Bhopal News: Three Years On, ₹1.5k Nutrition Aid Yet To Reach Thousands Of Tribal Women

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government’s Aahar Anudan Yojana, aimed at supporting Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), is facing serious questions over its implementation, with thousands of beneficiaries still waiting for assistance.

In Sidhi district alone, 3,452 eligible Baiga women have not received any money even after nearly 30 months of the scheme’s announcement, according to official survey data.

Members of the Baiga community, however, claim the scale of exclusion is much higher. According to them, more than 9,000 women across Sidhi and Singrauli districts are still awaiting the promised financial aid.

The Madhya Pradesh government issued an order in October 2023 to provide Rs 1,500 per month to women heads of Baiga and Sahariya families in both districts. Despite this, the scheme has failed to take off at the ground level.

The scheme was originally launched in 2017 in select tribal districts and was later extended to Sidhi and Singrauli in 2023. However, even after expansion, the benefits are yet to reach the intended recipients, raising concerns over delays and administrative inaction, sources said.

Beneficiaries such as Shanti Baiga (Chhalwari), Rambai Baiga (Bakwa) and Basanti Baiga (Thadipathar) said they had submitted forms over a year ago but have received no information or funds.

Officials, meanwhile, cited a lack of directives. Kusmi Janpad Panchayat CEO Gyanendra Mishra said that while 3,452 women have been identified as eligible, no targets or clear instructions have been received from the Tribal Department so far.

A series of announcements over more than a decade regarding the inclusion of Sidhi and Singrauli districts under the Baiga Development Authority remain unfulfilled. Under this project, women were to receive financial support to combat malnutrition. The same benefit has been extended to women of PVTG communities in other districts, including Dindori, Jhabua and Seoni.

Long trail of assurances

According to Ashok, a leader of the Baiga community, the first such announcement was made on Nov 16, 2011, when then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Shahdol, promised to implement the Baiga Development Authority in Sidhi and Singrauli.

The promise was reiterated on Sep 2, 2018, at Majhauli College Ground in Sidhi, where he announced that both districts would be linked to the Baiga Authority and Baiga women would receive Rs 1,000 per month.

Further announcements followed on Jan 22, 2023, at NCL Ground in Baidhan, Singrauli, and again on July 26, 2023, at Sarai, stating that the Baiga community would be included under the most backward tribal category and integrated into the Baiga Project. Yet, no implementation has taken place so far.

More recently, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, during a visit to Sidhi on May 15, 2025, assured that both districts would be brought under the Baiga Development Authority. Despite repeated assurances, the proposal continues to remain on paper.

State vice-president of Baiga Samaj Sangh, Gaurishankar Baiga, alleged that despite completion of application processes through panchayats, no payments have been disbursed so far. “Repeated representations have been made to the Chief Minister and even a memorandum was submitted to the Governor during his recent visit, but nothing has changed,” he said.

Assistant Commissioner, Tribal, Sidhi, Jodha Uikey, said, “We have collected the details of women who will receive money under the Aahar Anudan Yojana. Details from four to five blocks are still pending. The department has asked us to send the details of such beneficiaries, and once we receive all the information, we will forward it to the higher authorities.”

Published on: Saturday, April 04, 2026, 01:00 AM IST