Adivasis or indigenous people constitute nearly one-fourth of the total population of Madhya Pradesh, and a much greater fraction of the poor, vulnerable and marginalized people in this state. On almost all indicators of human development, their performance is far below that of other population groups in the state. According to the MP Human Development Report (2003), nearly 74 per cent of Adivasi children in Madhya Pradesh are malnourished.
In the Chambal Division of north-west Madhya Pradesh, the main Adivasi community are the Sahariya, a Scheduled Tribe counted among one of the 75 so-called ‘primitive’ tribal groups by the Government of India. Sahariya villages are concentrated in the upland, forested and hilly parts of the Chambal region, which in turn are surrounded by large masses of non-tribal populations. Historically, the Sahariya have depended almost completely upon forests for survival and income. In addition to the Sahariya, the other main caste groups of the region include Harijan, Brahmin, Gujjar, Kushwah and Yadav, and a few families of the nomadic Mogia community.
In the Chambal Division of north-west Madhya Pradesh, the main Adivasi community are the Sahariya, a Scheduled Tribe counted among one of the 75 so-called ‘primitive’ tribal groups by the Government of India. Sahariya villages are concentrated in the upland, forested and hilly parts of the Chambal region, which in turn are surrounded by large masses of non-tribal populations. Historically, the Sahariya have depended almost completely upon forests for survival and income. In addition to the Sahariya, the other main caste groups of the region include Harijan, Brahmin, Gujjar, Kushwah and Yadav, and a few families of the nomadic Mogia community.
Agriculture and other livelihood among the tribals is significantly less prosperous than the agriculture and non-farm economy of the non-Adivasi people. The Sahariya constitute an island of poverty, vulnerability, socio-economic distress and political disempowerment, concentrated in the neglected, rainfed pockets of an otherwise agriculturally well-developed region.
Adharshila’s target area and community is a pocket of 24 villages in the Vijaypur sub-division of Chambal’s Sheopur district, with over 90 per cent population consisting of the Sahariya. These villages were displaced in 1999-2000 from the nearby Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, to make way for an ambitious wildlife conservation project for preserving the endangered Asiatic Lion. After displacement, the economy of these villages suffered severely, since the compensation package provided by the government was highly inadequate to restore their lost livelihoods. Today, the average per capita income among these displaced families is less than Rs.10 per day, and disease, illiteracy, humger and distress migration are daily facts of life for them.
Adharshila’s target area and community is a pocket of 24 villages in the Vijaypur sub-division of Chambal’s Sheopur district, with over 90 per cent population consisting of the Sahariya. These villages were displaced in 1999-2000 from the nearby Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, to make way for an ambitious wildlife conservation project for preserving the endangered Asiatic Lion. After displacement, the economy of these villages suffered severely, since the compensation package provided by the government was highly inadequate to restore their lost livelihoods. Today, the average per capita income among these displaced families is less than Rs.10 per day, and disease, illiteracy, humger and distress migration are daily facts of life for them.
It is in these challending circumstances that the Adharshila School has been working towards poverty alleviation and sustainable socio-economic development through its education initiative. Alongside, in partnership with the NGO Samrakshan Trust, Adharshila also works for agricultural income improvement and promotion of non-farm enterprises in the same villages.
