India. Chromite is used in metallurgical industry for manufacture of ferro-alloys, ferro chrome, charge chrome and silico chrome which are used as additive in making stainless steel. India exports to Japan and China. Kalinga Nagar, the steel hub of Asia has 14 steel industries that include both private and public sector owned companies. Nilachala Ispat Nigam limited, Tata Steel limited, MESCO, Jindal, VISA, ROHIT, KJ Ispat, Maithan, ADANI, BRPl, MISl, Dinabandhu and IPJ to name a few are located in the area. These companies have taken lease of about 15,000 acres of land for their factory. In spite of laws and provisions, why these industry and mining companies operating in the block have not taken any substantial development work for the marginalized poor is a question still not answered. The companies like Tata, IMFA and Zindal having both mines and industry in the area should have taken proactive role in changing the economic condition of the people, but unfortunately both the Government and corporate bodies have failed to reach to the poor. In Kalinga Nagar, 13 Adivasies were killed by police in 2006 during the struggle for rights over resources specially land, forest and water that was handed over to private companies by the State but the struggle of the tribals and their basic issues are placed in the periphery of State’s socio-economic agenda. The ruling party leaders have made all efforts to sabotage the unity of the marginalized and their struggle for basic entitlements, equality and equal rights over the resources and development programmes.
The large scale mining and industrialisation activities have been contributing to huge deforestation, soil erosion and pollution of water. The perennial sources are being dried up due to deep underground mining. It has an adverse impact on the tribals and farming communities who mostly depend on agriculture for livelihood.
Studies shows that laws, such as Odisha Government land Settlement Act, 1962, the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 are not being fully implemented. The Juanga and Mankidia tribes in Sukinda block are landless and they have not been settled with homestead and agriculture land for housing and livelihood whereas the mining and industry units have further pushed them to periphery without proper rehabilitation. The ancillary scopes opening up in the area in business, supply contract, construction work, trade and service sector have largely excluded the socially deprived sections due to social discrimination, illiteracy and poverty.
The STs and SCs Development Department being the nodal department has failed to ensure inter-departmental development coordination. It is the most neglected department. The people are not getting involved in local development process and there is no people’s organization to motivate people to be part of the planning and implementation of the programme. The ruling political parties and development administrators are not accountable to people for their failure in ensuring basic amenities. The PVTGs have very insignificant political participation and also lack of political education. They are also neglected within tribal fraternity due to their extreme backwardness. The attention of political parties and bureaucrats are more focused on mining and industry and they are deliberately undermining the development of the marginalized who are pushed into the distress and deprivation. The people’s representatives have funds such as MPlAD and MlAlAD to spend for the development of infrastructure in tribal areas but these funds are mostly not reaching to the people in need.
(Email:manasbbsr15@gmail.com,Mobile -9437060797)