IAS officer Harshika Singh has identified natural habitats of the endangered Baiga tribe of her district Mandla in Madhya Pradesh.
They are highly dependent on natural resources and forests for their lives. Their cultural practices also include crossing forests, climbing mountains, and other such activities.
However, they have faced difficulty accessing the forests, several times, because of the forest department and rangers, who do not allow them to cross.
The officer is trying to give them that right to access their natural habitat and live according to their terms so that they could restore their natural way of living.
She took the decision across three gram panchayats and benefited around 175 families by providing them with a 750 square meter area of their natural habitat.
"As a result, in the Bicchhiya block of the district, we were able to give them habitat rights over 1100 hectares of forest across 11 villages, benefitting over 1500 Baiga families,” shared Ms. Singh.