Planning for indigenous community of Madhya Pradesh: a case of Baiga community

Abstract

In India, there are more than 104 million tribal persons who are directly or indirectly dependent on forests for their livelihood. There are 75 groups who have been given the status of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Baiga community is one of the PVTGs. They have a low rate of literacy and are at the verge of extinction due to declining population growth. In this research, an attempt has been made to plan for sustainable livelihood of Baiga community. Baigas majorly reside in four districts of Madhya Pradesh namely Mandla, Balaghat, Shahdol and Dindori. Kanha Tiger Reserve falling in Mandla and Balaghat Districts is one of the oldest Tiger Reserves in India which is also home for many tribal communities along with Baigas. Around 35 tribal villages have been relocated from the Tiger Reserve from its inception in 1973. The relocation resulted in the loss of the livelihoods of tribes including Baigas. Five such relocated Baiga dominant villages were selected for this study. Household survey, focused group discussion and observation revealed the fact that there is a shift in occupation among Baiga males and females due to the relocation. While Baiga males turned into daily wage labourers from agricultural labourers, Baiga females have turned into unemployed from agricultural labourers. It has also been found that there is an increase in monthly income after displacement but the expenditure has doubled. Further socio-economic vulnerability assessment shows a lack of social infrastructure such as school, health facility are the main contributors to their vulnerability. On the other hand, facility mapping of Bichchiya C. D. Block was done taking distance to various physical and social facilities. It shows that 3 out of 5 study area villages fall in facility zones. Also, if we look into the villages where Baigas were settled after relocation, most of them are in low facility zones. Using the above-mentioned findings and issues, planning strategies were proposed for relocated Baiga community towards improving their improvement of livelihood and living conditions in the relocated area.