A small group of Jena Kurumbar tribesmen, a semi-nomadic tribe dependent on harvesting forest honey, continue to live in abject poverty and have no access to ration shops because they don’t have any identity cards.
The 20 families living here have no access to government welfare schemes and are dependent on daily wage to make ends meet.
K. Chandran, a Jena Kurumbar tribesman, who claims to have applied for a ration card eight times, said that many of the families struggled to get three square meals a day and added that they required assistance from the Public Distribution System. “We are extremely poor and are in most need of government assistance. But we don’t even exist in government records and we can’t vote. It’s as if we don’t even exist,” he added.
They also said that they have been unable to get houses and toilets sanctioned for them, and live in small mud houses which they have built themselves.
B. Meena, another resident, said that the community was completely dependent on the honey-gathering season and access to forest produce. “We also work on farms, but the work is irregular. We have appealed to the district administration to provide us with Aadhaar cards and ration cards, but they are asking us for identity proofs including community certificates,” she said.
“The community is in an extremely precarious position, and the least that needs to be done for them is steps to be taken so that they can get free rice and other products at the ration shop,” said K. Sujatha, another resident of Vazhaithottam.
