MANKIDIA COMMUNITY

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Context:

Mankidia community becomes 6th PVTG to get habitat rights over forests in Odisha.

Details about the tribe

These tribes are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of Odisha. They are inhabitants of Mayurbhanj, Deogarh and Balasore districts of Odisha (Northern Plateau Zone).

Language: Austro-Asiatic, Munda, Birhor, Odia.

Occupation: Basket, rope and sling making out of siali, fiber, sabai grass and jute, Monkey catching, Khali stitching and pressing

Belief system: The Mankidias are polytheists. They believe in both malevolent and benevolent spirits and Gods. Logobir and Budhimai are their supreme deities. Each clan has its own deity.

Culture and Crafts: This small nomadic community builds leaf huts known as kumba. In the monsoon, they build earthen ridges around these huts to protect them from water seepage.

Nomadic life: The Mankirdia often travel long distances, crossing interstate boundaries into West Bengal and Jharkhand in search of game, siali creepers, minor forest produce and also for matrimonial purposes. These forays may last for up to 2 to 3 years before the group returns to their camp ground in Odisha again.

Forest Right Act implementation in Odisha

Paudi Bhuyan of Deogarh district was the first PVTG to receive habitat rights title in Odisha.  The District Level Communities have given approval to the habitat rights of the Juang in Keonjhar and Jajpur districts, Saora in Gajapati district, Chuktia Bhunjia of Nuapada and Hill Khadia of Mayurbhanj.  

With these, Odisha became the leading state in the country to give approval to the habitat rights of six PVTGs — the maximum in the country. While Chhattisgarh has provided habitat rights to two tribal communities (Kamar and Baiga), Madhya Pradesh (Baiga) and Maharashtra (Maria Gond) provided these rights to one community each.

Odisha is home to a maximum of 13 PVTGs — the highest among all states and Union Territories. The PVTGs inhabit 1,683 villages in 14 districts.

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PM JANMAN: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/pm-janman

PVTGs: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/particularly-vulnerable-tribal-groups-pvtgs-6#:~:text=The%20Particularly%20Vulnerable%20Tribal%20Groups%20(PVTGs)%20are%20a%20group%20of,states%20and%20one%20Union%20Territory.&text=A%20declining%20or%20stagnant%20population.

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TRIBAL EMPOWERMENT: https://www.iasgyan.in/sansad-tv-air-summaries/perspective-tribal-empowerment

IMPLEMENTATION OF FRA: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/implementation-of-fra#:~:text=The%20Forest%20Rights%20Act%20(FRA)%20of%202006%20has%20been%20implemented,up%20by%20Call%20for%20Justice.