Abstract:
In India, there are more than 104 million tribal persons who are directly or
indirectly dependent on forests for their livelihood. There are 75 groups who have
been given the status of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Baiga
community is one of the PVTGs. They have a low rate of literacy and are at the
verge of extinction due to declining population growth. In this research, an
attempt has been made to plan for sustainable livelihood of Baiga community.
Baigas majorly reside in four districts of Madhya Pradesh namely Mandla,
Balaghat, Shahdol and Dindori. Kanha Tiger Reserve falling in Mandla and
Balaghat Districts is one of the oldest Tiger Reserves in India which is also home
for many tribal communities along with Baigas. Around 35 tribal villages have
been relocated from the Tiger Reserve from its inception in 1973. The relocation
resulted in the loss of the livelihoods of tribes including Baigas. Five such
relocated Baiga dominant villages were selected for this study. Household
survey, focused group discussion and observation revealed the fact that there is
a shift in occupation among Baiga males and females due to the relocation. While
Baiga males turned into daily wage labourers from agricultural labourers, Baiga
females have turned into unemployed from agricultural labourers. It has also
been found that there is an increase in monthly income after displacement but the
expenditure has doubled. Further socio-economic vulnerability assessment
shows a lack of social infrastructure such as school, health facility are the main
contributors to their vulnerability. On the other hand, facility mapping of Bichchiya
C. D. Block was done taking distance to various physical and social facilities. It
shows that 3 out of 5 study area villages fall in facility zones. Also, if we look into
the villages where Baigas were settled after relocation, most of them are in low
facility zones. Using the above-mentioned findings and issues, planning
strategies were proposed for relocated Baiga community towards improving their
improvement of livelihood and living conditions in the relocated area.
