Salient features of the project area Loka Kalyan Parishad

The project called “Watershed Based Treatment of River Basins of Jungle mahal Region of West Bengal” uniquely focuses on Western Plateau and HighLands regions of the State, comprising of the entire district of Purulia, large parts of West-Midnapore and Bankura districts and small parts of Bardhaman and Birbhum districts. This region forms the lowest ridges of the Chotanagpur Plateau characterized by rolling topography with intermittent sharp undulations or hill formations. A major part constitutes the Jungle Mahal region. About 23% of the total area is under forest cover.

The population is predominantly rural with over 90% live in villages. Around 40% population in the region belong to scheduled categories. An overwhelming majority of the population earn their living from Agriculture. Farming is predominantly rainfed with only 16% of the Net Sown Area under irrigation. About 45% of rural households in the region belong to BPL category with high incidences of poverty among ST and SC communities. Overall, the region is identified as the poorest part of West Bengal, characterized by high concentration of tribal population, high proportion of forested villages and low counts across all parameters of HDI. The region is affected by the activities of the Left -Wing Extremists. In recent years, the region has been receiving due attentions of the State Government that is committed to remove endemic poverty and backwardness.