KARNATAKA

The South-Indian state of Karnataka, has a rich history of language, culture and tradition. As an economically important state, Karnataka has a serious inequality between its wealthiest and its poorest. Large population and economic centres include the city of Bengaluru, Mysore and Mangaluru. Bengaluru has been dubbed the "Silicon Valley of India," with a large number of IT companies headquartered there.

The current population of the state is around six crore, with a marginalised language population of approximately forty-three lakh. The literacy rate of these communities stands at 62%, with a 20% disparity between the sexes, where more males are literate.

Nirmaan is involved in a number of projects that empower minority language communities within this diverse state. In this regard, Nirmaan actively works with one large marginalised language community, that extends across a tri-state area.

BETTA KURUMBA

The Betta Kurumba people, also known as Kadu Kurumba, number approximately fourteen thousand individuals in Karnataka, and are found across southern Karnataka and the adjacent border regions of Kerala & Tamil Nadu. Betta Kurumba is the common name used for this community in three states but in Karnataka they are also known as Kadu Kurumba and in Kerala Urali Kurumba.

Over all Literacy of Betta Kurumaba according to each state

Tamil Nadu 30%.
Karnataka 40%
Kerala 50%

An agricultural community, the Betta Kurumba employ traditional methods in the cultivation of their crops. Their crops include corn, cotton, plantain, millet and sugarcane. Other sources of income include travelling to tea plantations in Kodagu district, agriculture in Kerala and daily wage jobs in the region.

Nirmaan is currently developing a sustainable agriculture program for the Betta Kurumba through model farms in horticulture.