There is a clear need to bring suitable changes in the existing policy framework to give the highest importance to strengthening tribal communities and their sustainable livelihoods
VARIOUS tribal communities constitute about 8.6 per cent of India’s population. Nearly 700 tribal communities with a total population of over 110 million are spread all over the country, with their dense habitation on about 15% of the land area.
The tribal communities have long been known for their more self-reliant life patterns integrated closely with forests and their protection. However, they suffered heavily during colonial rule in terms of the introduction of new exploitative practices, assault on their life and livelihood pattern and the resource base which sustained it. Subsequently, there were several revolts against colonial rule and its collaborators. Apart from some of the better-known struggles, such as those led by the valiant Birsa Munda, there were several lesser-known but also no less important struggles as those led by Govind Guru among the Bhils and related tribal communities in Central India. The extent of repression by colonial forces and their close collaborators here was also very extreme, perhaps even more than some of the widely known events of extreme repression, like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
In post-independence India, it was a well-recognised aspect of government policy that tribal communities constitute a particularly vulnerable group requiring special efforts to ensure a fair deal for them. This led to several development initiatives aimed particularly at benefiting tribal communities, while, of course, there are other schemes and programmes open to all sections which benefit tribal communities as well. There are reservations for scheduled tribes in jobs and in other aspects. Above all, there is recognition of their more autonomous path of development in keeping with their traditions and life-patterns, and a special law, PESA (Panchayati Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas) has been enacted in recognition of this, also protecting the rights of tribal communities over resource base in several ways.
However, at the implementation level, the admirable aims of protecting tribal communities and their rights and interests could not be achieved to the desired extent. In several areas, tribal communities have been displaced on a very large scale or their lives have been disrupted very badly by ecologically destructive projects. It is clear by now that several distortions and mistakes need to be corrected.
This is all the more important because of several fast-emerging new factors that are re-emphasising the importance of strengthening tribal communities and sustainable livelihoods of tribal communities by integrating this task more closely with the protection of the environment. In this fast-emerging thinking based on relatively new understanding, the progress of tribal communities is seen not in terms of individual beneficiaries, but in terms of more holistic strengthening of tribal communities and their sustainable livelihoods in ways that are at the same time very helpful in reducing very serious environmental problems.
In recent years, there has been increasing evidence-based recognition that several environmental problems led by, but not confined to, climate change are becoming serious enough to emerge as a survival crisis. In fact, in the context of several vulnerable communities, this survival crisis can already be seen. Along with climate change, related local problems of deforestation, changing land-use and resource use patterns, including the emergence of highly destructive ones, increasing water scarcity and threatened water sources are seen as part of this survival crisis.
As a part of sincere efforts for mobilising an adequate, credible, hope-giving and sustainable response to this emerging crisis, among more enlightened sections, there is a refreshing trend to question the dominant development paradigm, which has resulted in this deeply worrying crisis. This enlightened viewpoint argues that there is an increasing need to give more importance to alternative patterns of thinking and living (on that basis,) which can give much greater hope for the protection of the environment.
In this context, the commitment and capability of several tribal communities to have a life pattern integrated closely with forests and the protection of forests have attracted much attention. On deeper inquiry, several of these communities are found to be making much more careful and sustainable use of resources to meet their needs in ways which minimise waste and are more self-reliant in terms of satisfying needs based on well-informed utilisation of local resources, including sustainable, protection-based, careful use of forests and other bio-diversity.
Hence, it is increasingly realised that these communities, their life-pattern, world-view, and thinking can contribute a lot to the protection of the environment. Despite there being increasing evidence of this, the bigger conservation projects, even in areas inhabited by such communities, are often based on the displacement of these communities or on disrupting their life patterns based on close integration with forests. This comes on top of other kinds of displacements and disruptions caused by various ‘development’, mining and other projects supported by powerful interests.
There is thus a clear need to bring suitable changes in the existing policy framework to give the highest importance to strengthening tribal communities and their sustainable livelihoods and integrating this task with a wider vision of protecting the environment. This would be a great way forward for the welfare of tribal communities and, at the same time, achieving significant success in environmental protection on a firm basis with community involvement, the kind of success that would be welcomed and admired globally.
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Bharat Dogra writes extensively on environment, development and welfare issues. The views expressed here are the writer’s own, and Clarion India does not necessarily subscribe to them. He can be reached at: bharatdogra1956@gmail.com
