Health Problems of Lodha Community in Villages of Paschim Midnapore District, West Bengal

Abstract

India’s official record in poverty alleviation is quite impressive with only 25 percent (official estimate of 2002) of its population living below the poverty line. However, when the grassroots-perspectives from rural India are probed, it is observed that the rural India is more affected by the problem of poverty than the urban areas of the country. This project seeks to clarify from a field study conducted in the three blocks forming parts of the southern villages of Midnapore District in West Bengal State that the widespread corruption and manipulation accompanying India’s BPL have led to sheer perpetuation of poverty and social exclusion. There is considerable concentration of an ancient Lodha tribe in the study area.

This tribe occupies the remote areas in the States of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The tribals live in villages as a community where they keep distance from other communities. Some of the tribals live in the forest. They hardly mingle with other sections of population. They are branded as criminals. They indulge themselves in stealing, looting and killing people. As such, they are hated by the members of other communities. This particular tribe is neglected. They experience acute poverty. The government has allotted in recent years to each family a piece of land for cultivation. But their meagre resources prevent them from benefitting from the lands. The health of this people is worn-out. The people hardly manage to get one full meal a day. Among the 50 respondents 38 of them (76 percent) of them are GHQ Caseness as they have scored 5 and above in the GHQ-28 Questionnaire. It reveals that most of the respondents may experience probable emotional disturbances and they may have the chance of developing further mental health problems if the present trend continues. The researcher data collected indicates that 47 percent of the respondents value spirituality high as they attach meaning to religion and their life. Only four percent of the respondents refer to their benefitting from the public or private services. It could be discerned from the study that most of the days, many of the women, children and old family members go hungry. Many die in their early age. Primary facilities, provided by the government and the Voluntary Associations are not reaching them.

This study adopts a multi-sectoral approach to trace out the general health problems of the Lodha tribe. It attempts to examine the various types and dimensions of corruption that affect the poverty reduction programmes initiated by the state government. It is the health status of the Lodha tribals that prevents them from becoming productive citizens of India. The present methodology adopted by the government for identifying the poor is very weak.

A way to tackle this problem is suggested in this project. Greater accountability and transparency of the governance at different levels are called for. Strong commitments of political parties and also poor peoples’ participation for self-targeting are yet to be established. These will progressively eliminate social injustice and the social cost of corrupt practices occurring in the efforts at alleviating poverty and improving the health situation of Lodha community.

This project data refers to the presence of a large majority of the tribals not getting sufficient nutrition for their daily existence. With a limited income, the families cannot afford to take care of the siblings. Nearly one third of this tribal population cannot afford to have three meals a day because their income is too little. It is like the Maslow’s theory where it states that Physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and belonging needs, Self esteem and Self actualization are to be fulfilled to live a healthy life