Collective efforts can combat challenges faced by ultra-poor in Jharkhand
Jharkhand has been battling the multiple challenges of underdevelopment, malnutrition, low literacy levels, unemployment, distress migration and high incidence of poverty. The state’s weak institutional mechanisms and lack of good governance worsen the situation.
The latest edition of the Multidimensional Poverty Index, 2021, released by Niti Aayog, reaffirms the paradox of its citizens being deprived of basic amenities despite owning abundant natural resources. Around 42.16 per cent of the population of Jharkhand is multidimensionally poor, making it the second poorest state in India.
Many Adivasi hamlets in Jharkhand bear the brunt of extreme poverty. Torpa block in the Khunti district of Jharkhand is one such pocket. Collective efforts by both the state and civil society is imperative to combat the challenges faced by such regions. Non-profits such as PRADAN have been working to improve the lives of the people in the poorest pockets of India.
Two decades of PRADAN’s engagement in Adivasi regions have contributed to it, yet a significant part of the population, around 10 to 15 per cent remains deprived of the benefits of the program run either by PRADAN or the central and state governments.