About the community and their economic and education background:
India is home to a substantial pastoral population. The largest pastoral community of India is Rebari/Raika/Dewasi ( all name are synonymous). In their search for pastures, Raika shepherds move well out of their home ranges in the Great Indian Desert, migrating north-east, east and south-east into the neighbouring territories of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharastra, Chatishgarh, Punjab and Utranchal. Distances travelled can be considerable even more than a thousand kilometre.
The Raika are not just professional livestock breeders, but also have a great deal of compassion for their animals, which they feel for as if they were their children. Keeping animals is more than a business for them; it is also regarded as a divine duty, expressed in the belief that it was God Shiva who entrusted them with the task of looking after the camel and their livestock.
Raikas have been facing various difficulties in their search of livelihood. Conflict of grazers with state-controlled protected forests and with settled village community is a much-discussed subject in environmental literature. Due to decline of their traditional occupation, they are facing intense poverty and deprivation. Many of them have been forced to do labour work in other states to support their family. This is the most backward society in terms of economical and educational criteria but due to lack of awareness about their rights and integration with mainstream society they have not been able to get educational and economic facilities provided to other societies. The main problems experienced by this community are as under:
(1) Illiteracy and lack of education:
Due to pastoral character, their children are not able to take even primary education. Girls and boys are engaged in grazing their cattle and migrate with their family from state to state in search of grazing area for their livestock. Today, only 10-15 percent of this community have primary education and in terms of higher education and girl education, the numbers are negligible. The percentage of drop outs from primary education is highest in this community due to their migrating pastoral activities. Lack of education is biggest factor in their poverty, social backwardness, indebtness and many social evils like child marriage. There is no special provision for the education of this community and no reservation in the services.
(2) Depleting grazing land and forest land:
The mainstay of this society is livestock. But today most of the forests are reserved for many types of sanctuaries and community grazing land has been encroached and decreased day by day. Thus the base of livestock is decreasing day by day and society is loosing its means of livelihood. Frequent famine in Rajasthan has forced the community to longer their migration duration in the year. They have to pass through the agricultural lands with thousands of their livestock. Previously, they were welcomed by the villages as the livestock provide their land manures but now they are the most unwelcome people in the villages. Many innocent Rebari/Raikas have been killed gruesomely by the villagers while passing through the area with their cattle. The non-voilent community has become a victim of modern world and their livelihood is at stake. They are nowhere in the society. No compensation is declared by the government for the welfare of the family of killed Rebaris. Hundreds of Rebaris have been killed by the villagers, dangerous wild animals, dacoits, forest officials without inviting the attention of media and no protection has been provided by the government.
(3) Deprivation of drought relief programme:
During the drought, their livestock are not categorised as drought animals and in the process they have not been given any help from the government. They have not been given any land for their alternative livelihood. Their livestock is without any insurance and medical facilities. As a result, the number of camels has been decreased. It has been proved by many medical reports that camel milk can be used for the treatment of diabeties. But when there will be no camel, we have to import camel milk from foreign countries like Isreal. No government programme is intended to increase the population of camel while crores of rupees have been spent for conservation of wild animals.
(4) Grazing tax on livestock:
They have to pay heavy grazing tax in Madhyapradesh and when they enter in each district, they have to pay separate grazing tax on their livestock. Poor pastoralist bear the tax without any complain.
(5) Low price of their products:
Raika/Rebari receive very low price for their products. For example, price of wool in the international market is Rs. 800 per Kg but in Rajasthan, the price of wool is only Rs. 20-22 per kg. Camel milk sold by the Raika on very low price as Rs 10 per Kg. There is no support price for wool and milk. No efforts have been made for organized marketing of their product. Middlemen are making money on the cost of innocent and illiterate Rebari/Raika. No government programme is intended to save their interest and some programmes are run without any representation of the Raika.
(6) Lack of medical facilities:
Migration makes their livelihood very difficult facing many diseases. Child mortality rate in the community is highest. No medical facilities is provided to the migrating community and nor their livestock has been provided medical facilities. This is proved by report by ICMR ( report in box).
Nutritional Status of Raika Community in Jodhpur Raika community (OBC) in Jodhpur district commonly consumes camel milk which reduces diabetes and may be helpful in reducing nutritional deficiencies and morbidities in adult community. A nutritional survey revealed that Raika adults suffered from chronic energy deficiency (44.1%), vitamin A and B complex deficiencies (3.4 % & 2.4%) and anaemia (87.7%). Main morbidities reported at the time of survey were aches (56.6 %), gastric complaints such as abdominal pain (26.1%) and respiratory problems (8.8%). Morbidity showed negative association with personal cleanliness, housing conditions, education and haemoglobin estimation. Diet analysis also revealed that Raika adults suffered from calorie deficit (50.5%), but intake of proteins met the allowances recommended by ICMR.
(7) Rehabilitation and lack of alternative livelihood:
Rebari/Raika is the most backward community. Government has not launched any programme for their permanent settlement and rehabilitation. They are still pastoral after half a century of independence. They are still slave of their circumstances. Government and outside world is not worried about this most honest and innocent society.
(8) Political and administrative representation
It is irony that there is no MLA and MP from their society in this democratic country. No IAS and IPS has been selected. Society is deprived by this representation due to their migratory character, lack of awareness about their democratic rights which are also results of lack of education. Even some Rabari do not have their name in the voting list.
(9) Lack of modern banking facilities:
Due to migration, the society keep their small saving with local Mahajan ( local banker) without any interest. When they came back from the migration, they get their money back with giving thanks to local banker who uses this money for lending to local farmers and other community. Due to illiteracy, whatever, Mahajan say, they believe. There is lack of saving habits in the community: whatever small saving they accumulate, they spend entire saving whenever they have marriage or death ceremony of their elder member of family.
(10)Pastoral are converting into labour in the cities:
As per the 17th Live stock census,
Population of camel decreased by 30 percent which is highest among all the livestock. There is negligible growth in Sheep and goats. As a result of decrease in camel populations, the Raikas are losing their traditional livelihood .They and their children are forced to labour in the big cities like Mumbai, Channai, Banglore, Udaipur, Jodhpur. It is well known fact that most of the waiters and cooks are from Raika community in the hotel of Udaipur, Jodhpur and even in Pune (migrants from Rajasthan).
|
Live Stock Population |
|
|
% |
|
(17th live stock census) |
1997 |
2003 |
increase/Decrease |
|
Crossbred cattle |
20099 |
24686 |
22.82 |
|
Indigenous cattle |
178782 |
160495 |
-10.23 |
|
Total cattle |
198881 |
185181 |
-6.89 |
|
Buffaloes |
89918 |
97922 |
8.90 |
|
Yaks |
59 |
65 |
10.17 |
|
Mithuns |
177 |
278 |
57.06 |
|
Total Bovines |
289035 |
283446 |
-1.93 |
|
Sheep |
57494 |
61469 |
6.91 |
|
Goats |
122721 |
124358 |
1.33 |
|
Pigs |
13291 |
13519 |
1.72 |
|
Horses & Ponies |
827 |
751 |
-9.19 |
|
Mules |
221 |
176 |
-20.36 |
|
Donkeys |
882 |
650 |
-26.30 |
|
Camels |
912 |
632 |
-30.70 |
|
Total Livestock |
485385 |
485002 |
-0.08 |
|
|