Geographic, Social, and Economic Situation of the our Project Area

Geographic, Social, and Economic Situation of the our Project  Area –

The project area is a remote tribal hilly forest region located more than 250 kilometers from Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. The Baiga and Pando tribes, a specially protected tribe of Chhattisgarh, reside in these areas. Due to their habitat in the mountains and forests, the Pando and Baiga tribes are unable to access government schemes in a timely manner. The lack of basic amenities such as roads, water, electricity, healthcare, and schools has led to malnutrition, child marriage, high mortality rates, and a lack of education. The project area is located in the Chilfi Valley of the Bodla block of Kabirdham district, approximately 300 kilometers from Raipur, the capital of the state.

The Baiga tribe considers themselves sons of the forest, and their culture, customs, and livelihoods are directly linked to the forest. The tribal communities here practiced shifting cultivation, known as Bewar in the local language. However, they are now transitioning to settled agriculture.  The mainstay of the people’s economy is gathering forest produce. They collect mahua, tendu leaves, char, lac, honey, and herbs.

Korba district is situated in the northern half of the Chhattisgarh state and sourrounded by the districts Korea, Surguja, Bilaspur, Janjgir etc. The headquarter of Korba districts situated about 200 KM. from the capital city Raipur.

Korba is the power capital of the newly formed state Chhattisgarh. The district comes under Bilaspur division and is inhabited mainly by tribals including the protected tribe Korwas (Pahadi Korwa). Korba is blessed with lush green forest cover, where a sizable number of tribal population is found. The Adivaisis in the forest areas leave in tantum with the environment and have retained their distinctive cultural characteristics and traditional observances .

The people of Korba comes under different religious, social and cultural backgrounds. The main inhabitants are tribals. tribals constitute the majority (51.67%) of the total population. The main scheduled tribes belongs in korba district are Pahadi Korwa, Gond, Raj Gond, Kawar, Bhaiyana, Binjwar, Dhanuhar etc. Satnami, Ganda, Panka etc.
It is one of the major mineral sources of Chhattisgarh and the district share more than half of the state’s total income from mineral sources. The large plants that are operating in Korba district are BALCO, KSTPS, SECL, CSEB, IBP, Indo Gulf Industries and Hasdeo Thermal Power Corporation.

Forest is one of the main sources of livelihood and majority of the community. The non timber forest produce and the minor forest produces they collect from the forest are the major sources of their income. Their livelihood depends on their collection and sale in the haats (weekly markets). The main forest products of this area are mahua , bija, sagon , sahaj, murhi, tend, kahua , kalmi, jamun, kari ,  khamhar,  dhaman . But are not able to get the proper price of their collection due to the dominance of the middleman (Kuchiyaa) .A practice of taking loans from the kuchiyaa is prevalent which ultimately leads to  indebtness on the part of the community.

Agriculture is one of the sources of livelihood but is only sufficient to ensure the availability of food grains for 2 to 3 months. This low agricultural production is attributed by small size of landholdings and inferior quality of the terrain. Besides this primitive agricultural practices also hinders agricultural production. The low level of agricultural production is further intensified by the shortage of irrigation facilties .As a result the people resort to working as agricultural labourers and some migrate to other places.

Problems in the Project Area

The project area is a remote tribal forest region, geographically isolated by dense forests and hills. This isolation severely limits transportation and communication infrastructure, preventing critical information from reaching the communities in a timely manner.

Their livelihoods are directly threatened by climate change and unseasonal rainfall. Compounding this, the use of commercially available hybrid seeds and chemical fertilizers has degraded their soil, rendering it barren.

A cycle of debt and dependency has been established: hybrid seeds, controlled by large corporations and local shopkeepers, must be purchased at high prices. These shopkeepers often provide seeds and chemical fertilizers on credit. When crops fail, farmers are unable to repay their debts, leading to the loss of their land. They are then forced to work as laborers on their own ancestral fields.

This systemic exploitation is causing widespread agrarian distress. Local youth and farmers are being driven away from agriculture. Consequently, the rich biodiversity of local, nutritious vegetables and grains is disappearing. Farming has been reduced to just a handful of crops—only 4-5 types of grain, 2-3 pulses, 8-10 vegetables, and 2-3 fruits. Traditional, nutritious millets like Kodo, Kutki, and Ragi are on the verge of extinction.

Driven by this loss of control over their land and market, local farmers and youth are migrating to larger cities. Furthermore, the active presence of microfinance companies has entrapped many local women in inescapable debt cycles. Tragically, women who default on these loans are also subjected to physical harassment and exploitation.

हमारी अविराम यात्रा… Our Endless journey…