K.A. Shaji

Author

Priti David

Editor

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<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">“The current budget does not address any of our survival concerns. It seems primarily concerned with the middle class, particularly salaried individuals,” says Geetha Vazhachal.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">A member of the Kadar community – classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), 36-year-old Geetha resides in the catchment area of the proposed Athirappilly Hydro Electric Power Project in Thrissur district of&nbsp; Kerala.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The dam is located in the Chalakudy river basin and will displace her community for the fourth time. “We are experiencing significant displacement due to large-scale infrastructure projects across the country. Furthermore, there is no mention of the ongoing corporate takeover of our lands, forests and resources,” points out Geetha who has become the face of the mass movement against the dam.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">“For tribal communities living in the forests, climate change creates unprecedented survival challenges. We are confronted with a hostile environment, degraded forests, and limited livelihood options,” says Geetha, Kerala's only woman tribal chieftain.

Courtesy: keralamuseum.org

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Like others in the Kadar community, Geetha's ancestors were forest dwellers forced to leave the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in 1905 when the British constructed a tramway connecting the region to evacuate timber to the Kochi harbour, and onward for shipment to Great Britain.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Geetha's family moved to Peringalkuthu and then Sholayar forest from where they will now be displaced again.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">She points out that although the budget shows an increase in funding for tribal welfare, “allocations mainly prioritise model residential schools, infrastructure development, and connectivity, which will likely only have cosmetic effects. Improvements in roads and infrastructure will be meaningless for vulnerable tribal communities whose agricultural lands, forests, water resources, and livelihoods have been taken away.”<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Many people in Kerala anticipated that the budget would allocate a fair portion of support for the landslide victims of Mundakai and Chooralmala in the Wayanad district. “It seems that the entire southern region of India has been overlooked.”<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:&quot;Fira Sans&quot;, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:29px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Images used under permission from&nbsp;Janal Archive by&nbsp;Kerala Museum, Madhavan Nayar Foundation,&nbsp;Kochi.

Cosmetic changes for Adivasis

ఆదివాసుల జీవితాల్లో అలంకారప్రాయ మార్పులు

பழங்குடிகளுக்கான ஒப்பனை மாற்றம்

ਆਦਿਵਾਸੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਵਿਸਥਾਪਨ 

ಆದಿವಾಸಿಗಳ ಬದುಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೇವಲ ಮೇಲ್ಮಟ್ಟದ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ತರಲಿರುವ ಬಜೆಟ್‌

आदिवासी मन बर दिखावटी बदलाव 

आदिवासी हित बस कागजी हवे 

আদিবাসীসকলৰ বাবে উপৰুৱা পৰিৱৰ্তন 

આદિવાસીઓ માટે ફેરફારો માત્ર દેખાડવા પૂરતા જ છે

ترقی کے نام پر آدیوایسوں کو ملا صرف دھوکہ

ആദിവാസികൾക്കുള്ളത് പുറംതോടിലെ മാറ്റങ്ങൾമാത്രം

विकास के नाम पर मिला आदिवासियों को सिर्फ़ धोखा 

ଆଦିବାସୀଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ଲୋକ ଦେଖାଣିଆ ପରିବର୍ତ୍ତନ 

দেখনদারি পরিবর্তনে আদিবাসীদের প্রাপ্তি বঞ্চনার বাজেট 

Thrissur

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Cosmetic changes for Adivasis

In Kerala’s forests, the Kadar Adivasi community soon to be displaced for a hydro electric project, say the Union Budget 2025 will not help them survive displacement due to ‘development’

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