Raipur: Due to the PM Janman Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyay Mahabhiyan) run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve the social and economic condition of the backward tribes, the fate of the extremely backward tribal community of Chhattisgarh state and the picture of their settlements has started changing rapidly. Basic facilities have started developing rapidly in the residential areas of the especially backward tribes. These tribal groups, deprived of basic facilities like housing, clean drinking water, education, health, roads, electricity for years, are now getting these basic facilities in mission mode.
Due to the successful implementation of PM Janman Yojana by the Chhattisgarh government under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, basic development and construction work is being carried out rapidly in all the special backward tribal areas of the state. Not even a year has passed since the launch of PM Janman Yojana in the state, yet due to the commitment of the Chhattisgarh government, its meaningful results have started to appear. In Kabirdham district, due to the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, the fate of the Baiga community and the picture of their settlements has started to change.
People of the special backward tribe Baiga community reside in Kabirdham, Rajnandgaon, Mungeli, Bilaspur and Korea districts located in the north-western part of Chhattisgarh state. From a demographic point of view, Baiga is the most populous tribal community among the special backward tribes of Chhattisgarh state. 24 thousand 589 families of the Baiga community reside in the above 5 districts of Chhattisgarh state, out of which about 46 percent i.e. 11 thousand 261 families live in Kabirdham district.
People of the Baiga community live in Bodla and Pandaria of Kabirdham district. The houses of 255 families living in 38 settlements of this community have been electrified, while Rs 135.72 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of 47 roads of 186.20 km length to connect 56 Baiga settlements. Construction of 42 of these roads has already begun, under which construction of paved tar roads and bridges over rivers and canals is underway.
By organizing special camps in villages Bhagda, Jamunpani, Kamathi, Kui, Mangali Sarapani Taktaiyan, Badna, Guda, Chirha, Munmuna, Neur and Lalpur of Pandaria development block of Kabirdham, along with health and sickle cell checkup of the people of Baiga community, Ayushman cards were provided to 1870 Baiga families. 86 pregnant mothers of these villages were delivered safely. This is the result of conducting special campaigns for public awareness towards health that now women of Baiga community have also started coming to government hospitals and health centers for delivery without hesitation.
Due to the help being given by the Chhattisgarh government for farming, the people of the Baiga community have now left Bewar farming and started farming in the traditional way. Bewar farming is actually Jhum farming. The people of the Baiga community did not reside permanently at one place, so they used to do Bewar or Jhum farming. Due to availability of interest-free agricultural loan, agricultural equipment on subsidy and other facilities, the people of the Baiga community have now left Bewar farming and started doing permanent farming. In Kabirdham district, the government has given Kisan Credit Card and agricultural loan of Rs 11.70 lakh this year to the people of the Baiga community for farming.
Samelal Baiga, a resident of village Damgarh, has 5.5 acres of agricultural land. Under the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, he has made his agricultural land suitable for paddy cultivation by taking a loan of one lakh rupees. Samelal says that due to purchase of paddy at the support price and immediate payment of the amount, he has started getting profit from agriculture. Rajkumar Baiga of village Rokhni has 02 acres of agricultural land. By taking a loan from the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, he has improved the field and cultivated paddy. Due to good crop, he is expecting to benefit from it. With the loan from the new credit card, the needs of farming have started getting fulfilled.
Due to PM-Janman Yojana, the work of supplying tap water to the houses of Baiga families through solar pumps, water tanks, pipelines is being done rapidly in 260 Baiga settlements of Kabirdham district. Currently, water supply through solar pumps, water tanks, pipelines has been started in 62 settlements out of 181 settlements of development block Bodla, work of providing tap connections is in progress in the remaining 119 settlements. Out of 78 Baiga settlements under Pandaria block, work of providing tap water supply has been completed in 18 settlements, while work of constructing water tanks and laying pipelines is in progress in the remaining settlements. Hand pumps have already been installed for drinking water in Baiga settlements.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, in the survey of 8 thousand 596 families of Baiga community under special backward tribe in Kabirdham district, 8 thousand 440 families have been found eligible for Baiga family housing, out of which 7853 families have been registered in the housing portal and 7394 families have been approved for housing. Out of the approved families, the first installment to 6 thousand 678 beneficiaries, second installment to 3031 beneficiaries and third installment to 1081 beneficiaries has been transferred directly to their bank accounts through online DBT. A total of 370 works have been approved in the residential areas of the Baiga community, including 4 hostels, 39 Anganwadi centers, 2 Vandhan centers, 13 multipurpose centers, which are being completed rapidly.