https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Keeping Tribals Out of the Harm’s Way

After successfully beating the first wave of coronavirus pandemic, the Adivasi community of Utnoor in Adilabad district of Telangana is now dodging the more vicious attack of the second Covid wave, with unstinted support of a civil officer, N Uday Reddy.
Indian Masterminds Stories

The catastrophe caused by coronavirus is perhaps the most terrible thing that most of us have ever faced in our life. Death is looming around everywhere, people are gasping for oxygen. going berserk in search of hospital bed and medicines and the overall condition has gone from worse to worst.

Where even the mainstreamed and educated Indians from big states are not able to save them from this disaster, it is very necessary to keep a check and look after the tribals residing in villages and forests.

Telangana’s diligent and hardworking civil officer, Mr. N Uday Reddy has taken the responsibility to look after everyone he can and protect them from the Nobel coronavirus, as much as he can, about which he exclusively talked with Indian Masterminds.

Tribals crossing borders hiding in a truck to reach their place

RESOLUTIONS BY THE TRIBAL BODIES

Posted as the DSP of Utnoor in Adilabad district, Telangana, Mr. Reddy’s region mostly houses tribals. They have separate institutional mechanisms divided between various ‘Adivasi’ communities.

The tribals have a traditional system called ‘Sarmedi’, in which every hamlet has a ‘patel’. The person posted on the designation of the ‘patel’ has to take care of other people in the hamlet. Through this system, they exchange their culture, traditions, festivals, etc. They only transact through this system and sit down together to resolve any pending issue. It is like their own form of administration.

“During the first wave of Covid, I engaged directly with the `Sarmedi’ which typically have 30- 40 villagers under each of its branches. All the patels (heads) of the Sarmedi came together to pass a resolution stating that all the outsiders coming to the village from the city will be kept in isolation for a few days in a local school building converted into Covid care facility,” Mr. Reddy told Indian Masterminds.

The patels of each Sarmedi have resolved to fight Covid19 together

Secondly, they resolved that if anyone required basic necessities and items for daily consumption, they will allot a single person from each hamlet with the help of `sarpanch’ and only that particular person will acquire the groceries and necessities and distribute it among the rest of the people.

“Last year, I and my team were getting these 26 hamlets the required groceries and necessities but this year that hasn’t been possible as we are busy on field duty, most of the time, as the country isn’t under lockdown and everyone is moving from one place to another,” says the officer.

Only one person from the hamlet goes to buy groceries for all

WORSE CONDITION THAN PREVIOUS YEAR

Through the Sarmedi system, Mr. Reddy was successful in ensuring that there weren’t any positive cases in the Adivasi hamlets, during the first wave last year. However, contrary to that, during the second wave this year, even remote hamlets have succumbed to the pandemic and there has been a rise in the cases.

“On April 20 th 2021, the Sarmedi came together again and made a resolution saying that they will stick to the same rules as they did last year and assured us that they would minimize their movement outside and will take the help of patels and sarpanch for groceries and necessities,” Mr. Reddy told Indian Masterminds.

Movement is restricted in the region

SAFETY IN THEIR OWN HANDS

Being helped by these resolutions, the 2017-batch officer is trying to keep the tribal community away from the virus. According to him, “Enforcing masks, cutting challans and keeping a strict finger is one thing for us, but the remoteness of this place and their traditions such as the Sarmedi system is helping us in saving them from the harsh and cruel pandemic.”

Looking at the grim condition in the rest of India, this particular tribal region in Telangana is relatively successful in dealing with the pandemic, to an extent which is also quite necessary looking at the healthcare infrastructure in the district, which is almost negligible.

Tribals putting barricades to restrict movement

They don’t have a single proper Covid care facility or the means to set up one. The entire region has just one hospital which is the one and only Covid designated hospital of the district and is already running beyond its capacity.

“In case these Adivasis fall prey to the pandemic, it would be a helpless situation so we are trying to limit the spread as much as possible and to an extent, have been successful in doing so,” Mr. Reddy told Indian Masterminds.

VACCINATION DRIVES

Talking about the vaccination drive going on in the district and also for the tribals, Mr. Reddy stated that the drives are not very widespread, given the fact that people’s movement is restricted. As of now, about 80% of the frontline workers, including police personnel, have been vaccinated.

Due to the fact that Adivasi are superstitious people, vaccine penetration is not something they are keen to go for and their traditional beliefs often stop them from taking the vaccine.

They are doing everything to keep themselves safe from the second wave

“To deal with these superstitious beliefs and motivate them to take the vaccine for their good health, we are focusing on raising awareness campaigns to make them accept the vaccination medicines,” Mr. Reddy told Indian Masterminds.

So far these efforts by Mr. Reddy have borne results. And it’s hoped that unlike the rest of the country, the situation here will not spiral out of control, as is happening in the so-called “developed” metro cities like Delhi and Bengaluru.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
NALCO
NALCO Refutes Reports of Capex Deferral, Confirms Rs 30,000 Crore Smelter Expansion is on Track - Know the Matter
Northern-Coalfields-Limited-NCL-Resized
NCL Signs MoU to Support Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Singrauli - All Details Inside
Ruchika Chauhan IAS
Leading By Example: Gwalior DC Ruchika Chauhan Arrives At Her Office Boarding An E-Rickshaw! Delivers A Strong Message On World Environment Day
KVIC Khadi and Village Industries
KVIC Disburses Rs. 300 Crore Margin Money Subsidy Under PMEGP to Boost Self-Employment - Details Inside
HUDCO New Logo
HUDCO Champions Green Urban Development on World Environment Day 2025
Mayur Dixit IAS
Who is IAS Mayur Dixit, the New DM of Haridwar? Uttarakhand Bureaucracy in Buzz Amid Land Scam Fallout
Prime Minister’s Museum & Library, Delhi1
IRSME Ashwani Lohani Appointed Director of Prime Minister’s Museum & Library, Delhi - Know More About Him & the Historic Institution
World Environment Day
PSUs Observe World Environment Day 2025 with Strong Commitment to Sustainability and Green Practices - Check Here!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
NALCO
NALCO Refutes Reports of Capex Deferral, Confirms Rs 30,000 Crore Smelter Expansion is on Track - Know the Matter
Northern-Coalfields-Limited-NCL-Resized
NCL Signs MoU to Support Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Singrauli - All Details Inside
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT