The field visit was conducted by the team of Pro Bono club MNLU Mumbai on 11th May, 2023. The team evaluated the living conditions and legal problems that are faced by the Tribal community in Sudhagad taluka, Raigad district. The dominant tribal population present in sudhagad district is the Katkari tribe. The Katkari tribe is known for being expert hunters who are dependent on the forests they live in. They are classified as PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) and are a “diminishing tribe.” Most of the people in the tribe are also Below Poverty Line (BPL). Presently the tribe is present in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Most of their population however, is restricted to the Raigad, Pune and Palghar districts of Maharashtra. The aim of the visit was to merely record the grassroots challenges faced by these tribal communities through a pilot survey, wherein the team visited two villages, Dandwadi and Khavali in the Sudhagad taluka of Raigad district.
The Katkari tribe, renowned for their exceptional hunting prowess and deep reliance on the surrounding forests, finds itself at a critical juncture in their history. Classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), they face the daunting challenge of being labeled a "diminishing tribe." Adding to their plight, a substantial majority of Katkari tribe members live below the poverty line (BPL). Geographically, the Katkari tribe spans multiple states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. However, the core of their community is concentrated within the boundaries of the Raigad, Pune, and Palghar districts in Maharashtra. Here, amidst the embrace of their ancestral lands, they continue their traditional way of life, intricately tied to the forests that have sustained them for generations.
Indeed, the Katkari tribe, as highlighted earlier, constitutes a minority even among the scheduled tribes within the district of Raigad. This minority status has compelled them to establish small hamlets on the outskirts of villages, often in areas with limited connectivity to public transportation, inadequate access to electricity, and, regrettably, insufficient water sources. These conditions underscore the challenges they face in accessing basic amenities and services critical to their well-being and development. “Besides the three months of rain, we have to drag ourselves up and down the hill, each day without fail. Quite often, we lose balance and skid on our way up. It is a precarious affair,” The quote provided above is a poignant reflection from a resident of one such hamlet, vividly illustrating the gravity of their circumstances. Moreover, during a previous study tour, villages like Dandwadi and Khavali were examined, revealing similar distressing conditions. These communities faced a dearth of reliable freshwater sources and were alarmingly susceptible to recurrent floods.
khavali, in particular, found itself trapped by a river, its only escape route a precarious small bridge that submerged during flood events. Recent events, including a landslide in the area, further underscore the pressing need for swift and effective intervention to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of these vulnerable communities. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated, as these challenges threaten the very existence of these tribal groups and demand immediate attention and action. The Katkari tribe's primary means of sustenance revolves around the gathering of food and essential resources from the forest, given that government ration stores, while available, fall short in providing an adequate quantity and variety of provisions to meet their needs. This inherent reliance on forest resources for survival is a testament to their deep-rooted connection to nature and their ancestral lands. In pursuit of economic opportunities, most of the able-bodied men within the Katkari community venture out in search of daily wage labor or find employment in brick kilns. Meanwhile, the women often remain in the hamlets, tending to their households and daily chores. However, this economic divide between men and women renders the community highly susceptible to the menace of human trafficking. During the course of our study tours, a stark observation came to light. Despite the presence of approximately 50 houses within a hamlet, the actual population residing there numbered only between 60 to 70 individuals. This discrepancy, coupled with ambiguous responses from locals, especially the guides who accompanied us, has raised concerns about the possibility of a human trafficking issue in the region. Disturbingly, locals often evaded providing clear statements, offering responses along the lines of, "They have gone to work and haven't returned," when queried about the whereabouts of their missing community members. These circumstances point to a disconcerting and urgent problem that warrants further investigation and concerted efforts to combat human trafficking within the Katkari community.
The dearth of paperwork at such a fundamental level leaves the tribals in a perilous situation; they remain unregistered in official records, which, in turn, deprives them of access to critical government benefits and social services. This identity crisis is not merely a bureaucratic or administrative inconvenience; it is a profound injustice that hinders their ability to access the very resources and support systems designed to uplift marginalized communities. The Katkari tribe's struggle for recognition and documentation represents a pressing need for reform and intervention to secure their rights, welfare, and a rightful place within the broader societal framework.
VILLAGE 1
NAME OF VILLAGE: DANDWADI
The village is a hamlet of a few houses only belonging to the Katkari people. The village is located around 15 km from the town of Pali. It is one of the secluded villages present in the area and has no real direct public transport available. It was also observed that the people living there have no private vehicles and hence no means of traveling. Situated up a hill, it is prone to both floods and extreme dry spells. A permanent road was very recently constructed and even that is inaccessible during the months of monsoon. The tribal community present in the village is highly dependent on the forest surrounding the village for both food and subsistence. They mainly engage in gathering food and other resources from the forest during extreme weather conditions as outside support is not accessible. The villagers face social exclusion from other communities present in the region. This can be seen by the fact that while most of the population lives in the main village nandgaon, the Katkaris live secluded in the hamlet of Dandwadi. This leads to them being very vulnerable to influence from outside groups. The women and children are more vulnerable to such exploitative practices. The problem of malnutrition is rampant in the area. The lack of nutrition can also be seen among the people from other diseases like cataract and Kidney stones etc. As per the community, the civil hospital is around 70 kilometers from the hamlet and it becomes impossible for the villagers to access the services without any mode of transportation. The initiatives and schemes by the government are hardly accessible to this tribal community. Though a clinic under Ayushman Bharat health scheme was seen in a nearby area, as per the villagers, it is usually not in operation. There are also government schools present in nearby areas, wherein the dropout rates are extremely high with only a few children completing secondary school education (10th standard). As per the villagers, there is a self help group presently active but there is no concrete information on the workings of the group. Overall, the Katkari Tribe in the village seemed to be highly vulnerable and required special attention from the government and other organizations working for the indigenous communities.
VILLAGE 2
NAME OF THE VILLAGE: KHAVALI
Located around 10 kilometers from Pali, this village consists of 45 to 50 houses. Most of the houses are kaccha houses. This village also consists only of the Katkari tribe which further goes to show the secluded nature they live in. The village has problems similar to that of Dandwadi. From lacking basic facilities to not having identification that enables them to access government schemes. No Ayushman Bharat clinic was seen near the village either. The transport problem also persists here. It is even more pronounced as some locals have to go to Khopoli, a city 30 kilometers away just for their daily work of selling fish. This also shows their disconnect from the market which is a major factor in the following problems. The team conducted a pilot survey just to identify the major problems present in the village. analyzing the survey, the team came up with the following issues and legal problems faced by the tribal community: -
1. Lack of government documentation
a) Caste certificate
b) Ration card
c) Aadhar Card
d) Job card
e) Income certificate etc. In order to avail benefits under Government Schemes and basic facilities these documents are a major requirement for the Tribals in the village.
2. The Literacy rate among the villagers was extremely low with around 1 person pursuing Graduation after completing Higher Education. Apart from this there were around less than one percent of the population who had completed education till 8th standard (Secondary Education). There were several villagers who didn't ever attend school at all with the majority of the population dropping out.
3. Most of the people were daily laborers and were working for the private contractors as they are inaccessible and unable to find any other source of income in the nearby region. Apart from this two to three of the families were involved in seasonal farming and fishing. Even though there was a brick furnace right in the village, the village population was not employed there. While conducting the survey it was noted that more than half of the village was empty. Upon enquiring from the neighbors, it came to our notice that the villagers were taken to some place unknown to them. One of the villagers even said that her father was taken somewhere a few years back and since then he has never returned and not even contacted the family members. Similar accounts of incidents were given by some other villagers. Somehow the population in the villages was extremely low especially in the demography of working age males. The incidents mentioned by the villagers pointed in the direction of people being exploited for laborers with no way to return back but no concrete proof could be ascertained. As per the account of one of the families that returned as narrated by the villagers, the people were working in coal mines, Sugarcane fields and other such Factories. It was very unfortunate for us that we were unable to interview/talk to that family. Along with all the problems persisting in the village Dandwadi, the problem of labor exploitation present in the village makes it extremely vulnerable and in need of quick and efficient humanitarian aid. The village also requires help from a certain specific organization to uplift them with legal support.
key issues:
1. Lack of identity
2. Unemployment
3. Accessibility to initiatives and benefits of the schemes by the Government
4. Health issues and Lack of Basic necessities
5. Illiteracy and high dropout rate.
6.Human Exploitation and lack of humanitarian aid.
what have we done until now
1. RTI Application filed in various Government departments.
2. Collected Secondary data and information about Katkari Tribes
3. Analyzed various Government initiatives and schemes working towards welfare of particularly vulnerable Tribal Groups.
4. Collected Contact of local source person for future visits.