As the pandemic slowly but steadily declines in India, the outcry over mismanagement quiets once again. The past few months have seen large-scale citizen intervention in healthcare efforts to make up for the state’s failure to deal with a meteoric rise in cases. One particular voice has gone unheard even in the midst of the uproar—that of the Indigenous Adivasi community.

Tribal people account for 8.2% of the population of India, which amounts to more than 100 million citizens. This vast population is far from monolithic; they occupy different geographical regions of the country, practice different modes of sustenance, and face unique challenges for survival. While the state has routinely attempted to bridge disparities, state methods leave a lot to be desired.

THE INDIGENOUS STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL UNDER COVID-19

Urban centres were the first to be hit by COVID-19 in India. The swell of cases drove migrant labourers, many of whom are Indigenous, to return to their ancestral homes in the countryside. The lockdown, which started on 24 March 2020, failed to accommodate these Indigenous workers returning to their homes by foot. Police beat, and sometimes even killed, migrants for breaking stringent lockdown guidelines. Cries from activists and social media led to no reprieve.

The situation worsened in April when the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change blocked returning Indigenous citizens from entering protected forests to limit human-to-animal transfer (a fear based on little scientific evidence). Additionally, the quarantine centres set up for returning Adivasis also displayed awful, unliveable conditions with leaking water and broken roofs. Those housed in the centres were often deprived of food or water. Their experiences in quarantine mirrored those of prisoners rather than patients. Lack of access to adequate medical resources also lead to those with pre-existing conditions facing an arduous journey to recovery. 

These conditions coincided with the long-standing conflict between many state authorities and tribal communities over forest and land rights. While tribal communities are provided with special protections under the Indian constitution, the implementation is in the hands of state authorities. These interests clash frequently as they did in the case of Bengal’s attempts to build the world’s second largest coal mine in a tribal area in late 2020. Even the central government’s think tank, NITI Aayog, drew intense backlash for ignoring tribal and ecological concerns in its plans for Andaman and Nicobar. These are only a few of the numerous instances of the state being indifferent to the Adivasis during the pandemic.

POOR ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE AND VACCINATIONS

Healthcare services are far poorer in Indigenous rural areas than those found in other areas of India. Tribal communities are forced to bear the disproportionate burden of infectious diseases like COVID-19. Tribal Healthcare in India: Bridging the Gap and a Roadmap for the Future notes that while the tribal community accounts for just over 8% of the population, it accounts for 50% of mortality associated with malaria. In addition to being more vulnerable to infection as a result of a lack of awareness of disease, tribal communities also struggle to gain access to medical aid and vaccination.

Low levels of literacy and mistrust of mainstream society are two of the biggest social challenges India faces in its attempt to vaccinate the rural communities of the Adivasis. The trauma of state exploitation coupled with misinformation is a large contributor to the poor rates of vaccination in these areas. Other issues include unavailability of drugs, healthcare workers, and basic facilities in these areas.

THE PATH FORWARD

All these factors culminate in a situation where Indigenous communities are at a significantly higher risk of infection and yet much less likely to be able to access treatment or vaccination. Presently, India’s only real mechanism for stomping out the pandemic is vaccinating its massive population. This goal cannot be achieved in tribal-populated rural India without a comprehensive approach that accounts for all the unique and complex challenges the community has to face.

While on the national level vaccination rates remain poor and the government seems unresponsive to the struggles of Indigenous people, certain states show promising initiative. Officials in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Telangana have been spreading awareness regarding the necessity of vaccination in tribal-populated areas. Jharkhand is actively translating public awareness messages to tribal dialects. Karnataka has installed outreach centres for vaccination. These are just some measures in a long list that need to be adopted on the national level to do justice to the plight of the Indigenous people of India.

Vanshka is a final-year Anthropology student at Hansraj College, Delhi University. She's incredibly passionate about indigenous rights and is interested in research that explores how to best tackle disparities in South Asia.

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