Tribal development in India: problems and prospects

this edited volume contains four sections -
Section One: The Tribes and their Problems: Contains 7 articles, where the relationship between the tribes and Indian civilization, economic situations and the various problems pertaining to the tribals including land alienation, forest, indebtedness and agro-economic problems have been presented by the different scholars. In fact, land alienation and the different forest policies have made a number of problems particularly in their economic sphere.

Section Two: The Tribal Unrest, Political System and Identity Crisis: Contains 10 articles covering a case studies on tribal unrest, political system, tribal-non-tribal relations and tribal solidarity movements in different regions of India. There are articles which review the tribal solidarity movement, the different cases of such movements in India and the different approaches to study them. In fact, in the recent past, we have seen a number of tribal unrests, tensions and conflicts. Though in many areas, these movements were initiated by the emerging elite section of the tribals, the exploitation by the non-tribals and the various governmental policies have stimulated them and accordingly it has been suggested that the economic oppor tunities should permeate a broad base of the population instead of being limited to an elite group and attempts should be made to develop such a situation where the elite and the masses are oriented towards the core pattern rather than seek an 'escape model in their search for a new identity. Section Three : Tribal Welfare and Development: Is the main section of the volume and contains 13 articles focus ing on some micro-studies, general approaches, evaluation of programmes and suggestions. The first three articles are on the small tribes, who though constituting a small percentage of the total tribal population of India mostly having a small popula tion, are quite large in number (community-wise) and are found in many areas of India. The general position of the small tribes, certain development programmes made on a few specific small tribes have been discussed, evaluated and suitable approaches and measures have been suggested in these articles. There is one article on tribal rehabilitation scheme of Chhota nagpur where different tribes programmes have been discussed and it has been noted that the rigid traditional aspects of tribals posed hinderances for these schemes. Welfare and development are two different approaches. It does not necessarily mean that welfare will always generate development. There are a number of articles on welfare and development including an article on approaches for studying the welfare programmes. In that article, survey research with interdisciplinary approach has been suggested to be the best method for studying the welfare programme. Then there are two articles on the different approaches of tribal welfare and development, the limitations have been pointed out and suitable measures have been suggested. There is also an article on the various constitutional safeguards extended to the tribals from time to time and these have been classified into two categories-protective and ameliorative and concessional. The effects of these have also. been pointed out in that article. There are two aspects of development, one the planning and the other evaluation of them. There is an article on micro-level planning for full employment in different tribal areas of India considering the resources avail able locally. The role of social science particularly anthropo logy and the anthropologists in the development programmes of the tribals have been discussed in the next two articles. It has been emphasized that the main objective of today is to orient the action anthropological approach in its true sense of application in human development. In the next article, the tribal development programmes have been reviewed and it has been pointed out that as the programmes are largely plan based and target-oriented where more emphasis is given on the disbursement of amount and less on local felt needs considering the varied needs of different eco-systems and communities, they are often not successful. The-next article covers a number of issues including limitations of different plans, the different approaches, the issue of welfare and development, the role of land and forest and problems of land alienation, tribal educa tion and industrialization and the tribals. The need of proper utilization of research materials in development and planning has also been emphasized.

Section Four: The Tribals in the Changing World: The last section containing 11 articles on tribal change, integration, educational development and problems, tribals and industria tization, and on changing economic aspects of the tribals. The first article, in this section is on educational and economiachievements of the scheduled tribes of West Bengal and it has been noted that development has not taken place at a uniform pace. The economically well-to-do sections are educationally more advanced. There is no doubt that this situation will ultimately develop a type of class formation among the tribals. In fact, it is already there and noted by many. A number of suggestions have been made for educational development and employment for the scheduled tribes and importance of under standing the local needs has been emphasized. In the next article the problems of educational development among the tribals in general have been noted and they are classified as ecological, socio-economic, and psychological constraints of the educational system. A number of suggestions have also been made. The next two articles deal with the changing tribal life in Manipur and a small tribe, the Kathodi of Rajasthan. In the second article, ethnographic informations on the tribe are available and the problems of planning change have also been noted. The next three articles are on industrialization and the tribals. The first one deals with Chhotanagpur and it has been examined how industrialization has affected the socio economic life of the tribals and how they have been presented and it has been noted that supply of labour was never a problem and due to economic uncertainty and security, they depended on both agricultural and industrial sectors. The next two articles deal with tea-gardens and the tribals. The first one is on Assam and deals with socio-cultural life and changes and the second on trade-unionism among the tribals in north Bengal, who have migrated from Chhotanagpur. In the second article briefly discussing the history of trade-unions in the region, the Tebhaga movement, the trade union and social life and some recent trends have been discussed. It has been noted that tribal identity helped, at the formative stages, the trade-union movement as they were often organised on the basis of tribal affinity. The next article deals with socio-cultural isolation of some tribes and their integration with the Hindus at the religious level. The next article is again on change and a tribal market of Chhotanagpur has been studied which is a strategic institution where socio-cultural changes are structured and channeled through intricate processes of interaction between the tribes, peasants, traders and so called change agents of modernity. The next article deals with the economic transfor mation of the tribals, where the occupations followed by the different tribes have been discussed and the transformation has been noted. The last article of this section and volume raises a number of issues including the concept of tribe, categories of the tribes, the different concepts and processes of tribal absorp tion, the welfare projects, problems of exploitation, etc. It has been noted that the tribal problem is a problem which raises the fundamental issue, the issue of the establishment of a social order founded on equality of opportunity and elimination of exploitation.