Tribal economy, health and wasteland development

It is through the untiring efforts of the Jigyansu Tribal Research Centre of New Delhi that three national seminars in consecutive years came to be organised on major issues concerning tribals in the country. The participants' list reads like a Who's Who in the fields of tribal research, academics, social activists and, of course, important policy makers in the Government and the opinion makers in the NGOs. All these luminaries have made signal contributions in the papers and speeches presented by them in the three seminars. A collection of these is presented for the first time in this volume.

The practical value of this book can be gauged from the three main themes viz., the Tribal Economy, the Care and Development of Tribal Women and Children, and the Role of Tribal Women in Wasteland Development. The three main themes are sub-divided in sections - five different sections each on a vital aspect of tribal life and society and headed by men of eminence in the respective fields. The result is spell-binding.

The issues covered are not only vitally important but also present a whole gamut of tribal life. To cite a few of these: Tribal Economy, Role Forest in Tribal Economy, Land Issues and Reforms in Tribal Areas, Tribal Crafts and Arts, Tribal Health and Medicine, Diet and Nutritional Status of the Tribals, Issues and Attitudes in relation to the Role of Women in Wasteland Development etc. There is a mine of wealth available for the seeker

in each of the papers presented in this volume. The awareness that the information in these papers creates will, in tum, set in motion thought processes leading to measures at improving the lot of the tribals in every nook and cranny of the country. More than anything else, the information in this volume will break the apathy which one commonly comes across with the word 'tribal'. It is indeed a tribute to the genius of the contributors in this volume that the tribals are put in an illuminating spotlight.