Manikpur (Sarhat) is a Block/Nagar Panchayat & Tehsil of Chitrakoot District in Bundelkhand Region. Chitrakoot district has been identified as one of the country’s 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640) and within the district Manikpur remains the most marginalised and difficult areas for developmental work. This region is rooted in patriarchy and feudalism. Besides social cultural milieu areas geography and topography also contributes to it backwardness. The area is highly exposed to climate change and is prone to heat stress and recurrent droughts.
Manikpur Block has 63 GPs and 115 villages. It is surrounded by the Vindhya mountain range. The area is on a plateau (Pathar – पठार ) thus is called Patha (पाठा). The area is heat stressed and drought prone and there is an overexploitation of groundwater and severe depletion in ground water. Approximately 30% of the population belongs to Scheduled castes – Kol community (athropolocally tribal comes under SC category in UP) is the socio-economically most marginalised community in the area.
At the block HQ, besides few private schools, there are educational institution aided by Government such as Government Girls Secondary School, Govt. Aided Inter College (Co-ed), a Degree College, ITI alongwith KGBV and Navodaya vidyalava. There has been increase in enrollment of girls in education stream in the last decade but majority of the girls, especially from rural areas, drop out after 8th/9th std. due to non availability of afforable government school in the neighbourhood or poor quality of teaching and learning in the school – as per the last census data female literacy is around 50% only. Livelihood is primarily agriculture based low paid, seasonal (informal) with socio-economic marginalised communities working as agricultural labourer and daily wagers. Agriculture-based livelihoods, livestock rearing and crop production has been severely impacted by climate change vulnerabilities. Frequent droughts have led to the loss of livelihood and increase in out-migration in search of better livelihood opportunities. Severe water deficite has added to the vulnerabilities of women particularly with regards to health, hygiene, sanitation and work load.