Government Programmes to Reduce Malnutrition among Children and to Ascertain Livelihood of Tribal Women

Tribal communities are still facing multi variant issues even today. They possesses a distinct dialect and cultural traits. One of the most significant feature of the Tribal economy is that they have been restricted to low position on many occasions physically and socially and they lead a remote life instead of being engrossed in the social life due to many reasons away from mainstream population. On minute terms these variations are inbuilt and it is not visible. But when we count them together this may lead to a deprivation of their life from social, economic and educational and occupational aspect. Their land deprivations, lack of assets, acute debt, exploitation both mental and physical etc severely affect their livelihood. Ultimate result is all these leads them to alcoholism and drug usage, misuse of their women etc. government introduced many schemes and programs for the empowerment of tribals. People’s Plan Programmes, Gram Sabhas, OoruKootams, Ayalkootams, VanaSamrakshanaSamithies (VSS) and a plethora of social institutions under AHADS were all built up for inclusive participatory, just and sustainable development. Yet Attappady still retains its prime position in the media for environmental destruction, poverty, Tribal right violations of every conceivable kind and so on. In addition to poverty, starvation and every sort of exploitation, malnutrition of pregnant women, infant mortality, especially death of newborn babies swallows this once rich land. Perhaps the single-most important contributory factor to the child malnutrition deaths, and the cause for the overwhelming poverty of the Tribals, which fails to be addressed to date, is the alienation and loss of most of their fertile agriculturally suitable land, total destruction of their indigenous mixed cropping system, change in diet and lifestyle, and loss of hope. Attappady Comprehensive Tribal and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (ACT and PVTG) Development Project got its sanction for work on 3rd September 2014. On 18th February 2014 the Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India approved the project. For duration of seven years these project got support from National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). The project was formulated in the context of the incidents of child deaths reported from the block during 2012-14. With 58 malnutrition deaths reported over a short period, Attappady had gained nation-wide attention. It has been pointed out that land alienation and the loss of traditional food security systems had led to acute poverty and widespread malnutrition. Questions were raised on the effectiveness of the development projects implemented in the area over the last few decades.