RAIPUR: As India celebrates ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to mark 75 glorious years of independence, tribals living in the remote Maoist-affected Bijapur district of Bastar, about 380 km south of Raipur have received their very first identity cards.
As many as 233 tribals of distantly located Gampur village got their voter ID cards issued for the first time. It was not an easy task for the Bijapur administration that reached out to inhabitants of Gampur, that are not only illiterate but also do not have a mobile phone or an Aadhaar card.
“After being enrolled in the voters' list, the Gampur villagers can now exercise their right to franchise. We are trying to reach out to such habitats in Maoist strongholds by organising camps at convenient places like local weekly haat bazaar, where the villagers turn up in good numbers in groups”, Rajendra Katara, Bijapur collector told this newspaper.
The administration got their voter IDs issued by the Election Commission prepared for the tribals settled in the Maoist epicentre so that they can vote in the upcoming Assembly polls due later this year in Chhattisgarh. Besides the voter ID cards, the villagers were also issued Aadhaar, ration, Ayushman and labour cards.
According to the Bijapur district administration, there are still such tribal villages where people do not have voter ID cards. It can be due to missing identity proof or the looming influence of left-wing extremists. The administration plans to reach out to them as well. The efforts to enrol them continue despite the challenge of Maoists’ calls for a poll boycott.
Officials in Bijapur admitted that over 40 per cent of the district remains under the sway of the left-wing extremists, consequently, any programme or plan needs implied consent from Maoists. The local tribes often cover 20-25 km to reach a camp in remote Bastar. Gampur tribals from Bijapur had to attend the camp at Kirandul in the adjoining Dantewada district.