Is Cost Of Life Of A Birhor Tribal Just Rs. 14,000 And Some Food Grain?
System continues to sleep as coal mining by NTPC continues unabated in the area despite death of three 'Critically Endangered' Birhor tribals
India will prosper when our tribal communities prosper, the welfare of tribal communities is our foremost priority, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in November, 2023.
But neither the top brass of NTPC Limited nor the Jharkhand Government seem interested in the welfare of these tribals. The stark difference between India and Bharat can be easily seen and made out from these interiors of the state of Jharkhand.
The Pagar Tola, Birhor Basti, situated near Chatti Bariatu mines in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand has witnessed three unnatural death in the past six months. The first was of a minor girl, Kirni Birhor on 28th February, 2024, the second death incident of 36-year-old Bahadur Birhor was reported on April 10, 2024, while the the latest one, that of 8-year-old Aakesh Birhor, has shaken the Birhor Community, which has been classified by the UNESCO as ‘critically endangered’ with just 2,000 speakers left. But the Government of Jharkhand, NTPC Limited and its MDO, M/s Rithwik-AMR Consortium, are yet to get up from deep slumber.
KIRNI BIRHOR
BAHADUR BIRHOR
Cost of human life, that too of a Birhor Tribal
In this particular case of death of eight-year-old Aakesh Birhor, the cost of life of the boy was put as Rs. 14,000 along with some wheat and rice.
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It remains to be a mystery as to why Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who terms himself as a “fighter” for tribal rights, does not seem to act at all when it comes to the rights and welfare of Birhor tribals.
Backgrounder of Rithwik Power Projects Private Limited
Rithwik Power Projects Private Limited was incorporated on 31 March 1999 with ROC Hyderabad. CM Ramesh, the founder of the company, was formerly a Rajya Sabha member of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
In October 2018, while he was still with TDP, the Income Tax department raided his house, and premises linked with Rithwik Projects and its key personnel. CM Rajesh, his brother and executive director at Rithwik Projects, was also reportedly raided. At that time, News Agency ANI had quoted CM Ramesh calling the raids “a clear-cut case of political vendetta, the Centre has been targeting our (TDP) leaders from last 15 days.”
In June 2019, Ramesh, along with four other TDP Rajya Sabha members, quit the party to join BJP. This was immediately after the TDP lost power in Andhra Pradesh. CM Ramesh is now a Member of Parliament, representing the BJP in Lok Sabha from Anakapalli constituency of Andhra Pradesh.
CM Ramesh maintains that he resigned from the affairs of the company in 2012 and did not have any involvement in its functioning after that. His son, Rithwik Ramesh, after whom the company is named, heads the operations of the company.
Rithwik Projects Private Ltd (RRPL) donated Rs. 30 crore to the Congress through electoral bonds. Rithwik Projects Private Limited’s major share of contracts come from public sector undertakings. “Out of the total orders of Rithwik Projects Private Limited of Rs. 21,212.53 crore, the orders worth Rs. 11,329.91 crore is for development of operation of coal mine from NMDC Limited and NTPC Limited respectively, which are 25-year contracts.” ( Source : Infomerics, credit rating agency )
After all, ‘money is what it does’ as defined by Prof. F.A. Walker, seems to come true with age once again.
CMD of NTPC Limited, Secretary Power – Government of India, M/s. Rithwik Projects Private Limited (RPPL), Chief Secretary of Jharkhand and the Deputy Collector of Hazaribagh, perhaps do not have any reply to the third unnatural death of a Birhor Tribal and hence, umpteen emails sent to them, were not answered. While the Birhors of Chatti Bariatu in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand continue this difficult battle of life, the “system” continues to sleep…..
