Ruling BJP trying to woo scheduled tribes in MP, but figures show a different picture
Madhya Pradesh tops in national average in atrocities against Scheduled Tribes
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh is on an outreach mission towards the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community.
A big Schedule Tribe event was held in Bhopal and thousands of Adivasis from the hinterland of the state were transported for the event in honour of the famed warrior Birsa Munda who spearheaded a revolt against the British. The event also saw the attendance by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, a report by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has revealed that Madhya Pradesh tops the nation in atrocities against scheduled tribes.
Schedule Tribes account for 21.1 % of state population
In recent times, Scheduled Tribes, who make up 14% of the nation’s population, have become important for political reasons. Adivasi account for 21.1% of Madhya Pradesh population. The ruling BJP is on a charm offensive to woo the ST community.
Meanwhile, a report by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has turned a damper and exposed the real state of the ST community in the state.
The latest report by the ministry reveals that among all the ST inhabited regions, Madhya Pradesh is the worst performer when it comes to providing health and welfare services. Even more shocking is the fact that the state also tops the national average in atrocities against the ST community.
The ST inhabited parts of Madhya Pradesh lacks even the basic necessities of life. There are many villages in the region which are devoid of electricity. On paper, there are 463 primary health centres and 101 community health centres. However, there are no doctors and most of the PHCs are run by the nurse and paramedical staff.
Madhya Pradesh accounts for 23% of atrocities against the scheduled tribes in India
Madhya Pradesh accounts for 23% of all the atrocities against tribal community in the nation. Rajasthan comes second and accounts for 21.8%. 93.22% population of the Scheduled Tribes in Madhya Pradesh still live in the rural parts and in the past 70 years, only 6.78% of the population have migrated to cities.
Madhya Pradesh accounts for 4% of all the ST population of India. Alirajpur, Jhabua, Badwani, Dindori, Mandla and Dhar are the districts which have more than 50% tribal population.
There has been a steady rise of atrocities against the Adivasis as is evident in figures released by the ST ministry. The health services are also in shambles in the Adivasi dominated areas of the state. Instead of having a big jamboree Adivasi event, it would have been better for the government to focus and spend the money on health and other welfare programs rather than chest thumping and creating a hyper nationalistic aura.