HYDERABAD: Fundamental rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution are universal, meaning it applies to every single citizen without discrimination. Yet, weakest sections of the society continues to be discriminated, sometimes even by officials responsible of protecting them.
One such people are the Muria Gond tribe. These Internally Displaced People (IDPs), who moved from Chattisgarh to Telangana, are wrongly ascribed to as Gutti Koya in the State.
The tribe migrated across the border over the past 15-20 years due to a variety of reasons -- lack of cultivable land and getting caught between the Maoist and police being the primary ones. In Telangana, they settled down in and around forests and wildlife sanctuaries, clearing patches of forests in erstwhile the Khammam and Warangal districts. Muria Gond are not recognized as a Scheduled Tribe by the Telangana government and are not enumerated among tribes in the State for one sole reason —they live in encroached forest land. They claim they are treated like criminals by the State and no government or welfare schemes are extended to them for the same reasons. With an almost-complete lack of access to healthcare, nutrition and education, the worst affect among them are children.
No government has counted the population of Muria Gond in Telangana. As per a 2015 report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), there were 13,820 of them living as IDPs in Khammam and Warangal districts and about 6,240 of them living in East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. However, around mid 2009-10 more than one lakh tribals migrated to united Andhra Pradesh says IDMC data.
Education with terms and conditions
State government has not taken any initiative to improve access to education for Muria Gond. Neither are there any schools in their villages, nor are the government schools accessible from their remote settlements. Some non-profit organisations have taken efforts to provide education to these tribal children. For example in Bhupalpally district, NGO MARI in partnership with Save the Children, has employed a few volunteers who reach out to 50 of the 65 Muria Gond settlements located in the district’s forests. These volunteers teach basics like Telugu and English alphabets and numbers to children in small huts-turned-schools.
As Right to Education mentions age-appropriate admission in schools, once the children are taught the basics, they are admitted by the NGO’s volunteers into the nearest residential school run by Tribal Welfare department, in classes appropriate to their age. Similarly in Bhupalpally district, around 104 Muria Gond children have been admitted in the past few years in Tribal Welfare residential schools bringing them under the ambit of formal education system, informs Mohammad Rafi, who works for MARI in Bhupalpally.
In 2010, after coming under pressure on the issue of violation of human rights of Muria Gond, the then Andhra Pradesh government had mooted Residential Bridge Centres for tribal children in various districts. Some of them even became functional. However, these centres were shut down after 2-3 years as the government stopped funding. Experts point out that the ‘non-provision’ of access to education for Muria Gond children by the Telangana government is a violation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act — which guarantees free education to all children aged 6-14 years — and ‘Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement’ by United Nations.
Balanced diet a luxury
Malnutrition is a serious problem among the Muria Gond children. As per some reports, almost half of the them suffer from third grade malnutrition. The diet of Muria Gond include a very restricted list of food items. Their day usually starts with ‘ganji’ (gruel) made of corn that they grow in their settlement. Their lunch and dinner mostly includes rice along with watery curry made most of the times using the leafy vegetable - gongura. Rarely, it includes tomato, brinjal, okra and a particular kind of tuber, all of which they cultivate in small patches of forest land. Adults, children and infants are dependent on this frugal diet.
The main source of income for the Muria Gond is through agricultural labour, working in fields 10-15 km away.They earn just about `100-150 per day. While the supply of rice is taken care of through ration shops, as many Muria Gond have managed to get a ration card, a balanced diet is a luxury they cannot afford. As the government does not recognise their legal existence, the children have no access to anganwadi or midday meals.At the Chintalamori settlement of Muria Gond, inside Eturunagar Wildlife Sanctuary, the only source of drinking water is a dried up rivulet. The villagers dig up portion of the river bed with their hands, once the water seeps up, they collect this water carefully in pots so as to avoid any sand or other particles. This water is then consumed directly by the villagers.
When Express visited two Muria Gond settlements located inside Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary - Jalagalancha and Chintalamori, many parents complained that their children regularly suffer from problems like skin rashes, skin pigmentation, diarrhea and fevers. Some of the students had bloated bellies. All these are symptoms of either malnutrition or consumption of contaminated water.
Although the state government does not provide any healthcare facility for the Muria Gond, they are allowed treatment at government hospitals. However, even nearest primary health center is at least 10-15 kilometers away.
The government has, so far, taken no initiative to vaccinate Muria Gond children. Their only chance is when some NGO takes the initiative. “It is difficult to comprehend how the government can deny us schools, healthcare facilities and clean drinking water. It is not like we are from some different part of the world,” says villager Devraj.
UN guiding principles on internally displaced
Certain internally displaced persons, especially unaccompanied minors, expectant mothers, mothers with young children, female heads of household, persons with disabilities shall be entitled to protection and assistance required by their condition and to treatment which takes into account their special needs
Save the Children recommends...
Govt of India or State to set up a comprehensive legal structure in ensuring the rights of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
Enumerate the total number of IDP in the state of Telangana with the support of NGO or Institution
A three-tier structure must be set in place to ensure efficient measures are taken for the basic rights of the people affected
IDPs should be issued identity, below poverty line (BPL) or Antyodaya cards
Provisions pertaining to education and vocational courses should be incorporated by the State government
The State departments of women and child development should administer schemes related to maternal and infant health, Anganwadis, Balvadis
Health schemes, vaccination programmes, emergency healthcare should be made available
SCPCR should be the nodal agency to address safety, survival and development opportunities of children