Uttarakhand

Children are the finest reflection of status of any society. The children, mainly from poor families living in remote corners of the state, that are marked by inaccessibility, ruggedness, mountainous terrains etc. are hard pressed with family work such as farm labour, grazing cattle, collecting firewood and fodder, etc. The situation is compounded in case of the girl child, who in addition to these activities, also assist their mothers in domestic chores, baby-sitting, etc. These children face the prospect of less than wholesome participation in the human life.

The situation aggravated by increasing poverty and paucity of real schools thwart poor children from realizing their full potential, their rights - blooming of their natural talents is severely retarded. Health care infrastructure is even worse. Parents’ hope of torching education and health care into their children’s life is blocked. Thus compelled to sacrifice their children’s childhood for sustaining family’s livelihood.

Hence, the Child cannot be seen in isolation. The status of child has to be understood in his family background and in broader context, as it is the child who is the worst sufferer in the family and carries the impact to the next generation. However, some aspects can be inferred from the State statistics.



Demographic pattern:

Uttarakhand, with total reported area of 53,484 sq. kMr., has broadly 3 distinct geographical zones: the Upper Himalayas, the Middle Himalayas and the Plains (including Tarai and Bhabar). Upper Himalayas are mostly snow clad and inaccessible.  Only some parts of it are accessible, that too mainly during the summer season.

The state has a population of 84,79,562 (Primary Census 2001).  Almost 77 percent of the population resides in rural areas in sparsely located small size settlements in Upper and in Middle Himalayan zone. The population is unevenly distributed in these three zones and like-wise in the districts too. Four districts fall in the lower (Tarai) zone namely, Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital. They account for more than half of the total population of the state.
Density of population varies from 37 persons per sq. km. in Uttarkashi district located in the Upper zone to 612 persons per sq. km. in Haridwar located in the Lower zone. Similar variation in terms of population can be seen in these zones. Decadal Growth Rate has considerably improved from 24.2 in 1981-91 to 19.2 in 1991-01. This is less than the national average (21%) and that of UP (26 %).

Sex Ratio has marginally improved in the last decade from 936 in 1991 to 964 in 2001. But inter-district variations are very high – Haridwar being the lowest (868) and Almora being the highest (1147 females per thousand males). Favourable sex ratio in the hill districts has to be seen in the context of out-migration of males in large numbers to cities in plains rater than contending a favourable status of women in the area. 

The sex ratio in the age group of 0-6 years reveals another facet of the low status of women in Uttarakhand. It is 906 females per thousand males. This is very low and thus may lead one to either factual situation as population in this age group rarely migrates or to the conjecture that some kind of selection process is at work, which eliminates female infants. It could be the use of Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques and the practice of female foeticide or social subordination and marginalisation of the female by way of neglect of the female infant in nutrition and care.

Scheduled Castes (18%) and Scheduled Tribes (3%) together constitute almost 21 per cent of the total population. In addition to these Social/ ethnic groups, there are other socially and economically deprived/ marginalised sections of the society, which have not been revealed in the statistics.
Literacy rate of the State (73%) is claimed to be one of the highest in the country. Still the difference between male (84%) and female (60%) is very high. This to an extent fulfills one of the necessary conditions for social development.

Economy :

The undulating terrain and complex topography are not conducive to the setting up of factories and industrialization. In short, there are very limited opportunities of economic growth in the entire region. Varied and complementary farm activities on small, fragmented land holdings scattered on marginalised terrain are the kernel of livelihood systems in the hills. Its symbiosis with the ecosystem is now a well established fact. These livelihoods are intricately linked to the natural resources - land, water and forest.

Native’s rights on natural resources have systematically been encroached upon and even snatched away in the name of environmental protection. Forests have been exploited to the hilt and now water is being targeted to make booty of dollars. This process has alienated local people from conserving the resource base. Heavy soil erosion due to denudation of forests and concomitant decrease in the discharge of water has further aggravated the problem. This alienation coupled with degradation has resulted in continuously shrinking role of these resources as the mainstay of subsistence.

The process has left only one option for the people i.e. to fall back on agriculture and animal husbandry to eke out a meager existence. Rainfed agriculture carried out in small and fragmented land holdings, extracts a heavy toil from its practitioners for paltry returns. Supplementary animal husbandry is largely unrewarding due to low yields of local milch animals, decrease in the availability of seasonal pastures and scarcity of dry fodder. This has forced the locals to devise alternative means of sustenance.

Migration:

The poverty and lack of opportunities have forced male population to migrate in substantial numbers in search of greener pastures. Those who could not migrate, grudgingly continue to till their unproductive lands. Half of the cultivable land of almost every migrant family is now lying fallow due to inadequate manpower.

Women status:

In the wake of male diaspora, over 50% households in the rural areas, are now headed by women. And yet patriarchy remains as strong as ever. Resource allocation in a family is generally determined according to the priorities of males. For instance; the girl child is discriminated against in the distribution of food, provision of adequate health care, education opportunities, etc. Subjects such as reproductive health are taboo and family planning is the preserve of the father.

The burden of farming and tending of animals in addition to a score of back breaking domestic work, rests on the shoulders of the women. In the exercise, they are assisted by their young children alone and mostly the girl child, who should rather be attending schools.

Geological conditions:

Natural catastrophes in the wake of increasing human interference with the fragile eco-system are now commonplace. Large-scale earthquakes, landslides and road accidents are now occurring with a previously unseen regularity. Rivulets and streams are changing their courses as never before. And any mechanism to safeguard life and property in the moments of such disasters is yet to be developed. Administration’s preparedness to successfully mount a rescue operation is too poor to inspire a sense of security among the local populace.

Socio-political scenario:

Political unresponsiveness and apathetic attitude of the administration coupled with its inbuilt inertia, have alienated the people in Uttarakhand hills from the mainstream of development. Basic amenities of life are difficult to come across. Education and health infrastructure managed by mercenary staff are hardly accessible. And their services are of dubious quality.

To top up the situation, government’s role is continuously shrinking paving way for privatization. Unprecedented globalisation has made the situation extremely complex. This process of globalization, can be better understood as an advanced stage of capitalism, which has encapsulated all form of exploitation (including trade/capturing the market/appropriation of natural resources, either through legal or military regime, etc) and even has intensified them in its search for increasing profits.

Several debates are being deliberated to legitimize privatization, be it in education, health, water, investment or any other sector for that matter. As a part of the process the laws are being modified to serve corporate interests and consequently new policies are being introduced. Such policies, in name of development, protection and conservation of environment, are promoting construction of large dams and declaration of forest rich areas as National Parks, Sanctuaries and Biosphere reserves. This phenomenon is not limited to Uttarakhand but spreads across entire Himalayas and even beyond. Latest blow is in the form of SEZ (Special Economic Zones).

This level of indulgence shall cause irreparable damage to the whole civilization. It is a major threat to the livelihoods of local populace. There is a general awareness and the local people in the past have shown strong resistance to such indulgence in appropriating these resources. Chipko, Tehri and Pancheshwar anti-dam movements, etc and eventually the Uttarakhand Movement are some of the widely known examples. Hence, an issue of major concern to all of us.

Development Initiatives

While all this has been well planned and is now being executed through the state machinery in the name of development, the people are totally ignorant about its hidden agenda and the implications thereto. Development project being undertaken by the state government endorse the facts. The World Bank and Multi/Bi-lateral agencies and now Asian Development Bank are financing major development projects being executed in the state through government machinery involving NGOs and Panchayats in their implementation.
It is imperative for any development intervention to take into account the ground realities. Bringing improvement in the lives of the children from poor and marginalised families is the most urgent need of the hour. Plans geared to substantiate their family’s livelihoods are equally important.  Such seemingly small steps would contribute immensely to the emancipation of child status and establishment of child rights in Uttarakhand.