Noolpuzha panchayat is spread across 17 wards with 213 colonies having 75 percent land under forest. The colonies have a population of 12,836 from 3,577 families, with the majority belonging to the Paniya community, spread across 90 colonies.
“During Indira Gandhi’s period, the prices of everyday items like rice were all cheaper. Now, rates have doubled in the last 10 years,” observed Chukkan, a 61-year-old tribal resident.
Chukkan can no longer work as he did in his younger days at the estates in Kodagu in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. His struggles as a widower to raise his son, who had to drop out of school after Class 4, mirror the harsh realities faced by many in the tribal communities. Chukkan, too, didn’t complete his primary education.
However, a significant proportion, 25.7 percent of the parents, had never attended school. The survey also found that an overwhelming majority, 93 percent (382 out of 411), of the fathers worked as daily wage labourers, indicative of the…