Mulugu: Tribal welfare, a myth

Mulugu: Notwithstanding several legislations in force meant for transforming the lives of Adivasis, they remain a far cry to the targeted primitive groups. The Hans India spoke to several Adivasis and their leaders to elicit information about their development. The bitter truth is that…. All is not well in the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Eturnagaram. The ITDA just exists for namesake and nothing more than that. What they divulged was a bitter truth.

"Apparently, the ITDA is short-staffed. But that question doesn't arise when the ITDA was starving for funds to carry developmental programmes such as economic support scheme, Giri Vikas etc.," Adivasi Sankshema Parishad national president Datla Nageshwar Rao said. On the other hand, the Adivasis are up in arms against the forest and revenue officials with the government yet to take measures to resolve the land disputes. The forest department has blithe concern for the Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (RoFR) Act, 2006. They don't even care the pattas that some of the Adivasis have. As a result, not all the farmers in the region were getting Rythu Bandhu benefits. In the name of assigned or forest land, the officials deny Rythu Bandhu, Rao said. It's learnt that more than Rythu Bandhu assistance was stopped to more than 4,200 farmers for various reasons.

The locals who agreed healthcare services are somewhat better say that there was no supervision on education. The bankers were not supportive to the economic support scheme (ESS). It's learnt that more than 3,000 applications under ESS are pending with the administration for more than one year.

The government is yet to appoint a Project Officer (PO) to the Eturnagaram ITDA since it transferred Hanumant Kondiba Zendage on August 10, 2021. As of now, the ITDA is under the in-charge of Mulugu District Collector S Krishna Aditya. The absence of PO has its impact on work progress as the government had released funds under the head of Tribal Welfare Department. It's been more than two years since the last governing body meeting of the ITDA was held. In fact, the governing body needs to review the progress of the developmental programmes in its command area once in every three months.

Adivasi Sankshema Parishad State Coordinator Madivi Nehru said, "The state of affiars in all the ITDAs are same in the two Telugu-speaking States - Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The fate of the Adivasis is at the mercy of the governments."