Study looks into status of tribal communities at an all-India level and in central India

The broad overview of the contemporary macroeconomic situation of tribal communities also shows neglect faced by tribal areas in developing infrastructure

A Reang tribal man helps his wife with a solar light while weaving in Sarkhipara village in Khowai district of Tripura. File photo | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

The Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, an independent society set up under the Ministry of Rural Development, on Monday released a first-of-its-kind Tribal Development Report-2022, which, over two volumes, looks at the status of tribal communities at an all-India level and in central India with respect to livelihoods, agriculture, natural resources, economy, migration, governance, human development, gender, health, education, art, and culture.

The first volume of the report, published by Routledge and CRC Press, combines data from government sources, case studies, archival research, and interviews on crucial dimensions of tribal lives and livelihoods. 

The first volume provides a broad overview of the contemporary macroeconomic situation of tribal communities, with a focus on the challenges of agriculture, land, energy, and water use, especially groundwater management; and highlights the need to move into a new paradigm of agroecology-based, nature-positive farming and sustainable water use driven by local institutions. 

The volume also looks at the neglect faced by tribal areas in developing infrastructure, from irrigation to energy; shares insights on the invisibility of tribal voices in policy processes; and discusses tribal communities in the informal sector and in migration.

The goal is to inform stakeholders, including key policymakers, practitioners, activists, and academics, to help understand the scope of tribal issues, the publishers said. 

The report contains an introduction by renowned Indian economist and former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission Mihir Shah, and P.S. Vijayshankar, Director of Research, Samaj Pragati Sahayog. Contributors to these volumes of the Tribal Development Report include academics and practitioners with years of experience working with tribal communities. 

The second volume of the report, on the other hand, focuses on human development and governance. It discusses challenges faced by tribal communities by focusing on the status of health, education, and nutrition; explores issues related to gender and development and the impact of the loss of traditional rights over land and forest resources; and also presents a progress  report on the implementation Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (or PESA), 1996, and the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

It also looks at the state of Denotified Tribes in the country; and presents an overview and remedial policy actions for upholding tribal arts, crafts, language and literature, and knowledge systems.