THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Dec. 31: The maiden IEC (information, education and communication) drive at the particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) hamlet at Hurmur under the Dulsulma panchayat in the Satbarwa block under the aegis of the PM JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Adivasi Nayaya Maha Abhiyan) of the Ministry of tribal affairs, government of India, was held on Saturday.
The Ministry of tribal affairs government of India has shortlisted 101 districts across India to launch the IEC in the first phase for the targeted audience of the PVTG.
IEC in 3 Jharkhand districts
Only three districts of Jharkhand, namely Khunti, Gumla and Palamu, are where phase 1 of the IEC is launched. The tribal affairs ministry has asked for IECs from December 25 to January 2, 2024.
The Palamu administration selected a genuine hamlet of the PVTG at Hurmur for its first ‘reaching the unreached’, said DDC Ravi Anand. Palamu BJP MP V D Ram took part in this IEC camp.
Also read: Flashback 2023: It was a mixed bag for Palamu police
Long ago, the then DC Pooja Singhal visited this hamlet.
Pooja Singhal
Life remains almost the same here at Hurmur in over a decade when Pooja Singhal had visited this hamlet. It’s the same poverty, struggle for livelihood, lack of education and health care, lack of drinking water, etc.
According to the DDC, “167 villages spread over 15 blocks in Palamu have thin to moderate households of the PVTG. There is one hamlet for the PVTG in Untari Road block while Chhaterpur and Manatu have 27 and 22 hamlets of the PVTG.”
PVTG households
The total number of PVTG households in Palamu is 4,604. The PVTG is still a distant onlooker to the development around elsewhere.
The Ministry of tribal affairs, the government of India, has planned for the overall development of the PVTG through central government intervention and state government involvement.
Lifestyle diseases
Lifestyle diseases affect the PVTG, said the medical officer in charge of the sub-divisional hospital Chhaterpur, Dr Rajesh Agrawal.
“We hold health checks for them. Our teams reached Kala Pahar and Sujiganj. We found cases of high BP and diabetes too among them. 25 PVTG people were examined at Kala Pahar while ten at Sujiganj,” said Dr Agrawal
Civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar said, “There is a standing instruction to all the health personnel, from additional PHCs to the CHCs, to extend all possible health care and facility to the PVTG populace. These people must not face any hardships in health care.”
Dr Anil Kumar said, “Our ANMs and paramedics try to adjust to their situation. My team member sits on the ground or time-worn mats or cots and gives medicines. It wins the hearts of the PVTG.”
PVTG database
There is a long mile to go to uplift the PVTG, as it is challenging to bring them out of their ghetto. They need good hygiene, health and education. To begin with, they need safe drinking water.
Health officials concede the PVTG hardly comes to the institutional delivery. They handle it by themselves.
There is an urgent need to have a database of the PVTG, as all talks of covering or saturating them with beneficiary-oriented schemes will only do so.
DDC Ravi Anand reiterated, “There are 11 schemes in all which are beneficiary-oriented. It’s open to the PVTG too. It’s a house, road, energy, food security, community living to have a multi-purpose centre, Ayushman Bharat coverage, Jan Dhan, KCC, Sickle cell anaemia monitoring etc.
