: Poor access to forest resources, welfare schemes gives Juangs of Kendujhar a hard time #IndiaNEWS #National <br>One of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha, the Juangs

@IndiaNEWS

Posted in: #IndiaNEWS #National

Poor access to forest resources, welfare schemes gives Juangs of Kendujhar a hard time #IndiaNEWS #National
<br>One of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha, the Juangs are found in Kendujhar, Dhenkanal, Angul and Jajpur districts. In Kendujhar, they can be spotted in 148 villages in Banspal, Telkoi, Harichandanpur and Ghatagaon blocks.
In Budhighar village of Bansapal block, Juangs live on the slopes of Gonasika hills. Their forefathers resided amid dense vegetation, but the forest departments entry restrictions after the 1990s forced the present group to settle on the fringes. Their current population is 381 with a total of 84 households.
For years, shifting cultivation inside the forest and collection of minor produce were their main livelihood sources.
Traditionally, they changed their place of stay every 10 years, looking for fertile patches that supported rain-fed agriculture. However, the forest guards on patrol duty do not allow such activities these days. According to the tribals, even women who go to collect minor produce are threatened.
They think of the days when they could freely collect tubers, roots, edible leaves, fruits and honey. Our forefathers roamed every nook and corner of the hills. They were stronger and healthier. However, the present generation is extremely thin and shorter in height, says an observant Madhu Juang (68).
Traditionally, Juangs consumed forest produce and local varieties of millets and pulses. Cereal-centric food slowly replaced our diverse and nutritious platter. Subsidised rice under the public distribution system eroded the local agro-biodiversity, claims Jema Juang, the sarpanch of Gonasaki panchayat in Bansapal.
Gongei (sorghum) and mandia (finger millet) were our staple foods. We used to grow at least 32 varieties of traditional crops. They could sustain less rainfall, recalls Parmeswar Juang. In fact, the crops they cultivated were suitable for the hilly terrain and slopes that they could freely choose from in the early days.
The present restrictions have contributed to the poor tribal health indices in Kendujhar. Over 25 per cent of women have a below-normal body mass index as against the state average of 20. 8 per cent, according to the National Family Health Survey-5.
Similarly, 74. 7 per cent of women in the district are anaemic as against the state average of 61. 8 per cent.
To make matters worse for Juangs, the OMC has unearthed the presence of white soapstones (khadi pathara) in Gonasika hills.
Mining has not begun, but sooner or later, it will, says Ratnakar Juang, who holds the position of naik, the communicator/messenger of the community.
Though the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) has been initiating development programmes for tribal welfare, several Juang villages do not have access to electricity, potable water, roads or income-generating opportunities.

Intraday stocks under 50 NSE India Twitter of India

Vote Up Vote Down

Login to post a comment!