Supplementary Appendix N 89 PRELIMINARY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM A. Introduction 1. The Chhattisgarh State Road Development Project (the Project) is expected to contribute to the poverty reduction efforts of the Government of Chhattisgarh (GOC) through an institutional reform program for the Chhattisgarh Public Works Department (PWDGOC) and through improving state highways and major district roads, which will result in lower transport costs and improved transport services and accessibility. 2. This report is a preliminary Indigenous People’s Development Plan (IPDP) related to the improvements to the state highways and major district roads. It outlines the main social issues and development problems faced by scheduled tribes (ST) in Chhattisgarh with emphasis on the Project areas in the district of Dantewada. This report is based on community consultations, focus groups and surveys related to indigenous people. The findings and analysis of the participatory community consultations are needed to identify specific strategies and activities for incorporation into the IPDP. B. Preliminary Results 3. The State of Chhattisgarh was created by the Madhya Pradesh Reorganization Act of 2000. Total state population is 20.7 million (about 2% of India total) and it has a geographical area of 135,191 sq kms. It is the 9th largest state in India. Although considered one of the poorer states in India, Chhattisgarh is well endowed with resources that have yet to be exploited. Over 32% of the state’s population is tribal, classified as indigenous people. 4. There is considerable variation in access and isolation that contributes to the distribution of poverty in Chhattisgarh. The more accessible central districts have better access to resources and demonstrate significantly better social indictors. Conversely, the remote and densely forested northern and southern districts of the state remain poorly served by social infrastructure and demonstrate significantly worse levels of human development. It is in these areas where the highest concentration of tribal populations resides. While posing many challenges these are areas of most need and where targeted interventions could achieve substantial impacts on poverty reduction. 5. Preliminary results show that between 40 and 45% of the state’s population of 20.7 million are poor according to public sources. Poor people are heavy users of the roads, with a large percentage of both passengers and freight shippers being poor. The social and poverty assessment show that the main beneficiaries are people living in the predominantly agricultural, rural and economically backward Project area. The primary mechanism through which benefits will impact on the poor is savings in vehicle operating costs that will be passed on to the poor through lower freight rates and lower passenger fares. The freight shipping market in the state is very competitive, meaning that competition will force shippers to lower freight rates when roads are improved and vehicle operating costs decline. This will increase the share of the cost savings passed on to poor shippers. M 90 Supplementary Appendix N 6. The Project area is in the southern district of Dantewada where the tribal population is in the majority. Dantewada has the highest concentration of ST in Chhattisgarh with ST accounting for 79% of the district population, followed by districts of Bastar (67%), Jashpur (65%), Surguja (57%), Kanker (56%) and Mahasamund (28%). The Human Development Index for districts in Chhattisgarh ranks Dantewada 14 out of 16 districts.18 The proportion of families below the poverty line in Dantewada is 79%, matching the percentage of tribal families. 7. The baseline study indicates that tribal people use the road to a lesser degree than non- tribal people. This indicates that a lower proportion of road improvement benefits will accrue to tribal people if direct interventions to improve the impacts for tribal people are not taken. C. Background Profile And Analysis 8. Tribal communities in Chhattisgarh are important in terms of both economics and political processes. Tribal areas and communities may remain underserved through public systems due to both supply (resources fail to reach the target or programs fail to bring long term change) and demand (poor ability to demand and elicit resources and services) factors. Poor educational achievements, vulnerable health status and insecure livelihood base have kept these groups to the margins of development in the state. The number and status of tribal people, thus warrant specific attention from the Project. 9. Indigenous peoples are classified as ST and referred to as Adivasi (original settlers) in Hindi or as "tribals" in English. They constitute roughly 8% of the India's total population or nearly 68 million people according to the 2001 census. Central Indian states have the country's largest tribal populations accounting for about 75% of the total indigenous population. The Gonds, who predominate in Chhattisgarh, are the largest tribe in India today. Until the early 20th century, they controlled considerable areas of land and were able to maintain their independence and identity. 10. The distinctive identity of India's tribal people is the result of historical isolation from mainstream historical trends in remote regions, particularly forests and mountainous areas, where their cultures and economies adapted to the forest territories they owned. These economies were usually a mixture of shifting subsistence agriculture, hunting and gathering. 11. Loss of land has been the most serious issues faced by the tribal people. Over the past century, the government permitted settlement in many regions under an arrangement in which immigrants received free land in return for cultivation. Although tribal communities were allowed to apply for land titles, the concept of sedentary cultivation and individual ownership of land was alien to their knowledge and practices. Furthermore, they were disadvantaged in dealing with government officials. Hence, over time the land and forests in most tribal controlled areas used to be acquired by non-tribal people. There are now strong policies that restrict the sale of tribal lands. Today, relatively little unoccupied land is available. Many forest villages in Dantewada are isolated for up to 4 months of the year during the rainy season. In dantewada, tribal communities predominate among the poorest and most disadvantaged of Chhattisgarh’s rural communities. 12. Some tribal people have settled in non-tribal areas and have assimilated with the general population. However, most tribal settlements are found along the hilly tracts, forests or 18 Chhattisgarh at a Glance - 2002 Supplementary Appendix N 91 marginalized lands where social status and economic endowment is low and precarious. The large number of tribals present in the state pose a challenge for development and poverty reduction initiatives and programs have to be sensitive to their social, cultural and livelihood context. 13. Recognition as ST confers entitlement to special benefits including the right to compete for reserved seats in legislatures and schools. Similar privileges are permitted to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Castes (OBC). 14. According to law, Sts have special status in respect of marriage and inheritance. The features that distinguish communities classified as 'tribes' from classified as 'caste' may include language, social organization, religious affiliation, economic patterns, geographic location, and self-identification. In most areas where people of both classifications live side by side, a clear distinction between ST and various caste groups is observed. This is the case in Dantewada even though the differences are not easily discerned by language, dress or economic practices. D. TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN CHHATTISGARH AND THE DIST RICT OF DANTEWADA 15. Chhattisgarh has the largest tribal population in central India, which is diverse in location, origin, socio-cultural history, language, livelihood and level of development. Table SAN.1 below provides population data for Chhattisgarh, ST and SC. It illustrates the high rural as compared to urban population in the state. Table SAN.1:Chhattisgarh Population be Rural, Urban, ST and SC Total, Rural, Urban, Scheduled Tribes Scheduled Castes Population (2001 p) Population (1991) Population (1991). Total 20,796,000 Total 5,717,000 Total 2,148,000 Male 10,452,000 Male 2,846,000 Male 1,081,000 Female 10,344,000 Female 2,871000, Female 1,067,000 Rural 16,621,000 Rural 5,488,000 Rural 1,784,000 Male 8,291,000 Male 2,727,000 Male 894,000 Female 8,330,000 Female 2,761,000 Female 890,000 Urban 4,175,000 Urban 229,000 Urban 364,000 Male 2,161,000 Male 119,000 Male 186,000 Female 2,014,000 Female 110,000 Female 178,000 Chhattisgarh At a Glance-2002 16. In Chhattisgarh, tribal concentration is in the northeast and the southern parts of the state. The northeastern area is home to the Oraons, Kawar, Majhi, Bharia, Agaria, Nagasia, Khairwar, Dhanwar and Korwas, comprising districts of Surguja, Raigarh, Bilaspur and areas of other adjoining districts. The area has a number of primitive tribes such as Korwas and smaller groups of Baiga. The southern area comprising Bastar and Dantewada districts have very high tribal concentration and are populated by various tribes such as the Gond, Bhatra, Halba, Maria M 92 Supplementary Appendix N and Pardhi. In terms of population, the Gond is the largest tribe in Chhattisgarh. Table SAN.2 below provides a district wide breakdown of tribal populations in Chhattisgarh. Table SAN.2: Scheduled Tribe Population In Chhattisgarh Total Major District ST % of Other Tribes Population Population Tribes Bilaspur 1694883 347216 20 Korba 825891 356222 43 Dhanwar, Bhinjwar, Gond, Kawar Janjgir- Sawar, Bharia, Champa 1110200 135641 12 Oraon, Majhwar Surguja 1581872 897217 57 Bharia, Agaria, Gond, Nagasia, Kawar, Koriya 500758 220360 44 Oraon , Khairwar, Dhanwar. Korwa Raigarh 1065939 392385 37 Gond, Bharia Bhinjwar, Oraon, Dhanwar, Kharia Jashpur 656352 429092 65 Kawar, Korwa, Majhi, Sawar Nagasia. Raipur 2529166 331554 13 Bhinjwvar, Saur, Sawar, Mahasamund 791197 222298 28 Gond.