‘ACCORD VULNERABLE STATUS TO PAHARIA TRIBE’
Monday, 29 July 2013 | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar
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The
Regional Centre for Development and Cooperation (RCDC), a civil society
organisation, while welcoming the decision of the Union Ministry of Rural
Development to allocate more Indira Awas houses for two of the Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) namely Choktia-Bhunjia of Sunabeda sanctuary
and the Dongrias of Niyamgiri, has expressed concern over the neglect of other
vulnerable tribal groups like the Paharia tribe living in the Sunabeda
sanctuary.
In a letter to Union
Minister for Rural Development Jayram Ramesh, Bikash Rath of RCDC pointed out
that the Paharia tribe which resides in the Sunabeda sanctuary in the Nuapada
district of Odisha, has neither Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)
status nor even ST (Schedule Tribe) status, although their counterparts in
Chhattisgarh are enjoying the privilege.
The
Paharia people make bamboo-ware. These days bamboos are not available in plenty
in the sanctuary area because of unsustainable exploitation and hence, the
tribals are facing an insecure livelihood. Unlike the Choktias, they are
not well-organised socially and also maintain a low-profile. There have been
several efforts in the past to help them get a PVTG status, or at least an ST
status, but not in vain, Rath contended.
The
Paharia tribe is much more vulnerable than the Choktia Bhunjia community
requiring special attention such as allotment of IAY. The Government has tried
to treat all PVTGs equally. However, some PVTGs are more
vulnerable than others because of their poor anthropological/social nature and
other practices. It is for this reason that the Juangs of Keonjhar are unable
to raise their voices for their rights, and the Paudi Bhuyans of Sundargarh
district also are unable to raise their voice properly against deprivation and
injustice, he said. Rath argued that the conventional system of special
implementation programme for the PVTGs has poorly succeeded for a variety of
reasons. For upliftment of the Paharias and other such more vulnerable
communities, special initiative is required, Rath said.
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In my view Paharia tribe of Sunabeda is more primitive tribe than Chokotia Bhunjia. They are partially nomadic in nature and less organized than Chokotia Bhunjia. They depend upon forest for their livelihood. They comes down to shandies (Local Weekly market)of plain area from Sunabeda Plateau to sale bamboo products..They have special food habits.. such as AAM KHIA or mango eating and MACHH KHIA or fish eating .At the time of aam khia they collects mango from forest and use them as their prime food. They never sale mango collected by them. Similarly they make their temporary cottages near streams to catch fish in Maach khia season and use fish as their prime food. They are also expert in collection of honey..
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