Samvedana: A Special Campaign for the Maldhari Tribe – District Administration Junagarh
The ‘Samvedana’ project has been implemented systematically in the form of a special campaign for the Maldhari Tribe (ST) of the forest area.
Problem
- Limitations to provide routine benefit to people living in forest areas as many of the nesses are not declared as settlement villages
- Need a special type of vehicle as forest routes are not motorable
- Difficult for the administration to convince the tribal people to apply for government schemes and benefits
- Lack of education
- Under India Forest Act and Wild Life Protection Act, there are restrictions to extend benefits to the forest dwellers
Solution
- Setup stall for various schemes and benefits at the location of function for distribution of benefits
- A team of expert doctors from Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute carried out a health checkup of Maldhari families
- Special Sanjivani Rath, a vehicle equipped with all medical facilities was stationed at the location and treated Maldhari patients therein
- The police department conducted training under the Suraksha Setu Programme
- The team of ICDS & DRDA carried out activities regarding Mission Mangalam and Sakhi Mandal
- Officers and staff of the revenue dept carried out the procedure for Pension Assistance and issued Ration cards, Aadhar Cards, Electoral & Election ID Cards
Outcomes
- Ensured all applicable government benefits reached the last citizen residing in the remote and inaccessible forest area
- Enabled quick benefits to Maldhari families
- Bridged the economic and social gap between tribal forest areas and other areas of the state
- Improved Human Development Index and the social and civil infrastructure in tribal areas
- Created awareness among Maldhari families about various government schemes
Project Details
Category: Social – SC/ST
Project: Samvedana
Organisation: District Administration Junagarh
Start Date: May-2014
Problem
Gir forest being a protected area under the Forest Act, there are certain limitations to providing routine benefit to people living in these areas as many of the ‘nesses’ are not declared as settlement villages so problems of rights over land were in abundance. Forest routes were not motorable, the district team faced transport-related inconvenience while approaching the area. Due to a lack of education, it was difficult for the administration to convince the Maldhari tribe to apply for government schemes and benefits. Also, some families had not been issued ration cards, Election ID cards, and other necessary documents or certificates due to which they had not taken benefits of government schemes even though they were eligible for them. Maldhari people live around the habitat of the Indian Lion, in Gir Forest and they are herdsmen so it was also a challenge to approach all individuals in the forest. The India Forest Act and the Wild Life Protection Act made it more difficult to extend benefits to forest dwellers.
Solution
The ‘Samvedana’ project has been implemented systematically in the form of a special campaign for the Maldhari Tribe (ST) of the forest area. The District administration prepared an action plan for the entire system to achieve the result in a certain time of one month. The team of district administration set up stalls for various schemes and benefits at the location of function for distribution of benefits. Staff from all departments remained present throughout the stall and guided people visiting the stall. A team of expert doctors from Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute specially arrived and carried out a health checkup of Maldhari families in the makeshift stall of the health department. A special Sanjivani Rath, a vehicle equipped with all medical facilities was stationed at the location and treated Maldhari patients therein. The Police department conducted training under Suraksha Setu Program and the Team of ICDS & DRDA personnel visited ‘nesses’ to carry out activities regarding Mission Mangalam and Sakhi Mandal. The officers and staff of the revenue department carried out the procedure for Pension Assistance and issued Ration cards, Aadhar Cards, Electoral and Election ID Cards, while the bank’s officials joined the team to help the tribal people with Jan Dhan Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.
Outcomes
Teams of district administration worked day and night to implement the project and provide all eligible 1439 Maldharis benefits of the schemes. Through the project, government benefits reached the last citizen residing in the remote and inaccessible forest area; it bridged the economic and social gap between tribal forest areas and other areas of the state. Apart from improving Human Development Index and social and civil infrastructure in tribal areas, it brought awareness among Maldhari families about various government schemes. The major gain for the administration team was sensitivity and satisfaction which prevailed during the whole campaign. The project brought all departments together under one umbrella and optimized the use of available resources, this yielded the best outcomes regarding the government’s objective at least cost.
