Tribal women of Gujarat's Devgadh Baria speak up for their rights at public hearing

Demonstration by tribal women of Devgadh Baria

By A Representative
Are the tribal women of Devgadh Baria, an eastern-most hilly taluka of Gujarat, coming out of their long-standing fear and beginning to speak up? It would seem so, if a public hearing organised by civil rights organizations Anandi and Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) next to the office of the sub-divisional magistrate (DSM) on December 10, International Human Rights Day, was any indication.
The public hearing saw about 650 persons, most of them poor women, boldly represent before government officials, called to listen to their grievances, which included failure to get ration at the public distribution system (PDS) shops, poor availability of food for children at the pre-school anganwadi centres, erratic distribution of widow pension, lack of disbursement of amount payable to pregnant women, and so on.
Ahead of the representation, a survey carried out among 26 villages suggested that of the 345 respondents, 107 had antyodaya ration cards meant for the poorest of the poor, and 117 were below poverty level (BPL) card holders. The ration distribution for the months of August, September and October 2019 showed that they received close to 52% and 46% lesser amount of wheat and rice than what they were entitled to.
"In numbers, 4810, 4876.5 and 4853.5 kg of wheat has not been distributed to entitled card-holders in August, September and October 2019, respectively. Similarly, 2303, 2350 and 2335 kg of rice has not been distributed for August, September and October 2019, respectively", the survey report, "Rozi Roti Lok Jumbesh 2019-Bariya Report", said.
Survey of 37 anganwadis in the 26 villages showed that only 16 of them had adequate space for activities, 16 had functional toilets, 12 had access to electricity and three had fans. Further, seven anganwadis did not serve breakfast and lunch as they should be serving. Distance of anganwadis was the most frequently cited issue by the respondents, the report said.

Aadhaar card related issues were the most frequently cited reasons for not getting maternity benefit

Further, in 26 villages, data was collected from 110 pregnant and lactating women. Out of 46 eligible pregnant women (first pregnancy), 35 had not received their entitlement, while five had received it. Further, out of 43 eligible pregnant women (next pregnancy), 23 had not received their entitlement, and 13 had not not applied for it.
The report states, "Aadhaar card related issues were the most frequently cited reasons for not getting maternity benefit. Many did not receive because they did not have bank accounts. Other reasons included name not included in the ration card and election card. Father’s name instead of husband’s name in official documents were also reasons for not being able to register for the maternity entitlement."
Then, the report says, data was collected from 489 persons who were eligible for pension -- including widow and old age pension. Only 125 of these had received pension. As many as 153 respondents said they had applied for pension but not received any communication, while 51 said they had not applied. Reasons included not having the aadhaar.
Representing before the officials, women said, they often did not receive ration despite the fact that they had the eligible card. The ration shops were often found to be closed or without adequate food supplies. They were supposed to get coupon from the panchayat office which would tell them the amount of ration they should get, but they were never given this coupon, as the printer all the time would be out of order.
A grassroots activist complained the pre-school anganwadis for their children were offering food only twice a day instead of three times, as stipulated. Some of the anganwadis were as far away as three km, and despite applications for opening a new one anganwadi in the village, there was no reply.
Widows said, they were not getting their pension for six to seven months. In fact, they often found that they were not getting the full amount they were entitled to, and suspected the post office staff appeared to be siphoning off a part of the amount they were to get. In many villages, the postman kept the passport with him, refusing to part with it, and threatened them with dire consequences if they complained.
MAGP's Pankti Jog said, "This is for the first time that I found tribal women speaking up fearlessly. Earlier, they wouldn't utter a word, fearful of the retaliation they might face. Credit for this goes to Anandi, the organization which has been working with tribal women of the taluka's villages for the last about 25 years."

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra* It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

Rally in Patna: Non-farmer bodies to highlight plight of agriculture in Eastern India ahead of march to Parliament

P Sainath By A Representative Ahead of the march to Parliament on November 29-30, 2018, organized by over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country demanding a 21-day special session of Parliament to deliberate on remedial measures for safeguarding the interest of farm, farmers and agricultural workers, a mass rally been organized for November 23, Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Say the organizers, the Eastern region merits special attention, because, while crisis of farmers and agricultural workers in Western, Southern and Northern India has received some attention in the media and central legislature, the plight of those in the Eastern region of the country (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Eastern UP) has remained on the margins. To be addressed by P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), a statement issued ahead of the rally says, the Eastern India was the most prosperous regi...

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Counterview

Search This Blog