The tribal belt of Bihar-Jharkhand boasts one such brave heart whose courage and leadership have been the stuff of legends since the latter half of the nineteenth century. This leader of the Munda tribals fought the mighty British Empire to unshackle his people from the fetters of slavery.
A hundred and fourteen years later, the pride in his struggle seems tarnished, as his people find themselves trapped in the shackles of poverty and unemployment, standing on the fringes of socio-economic development.
Tribal communities have always appreciated a life of freedom with respect towards nature and God ingrained in their very identity. Till date, they have been following the traditional lifestyle set by their ancestors. They prefer to use utensils made of metal, eat on the leaves of sakhua and sleep on mats made of palm leaves. When the rest of the world is rapidly consuming the limited natural resources, the tribals are bereft of the very natural wealth they helped protect over the centuries.
The tribal community of Jharkhand, pegged at 26.2 percent of the state's total population as per Census 2011, has been facing an existential crisis. "Jal, jungle aur zameen (water, forest and land) which they worship and rely on for their survival, are deteriorating at a very fast rate. Development issues like education, employment, livelihood, health and sanitation have not been given a chance here," says Balram, a social activist and advisor to the Supreme Court on food security.
The voices of the nine tribes inhabiting the Jharkhand hills fade out before reaching the government. One of the biggest challenges these people face is unemployment It has been fourteen years since Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar with the idea of development of these tribal communities yet virtually no improvement can be seen in the quality of their lives.
MGNREGA that promises a hundred days of employment to every adult villager has succumbed to the malice of corruption. Men from these communities have started migrating to towns and cities in search of work since the state has been facing a drought situation for the past three years with no proper system of irrigation.
The districts of Chatra, Latehar, Gardhwa and Palamu are falling prey to malnutrition. In Jharkhand, where about 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, about half the children under three years of age is malnourished. The biggest obstacle is the hilly terrain that hampers outreach efforts in some areas of the state, especially when no sincere efforts are being made to start with.
The major problem, above all else, is the distrust between these adivasi communities and the government, both at the state and central levels. People have time and again been betrayed by the launch of various schemes, acts, projects... for these have never actually benefitted the destitutes they were intended for.
It started with the Panchayati Raj Act that was implemented in India vide the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution in 1993. Soon, it became apparent that many of its provisions had no role to play in tribal areas. To overcome this drawback, the PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act was enacted on 24 December 1996, intended to enable Gram Sabhas self-govern their natural resources. It also made clear that no state has the right to make any law against the tradition, customs and lifestyle of tribals. But as far as tribals of Jharkhand are concerned, they are far from receiving any benefit under this Act.
The second development was the Forest Act, but proved to be ineffective as well. According to Ramdev Vishva Bandhu, State Coordinator, Jharkhand Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, "The FRA (Forest Right Act) is not effective here in the wealthy jungles of Jharkhand, nor are the required efforts being made for its proper implementation. It is because of these tribal communities that forests exist. We cannot afford to be unjust towards them."
According to the FRA, tribals who have lived on any forest land before December 13, 2005 for one to twenty five years can get a lease for that land. For other traditional communities, the time frame is 75 years. There are no efforts for proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Jharkhand. In the neighboring states of Orissa and Chhattisgarh, nearly 2.5 - 3 lakh tribals have got leases on their forest land, while in Jharkhand only 17000 tribal have benefitted from this Act.
Out of 24 districts in Jharkhand, Giridih has done a remarkable job in the implementation of FRA. Here, almost 3500 tribal have got lease on the forest land and 300 are under process. If Giridih can achieve success by implementing the Act properly, why not elsewhere in the state? Clearly, lack of administrative will, reflects in the poor implementation of the Act.
Be it FRA, MGNREGA, Food Security Act or PESA, more than the schemes, these tribal communities need to feel a sense of participation in the development process. The Charkha Development Communication network feels that there is a need to make them aware and bring social change that will ensure proper implementation of schemes. Trust has to be developed between this disadvantaged lot and people dealing with them officially. Indeed, Birsa Munda's people have earned it and history stands testimony to that. (ANI)
Note: The views expressed in the article are of the author.
