No roads, no schools: Modern facilities merely a dream in Jharkhand's Budikai village
RANCHI: Modern facilities has failed to reach Budikai village in Jharkhands Khunti, even after 78 years of independence. Most affected of all amenities is education, as only a handful of students can afford to travel to the nearest school, at least 5 km away. Residents said the region was once considered a Maoist stronghold. Budikai village is home to just 35 families. The village lacks almost every basic facilityroads, schools, electricity and safe drinking waterforcing villagers to depend largely on their surrounding environment for survival. The only way to reach the village is through a roughly carved path along the mountains, built entirely by the residents themselves. Of all necessary amenities, the absence of educational facilities have been the most striking; not a single resident of Budikai has passed Class 10 exams so far. The most educated youth in the village, Bogan Nag, is a non-matriculate himself. Villagers said that there used to be a primary school in the village before, but it was merged with another school located away from the village, possibly because of low attendance. Jaura Pahan, a resident of Budikai, remarked that schooling is literally an uphill task for the children in this village. Only six children from the hamlet regularly attend the school in Ghaghra village, braving a 56 km long rocky and hilly forest trail. As many as 20-25 children remain completely out of school due to the difficult terrain and lack of transport facilities, casting a long shadow over the future of education in the village, said Pahan. Government welfare schemes fail to reach the village as officials are often reluctant to visit the inaccessible place, he added. Villagers still rely on a traditional water source (dari) dug by their ancestors. There is just one house built under the Abua Awas scheme, that too constructed with stones collected from the nearby forest, said Pahan. Extreme poverty continues to define everyday life for most families, he added. Despite these hardships, Budikai holds significant agricultural potential. Surrounded by hills, villagers cultivate paddy on terraced fields and water is abundantly available. However, the absence of information about modern farming practices, irrigation facilities and lift irrigation systems has discouraged farmers from growing vegetables or cash crops. Sagar Munda, a farmer in the village, said that with proper guidance and irrigation support, villagers could improve their livelihoods substantially. Budikai was once considered strongholds of Maoist activities, which further delayed development work in the region, said Munda. Only government support could change the course of their lives, he added.
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