Problems of Tribal People in Tribal Lands of India

Since the British rule in India, tribal community, incorporation, and autonomy have been issues confronting Indian society. The complexity of the Indian tribal people made assimilation and autonomy even more challenging. Throughout history, ethnic tribe sub-nationalism posed significant barriers to community advancement. Autonomy is required so that development programmes can be tailored to the tribal culture and way of life. Leaving the tribals in their own state, on the other hand, will exacerbate the developmental split between the mainstream and the tribals. The fundamental challenge after independence is that integration is generally directed from above rather than from below.

Tribal Land Alienation

Land alienation among tribes began during British colonialism in India when the British intervened in the tribal zone to plunder tribal natural resources. In addition, tribal territories were occupied by moneylenders, zamindars, and traders through loan advances, etc. The establishment of mines in the core of the tribal habitat, as well as a few factories, gave wage labour as well as factory work opportunities.

The government began to set aside teak, saal, and deodar woods for the production of railway sleepers. The forest and its resources provide the finest means of living for tribal people, and many tribes, including women, engage in agriculture, food collection, and hunting; they are strongly reliant on forest goods. As a result, when outsiders abuse the tribe’s land and resources, the natural life cycle of tribal ecology and tribal life is severely disrupted.

Insolvency and Poverty

The majority of tribes are impoverished. The tribes engage in a variety of rudimentary professions based on primitive technology. The majority of the vocations are primary occupations such as hunting, collecting, and agriculture. The technology they employ for these reasons is of the most basic type. In such an economy, there is no profit or surplus. As a result, their per capita income is substantially lower than the Indian average. The majority of them live in extreme poverty and are in debt to local moneylenders and zamindars. Families frequently mortgage or sell their land to moneylenders to repay their debt.

Nutrition and Health

Many tribal populations in India suffer from chronic infections and ailments, the most dangerous of which are water-borne diseases. They are also afflicted with deficiency disorders. Due to a shortage of iodine, the Himalayan tribes suffer from goitre. They are also prone to leprosy and TB. Infant mortality has been found to be extremely high in some cultures. Malnutrition is frequent and has harmed tribal children’s overall health because it reduces their ability to resist infection, causes chronic illness, and sometimes causes brain disability. Because of ecological imbalances such as tree cutting, the distances between settlements and forest regions have risen, causing tribal women to traverse longer distances in search of forest produce and firewood.

Education

The tribal community is at various stages of development in terms of education, but formal education has generally had minimal impact on tribal communities. Previously, the government had no direct programme for their education. However, the reservation policy has evolved over the years. There are numerous reasons behind tribal people’s low level of education, including the belief that formal education is not required to fulfil their social obligations. Superstitions and myths play a significant part in the rejection of education. The majority of tribes are impoverished, and it is difficult for them to send their children to school because they are seen as extra helping hands.

Cultural Issues

The tribal culture is experiencing revolutionary change due to contact with other civilisations. The problem of bilingualism has arisen as a result of the influence of Christian missionaries, leading to apathy about tribal languages. The indigenous people are emulating Western civilisation in several facets of their social lives while abandoning their traditions. It has resulted in the decline of tribal life and tribal arts such as dance, music, and other crafts.

Migration

Many tribal concentration locations and states have also experienced considerable in-migration of non-tribals in response to development demands. The tribal population’s share in Jharkhand’s industrial areas has been reduced. These dynamics had persisted and gotten even more potent since the 1990s, when the country was liberalised. Massive agitations in Maharashtra against the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant and the mining company Vedanta in Niyamgiri, Orissa, are examples of reactionary actions against policies of tribal alienation and exploitation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tribal land alienation persists in many states of India, in general, and in the instance of Koraput district (Odisha), in particular, despite several laws and legislation to safeguard tribal land. Tribes have raised their voices and organised campaigns to assert their rights to land, water, and forest resources in terms of their life, livelihood, independence, and identity. However, the post-independence state has continued colonial legacies and is attempting to stifle tribal voices by crushing their movements and labelling tribals as Maoists in the name of peace, development, and democracy, as seen in the instance of the Narayanpatna movement.