Section 3 Tribal Development Strategy

Transcription

1 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized 3.1 Introduction Section 3 Tribal Development Strategy IPP28 Volume 2 Chhattisgarh has a tribal population of percent (Census, 1991). Tribals are concentrated over nearly 65 percent of the states area, and this area covers seven districts entirely and another six districts partly'. The state is home to several tribes - small, large and even those nearing extinction in numbers - and it presents among the most challenging scenario for human development anywhere in the country. This strategy document broadly outlines the context of socio-economic and development status of tribal groups in Chhattisgarh and presents a plan to address these within the framework of the World Bank financed District Rural Poverty Project (DRPP). The DRPP is a people centred, participatory, poverty alleviation programme that targets the poor and disadvantaged section of the population in all 16 districts of Chhattisgarh. The implementation of the project is based on an innovative approach that highlights demandsensitive development, promoting and supporting effective decentralised governance and addressing obstacles to income security. It is well established that the tribal communities as anywhere else in the country, are one of the most vulnerable and marginalised group. They face social diversity, oppression and economic hardships in various forms. They have to contend with unequal and insecure access to productive resources and share poor participation in governance. Tribal areas and communities largely remain underserved through public systems - both on account of supply (resources fail to reach the target or programmes fail to bring long term change) and demand (poor ability to demand and elicit resources and services) factors. Poor educational achievements, vulnerable health status and insecure livelihood base have kept these groups to the margins of development in Chhattisgarh. The number and status of tribals, thus warrant specific attention to aspects of their participation and intended benefits from DRPP. Through this tribal development strategy the government makes an attempt to recognise the fact that benefits from programmes and schemes intended for the tribals do not reach them automatically and that deliberate and strategic measures and protective regimes have to combine with relevant programmes in order to ensure that benefits actually accrue to vulnerable sections such as tribals. Accordingly, this document sets out an agenda of action for DRPP and identifies measures and provisions intended to protect and enhance the participation of and benefit to the tribal communities in the selected DRPP districts. This paper identifies broad principles and directions for institutional and programmatic intervention with the tribals in DRPP. This strategy document is structured as follows: 1. Context of Tribal Communities in Chhattisgarh and their status in DRPP Districts - An Overview. 2. Legal and Policy Framework for Tribals in Chhattisgarh. Census, 1991 F~~~E COPY ~~~~46

2 3. Government and Non Government Organisations working for Tribal Development in Chhattisgarh. 4. Tribal Development Strategy for DRPP. 5. Institutional and Programmatic Interventions for Tribals in DRPP. 3.2 The Context of Tribal Communities in Chhattisgarh and their status in DRPP Districts An Overview The state of Chhattisgarh is home to a large tribal population, which is diverse in location, origin, socio-cultural history, language, livelihood and level of development. With the exception of some isolated tribes, which continue to be in the food gathering stage, settled cultivation is the dominant mode of occupation for most of them. However, forests continue to be significant source of livelihood. This is a result of the historical pattern of settlement whereby the tribal communities reside in or near forested areas. The areas of tribal concentration in Chhattisgarh can be classified as under: North Eastern Zone: Comprises of Surguja, Raigarh, Bilaspur and areas of other adjoining districts. The primary hilly north-eastern zone is the abode to the Oraons, Kawar, Majhi, Bharia, Agaria, Nagasia, Khairwar, Dhanwar and Korwas. The area has a number of primitive tribes such as Korwas and smaller groups of Baiga. In Chhattisgarh, six agencies have been set up especially for development of these primitive tribes. These six agencies are: I. Kamar Vikas Abhikaran, Gariyaband (Kamar Development Authority, Gariyaband) 2. Abhujmarh Vikas Abhikaran, Narayanpur (Abhujmarh Development Authority, Narayanpur) 3. Baiga Pahadi Korba Vikas Abhikaran, Bilaspur (Baiga Pahari Korba Development Authority, Bilaspur) 4. Pahadi Korba Vikas Abhikaran, Ambikapur (Pahari Korba Development Authority, Ambikapur) 5. Baiga Vikas Abhikaran, Kawardha (Baiga Development Authority, Kawardha) 6. Pahadi Korba evam Birhor Vikas Abhikaran, Jashpur (Pahadi korba and Birhor Development Authority, Jashpur) These agencies work towards all round development of these tribes by making provisions for drinking water sources, civil constructions, health facilities, schemes such as purchase of land for landless primitive tribe people, etc., all with the objective of making them selfreliant. Southern Zone: Comprising of Bastar and other districts carved out of Bastar, this is a large area with very high tribal concentration. This area is populated by various tribes like Gond, Bhatra, Halba, Maria and Pardhi. Numerically, Gond is the largest tribe of Chhattisgarh. 2 For notification as Primitive Tribes, four criteria have been laid down by Government of India - economy based on extremely backward agricultural technology, very low literacy rates, isolated from mainstream lifestyle due to geographical situation and less growth rate of population than expected for long period. 47

3 Table 1: Details of Scheduled Tribe Population in DRPP Districts of Chhattisgarh (1991) S District Total STs % Of Total Major Tribes Other Tribes No. Population Population I Bilaspur Gond, Kawar Dhanwar, Bhinjivar, 2 Korba Sawar, Bhaina, Oraon, 3 Janjgir-Champa Majhwar 4 Surguja Gond, Kawar, Oraon Bharia, Agaria, Nagasia, 5 Koriya Khairwar, Dhanwvar. Korwa 6 Raigarh Gond, Oraon, Bharia, Bhinjwvar, 7 Jashpur Kawar, Sawar Dhanwar, Kharia. Korwa, Majhi, Nagasia 8 Raipur Gond. Kawar Bhinjwvar, Saur, Sawar, 9 Mahasamund Flalba, Bhunjia, Kamar 10 Dhamtari II Durg Gond, FHalba Kawar 12 Ra jnandgaon Gond, Kawar, Halba Baiga 13 Kawardha Bastar Gond, Bhatra, Fllalba Pardhi 15 Kanker Dantewada TOT-AL Source: Census 1991 & Chhattisgarh - A State is Born. There are a few sections of tribes, who by virtue of their location and entitlement have derived benefits of settled agriculture under favourable conditions and have also sought to assert a higher social identity. However, for most tribals, settlements along the hilly tracts, forests or marginalised lands; social status and economic endowment is low and precarious. The large number of tribals present in the state pose a challenge for all development and poverty reduction initiatives and programmes have to b sensitive to their social, cultural and livelihood context. A list of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh, numbering 42, is given in Annexure I and of the seven Primitive Tribes in Annexure 2. The following are the main development indicators that highlight the problems and challenges faced by the tribal communities in the state: Education Education is one of the most powerful tools for socio-economic empowerment but the tribal communities of the state have lagged behind, both in terms of access as well as scholastic achievements. Although the state has invested considerably in infrastructure development for universalising education, large proportions of tribals, particularly girls, still remain outside the scope and reach of formal schooling. The 1991 census revealed that the overall literacy rate among the tribals was 26.7 percent, male literacy was 39.7 percent and female literacy rate a mere 13.9 percent. We may assume that these rates would have increased considerably over the last ten years, a period in which the literacy rate of Chhattisgarh state progressed from 42.9 percent in 1991 to 65.2 percent in

4 There are of course spatial variations. Lack of social motivation, economic stress, limited perceived relevance of schooling, poor teacher motivation and inadequate resources have combined tojeopardise the tribals' access to education. These act even more aggressively on the girl child. Hence, the gender gap in education remains persistent. A district wise presentation of literacy rate amongst scheduled tribes is given in table 2. Table 2: District wise presentation of Literacy Rate amongst STs in Chhattisgarh (1991) S No. Districts Literacy rate amongst STs (All) I Koriya Surguja 3 Bilaspur Korba 5 Janjgir-Champa 6 Jashpur Raigarh 8 Kawardha Rajnandgaon 10 Durg Raipur Mahasamund 13 Dhamtari 14 Kanker Bastar 16 Dantewada Source: Sanket, Chhattisgarh - A State is Born, Bhopal. Chhattisgarh has been a witness to a number of innovative government programs like Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS), Alternative Schooling, District Primary Education Project (DPEP) and initiatives by voluntary organisations in the field of education. The initiatives have sought to fill the supply gap by offering more and better-equipped facilities and also to improve effectiveness of public education system by focusing upon pedagogy and aspects of teacher motivation. EGS ensures provision of a school within one kilometre radius of a settlement from where the demand for the same has come and where there are at least 40 children (25 for tribal areas) who do not have access to a primary school. DPEP is a World Bank sponsored project, which works towards universalising primary education through multiple interventions at programmatic and institutional levels and which covers all aspects of education. Alternative Schooling was introduced as an intervention under DPEP for education of children who are not able to study in formal schools due to various socio-economic reasons Livelihood and Employment Land, both private and public, is the main source of livelihood in rural areas, with agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and allied activities the main sectors in which tribals earn their living. These are carried on primarily for their own subsistence and often under endemically adverse ecological and economic factors. The status of 49

5 agriculture and allied activities of the tribals is basically low technology low input, and subsistence economy based. While there are segments amongst tribals who own large tracts of land and have also taken to more productive and hence more remunerative agricultural practices, they by and large revolve in low technology equilibrium. The major constraint in enhancing agriculture returns among the tribal groups has been marginal land ownership, feudal structures of production and low ability for investment. Raipur (Raipur Rajnandgaon Bastar (Bastar Bilaspur Mahasamnud (Rajnandgaon Kanker and(bilaspur, KorbaSurguja (Surguja Raigarh (Raigarh and Dhamtari) )urg and Kawardha) Dantewara) and Janjgir) and Koriya) and Jashpur) Size Class (i Number Number Number Number Number Number Number llect.) S.T. 'Iotal S.T. Total S.T. Total S.T. 'Iotal S.T. rotal S.T. Fotal s.t. Frotal Below Margmal Small (I 0 to 2 0) to to Semi medium to 5 0 Ha to 7 5 I-la to 10 Ha Medium to 20 Ha & above Large rotal h In most of the districts, less number of tribal families own land. The size of these holdings is smaller, when compared to those of the general population. The proportion of tribal land holdings is also lower than their proportion in the total population. Further, their share of cultivated land is smaller than their share in population in nearly all the districts. Table 3: Landholding Distribution in different size classes in Chhattisgarh Number Area S.T. Total S.T. Total Below % % % % Marginal % % Small (1.0 to 2.0) % % to % % to % % Semi medium % % to 5.0 Ha % % to 7.5 Ha % % to 10 Ha % % Medium % % to 20 Ha % % & above % % Large % % Total % % Source MPFIDR

6 Access of tribal population to land, remains highly unstable and insecure. Land alienation and insecurity of tenure has been a regular cause of concern related to tribal land ownership and this makes their stakes even more uncertain, amounting to virtual landlessness. Wrongfiul dispossession, unfair tenancy arrangements and bondage are common in these areas. In these situations, most of the tribal families exist on the margin of an agrarian economy serving it with their cheap labour and skills. Till 3 1 5' March, 2002, cases of dispossession of tribal lands by non-tribal had been registered in the competent courts, of which had been disposed off by then3. The major problems that tribals face in securing access to land are described as under: iii > Access to Revenue Land: - * Scheduled Tribes are deprived of their land through illegal means and extortion. * While the State has adopted a progressive policy of distributing government revenue land to landless, incomplete land records and their unavailability subvert this policy effectively. For example, the main field revenue official, the patwari does not have a list of the landless. * The Land Ceiling Act provides for appropriation of surplus land by the state and their distribution amongst the landless. However these provisions are not enforced. * Questionable methods are employed to auction land of weaker sections by the banks. * Development and conservation projects acquire land of the weaker sections. * Illegal sale of land owned by Scheduled Tribes continues despite restrictions. * Access to Forest Land: - * Forest Policies can on occasion, lead to the loss of land use and even eviction from homestead areas of tribal people, if the policy declares that these as protected areas. * The survey of encroachments prior to 1980 is not impartial. Encroachments on forestlands and their subsequent regularisation used to be permanent feature in forest areas. The Forest Conservation Act passed in 1980 puts a stop to this practice. It imposed very stringent conditions for diversion of forestland for non-forestry uses. However, following agitation by forest dwellers, Government issued guidelines to regularise encroachments prior to * Forest villages continue to remain outside the mainstream as the Forest Act of 1980 has hampered their conversion into revenue villages. In most cases, the quality of land held and tilled by tribals, is least productive (this is the result of the historical pattern of settlement where tribals have come to inhabit the marginal land in hills around the cultivated tracts, where incidence of irrigation is also low ). Often the best quality land is held either by non-tribals or influential sections of the tribal population Farming is further constrained by the predominance of rainfed conditions, lack of assured protective irrigation, declining soil fertility, untimely and inadequate availability of inputs 3Revenue department, Land use classification in Madhya Pradesh, , table EL-3, page 242, MPI-IDR

7 such as seeds, power, and fertilisers, a generally low level of technological adoption among small and marginal farmers. Commercially oriented animal husbandry based on cattle rearing and dairying is again limited both on account of paucity of feed base, low investment ability and poor marketing options. However goat rearing, pig rearing and small-scale poultry are common among many tribal groups. Its products are used for exchange, localised sale and domestic consumption. Thus, these usually remain outside the scope of commercial marketing Forestry Forest and forest produce occupy an important place in the tribal economy and employment. In the state, the richest forest reserves are found in the tribal homelands and the access to and use of these has been the source of much contention between the tribals, private interests and the state machinery for which the forests also represent an important source of revenue. The forests of the state are rich in timber and non-timber forest produce. These have been traditionally collected, processed and sold by them and thus, form an important source of cash income for them. Estimates indicate that nearly 91 million person days of employment are generated in the forestry sector and the largest share (90 percent) of these accrue to the tribal residents of the forest areas 5. These days of work are generated quite largely through the Forest departments managed and controlled works in Forests. Apart from employment, tribal economy and life depends very largely on forests and its produce - these include substantially fuelwood, minor forest produce that is used for personal consumption and for sales, for nutritional purposes, for cultural and lifestyle usage, for medicinal purposes, ad other myriad uses, much of which remains as a knowledge resource within tribal communities. Yet the dependency on forests, often a resource that sustains and re-inforces tribal life, is becoming unsure and unsustainable due to reducing forests, stringent laws on use of forests, and increasing biotic and public pressure on forests. The most important employment generation in forestry takes place through collection and sale of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). The five most important NTFPs are nationalised with the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation, which has monopoly rights of collection of these NTFPs. The federation undertakes the collection of nationalised NTFPs through primary cooperative societies. The most important NTFPs from livelihood generation point of view are nationalised NTFP like tendu patta, sal seeds and harra. Around Rs. 200 crores were earned by tendu patta collectors in This is significant supplementary income to agriculture that accrues to tribal families in the lean agriculture season. But often due to adverse weather conditions the quality and quantity of NTFPs are badly affected. Headloading of firewood around towns is frequent and provides critical income to poor households. The Chhattisgarh Government has accepted the responsibility of meeting the forest produce requirements of the people living around the forest area, through 'Nistaar'. Under sforest Dcpartment, Department Employment Report, Forest Department,

8 Nistaar, the Forest Department supplies fuel and fodder to the villagers at,subsidised rates. The latest forest policy of the Government restricts this facility to villages located within five kilometres of the forest fringes. However, local residents do not have any clain on commercial revenue from the forest. Tribals have a close linkage with the Forest Department as they reside in and around forest areas that are managed by the Department. The relationship has been problematic to say the least. At the crux of myriad problems, lies the question of ownership - Who owns the forest land? - the Forest Department or the tribals? The uneasy co-existence has at times broken into open hostilities also. The new initiative of the Forest Department viz. Joint Forest Management (JFM) seeks to resolve this crucial issue by offering tribal communities a stake in the management of the forestland, whereby the Gram Sabha holds the responsibility of coordinating the implementation of the project and also plays a role in resolving issues. A total of 6412 JFM committees covering more than sq. km. of 7 forest have already been formed in the state7. Under the DRPP project, the CIGs can take up the initiative of forming Forest Protection Committees (FPCs) provided they have not been established till now in their respective villages. A FPC is a higher order organisation compared to CIGs and might comprise of a number of CIGs operational in the village. Initiatives such as strengthening of an existing FPC can also be taken up. If physical activities are necessary to restore degraded land, then funds for undertaking such measures should be accessed from other sources. If JFM emerges as a priority intervention in an area, it will be necessary to train members of DRPP field teams in the subject. The project will have to closely liaison with the Forest Department in order to gain sanction and registration of FPCs Labour and Employment Tribals are predominantly engaged in primary sector - agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry related activities, their low asset base in terms of land and livestock and few options for self-employment, usually makes wage labour an important component of tribal's economy in the state. The overwhelming source of wage labour for tribals is agriculture operations. In addition to this, forestry, mining and quarrying, and construction work are the other important employment sectors for them. Labour arrangements and practices vary across the state but are uniformly pitted against the poor. In most cases, these are governed by traditional exchange relations dominated by the upper caste landholding elite and the merchant classes. Economic relations based on social control are highly exploitative and have sustained in the light of credit dependence of the tribal poor on the peasant castes, forcing them into virtual bondage in many places. The quest for wage labour has guided the tribal poor to urban centres and regions of high agriculture production, where employment is usually available in areas of agriculture, public works and construction. Young women also migrate (though in lesser numbers) alongside adult men leaving behind elderly and children in homesteads. The wage labour is casual and completely determined by vagaries of market forces and none of the numerous labour laws are applied to this mode of employment. Labourers have to depend 7Forest Department 53

9 upon their employers for basic needs such as shelter, food, etc. This vast casual workforce has been described as 'footloose people' by researchers studying their conditions. Active participation by women in manual labour is a feature of rural societies everywhere. This is even more so for tribal society, which is unhindered by caste taboos that place restrictions on women's mobility for wage labour. It is common to find tribal women going out on their own for wage labour on public works and to towns. While men folk cut and gather fuelwood, it is often the women who bring it into urban centres for sale. Finally, children enter the workforce early in tribal society. Low average years of schooling, high dropouts and establishment of nuclear family after marriages means that young tribal adults have to be independent very soon. Children work as construction labour and in quarries and also provide critical labour at home and in agriculture Poverty and Deprivation Given the adverse social and economic relations governing their lives, the tribals of Chhattisgarh are among the poorest and most vulnerable group in the state. The recent poverty surveys8 show that 5,89,363 tribal families live below poverty line. They comprise 41 percent of all families below poverty line in the state. This is much higher than their proportion in the total population, which is percent. Table 4: Percentage of Tribal BPL Families in DRPP districts of Chhattisgarh S No. District Total no. Percent of Percent of tribal of rural Total BPL families living below families families the poverty line 1 Raipur Mahasamund Dhamtari Durg Rajnandgaon Kawardha Bilaspur Korba Janjgir-Champa Raigarh Jashpur Sarguja Koriya Bastar Dantewada Kanker The major tribes in the areas that will be covered in DRPP are Gond, Oraon, Maria, Bhariya, Agariya, Nagasiya, Halba, Pardhi, Korwa, Dhanvar, Manjhi etc. They populate BPL Survey conducted in

10 different areas though there does exist some overlap also 9. There are also some considerable differences between them, which will require different approach by PFTs towards these groups even in the same area. Hence, it is important that the members of the PFTs have an understanding of the characteristics, needs and approaches of these tribes. While many of them own some land, they also depend on wage labour and often face extreme exploitation and forced bondage. Hence, the PFTs must be prepared for a spectrum of activities from amongst the tribal population Legal and Policy Framework for Tribal Communities in Chlhattisgarlh The Constitution of India makes special provision for tribals. It lists out predominantly tribal areas in Section I of Schedule 244 that are referred to as Scheduled Areas. The Schedule gives state-wise list of communities to be designated as Scheduled Tribes. Following widespread cases of atrocities against members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the centre has passed Prevention of Atrocities (SC and ST) Act, which stipulates stringent punishment to those who commit atrocities against any tribal. The strict hierarchical caste divisions in the Indian society place the tribals at the very bottom of the social ladder even though they are strictly not part of the caste system. Social discrimination is widespread and it takes numerous forms like denial of public facilities to members of SC/ ST, derogatory forms of address, forced show of subservience in the presence of upper caste people, and segregatory practices. Violence is often resorted to for enforcing the norms. While legislation existed earlier also against these practices, the new powerful act provides for strong punitive action in these cases. It makes commitment of atrocities against SC/ ST a non-bailable offence. In addition to the above significant act, the main State Acts that intend to protect the interests of the tribals in Chhattisgarh are as follows: Chhattisgarh Land Revenue Code: This Act governs tenancy regulation in Chhattisgarh. Section 170 (A) and (B) of this code place restrictions on transfer of agriculture land owned by a tribal to a non-tribal. The transfer is completely prohibited in Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) areas. In non TSP areas, transfer is possible only with the permission of the Collector. Chhattisgarh Money Lending Act: This Act regulates activities of moneylenders with a view to protect the interest of the weaker sections of the society. It puts a limit on interest rate that can be charged and the total interest that can be charged. It makes registration obligatory and also limits the power of the civil court to issue decree in money lending cases and thus, provides relief for the debtors. Panchayat Act (Extension to Scheduled Areas) 1996: The legal framework for Panchayati Raj governed by the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution was not applicable to Scheduled areas as it was thought that Panchayati Raj bodies in tribal areas should be formed in keeping with the existing social organisation in these areas. Considering the need and demand for extending the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to the Scheduled Areas, a high level committee, called the Bhuria Committee was set up under the chairmanship of Shri D.S. Bhuria, in This committee was expected to examine 9 Refer Table I 55

11 all related issues and make recommendations on the salient features of the law for extending the provisions of the 73 rd Amendment to the Scheduled Areas. The committee submitted its report in January 1995, and after thorough examination of the recommendations made by the committee, a bill was introduced in the Parliament in Dec This was subsequently passed and was made into an Act namely, The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (Act no. 40 of 1996). The objective of this Act are as following:- > To extend the Provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats to the Scheduled areas with certain modifications. > To provide self-rule for the bulk of the tribal population > To have village governance with participatory democracy and to make the gram sabha a nucleus of all activities. > To evolve a suitable administrative framework consistent with traditional practises. > To safeguard and preserve the traditions and customs of tribal communities > To empower Panchayats at the appropriate levels with specific powers conducive to tribal requirements. > To prevent panchayats at the higher level from assuming the powers and authority of panchayats at the lower level of the gram sabha. This act is applicable to the scheduled areas mentioned in Clause (1) of Article 244 of the Constitution. As a sequel, all existing laws relating to Panchayats in the fifth schedule area had to be amended as per the provision of this act with one year time period. The other Acts that have been amended are Chhattisgarh Land Revenue Code and Chhattisgarh Excise Act. Amendments in Chhattisgarh Money Lending Act and Chhattisgarh Village Court Act are under process. Designation of Tribal Areas as TSP, MADA and Clusters: An important policy that has governed tribal development administration is the designation of Tribal Sub Plan areas in the fifth five-year plan ( ). TSP areas include Scheduled areas and those tehsils in which tribal population exceeds 50 percent of the total. In order to cover villages that could not be included in TSP areas as per their definition, the concept of MADA was introduced in the Sixth plan ( ). Under this, those cluster of villages have been identified as MADA (Modified Area Development Approach) pockets, which have an aggregate population of 10,000 and where 50 percent of the population belongs to tribal communities. Finally, steps were taken in Seventh five-year plan ( ) to cover isolated and scattered pockets of STs in the state through the identification of more pockets with tribal population of 50 percent in clusters of 5000 population. In all, Chhattisgarh now has 18 ITDPs (Integrated Tribal development Plan), 9 MADA pockets, 6 Special Most Backward Tribal Development Authorities and 2 Clusters. Each of these has a specific project and fund allocation handled and coordinated by the department of Tribal Development and SC welfare. DRPP and ITDP areas will overlap, but ITDP funds will not be used to duplicate DRPP works as rules governing ITDP forbids it. However, dovetailing of funds can be done for an objective common to both the projects. 56

12 3.2.8 Government Structures, Services and NGOs for Tribal Development in Chihattisgarh Government Agencies Department of Tribal and Scheduled Caste Welfare: Department of Tribal and Scheduled Caste Welfare is the prominent agency designated for development of tribal areas and communities in the state. The department has the following main functions: ' To promote and protect the rights of the tribal communities in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution. ' To implement programs for the educational and economic development among tribals of the state. > To act as a channelising agency of funds to various line departments and agencies for tribal development interventions. > To coordinate and monitor funds application by various line departments in tribal areas. The department is headed by the Minister of Tribal Welfare, who is assisted by a Secretary. The Commissioner of Tribal Welfare is the State level executive in-charge of the department. The Institutional Arrangement of SC, ST, BC and Minority Welfare Department Department Minister State Minister Secretary Commissioner District [ P roj ect AssistantDistrict 18) MADA Cluste Commissioner (12) Coordinator (4) Pocket (9) 57

13 The Department has district level offices in all 16 districts of the state. In TSP areas (12 districts out of 16) they are headed by the Assistant Commissioner whereas in non-tsp areas (4 districts), District Organisers are in charge of district level departmental activities. Block level offices of the department have been established in the 85 tribal blocks of the state and these have been placed under the Zila Panchayat under the threetier Panchayati Raj institutional arrangement. Creation and maintenance of educational infrastructure and services in tribal areas form an overwhelming part of the Department's work. It invests in construction of school buildings, recruitment and administration of teachers, management of hostels, scholarships and other incentives for improving access to schooling in tribal areas. Nearly 8545 primary schools, 1914 middle schools, 332 High Schools, 293 Higher Secondary Schools, 5 model schools, 3 Girl Education Complexes, II Sports Schools, 76 Post Metric Hostels, 597 Ashram Schools and 1030 Pre-Metric Schools are run directly by the Department in 85 tribal blocks all over the statelo. In addition to education, the Department is the principal planning and coordination body for the Tribal Sub Plan through the Integrated Tribal Development Plan (ITDP) and MADA projects in tribal areas and clusters. Through its district level offices, the department monitors the flow and utilization of TSP/ MADA funds that are allocated to the various line departments. Chhattisgarh Scheduled Tribe Commission: The ST Commission was set up by the Government to monitor the application of the state policy for STs. It is headed by a nongovernment representative and is located in Raipur. The main role of the Commission is that of a "watchdog", protecting legal, development and human rights of tribal communities and its principal functions include: > Protecting constitutional and legal rights of STs. > Monitoring and vigilance of development programs for tribals and providing feedback for their improved implementation. > Making recommendations on reservation policy for public services and educational institutions. The Commission has been accorded judicial powers of a civil court and it can initiate legal action accordingly through summons, investigations, and demand for documentation. Since its inception, the Commission has responded to a number of cases of atrocities against tribals and has been instrumental in bringing justice to aggrieved families. As an independent Commission it has a vital role to play in protecting the rights and dignity of tribals. A copy of the annual report of this project will be forwarded to the Commission for information and perusal. Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Federation: The Raipur based Federation was set up to free the tribals from exploitative practices of middlemen in the trade of Non Timber Forest Produce (mainly tendu patta) and ensure that the tribal collectors get a fair price. It is the apex body of the three tier structure comprising of Primary Societies and District Unions that undertake the procurement of tendu patta and now other minor forest produce also, such as Sal seeds, harra and gum. The Federation is '0 Department of Education, Department of T ribal Welfare,

14 also diversifying to other high value forest based produce such as honey, aonla, inll, chironji, niahla and lac. The interventions of the Federation have been instrumental in ensuring a fair return from tendiu patta collection, a large-scale seasonal forestry activity in the state. The Federation is poised for an expansion in its trade in other forest-based commodities. They are spatially well dispersed and have very large membership especially in villages bordering the forest area. Most members are from poorer section. The Primary Societies usually have substantial funds of their own and will probably be a major source of funds for the beneficiaries' contribution in this project. Non- Government Organisations: Chhattisgarh, in comparison to other states, has a smaller presence and tradition of NGOs working in the field of rural development. The growing NGO sector now has a range of agencies/ groups working for tribal welfare. The non-government organisational sphere ranges from mainstream NGOs working with the state at one end to extremist groups committed to overthrow the state apparatus at the other. The following three broad categories describe the range of non-government action among tribal communities of the state: > NGOs: This category comprises of mainstream development and service delivery NGOs that access state and private funds for implementation of development programs and services. Such NGOs now exist in all the districts of the state; the recent encouragement of NGOs to participate in watershed management prompted many to set up new agencies. As most districts of Chhattisgarh have some tribal population and these groups are generally poor and deprived, NGOs work considerably with tribal constituents. However good NGOs with a proven track record and demonstrated capacity to work with the community are scarce. Attempts will be made in areas where good NGOs are available and are working and residing permanently in that area, to link them with the project by using their expertise for training and capacity building and also maybe by giving them membership in PFTs. > Activist Organisations: Activist groups including mass tribal organizations focus on awareness generation amongst tribals regarding issues related to their rights and entitlements. These groups are guided by the conception that awareness and mobilisation of tribals is critical to their struggle for development, dignity and justice. Activist groups are promoted and led by people with very similar social profile to NGO leaders and in sense can be considered offshoots of the mainstream NGO sector. Chhattisgarh by now has some activist organizations. These activist groups display considerable ideological diversity- from Gandhian to Marxist. By and large, they believe that project based development work will not be effective unless the poor are empowered and the power based equations change. They are also generally opposed to foreign aid and as such are likely to oppose projects like DRPP. They however do engage in lobbying with the government and demanding responsive action and policy to benefit tribals. In case of issues of co-operation, co-ordination or clarity regarding the project and its implementation, the Gram sabha will be responsible for taking decisions and resolving such issues. 59

15 Political Groups: Extreme leftist (Naxalite) groups committed to the overthrow of the state, have made inroads to some tribal pockets of Chhattisgarh viz. Dantewada, Bastar and other districts bordering Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and Surguja bordering Jharkhand. The Gram Sabha will be responsible for clarifying any doubts or confusions that may be raised by any such group regarding the DRPP project and its implementation. 3.3 Tribal Development Strategy for DRPP As an identified poor and vulnerable group in all the districts under DRPP, the interventions with the tribal communities will bear both strategic and practical considerations in mind. The following are the goals of the strategy for tribal development within the project that hold good over and above the fundamental strategies of DRPP (participation, equity and decentralisation): > Fair participation and representation at all levels of the project with a view to influence its decisions and outcomes for the tribal constituents > Ensuring protection of social, economic and cultural interest of tribal communities in project interventions among both the tribal and the non-tribal groups > Overcoming structural constraints to poverty and deprivation among tribals through direct socio-economic interventions of the project as well as induced actions under other available public resources and legal provisions of the Government > Optimising productivity of community and privately held land, water, forest and livestock resources among tribal with a view to primarily ensure food security and generate sustainable surplus. > Enhancing options for labour and improving conditions surrounding returns from labour as a growing basis for livelihood activity for largest number of tribal families in the region. > Rigorous capacity building of tribals' village level organisations and its leadership to plan, prioritise and place demands on the project services and resources. Thus the tribal development strategy paper covers two inter-related aspects: 1. Institutional relating to participation, representation, decision-making and resourceallocation to tribal development. 2. Sectoral issues relating to project activities, interventions and investments relevant to tribal development within DRPP Institutional and Sectoral Interventions Coverage, Participation and Representation: Recognising that STs as a group run the risk of marginalisation and invisibility from project govemance, the following is proposed: At the village level, the tribal strategy will ensure that: 60

16 I. DRPP will attempt to cover and facilitate the participation of all the tribal BPL families in a settlement. 2. In those villages where the ST population is above 30 percent, the tribal women living in that area will be encouraged to form the first CIG. This will demonstrate the priority of the DRPP and establish clearly the section with which it is most concerned. 3. Number of proposals approved, investments made in tribal CIGs, and the quality of performance and participation of tribal CIGs will count as key indicators of a village's performance and will influence the decisions related to future allocations in that village. There will be an annual plan, which will affect future allocations. Target area will get less money if the number of proposals, investments made and participation quality fall below a minimum threshold. This annual review will be done in a humane manner, so that the community is not penalised for bad performance for reasons beyond its control like natural disasters. This will be the thumb rule for deciding on the minimum threshold. At the district level, it is envisaged that: 4. Coverage of tribal population, investments in tribal CIGs and performance will be monitored and reported and form part of staff/ PFT performance appraisals and reward systems. 5. An annual meeting of all tribal CIG representatives from within the district will be organised by the project office in order to collectively review the progress and problems faced by the project and its tribal partners. Separate budget provision of about Rs. 2,500/- per meeting will be made under the project for this. 6. The project office will remain alert to moves to subvert equal participation of tribal CIGs in DRPP. This will be carried out through extensive review with PFTs and the monitoring of norms specified under village level measures above. 7. In order to ensure adequate pooling of experience and formulation of shared strategies to work with tribal communities, it will be useful for the project teams to selectively function and interact at the regional level as well. Though there are no regional level structures envisaged in DRPP, project teams from five districts can be formed into one regional cluster on the basis of the homogeneity of tribal's socio-economic profile. There will be three such clusters two with five districts and one with six districts (Since there are 16 districts in the state). CIGs that perform well will be selected for cross visits so that healthy exchange of ideas can take place. Separate budget provision within the project will be made for cross visits. One cross visit within each regional cluster will be organised every year. Cross visits will begin from the second year of the project. The DRPP State Unit will convene a six monthly regional meeting of district officers responsible for overseeing and monitoring tribal development activities. These meetings will be used to review the progress with tribal CIGs, exchange experiences and share strategies relevant to tribal development. There will be six meetings of this kind every year and separate budget provision has been made for each meeting. 61

17 At the state level, the DRPP State Unit will: 8. Monitor the project's tribal development strategy and programs in and across various districts. 9. Produce an annual public report, together with comparative expenditure, on the impact of DRPP on tribal people's lives and livelihood in the DRPP districts. The cost implication for the same will be minimal for such a report and these can be edjusted in the miscellaneous costs of the project Identification of specific activities Tasks that relate with the tribal strategy need to be built into the fabric of DRPP operations and work strategies. Tribals constitute a vast number of the poor in the state and the areas they reside in also form the poorer areas in the state. However, unlike the general perception of tribals in India, in Chhattisgarh they are not marginalized or voiceless of powerless, and they are recognised both for their poverty and for their strengths and potential and political and social voice. The set of strategies and activities that would ensure that the project is sensitive to tribals would need to be a part of the overall approach and strategy of the entire project itself and not a separate set of interventions. However caveats and implementation operation guidelines must ensure that project is aware that although tribals are a large section, they need specific and more focussed effort. There are a fair number of activities specifically identified with promoting development of tribals such as mentioned in the box below. But these will need to be in consonance with the overall implementation schedule and framework of DRPP, to ensure that (which maybe necessary in other states), tribals are not addressed as a minority group with problems of lack of voice and representation. Some Identified Activities Identified X As part of baseline study, set realistic minimum ST thresholds. * Identify key indicators for > Number of proposals approved > Investments made by CIG > Quality of participation of tribals. > Quality of performance of tribal ClGs * Set the minimum participation and performance threshold based on the above indicators (These may be different for different areas and groups). * Monitor performance of CIGs based on the minimum threshold * Annual review of performance and participation of CIGs * Design an annual allocation pattern sensitive to the performance of the CIGs. * Monitor participation results for CIGs and PFT staff. * Organise cross visits between CIGs within a regional cluster. * Biannual staff meeting to review progress and exchange experience * Annual tribal CIG representative meeting in each district to review draft report monitoring results and identify obstacles to tribal participation. * Annual Tribal Strategy Progress Report on impact on tribals with comparative expenditures by district and block. * Training and Capacity building of CIGs and PFTs. 62

18 3.3.3 Cost estimates andfinancing plan I. Annual meetings of CIG representatives:- Annual meetings of the Tribal CIGs have been planned in order to ensure that sharing of information takes place amongst such groups. The cost for these meetings have been integrated to the total capacity building cost of the project. The cost for these are based on the following assumptions:- Assumptions:- > Total no. of CIGs = > 60 % of CIGs are tribal = > Cost per person per meeting will be Rs. 50. > The total cost for these meetings in the project period should not exceed Rs. 36,75,000 (14700 x 50) Note.- the cost of these meetings per year however, wvill depend on the number of ClGs formed each year. 2. Six monthly meeting of District Tribal Development Officers Assumptions:- > Total no. of CIGs = > 60 percent of the CIGs are Tribal = > No. of participants per meeting is 60 > Total number of people attending the meetings per year 320 > The unit cost per person per day will be Rs. 150 > Total cost for these meetings for five years will be 2,40,000 (320 x 150 x 5) 3. Cost Estimates for Cross Visits between successful tribal CIGs: The cost of cross visit has been included in the Training and Capacity building paper. 4. The project shall sponser studies on the following issues > Land and livlihood of the forest poor for which budget provision to the tune of Rs.20 lac. > Traditional systems of governance of tribal people for which budget provision of Rs. 20 lac has been made Human Resource and Capacity Development Capacity building at various levels is an integral part of DRPP. However, the special development predicament of tribals in DRPP districts will call for special efforts to ensure that tribal community benefits fully from the project. Training and Skill Building Needs for tribal development exist at all levels of the project and these have been identified as under: Level HRD Needs Potential Sources CIG Land Issues PFT Team (after it has been trained by officials of the Revenue Department) Forest Issues / JFM PFT (after it has been trained by officials from Forest Department) PFTs Context of tribals in DRPP Government Department for tribal districts development. Capable NGOs working in tribal areas 63

19 Land Issues Officers from Government Revenue Labour Issues Department Labour Commissioner Forestry Issues Forest Department Programme and Sectoral Interventions The District Level Social Assessments will be done to illustrate the social and economic constraints faced by the vulnerable groups that the project will target. Given the present socio-economic set up, it is expected that DRPP's main interventions will target the following sectors. > NRM based livelihood development through agriculture, livestock, and forestry resources > Wage and Employment > Savings and Credit > Human Resource Development through training, awareness and skill building activities Specific district level interventions in these will be designed keeping in mind the broad principles and pointers which are illustrated in Annexure Consultation Due to the demand driven (all investments must be chosen by the CIG members and not by outsiders) approach in the project, the DRPP design itself meets the Bank policy requirement of ensuring plans, which gives "full consideration to the option preferred by the indigenous people affected by the project". However, where STs are a minority in a district or village, their views may not always be effectively heard in decision-making. Such concerns have been addressed before finalising the strategy paper. The Government held public consultations to ensure that the draft of the tribal strategy paper is both feasible and acceptable to indigenous people. Before the consultations, advance notice or advertisement (giving people a convenient location where they can read the draft paper in an appropriate language) were given to ensure that people are aware of the opportunity to learn about the tribal development strategy and comments are forwarded on the project. The public consultation were held in 3 phases with phase I restricted to Govt officials, NGOs. And the phase 2 and 3 involved direct interaction with the beneficiaries viz. villagers. > Phase 1 from March The invitee included Mr. Amitesh Shukla Hon. Minister of Panchayat & Rural Development, Mr. Tuleshwar Singh Hon. Minister of state and Mr. Ramdayal Uike Hon. Member, S.C.S.T. Commission. The M. P. DPIP team including project co-ordinator, Smt. Gauri Singh, Finance Controller Mr. Jitendra Singh & PFT,Co-ordinator Shri G. S. Tekam. 64

20 The participants included members from PRIs, Government Officers, NGO personnel and people's representatives from various districts. The CG team included Secretary, Panchayat & Rural Development Mr. M. K. Raut, Deputy Secretary finance, CEOs of Zila Panchayats and block Panchayats. The official raised issue as how the programme shall bring about upliftment and empowerment of disadvantage section along with ensuring transparency in execution with peoples participations and involvement of PRI, to which the Secretary P&RD and Project Director MPDPIP informed the house that the project will institutionalized the core value of peoples participation empowerment, decentralization, leaving through experience and transparency with collaboration and co-ordination, further as the funds are placed directly with the poor especially tribal, women threby providing them ample opportunity for development. ) Phase 2 and3 from 25-26Augutst & November Villagers of Kanchanpur, Semraha, Andhiyaar Kho Panchayat, Gorella Block. Attendees: Govt officials, NGO representative, World Bank representative. In this phase the main concern of the villagers were, by when the project shall be operationalised and what kind of activities can be taken up under the programme. Further as they were poor they had difficulty in raising 5% initial amount. Their concerns were adequately answered by the state represewntative that under this programme any trade / activities can be undertaken to their convenience and where training is required, the programme has ample provision for it. Further 5% initial amount, can be raised as there is still 5 to 6 month for the programme. To start, Hon. Minister, S.C.S.T. Commission and the villagers can save by working in programme like Food for Work initiated by the State Govt. Apart from which, all the villagers can pool in money so that one or two CIG can be formed, which can return the money back to the villagers subsequently. The advertisement, minutes of the consultations and the feedback generated by the same done in the pilot project district, Bilaspur are appended in Annexure 4. 65

21 Annexures Page No. 1 List of Scheduled tribes in Chhattisgarh 66 2 List of Primitive tribes in Chhattisgarh 67 3 Expected District Level Interventions 68 4 Presentations, Village Consultations and Workshops Held 73 On DRPP (public consultation) Appendix 4a Presentation on tribal development Strategy for village 93 consultations (Hindi version) 4b Presentation on Environment Management Framework for 96 village consultations (Hindi version) 4c Baseline Data-Household Survey 99 66

22 Annexure 1 List of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh 1. Agaria 2. Aandh 3. Baiga 4. Bhaina 5. Bharia, Bhoomiya, Bhiuhar, Bhunia, Faria, Pamila, Pando 6 Bharta 7. Bhil, Bhilala, Barela, Ptaclia 8 Bhil Meena 9. Bhuijia 10. Bigar, Beayar 11. Bhingiwar 12. Birmul, Birhor 13. Damor, Damrya 14. Dhanwar 15. Gdaba, Gadba 16. Gond, Arkh, Aarkh, Agariya, Asur, Badimariya, Bada Mariya, Bhatola, Bhimma, Bhuta, Koyla Bhuta, Koliya Bhuta, Bison Hornmariya, Chotta Mariya, Dandami Mariya, Dhuruva, Durva, Dhoba, Dhooliya, Doorla, Gayki, Gatta, Gatti, Gaeta, Goad, Gowari, Hill, Mariya, Kndra, Klangr, Khatola, Koitar, Kiya, Khikhar, Kucha Mariya, Buchki Mariya, Madiya, Mariya Mana, Maninewar, Modhya, Mogiya, Mondya, Mudiya, Muriya, Nagarchi, Nagvanshi, Ojha, Rajgond, Sonjhari, Ihareka, Thatiya, Vade Mariya, Droi. 17. Halbi 18. Kamar 19. Korku 20. Kawar, Kavar, Kiur, Chekha, Rathia, Tanvar, Chattri 21. Khervar, Kondar 22. Kharia 23. Kond, Kand 24. Kol 25. Komal 26. Korku, Bovchi, Movsi, Nihal, Nahul, Bodhi, Bodiyo 27. Korva, Kodaku 28. Majhi 29 Majhwar 30. Maawasi 31. Munda 32. Nagasiya 33. Oraon, Dhanka, Dhangadh 34. Pav 35. pardhan, Pathari, Sroti 36. Pardhi, Bhaliya, Bhoaliya, Chitta Pardhi, Langooli, Pardhi, Faans Pardhi, Shikari, Takankar 37. Prja 38. Sahariya, Sahwariya, Sahria, Sahaeriya, Sosiys,Sor 39. Saonta, Soonta 40. Saur 41. Sawar 42. Sonra 67

23 I. Abujhmariya 2. Baiga 3. Phadi Korwa 4. Bhariya (Patalkot) 5. Sahriya 6. Kamar 7. Bihor Annexure 2 List of Primitive Tribes in Chhattisgarh 68

24 3.1 Agriculture and Allied Activities Annexure 3 Expected District Level Interventions Investments in sustainable land and water resources development: Tribal farmers practice cultivation under adverse and uncertain conditions. The small land holdings are poor quality, marginal and rainfed. There is poor potential to invest in the improvement of land productivity thus returns are low and unassured. In order to close the investment gap and contribute to long term, sustainable improvement in productivity activities, the following may be considered as priority CIG activities: > Land levelling, reclamation, bunding and fertility management of private holdings. > Common and/or individual farm family level water resource development through wells, harvesting structures and creation of additional provision for localized protective irrigation. CIGs will be encouraged to access technical guidance from within the project or externally for the planning and implementation of these proposals. Improving Extension Services and Input Provision: Agriculture extension services are rather underdeveloped in Chhattisgarh and these are at their thinnest in locations where tribal cultivate their marginal lands. There is little technology dissemination and adoption by farmers and basic provisioning of seeds and inputs is absent. DRPP will support proposals from CIGs of tribal resource poor farmers interested in undertaking any of the following or allied activities, if received. > Identification and hiring in of village based Para-Extension Workers (PEWs) by ClGs for providing counselling and technical guidance to tribal farmers. These PEWs will need to be equipped with basic technical information and will serve as a link between farmers and sources of inputs and technology. Para Extension Workers may also be identified by more than one CIG in order to ensure more efficient and cost effective coverage. The DRPP project team will help in building the capacities of such village based workers identified and/or recruited by CIGs through linking with sources of training, technology and inputs. > CIGs may formulate proposals for group-based provision of draught power and agriculture implements, which may be supported by DRPP. > CIG may also take up the management of decentralized seeds and fertilizer retail and distribution outlets undertaking collective procurement and timely distribution and will hence, overcome cost disadvantages. Promoting diversification to horticulture and livestock: Agriculture change strategies among small, marginal and resource poor farmers cannot rest alone on improving crop production. The limits to land holdings make it difficult to stretch crop husbandry beyond a level and hence, diversification becomes imperative. Inability to invest and lack of access to technology hampers the move on small farmers' part to diversify their landbased production. DRPP will assist in closing this gap if proposals are received from CIGs of tribal farm families for horticulture and livestock development. There are well-established experiments in maximizing returns from limited land, water and livestock resources and these need to be adapted at least on a pilot basis in the DRPP 69

25 districts. The strategy focused on pooling together resources for inputs, diversifying to horticulture and livestock rearing and ensuring on-farm value addition to production. It combined private initiative with collective decision making in order to optimise use of resources, maximize group returns and derive benefits from scale. Elements of this initiative may be studied further by cross visits by interested and willing CIGs. 3.2 Food Security Maximizing food security among tribal families will receive encouragement from the project on receipt of such proposals and will form the core of its support to agriculture and allied interventions by the farmers organized as CIGs. In order to protect the tribal population from food shortage and hence turning to "distress" purchases in the lean seasons, the DRPP will respond favourably to CIG proposals and actions in the following direction: > Revitalizing PDS in tribal villages. This will entail liaisoning by the DRPP project teams together with, lobbying by CIGs with local administration. ' Establishment of community managed grain banks also to be used for purposes of seed supply. > Bulk purchase and stocking of food grain through the use of gram kosh generated by CIGs. 3.4 Forestry A large number of Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFPs) are collected by tribals across the state as in the DRPP districts. The most important of the NTFPs are nationalized and these include tendu patta, sal seeds, gum and harra. Collection and marketing of nationalised products is carried out by the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Federation. The important non nationalized forest products include imll, kasa, awla, kusum, lac, honey, chiraunji, mahua flower, bahera and safed musli, all of which are found in the DRPP areas of tribal concentration. Typically, the market rates for these products come down at the time of collection and increase immediately after it. DRPP will be willing to extend the support to tribal CIGs for enhancing returns from forestry activities on receipt of such proposals through the following kind of interventions: > Advancing capital to CIGs who wish to stock and store local NTFPs at the time of collection. This will ensure that the collectors are able to release their produce at a more favourable time and gain better prices. > Making linkages for technical advice and providing financial support for value addition of NTFPs through simple processing. > Ascertaining market linkages for NTFPs. Market interventions surrounding NTFPs inherently carry some risk and to minimize this, it is proposed that NTFP based proposals are encouraged selectively and appraised 70

26 carefully by the project for their viability. The project may make pilot grants to CIGs in the initial year with a clear emphasis on improving learning and experience building in NTFP operations both at the project and CIG level. 3.5 Land alienation, security of tenure and ownership All land based interventions such as proposed in DRPP assume that the tribal families have secure access and entitlement to land. This is not true in many cases and the tribals (together with other vulnerable groups such as SCs) operate land under persistent threat of dispossession from powerful landed upper class elite, insecure tenure arrangements, unfair share cropping systems pitted against the tenants. These unlawful practices are a manifestation of the social inequities and they serve to keep the rural poor in chronic poverty and deprivation. Further, these erode the stakes that the poor have in improvement of their land resources and present the biggest challenge to long-term change in their status. Yet there are issues that can be addressed by a sympathetic and sensitive DRPP project staff. Access to Government revenue records can be made easy by a process of awareness raising and training of social animators in revenue record keeping. Action on these fronts is possible without any serious intra community conflict. It will help in building the credibility of DRPP in its target segment and will establish it as different from other programmes. It is therefore proposed that: > DRPP project teams will be sensitised to land issues in their respective regions. Residential trainings focusing specifically on land issues will be organized. An agency with a good record of working on land issues will be invited to provide resource support. If any field team has the inclination to take up more intensive work on land issues, it will be supported by the top management. Work on these issues will be counted as legitimate project work. > The PFTs will be required to survey instances of land alienation and exploitative tenurial practices pitted against tribal farmers in their clusters. This data may be used in formulating realistic plans for investments under DRPP and for any long-term action by the project for working on these issues. PFT members may be sensitised to reporting exploitative practices. > The project teams may liaison with local administration for land allotment to landless labourers and assist CIGs in making representations for the same. 3.6 Wage labour and Employment The analysis of occupational classifications of tribal population in the state as a whole and for DRPP districts in particular, clearly demonstrates that wage labour is a major component of livelihood for tribals. Limited land resources and virtual landlessness among large sections makes it imperative for them to seek wage labour on farms in cities 71

27 and industrial areas further afield. Reports indicate that while Gond and Kanwar tribes own some land, others are largely landless. Deep-rooted social inequities and political realities work towards extensive exploitation of tribal labour. Wage rates are low and differentiated between men and women. Even in agriculturally advanced areas, immigration keeps the wage rates depressed. Widespread incidence of bonded labour has been reported both from Janjgir-Champa and Raipur districts. This is an area in which Government poverty alleviation programmes do not normally intervene. Migration is a common strategy for survival. Migrant workers toil under harsh and difficult conditions. While there exists Government legislation to ensure minimum rights of this category of workers, this is observed more after it is breached. It is hence, recommended that: - > Project teams of DRPP are sensitised to labour issues through training programmes and resource material on the subject. Special programmes should be organized for providing training in identification of bondage and minimum wage issues so that the project teams are equipped to respond to situations that will need action at the CIG level. > Survey and identification of tribal families in virtual bondage or indentured labour will be made by the PFTs. Incidence of labour among children will be particularly identified and acted upon. > Careful costing of labour component in CIG proposals will be ensured such that labour is not under priced and reflects appropriate returns. Proposals from tribal CIGs, which entail a labour component and seek to improve productive assets of the members through the use of own labour, will be particularly encouraged. > The provision of contribution in development projects is often misused to pay lower than official minimum wages to labourers. DRPP should develop a contribution policy that does not leave any scope for this practice. It is recommended that there should be no contribution in kind for public works. All contribution should be in cash prior to start of work. For individual works also a policy should be devised which does not allow owners to pay lower than the minimum wages to outside labourers. > Pilot studies will be undertaken in selected blocks to understand the movement of labour and to identify possible strategy for pushing up wage rates. e In clusters where there is significant migration for wage labour, options to alleviate the hardships associated with migration will be considered. Thus, if children are also migrating and therefore not able to access a school, a mobile school may be supported. Similarly, if any special support is needed for the children and women who are left behind, this may be provided. 72

28 3.6 Education and Health Education and health are priority areas of social development for tribal communities and gains in these will result in long-term socio-economic change. There are other significant initiatives in these sectors such as DPEP in education and RCH- in public health and DRPP will not duplicate efforts or investments made under these programmes. As a general principal, such proposals from CIGs that seek funds for education and health related activities would be justified if they represent a genuine gap in the available services and resources. However, as an area programme with a wide village level institutional base, DRPP will also be in a good position to contribute to the effectiveness of the existing programmes in the following manner: > Project teams will assist in dissemination of information on these programmes to CIGs through meetings. Plans developed by these programmes that relate to the DRPP villages will be collected by the DRPP project teams in order to be informed and identify opportunities for linkages and collaboration. > As a critical contribution in the health sector, DRPP will respond favourably to CIG proposals for provision of safe drinking water in tribal settlements. Project teams can assist CIGs to source other existing schemes for provision of safe drinking water. Similar support may be made available by the project teams in linking up with safe motherhood services being provided by existing departmental and /or special projects in the DRPP areas. DRPP will invite and encourage NGOs to initiate innovative, need-based activities to close the gap in educational and health services in tribal areas. DRPP may help the NGOs access funds and help them to link up with CIGs as the village institutional base for their work. 73

29 Annexure 4 Presentations, Village Consultations and Workshops Held On DRPP 4.1 Advertisements sent and Presentations made for Village Consultations Before the consultations, advance notices/advertisements were given to provide adequate information and opportunity to the people to learn about the tribal development strategy and comment on the project. The advertisements were sent earlier and the same presented again at the Village Consultations. Enclosed below are the summaries of the tribal development strategy and Environment Management Framework presented to villagers for the village consultations. Note: Please find presentations and advertisements in Hindi appended in Appendix 4a and 4b Tribal Development Strategy -A Suntmary for Village Consultations District Rural Poverty Project (DRPP) - An Introduction The DRPP is a people centred, participatory, poverty alleviation programme that targets the poor and disadvantaged section of the population in all 16 districts of Chhattisgarh. The implementation of the project is based on an innovative approach that highlights demand-sensitive development, promoting and supporting effective decentralised governance and addressing obstacles to income security. The salient features of the project are: > Members will be selected for the project through a process of wealth ranking done by the villagers in the Gram Sabha assisted by the Project Facilitation Teams. > Formation of Common Interest Groups (CIGs) : A minimum of five members will form a Common Interest Group (CIG). Tribal and women will be encourgaed to form CIG. > A provision of Rs. 30,000 for every selected family has been made for the total project period of five years. > The PFTs will also assist the CIGs in conceptualizing the Sub projects. > There is no set scheme. But priority will be given to such Sub-projects which can improve the economic status of Common Interest Groups. The CIGs benefiting from the Sub-project have to contribute to over 15% of the investment cost, out of which the CIG must deposit 5 % of the total cost of the project in cash in the starting of the project. The CIG has to give another 10 % of the total cost of the project for village development plan. This money goes into Apna Kosh. This amount is to be paid ones the sub project ends. This 10 % can also be paid in the form of labour. The amount deposited in the Apna Kosh will not be used in the project period (DRPP). In fact they will be put into fixed deposit for future village development work. > Projects like tobacco growing or liquor making etc. will not be supported by the project. > Every project has to go through an Environment Impact Assessment. > The Gram Sabha is the final body for sanctioning the Sub-projects. > The project will make funds available for investment in the village, based on the standard end impact of the work done. 74