Case study: Bharmaur tribal region

Bharmaur, in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, is the home of the Gaddis, a transhumant tribe: they move with their flocks between high summer pastures and lower winter grounds. It has been a notified tribal area since 1975.

It has a harsh climate, few resources and a fragile environment. In 2011 it had 39,113 people, about 21 per square kilometre.

Under the tribal sub-plan (1974), Bharmaur became one of five Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDPs) in Himachal Pradesh. The priorities were transport and communications, agriculture, and social services.

Schools, health care, drinking water, roads and electricity came, but mostly to the villages along the Ravi river (like Holi and Khani); remote villages benefited less.

The results: female literacy rose from 1.88 per cent to 65 per cent, and only about a tenth of households still practise transhumance. Infrastructure came first, but it was unevenly spread.