Introduction

India’s tribal communities, constituting 8.6% of the population (Census 2011), have historically been marginalized due to colonial forest policies, land alienation, and socio-economic exclusion. Post-independence, tribal development has often been framed around displacement caused by development projects and rehabilitation efforts by the state. While these axes dominate policy discourse, tribal development extends beyond them, encompassing broader aspects of social justice, empowerment, and inclusion.

Body

Displacement as an Axis of Tribal Development

• Development Projects and Dams:  Large-scale dams displaced lakhs of tribals.
  • Eg: Hirakud Dam (Odisha) displaced ~20,000 families, mostly tribals.
• Industrialization and Mining: Mineral-rich regions overlap with tribal belts, leading to frequent land alienation.
  • Eg: The Niyamgiri Hills mining project threatened the Dongria Kondh and their sacred groves.
• Forest and Environmental Policies: Forest conservation laws curtailed tribal access to resources.
  • Eg: The Forest Conservation Act (1980) restricted shifting cultivation and fuelwood collection.
• Wildlife Conservation Displacement:  Protected areas led to the eviction of forest-dwelling tribals.
  • Eg: Sariska and Kanha reserves displaced forest communities.
• Violence and Resistance:  Displacement fostered alienation and insurgency in central and north-east India.
  • Eg: Narmada Bachao Andolan highlighted the tribals’ forced dislocation without proper consent.

Rehabilitation as an Axis of Tribal Development

• Resettlement Policies: The Government introduced the Land Acquisition Act 2013 and the National R&R Policy 2007.
• Land-for-Land Compensation: Often promised but rarely implemented effectively.
  • Eg: In the Sardar Sarovar Project, many displaced tribals received cash instead of cultivable land.
• Housing and Infrastructure Schemes:  Some rehabilitation colonies provided housing, but lacked schools, hospitals, and livelihoods.
• Skill Development & Employment: Training schemes were introduced, but poor implementation limited their impact.
• Constitutional and Legal Safeguards:  Fifth & Sixth Schedules, PESA (1996), and Forest Rights Act (2006) provided legal backing for resource rights and self-rule.
• NGO and Civil Society Role: Movements like Chipko and Dongria Kondh struggle ensured that rehabilitation also included cultural and ecological rights.

Tribal Development Goes Beyond Displacement and Rehabilitation

• Education Initiatives: Establishment of Eklavya Model Residential Schools and Ashram Shalas for tribal children.
• Health and Nutrition: Poshan Abhiyaan and National Health Mission addressing malnutrition and endemic diseases.
• Livelihood Security: MGNREGA, TRIFED’s MSP for Minor Forest Produce, and promotion of tribal FPOs.
• Political Empowerment: 73rd Amendment and PESA enabling Gram Sabha autonomy in Scheduled Areas.
• Cultural Preservation: Recognition of Santhali, Bodo, and Manipuri in the Eighth Schedule, promotion of tribal arts (Warli, Chhau).
• Welfare Schemes: Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana, Eklavya schools, and scholarships for tribal students.
• Modern Integration: Efforts in digital literacy, skill-based training, and entrepreneurship initiatives.
  

Conclusion

Tribal development in India has been shaped by displacement and inadequate rehabilitation, but limiting it to these axes is narrow. True empowerment requires a multi-dimensional approach, education, health, livelihoods, political voice, and cultural rights to ensure meaningful integration of tribals into India’s democracy.

DOWNLOAD PDF