Gone girls | Death of 14 Juang girls from Odisha in Tiruvallur ammonia gas leak exposes tribe’s socio-economic struggle

The article details the tragic deaths of 14 Juang tribal girls from Odisha in an ammonia gas leak at a Tamil Nadu seafood plant, exposing the severe socio-economic struggles of the Juang community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). It highlights distress migration of young tribal girls due to lack of local livelihood, low literacy, and the ineffective implementation of various welfare schemes like MGNREGS, PVTG development agencies (JDA, OPELIP, PM-JANMAN). The article also points to the exploitation by labor contractors and the non-enforcement of labor laws like the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, leading to unsafe working conditions for migrant workers.