Following the tragedy in Nagada, yet another example of the extreme hardships faced by the Juang tribes has been discovered at Tikarpada village under the jurisdiction of the Kans Panchayat of Sukinda block in Jajpur district. Even today, many families residing in this far-flung village have no access to such essential necessities as food, shelter, healthcare and clothing.
This became an issue when two-and-a-half year old child Rita belonging to the Juangs – Turi and Surjya, died on May 19. After this tragedy, the district administration was jolted into action and Chief District Medical Officer Dr. Bijay Kumar Mishra went to the village along with a team of doctors to conduct a health camp there. The concerned family was then admitted to the Sukinda Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre.
But this has only caused confusion among villagers about the attitude of the administration towards such incidents. It was highlighted by them that even before, two children had lost their lives in Tikarpada village some two-and-a-half years ago. But despite inquiries and promises made then, little has changed.
Surjya Juang along with his eight members stays in a small hut at the foothills of Daitari hills and earns their livelihood by extracting firewood and forest produces. They are reported to be surviving with mere 20 kgs of ration rice per month. Children don’t even have proper attire and the family doesn’t even have a permanent place to stay. There have also been instances of skin diseases among several other children of the village.
Many Juang families do not get any benefits from the various welfare schemes of the government since they lack either Aadhaar or voter ID cards. Consequently, many Juangs can’t avail themselves of the benefits available through PM Awas Yojana, Janani Suraksha, Mamata and Subhadra.
Radharani Dehuri, Kans Panchayat Sarpanch expressed concern regarding the living conditions of the Juang families in Tikarpada. The incident has again brought to fore the issue of the preparedness of the administration for implementing welfare schemes.
The villagers said that if action had been taken on time, another precious life would have been saved. The more important question that arises is as to when the government services would reach the houses of the Juang families in Tikarpada.
