Paharia Kamara community of Odisha’s Nuapada dist demand tribal status, watch
When a girl from the Paharia community of Odisha gets married in Chhattisgarh she enjoys tribal status and so get the benefits of various government schemes. However, if a girl from Chhattisgarh gets married in Odisha, she faces a lot of problem for not getting included as tribal.
Nuapada: People of the Paharia Kamara community have been living in the forested hills of Nuapada district in Odisha for the last many years. Yet, people of this community are yet to get tribal status. As before, they are still in the backward list. Hence, people of the community are not getting benefited from various developmental schemes of the government.
They have taken to agitation several times to demand their right but in vain. Rather the problem has increased. Here is a ground zero report.
There are 40 crore Scheduled tribe people living across the country. Among them are the people of Paharia community of Nuapada district in Odisha.
They have claimed that they were on the tribal list when they were under the control of the Central Province in the British period.
Their relatives have been recognized as tribal in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
On April 1, 1936, Odisha province was formed. Accordingly, this area was merged into Sambalpur district of the then Odisha after getting severed from erstwhile Raipur district of the Central Province under British regime. Later it was merged to Kalahandi district in 1949. After this, the Khadial Jamidari (Feudal system) was merged to Odisha and Nuapada subdivision was created.
There are about 10 thousand people of Paharia community in the Balangir, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Bargarh districts including Nuapada district.
The life style of the people of Paharia community is very simple. Most of the people are landless and lack education.
People of this community make various household items like Dala, Toopa, Supa from bamboo and sell in the market. Yet, gradually bamboo could not be available in the forest as well as many restrictions were put. Hence demand for these items have decreased. On the other hand, the demand for plastic materials has increased. In such a situation their livelihood has deteriorated.
They have alleged that they are living a miserable life by being deprived of basic facilities like education, health, transportation, drinking water and electricity from the government.
When a girl from the Paharia community of Odisha gets married in Chhattisgarh she enjoys tribal status and so get the benefits of various government schemes. However, if a girl from Chhattisgarh gets married in Odisha, she faces a lot of problem for not getting included as tribal.
As per reports, the community people have filed their demand with both the central and state government for tribal status through the Tribal Welfare Minister.
A few months ago, BJD MP Niranjan Bishi drew attention of the Tribal Welfare Minister Arjun Munda to grant tribal status to the Paharia Kamara community.
Also, a few days ago, an 8-member representative team of the community met President Droupadi Murmu in Bhubaneswar, to press their demand.
They have warned that if they would not be given tribal status, they would be forced to merge with the neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
The tribal welfare officer of Nuapada said that the matter has been sent to the ministry of the Tribal welfare Ministry. Now it is under consideration of the Central Government.
Ms Kalinga