In the remote forested belt of West Bengal’s Jangalmahal region—encompassing districts such as Bankura, Purulia, and Jhargram—a silent humanitarian crisis is unfolding. The Lodha Shabar tribes, one of India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), are battling extreme deprivation. Once labeled a “criminal tribe” under British colonial rule, the community has long been subjected to institutional neglect, poverty, and social stigma. Today, they face an even graver threat: starvation and death due to systemic administrative failure, economic exclusion, and the non-implementation of critical welfare schemes like the PM-JANMAN.
A History of Neglect
The Lodha Shabars are among India’s 75 PVTGs, which are recognized for their marginalized status, dwindling population, and socio-economic vulnerability. Their historical classification as a “criminal tribe” during British rule continues to affect their social standing and access to resources. In 2004, national attention briefly turned to the plight of the tribe when five members died of starvation in Amlasole village in West Bengal. That incident was supposed to be a wake-up call for both the state and central governments. Yet, more than two decades later, the community continues to languish under the weight of poverty and neglect.
Daily Life in Crisis
In tribal villages such as Jovi in Bankura and Kodolboni in Jhargram, basic necessities like food, water, and medical aid remain out of reach. The villages, situated far from the urban gaze, are riddled with broken promises and half-implemented government schemes.
- Water Crisis: Installed public tap systems in many Lodha villages remain dry, forcing residents to walk several kilometers to collect water from streams or uncovered wells. The risk of waterborne diseases looms large due to the lack of safe drinking water.
- Malnutrition and Deaths: Several malnutrition-related deaths have been reported, especially among children and the elderly. With no nearby functional healthcare centers and a lack of awareness about nutritional needs or disease prevention, illnesses often go untreated, and death becomes a frequent visitor in many households.
- Educational Vacuum: Schools, where they exist, are often non-functional. Either there are no teachers, or the buildings are dilapidated. Children grow up without access to basic education, continuing the cycle of poverty and marginalization. As a result, early marriages, child labor, and substance abuse are common among Lodha youth.
- Unemployment and Economic Exclusion: Employment options are virtually nonexistent. In a region where agriculture is rain-fed and yields are meager, daily wage labor was once supported by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). However, the program has largely stalled in West Bengal. This loss of income has pushed entire families to the brink of starvation.
The Failed Promise of PM-JANMAN
In November 2023, the Indian government launched the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), a landmark initiative aimed at uplifting PVTGs like the Lodha Shabars. The scheme promised a holistic package of welfare initiatives—housing, healthcare, education, roads, and livelihood support. But in West Bengal, these promises remain entirely unfulfilled.
Reports from the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs confirm that there has been no tangible progress in the implementation of PM-JANMAN in the state. No new homes have been constructed. No new schools or health centers have been inaugurated. No roads have been laid to connect these isolated hamlets to the rest of the country. In short, the program exists only on paper in this part of the country.
Local administrative officials claim that they have received no formal instructions or funds to implement the scheme. This bureaucratic inertia, combined with political apathy, has ensured that the Lodha Shabars remain invisible to the very machinery that is supposed to uplift them.
Systemic and Structural Failures
The failure to implement welfare programs is not just an administrative oversight—it reflects deeper structural issues that plague India’s approach to tribal welfare. Despite constitutional guarantees and numerous welfare schemes, implementation often falters at the grassroots due to corruption, lack of coordination between central and state agencies, and the absence of monitoring mechanisms.
Moreover, the stigmatization of the Lodha Shabars as former “criminal tribes” continues to impact their relationship with the state and society. Police harassment, social exclusion, and denial of rights such as land titles, ration cards, and healthcare access are common.
A Way Forward
To save the Lodha Shabars from continued suffering and to prevent further starvation-related deaths, urgent and sustained intervention is required on multiple fronts:
- Immediate Humanitarian Aid: The state must act swiftly to provide food supplies, clean water, and emergency healthcare to the most affected villages.
- Strict Enforcement of Welfare Schemes: Both state and central governments need to ensure that schemes like PM-JANMAN and MGNREGS are not just announced but are effectively implemented. This includes earmarking funds, setting up monitoring committees, and fixing accountability.
- Infrastructure Development: Building roads, schools, and health centers in tribal areas must become a top priority. Without these basic infrastructures, no long-term development can occur.
- Social Inclusion and Legal Protections: The Lodha Shabars must be protected from discrimination and police abuse. Legal aid, awareness programs, and community advocacy are needed to integrate them fully into the fabric of Indian society.
- Community Involvement: Tribal voices must be at the center of planning and implementation. Community leaders and NGOs working on the ground should be empowered and funded to ensure that solutions are culturally sensitive and locally relevant.
The ongoing tragedy among the Lodha Shabar tribes of West Bengal is not a result of natural disaster or war—it is a man-made crisis fueled by years of neglect, broken promises, and bureaucratic apathy. In a country that aspires to become a global economic powerhouse, the starvation of its indigenous people stands as a grim indictment of its development model. Unless urgent steps are taken to rectify these injustices and deliver on long-promised welfare commitments, the cycle of deprivation will continue—and more lives will be lost to a crisis that should never have existed in the first place.
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