Tribal Development Administration (A Case Study)

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The tribes constitute about 8 percent of the entire population of the country and about 90 percent of them live below the poverty line. Age-old social and cultural handicaps coupled with environmental factors have, to a significant extent, contributed towards their low-level of living. Besides, they have been victims of exploitation by non-tribal landlords, businessmen and money lenders who could find access to the areas inhabited by them.

Article 46 of the Constitution of India assured a progressive life to the members of the weaker sections of the people in general, and, to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes In particular. The goal was to emancipate them from all forms of deprivation and exploitation. Naturally, the development to be effected was bound to be multidimensional. The crucial role to be played by the administrative machinery in such multidimensional development can hardly be emphasized.

Dr. Chandreshwar Prasad Singh (b. 1951) M.A. (Gold Medalist). Ph.D. has had a brilliant academic career. He has been working as a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Bhagalpur University for the last eight years where he is teaching Public Administration, Indian Administration and Indian Government and Politics. He also supervises the doctoral research work on Political- Administrative subjects of topical interest. He is a life member of All India Political Science Association and Indian Institute of Public Administration. He has to his credit a number of papers on tribal administration.

India is a land of "unity in diversity." One is beholden by the presence of the various ethnic and cultural tribal entities which are at once amazing and enthralling. The tribal population in India is accepted to be the oldest population of the land. Successive waves of more powerful invaders drove them from the fertile plains which they once occupied, to the more inaccessible, remote, inhospitable slopes, hills and forests. For centuries, they have been living an isolated and secluded existence. Their communication with the outside world has been minimal. Even inter-tribe contact for long was but little. It resulted in an ethnic and cultural individuality among them. A look at the various tribal communities in India brings out certain common salient features. In the first instance, they occupy tracts of slopy land, hills and forests, having been ousted from great fertile valleys. They are, thus, in command of poor resource regions, which affect immediately their economic conditions. The soils are impoverished and rainfall is erratic. Even at present, but more so in the past, shifting cultivation has impoverished these regions. Secondly, the communications system and other infrastructure in these areas is little developed which has led to the isolation of tribes from the outside world. Lack of cross-fertilisation of ideas has been responsible for hampering their growth and advancement. The level of technology remained low. The combination of poverty of resources and the depressed level of technology have led to almost subsistence economy in the greater part of tribal land. Age-old social and cultural handicaps coupled with environmental factors, have, to a significant extent, contributed towards their low-level of living. Besides, they have been victims of exploitation by non-tribal landlords, businessmen and money- lenders.

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