Remoteness, poor teledensity, lack of roads add to Odisha tribals' disbelief in vaccination

By A Representative
Salman Patamajhi, a 30-years old youth from the Kondh tribe in Bangadi village of Kotagada block in Odisha got vaccinated last week after a month of disbelief and reluctance. He had hardly any trust in the vaccine; rather he has heard about its alleged dangerous side effects.
He could only believe it when members of a civil society organization showed their photos of vaccination and the certificate they received. This changed his mind on vaccination. The case of Limbadhar Majhi (45) of Pagerpadi village of Tumudibandha was similar.
“I learnt that many people are dying after inoculation. But once the members of the Sangathan showed us the proof through photos and vaccination certificates, I understood that using vaccines is not detrimental to our physical health. After knowing this, not only did I take the vaccine but also explained people from our community about it”, said Limbadhar.
The focus of the Odisha government has shifted to rural areas to control the spread of Corona infection.
However, there are reports of tribals being hesitant of inoculation. Amid this reluctance, the awareness drive of Jeebika Suraksha Manch, a people’s outfit of the non-profit Atmashakti Trust in Kandhamal is running an extensive campaign which runs in Kotagada and Tumudibandha block has resulted in over 700 people from the Kondh community, who constitute the largest population (around 60% of the total population) in terms of primitive tribes in these blocks, agreeing for vaccination.
Under this initiative, the team members of the health-kit intervention of the organization which works on malnutrition free project in the district have reached out to over 4,000 people in 134 villages of these two blocks in Kandhamal through wall writings, awareness posters and in-person discussion to keep people updated on Covid-19 related information.

“We have exchanged wards with the health officials of the nearest primary health centres and community health centres (PHCs and CHCs) to fix-up dates for vaccination in these areas. They have sought our help to counsel people for inoculation”, said Bhramarabara Barik, a coordinator of the Malnutrition Free Villages project.
Kandhamal comes under the green zone as per the notification issued by the Health and Family Welfare department. However, vaccine hesitancy among particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) and forest dwelling communities due to lack of information sources, remoteness and traditional beliefs has triggered a grave concern.
“Our own survey revealed that people largely depend upon Anganwadi, Asha workers and hospitals to get information on COVID-19. Remoteness, poor teledensity and lack of a proper road communication eludes them from being informed. It’s not easy to agree them for vaccination but our long-term association with the community through Sangathan building is serving as a beacon of hope”, said Ruchi Kashyap, executive trustee of the Atmashakti Trust.
“We want that these communities should have equal access to vaccines like others to keep the Coronavirus at bay”, she added.

Comments

truthaboutislam said…

I truly agree with your statement. This clearly indicates the truth about islam. Thanks for clearing the misconception.

July 15, 2021

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

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.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Search This Blog