Tribal Development in India (An Appraisal)

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Notwithstanding the fact that development of the tribal people in India is the constitutional responsibility of the state, and it has occupied an important position in Five Year Plans, its progress leaves much to be desired. This work critically examines the various faces and facets of tribal development in India and concludes that the development measures have largely failed to promote the upliftment of the tribal people. There has been little effort to tackle the serious problems of exploitation of tribals by various agencies operating in tribal areas. Many state governments have willingly subordinated tribal interest to non-tribal vested interest. In setting of mega projects in tribal areas rich in natural resources, tribal interest have been thrown to the winds. The author feels that this messy situation has developed because there is hardly any tribal policy or unanimity on the approach to be taken towards the tribal people and their development and it is still, being hotly debated even after forty years of planning. This book will be found useful by social scientists, planners and administrators and social workers engaged in tribal development and welfare.

Amir Hasan, dedicated his life to the welfare of tribals. His interest was ignited when he was working as a research scholar of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research at the Central Fuel Institute, Jealgora, Dhanbad (Bihar) in 1953- 1954. This led to a long association with the tribals. Later, as a civil servant, he maintained a dedicated and productive association with the tribals and their welfare. His large collection of authored books is a result of his intensive live research.

Although the tribal people of India constitute only 8% of the population, they are playing a vital role in shaping the destiny of the country. Most of them live in concentrations, clusters and large pockets. Many belonging to Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions, resides in strategic areas in the vicinity of international borders. Many others live in areas rich in flora and fauna, minerals and other natural resources. However, a large number of them are economically and educationally backward and their life a beset with problems.

Our earliest memories of our father, Dr. Amir Hasan (1929- 92) are of an author at work. Every morning, we would find him diligently working on some article, paper or book chapter. An early riser, his writing work would be taken up after a walk and a spot of gardening .He would be surrounded by reference books, loose sheets of paper and a tea tray precariously balanced in the midst of it all. One by one, we would wake up and troop to where our parents were having their morning tea. He welcomed us with a smile and read out parts of what he was working on. We were treated to beautifully worded narratives of Awadh, his experiences with the tribals of Tarai and on some rare occasions tribal folklore and also Awadhi shayari. All this was delivered in his deep mesmerizing voice which overrode the early morning chirping of birds and the whisper of breeze in the trees. The scents of the earth rose in the background from the plants he had watered when the rest were still asleep. We were given small proof-reading tasks in the summer vacations. We got to work after breakfast and competed with each other to complete our tasks. We were amateurs and perhaps our work yielded no real results but we learnt camaraderie, team work and we learnt to be proud of our ink-stained fingers. This was the nourishment we grew up on and this was the exposure that enriched our childhood and furnished us with a legacy for life. Our father did not teach us how to become authors. Through sharing his interests with us, he taught us a way of life. His writing was his hobby. He was a civil servant dedicated to the nation and his profession. By sharing his interests with us, he shared values, wisdom and notions of nobility.