Latest news with #Jarawa
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Accessing Jarawa one of the oldest surviving hunter-gather tribes for census will not be tough: Experts
Conducting census among the six main indigenous tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will not be tough as the Central Government has already made contact and are running several welfare measures for these tribes, said physician Ratan Chandra Kar, speaking exclusively to The Hindu. The Government has formally announced that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026. This census will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931. Dr. Kar who played an important role in providing healthcare to the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands began his work with the tribes in 1998, combating a devastating measles outbreak in 1999 that threatened the tribe's existence. The Jarawas are one of the world's oldest surviving tribes and are mostly hunter-gatherers, living in nomadic bands of 40-50 individuals. 'Currently the population of the Jarawa tribe has grown from 260 to 647 which is good steady growth,'' he said. Explaining the population growth trajectory of the tribe he said that in the month of September 1998, Jarawas met the local population. 'At that time, their population was 260 and as of today, their population has increased to 647. This increase has been possible and achieved on account of the Central Government's successful attempt to establish meaningful contact with them, winning their trust and developing friendly relations,' he said. Dr. Kar added that the Government has been able to provide sustained, targeted, and proactive medical care as and when required and because of this 'we have successfully countered all such occurrences of new diseases/infections (measles, malaria, conjunctivitis, mumps, hepatitis, and others) without any significant mortality. The policy decision taken to provide proactive and preventive medical coverage without interfering in their own medicinal practices has led to this achievement of increase in population which currently stands at 647,' he explained, adding that this trust will ensure that officials get full access during the up-coming census activity. Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese, and Shompen. Speaking about the impact of Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) in terms of access and intrusion in the tribal settlement he said that the best chance of survival for the Jarawas is ``we leave them alone with minimal intervention''. 'The tribe doesn't suffer from any lifestyle disease including heart problems, diabetes, hypertension etc, deliveries are almost always normal and normal life span is up to 50 plus now. We only need to offer modern medical care as a supplement to their own system of natural medicine and immunity,' he said. Dr. Kar has suggested that the ATR while being the lifeline impacting few lakhs of people staying in South Andaman, Middle Andaman and North Andaman, brings Jarawas much closer to the local population. 'Regulating traffic movement through ATR will ensure that the balance of ensuring convenience of local population and keeping Jarawas at bay from local population. This is vital for their survival,' he added.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Tribals in Great Nicobar not against development but lack info about mega project: NCST member
By Gaurav Saini Tribals in Great Nicobar not against development but lack info about mega project: NCST member New Delhi, Tribal communities in Great Nicobar are not opposed to development but lack sufficient information about a proposed mega infrastructure project on the island, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes member Asha Lakra has said. The project, titled Holistic Development of Great Nicobar, involves the construction of a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq. km of land. This includes around 130 sq. km of pristine forest inhabited by the Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe , and the Shompens, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group , whose population is estimated to be between 200 and 300. In an interview with PTI, Lakra said she led an NCST team to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from June 5 to 7 to review the issues faced by the tribal communities. She said the commission held a detailed meeting with representatives of all tribal groups, including the Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Nicobarese and Shompens. "We met everyone.... We also had talks with both Shompen and Nicobarese people living on Great Nicobar Island. Most of the people have no idea about the project. They are busy with their own lives.... They demand more ferries to travel between islands," Lakra said. Asked about her interaction with the residents of Great Nicobar, she said, "They have no other problems. All they need is development.... Better transport, education and health facilities. This is what they told us. Everyone, barring the Sentinelese, said the same thing. They are in favour of development." "They want employment and their financial situation to improve," Lakra added. She, however, stressed the need for a stakeholders' meeting with educated people from the island regarding "such a big project" and said all necessary information should be shared with them. However, Barnabas Manju, chairman of the Little and Great Nicobar Tribal Council, told PTI over the phone that the council was not invited to the meeting and came to know about it through the local media. The council had written to the Union environment ministry and the Andaman and Nicobar administration in November 2022, withdrawing the no-objection certificate it issued in August that year for the denotification of 84.1 sq. km of tribal reserve and the diversion of 130 sq. km of forest for the project. It alleged that crucial information was withheld while seeking the NOC. The tribal council had expressed shock on learning that parts of their pre-tsunami villages would be "denotified and diverted" under the project. During a public hearing held at Campbell Bay in January 2021, the council's chairman had said that although they support the development plan, "we want to go back to our ancestral villages". Tribal councils in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are statutory bodies established under the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Regulation, 2009. They have limited advisory and executive powers, unlike autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which have legislative, executive and limited judicial powers and enjoy greater autonomy. Around 853 sq. km of the island's total 910-sq. km area is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Regulation, 1956. In tribal reserves, the tribal communities own the land and have full rights to use it for their daily needs. However, transferring, acquiring or selling land in these areas is strictly prohibited. Asked whether the commission looked into complaints of Forest Rights Act violations related to the project, Lakra said, "The only kind of FRA violations that has been reported involves non-tribal outsiders, who come for construction work, marry ST women and settle on tribal land." This allows non-tribals to gain de-facto control over land protected under the FRA, she added. In April 2023, the NCST issued a notice to the Andaman and Nicobar administration, seeking "facts and an action-taken report" on allegations that the mega project would violate the constitutional mandate and "adversely impact" the lives of local tribals. Lakra said the commission would check whether a response has been received. At a media interaction earlier this month, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said his ministry is examining objections raised by tribal communities regarding the proposed project. "Yes, it is under examination. I had also answered a question in Parliament. We are currently examining the documents they have submitted. After that, we will decide the course of action," he had said, replying to a question. On further questioning about what the ministry seeks to ascertain, Oram had said, "First, we need to determine whether the gram sabha was held, what the gram sabha recommended and whether there have been any violations." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Express Tribune
03-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Traveller arrested for trying to gift coke to world's most isolated tribe
The Sentinelese are a pre-Neolithic tribe that rejects contact with the modern world. Picture: Alamy Listen to article An American man has been arrested after illegally entering India's North Sentinel Island, home to one of the world's most isolated and uncontacted tribes, and leaving behind a soft drink can and a coconut. Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, reportedly crossed the 40 kilometres stretch of ocean to reach the forbidden island using an inflatable motorised boat and GPS navigation. Indian authorities said the visit, carried out on March 29, violated laws protecting the pre-Neolithic Sentinelese tribe and put both the tribe and the tourist at risk. The island, part of India's Andaman and Nicobar territory, has been off limits to outsiders since 1996. Indian Navy patrols regularly enforce a five-nautical-mile exclusion zone. Police said Polyakov arrived in Port Blair on 26 March and began planning his expedition meticulously. On the morning of 29 March, he sailed from Kurma Dera beach, reached the northeastern shore of North Sentinel Island, and attempted to attract attention by blowing a whistle. After an hour with no response, he briefly stepped ashore, left the items as offerings, collected sand samples, and recorded a video before leaving. He returned to the mainland later that evening, where fishermen alerted the authorities. Police seized his boat and camera and confirmed that he remains in custody. Investigators say Polyakov has a history of unauthorised contact with protected tribes. He allegedly visited Baratang Island earlier this year and illegally filmed members of the Jarawa tribe. 'We are questioning him and hotel staff to learn more about his movements and motives,' a police spokesperson said. A case has been filed under laws protecting aboriginal communities, and India's foreign ministry has informed the US embassy. Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International, criticised the incident. 'This person's actions not only endangered his own life but could have devastated the tribe,' she said, citing the tribe's lack of immunity to common diseases. It remains unclear whether the offerings left by Polyakov were retrieved or removed. The Sentinelese are believed to number around 150 and maintain a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, resisting all outside contact. Their hostility to outsiders has been widely documented. American evangelical missionary John Allen Chau was killed by the Sentinelese tribe, In November 2018, on North Sentinel Island after attempting to make contact and preach Christianity, despite the island being prohibited to outsiders.
