Latest news with #JANMAN
Time of India
24-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Hope on the horizon: Konda Reddis may soon get homes
Hyderabad: High in the remote forested hills of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, the Konda Reddi tribal community—a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG)—may soon find a new kind of shelter: Permanent homes, if they choose to accept them. On Saturday, a quiet but significant outreach began. Govt officials made contact with the Scheduled Tribe community as part of the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), a central initiative aimed at uplifting 75 identified PVTGs across India. Among them are the Konda Reddis, known for their resilience, self-reliance, and a long-standing preference for life deep within the forests—away from roads, towns, and the reach of development schemes. For decades, the Konda Reddis have resisted leaving their forest homes, despite repeated appeals by govt departments urging them to move closer to accessible villages or towns. Even basic services—like internet connectivity—are nearly impossible in these remote areas. During a recent visit to one of the Konda Reddi habitations, officials could not complete digital data collection because there was no network. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Dark Truth Nobody Talks About! Expertinspector Click Here Undo Instead, they noted details manually, a first step in what is expected to be a long process of building trust. Now, a comprehensive survey is underway in eight habitations across Aswaraopet and Dammapeta mandals, where the govt hopes to reach each of the estimated 1,300 Konda Reddi residents. In 2023, officials had already made progress by enrolling 692 voters from the community, a milestone in bridging the gap between the forest dwelling group and the democratic process. Officials say that while many families have made attempts to build rudimentary shelters, all of them still live within reserved forest areas, making formal infrastructure development challenging and often legally complex. Recognising their steadfast refusal to leave these ancestral lands, the govt had earlier granted podu pattas—land rights for cultivation—to the community. Now, under PM JANMAN, the next big step is housing. On a saturation basis, every Konda Reddi family without a house will be sanctioned one—no one will be left behind, an official assured. The proposed homes will be modelled after the Indiramma housing scheme, reflecting the Telangana govt's approach to inclusive development, he said. Still, officials acknowledge that the path ahead depends as much on consent as on policy. "We are not forcing anyone. These houses will be built only if the community agrees. It's their choice," a senior official told TOI. The challenge is not merely about construction, but about coexistence—preserving the cultural autonomy of the Konda Reddis while slowly weaving them into the fabric of public welfare and rights, the official added.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Devptal initiatives lagging behind in Rayagada: Review
Koraput: The slow pace of implementation of key development initiatives under Prime Minister's JANMAN (PM-JANMAN) scheme and the has come to light initiin the tribal-dominated Rayagada district. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A review meeting chaired by district collector Parul Patwari on Tuesday to assess the implementation status of the two schemes, with a special emphasis on ensuring comprehensive coverage of benefits to PVTGs, revealed significant delays across housing, water supply, road connectivity and health infrastructure projects. According to official data presented during the meeting, only 2,450 out of 7,370 sanctioned rural housing units have been completed so far. In the area of piped water supply, only 89 of the targeted 235 habitations have been covered. Meanwhile, 15 minor road projects are currently under construction in micro-project areas with a deadline set for this Dec. The slow progress in constructing anganwadi centres under PM-JANMAN drew sharp criticism from the collector. The project administrator of ITDA Gunupur was directed to ensure timely delivery of construction materials, especially to remote areas, before the onset of the monsoon. "The officials concerned have been directed to ensure timely completion of the targets," Patwari said. "All construction materials for anganwadi centres must reach remote areas before monsoon and the remaining houses should be completed in mission mode," Patwari added. Progress under the PM-KISAN scheme was also found lacking, with only 1,229 of 10,178 targeted beneficiaries verified so far. In the health sector, the administration recommended integrating mobile medical units to organize regular health camps, particularly focusing on sickle cell screening and raising community awareness. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The collector further instructed all block development officers to closely monitor project progress in their respective areas and expedite implementation. Departments were also advised to submit micro-level road proposals to enhance connectivity in tribal regions. In a move to boost education infrastructure, the administration approved the establishment of nine new hostels. The district education officer was tasked with preparing a block-wise hostel mapping plan for all PVTG areas and to submit proposals for additional hostels if needed. The collector emphasized the need for livelihood development through departmental convergence. Instructions were issued to map 104 revenue villages and promote economic activities through 12 approved Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and 18 multipurpose cooperative societies. "All departments have been instructed to submit village-wise micro-plans to ensure effective inter-departmental coordination and to promote livelihoods in micro-project areas," the collector added.
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First Post
22-04-2025
- General
- First Post
To fight climate change, India must tap into its indigenous roots
India's tribal communities, long reliant on traditional knowledge, are struggling as climate change outpaces their ability to adapt. Erratic rains, shrinking forests and soil loss threaten not just livelihoods but entire ways of life. Locally-led adaptation offers a way forward by placing communities at the centre of climate action. Grassroots efforts — like Nagaland's Zabo system and Gujarat's Bhungroo method — show promise. Scaling such models through programmes like PM JANMAN could strengthen climate resilience, if grounded in community voices. read more The Bhil community in the Narmada district of Gujarat used to pray for rain as their village endured long dry spells for months. Yet these days, they pray for the rain not to come all at once. When the skies do open, they flood their fields, only to give way to prolonged dry spells that leave behind cracked soil and a failed harvest. What changed was not just the weather but how little help they had to deal with it. This story is similar to other tribal communities, the context may change from rainfall to excessive heat or droughts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The lives and cultures of tribal communities across India are tied inextricably to nature. Today, people from these communities are increasingly fighting an uphill battle with climate change's devastating impacts. When forests shrink, soil erodes, and rainfall patterns go haywire, they do not just lose crops and wage labour, they lose sacred rituals, ancestral knowledge, and the very landscapes that have shaped their identities for centuries. For generations, these communities relied on traditional wisdom to adapt to shifts in climatic patterns, but the scale and speed of today's climate shifts outpace those adaptation methods. Reading the skies to predict climate events is failing as weather becomes increasingly unpredictable. Shifting cultivation cycles no longer match erratic weather patterns and the soil depletes faster than it regenerates. Rainwater harvesting, once reliable, fails amid prolonged droughts. Meanwhile, seasonal migration for work, which was once a temporary fix, is becoming permanent displacement for these people at the margins. Their valiant attempts to diversify livelihoods through craftwork, small-scale trade, or agroforestry have uncertain returns due to a shrinking resource base and the volatile nature of markets. This is where locally-led adaptation (LLA) matters—not as a policy buzzword but as a lived reality. LLA flips the usual development paradigm. Instead of experts designing solutions in conference rooms, it puts communities at the center because they understand their land better than any outsider ever could. And then let the stakeholders pick the right strategy, including financial support. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Globally, this approach is gaining ground. In Vietnam, CARE restored mangroves by establishing community-based mangrove management boards that coordinated planning and planting activities at the community level. In the USA, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funds tribal governments to develop climate adaptation plans rooted in Indigenous knowledge and priorities. In Australia, Aboriginal ranger groups combine ancient fire management practices with modern science to manage their lands with fire. We need not look far. In Nagaland, the Chakhesang tribe restored soil fertility, sustained water availability, and tripled crop yields through the adoption of the Zabo system. Zabo is a century-old indigenous integrated farming method that combines water harvesting, forestry, animal husbandry, and agriculture. There are a few other experiments led by non-tribal communities that bear some important lessons for mainstreaming LLA for climate action. One such noteworthy example is from Gujarat, where women used the Bhungroo water management system to combat seasonal waterlogging and severe droughts. This system stores floodwater underground and releases it during dry periods. To maximise farm productivity, they planted climate-resilient crops and applied modern irrigation techniques. On the social side, this intervention enabled female farmers to lead adaptation efforts and gain economic independence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In another effort, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has developed action plans for 43 'Climate Smart' Gram Panchayats (GPs), identified through a multi-criteria assessment in highly vulnerable districts. To take this to the national level, Niti Aayog is running an ongoing program with Vasudha Foundation. Similarly, KILA (Kerala Institute of Local Administration) has supported local governments in Kerala to develop and implement Local Action Plans on Climate Change (LAPCCs)- which are blueprints for communities to tackle climate change challenges and transition towards sustainable and resilient futures. These examples worked because they respected indigenous knowledge and practices and gave locals the tools, voice, and flexibility to adapt that knowledge to new threats. Replicating such success stories is not easy, but the moment is ripe. The Government of India's INR 24,000 crore PM JANMAN program is a great opportunity to scale this approach. The program focuses on the socioeconomic development of 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG) across the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What makes efforts like JANMAN, Climate-smart GPs, LAPCC and other examples illustrated here different is that they signal a shift from doing things for local communities to doing things with them. While some of them work directly with the community, others work through the local institutions like GPs. And the early signs are promising: The program adopts inclusive decision-making, community-driven planning, local capacity-building, flexibility and learning. However, the test lies in its execution. If these programs can integrate the locally led adaptation approaches, using local institutions like GPs as levers, it could transform the resilience of the local communities to climate change. The writers are a partner, an Associate Partner and a Lead (Knowledge Management) at MicroSave Consulting (MSC) and are actively working on climate change and sustainability.
