Kolam tribe

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

The Central government, in a bid to focus on endangered indigenous populations, will extend basic facilities to the endangered Kolam tribe under the Jan Jati Adivasi Nyay Maha Abhiyan, with a focus on health and education.

Context Details

• Under the scheme, road connectivity will be improved to these villages from mandal headquarters, besides improving internal roads, providing potable drinking water, electricity or solar energy, and LPG gas stoves and cylinders.
• The Central government will focus on the health and education of these primitive tribal groups living in villages by strengthening local primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and imparting special training to teachers working in the area to impart quality education to the children of PVTGs.
• Anganwadis will be strengthened to provide nutritious food to pregnant, lactating women and teenage girls and financial assistance will be given to the pregnant women under the Ayushman Bharath scheme.
• Further, a total of 390 villages of PVTGS have been identified under the scheme, including 197 villages in Adilabad, 20 villages in Mancherial, 24 villages in Nirmal and 149 villages in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
• Officials will also provide skill development training to the unemployed youth and ensure suitable employment. They will also give agriculture motors, cattle and agriculture tools to the farmers of the PVTGs, under the scheme.

About the Tribe

• Kolam are a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• They practice agriculture and have a patriarchal society.
• The Kolam people are divided into different clans,like Chal Deve, Pach Deve, Saha Deve, and Sat Deve.
• Marriages between the same clans are not permissible.
• The Kolams use the name of their clans as their surnames.
• Kolam tribals are listed as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in the state of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
• They speak Kolami language along with Telugu and Marathi.