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The tribals in the Maoist-affected districts, including Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra of East Uttar Pradesh, seem to have been born with a burden -- poverty. With almost all the major political parties promising special packages for various regions of the state to garner votes, the situation for those living below poverty line in the region is as desperate as was a couple of decades back.
Take for example Katwaru, a member of Ghasia tribe in Maoist-affected Sonebhadra district, who and his ilk had performed the traditional Karma dance and attended the lunch hosted by Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi at the Teen Murty House in New Delhi on November 24, 1986. Though no positive change has come to these people in the last 26 years, Katwaru, ironically, has preserved the invitation letter for lunch he received from late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi as a memento of promises yet to be fulfilled.
In May 2010 Katwaru, a native of Raup Ghasia Basti in Robertsganj district, got a chance to meet Rahul Gandhi and remind him about his miseries at a public meeting at Ahraura in Mirzapur, he got only a customary pat on his back. He also wrote to Rahul Gandhi narrating the hardships faced by the Ghasia tribals but nothing came their way.
While about 10,000 Ghasia tribals live in various blocks of the district, about 300 of them are concentrated in Raup village. Besides, many other tribes like Agaria, Panika, Bhuiya and Chero inhabit the district. They have no land, and not even safe source of drinking water. Their children do not go to school and they are deprived of even basic facilities. The tribe lost 18 children in 2001-02 due to hunger and malnutrition.
Lenin Raghuvanshi of the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), who works in the area, said: "Besides poverty, these people also face police atrocities and administrative apathy. Like Katwaru there are a number of people living in abject poverty in the Maoist-affected districts of Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra. Thousands of people have to sleep on empty stomach as they can't arrange for two square meals a day. The monthly income of a number of BPL families is less than Rs 250."
While Sonbhadra is known as a power hub with many thermal power plants of NTPC and state government, Chandauli is know as 'rice bowl' of the region. Similarly, Mirzapur is famous for its sand stone and carpet industry.
BPL Census-2002 indicates that 4,633 BPL households of the energy-rich Sonbhadra district get less than one square meal per day for major part of the year. The number of such families is 716 and 45,952 in Chandauli and Mirzapur districts. Similarly, 10,241 BPL families in Chandauli, 4,176 in Sonbhadra district and 1,832 families in Mirzapur struggle to meet all their needs in a meager monthly income less than Rs 250.
According to records, 97,212 poor households in Sonbhadra normally get one square meal per day, but less than one meal occasionally. Further, 37,589 families get one square meal per day throughout the year, and only 3,055 BPL households have enough food throughout the year.
The condition of BPL households in the matter of food security is better in Chandauli than in Sonebhadra. Here 716 families get less than one square meal per day for major part of the year, while 1,484 families get one meal occasionally and 5,279 get one meal per day throughout the year. Majority of such families (108161) in Chandauli get two square meals per day with occasional shortage and 11,331 families have enough food throughout the year.
Similarly, in Mirzapur 45,952 families get less than one square meal per day for major part of the year, 81,301 get one square meal per day (but less than one square meal occasionally), 35,199 families get one square meal per day throughout the year and only 8,178 families get two square meals per day with occasional shortage.
AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME OF BPL FAMILIES (In Rupees)
Mirzapur Chandauli Sonbhadra
Less than 250: 1832102414176
250-499: 618943068540226
500-1499:826036803059732
1500-2500:337381583133462
More Than 2500:412625615330
FOOD SECURITY OF BPL FAMILIES
Mirzapur Chandauli Sonbhadra
Less than one square meal per day for major part of the year: 459527164633
Normally, One square meal per day, but less than one square meal occasionally:81301148497212
One Square meal per day throughout the year:35199527937589
Two square meals per day, with occasional shortage: 8178108161757
Enough food throughout the year: 13563113313055
MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD OF BPL FAMILIES
MirzapurChandauliSonbhadra
Casual Labour :48176627423698
Subsistence Cultivation:472254581155983
Artisan:88349901782869
Salary:1781450207
Others:2656359489
(Source: BPL Census-2002 Complete Household Survey Reports. MORD, GOI)
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