Kolkata: Various sects of Andamanese including the indigenous ‘Onge’ tribes living in remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands will benefit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)’ and ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)’.
The Tribal Welfare Department in Port Blair has already enrolled nearly 25 tribes in cash transaction by selling their products like Coconut, fruits, vegetables, poultry and sea food.
Speaking to News18, Secretary (Tribal Welfare) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, DM Shukla said, “The central government has launched several schemes for poor and tribal communities across India. In Andaman and Nicobar we are trying to take these government schemes to maximum number of people. We have enrolled tribal people including Andamanese and Onge under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.”
“We have taken such a step in this archipelago for the first time. We are hopeful that it will benefit the tribal communities involved in cash transactions, who are prone to accidents while fishing in open sea and collecting fruits,” he added.
The programme was, reportedly, initiated by former Governor of Andaman Jagdish Mukhi and has been lauded by people involved in tribal welfare at Port Blair.
Andamanese stay on Strait Islands and are involved in hunting, fishing. Over the years they developed a liking towards rice and are now dependent on the government’s support for survival. With the help of local administration, the tribes are now practicing agriculture and started rearing poultry.
The Onge, believed to be migrants from Africa, are said to be one of the original settlers in Andamans. They are traditionally hunter-gatherers and have been designated under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. Due to settlements in tribal areas, the Onge population has been reduced to nearly 100. They have been confined to two reserve camps on Little Andaman and Dugong Creek.
Under the PM’s schemes, the tribes will get accidental death and disability cover of Rs 2 lakh, while bearing a premium of Rs 12 and 330 per year.
“Since this is a special project in a unique terrain, our target is to go ahead with it. We have taken suggestions from experts in Tribal welfare. Our target is to enrol the maximum number of tribal people under these schemes,” said Sukhla.
The administration is also planning on linking the tribals’ names (those involved in cash transactions) with Aadhaar in the next phase.
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