On the Future of Indigenous Traditions - Munin

their customary system, and this seems to be more important to them than having the
separate state of Jharkhand.
Jharkhand was one of the three new states formed in a series in the month of
November 2000, becoming the 28th state after the Parliament of India passed the
Bihar Reorganisation Bill in April 2000. 59
The state’s law and order problems today have become more complex, intense and
obvious than in the past years. On one hand the most obvious problems are the
alienation of Adivasi lands due to industrial ‘development’ and its expansion,
extractive industries, and increasing number of urban estates to accommodate the
outside population. Expansion of these developmental industries and estates only have
an annex development approach, thus economic marginalizing the already
marginalized communities here. This kind of development has caused a ‘push factor’
for the marginalized Adivasis and local communities to leave their native places in
large numbers in search of a livelihood as cheap labourers or contract labourers at the
lowest levels – (This is explained in the theoretical analysis of the situation in chapter
four)
On the other hand ‘pull factors’ for outsiders. Building opportunities for formally
specialized and skilled jobs, businesses, and further service job for the urban elite
have changed the whole demography of the urban areas. If Adivasis are to have a
place here, it is only through the provision of reserved seat given to them in jobs,
whether government or semi-government jobs, as well as some private sectors.
The Adivasis who have their social and cultural roots in their native “rural” areas
suffer from limited and poor developmental and agricultural policy of the state, also
indebtness as agriculture being the only traditional occupation which is not a self-
Eight of the Scheduled Area blocked in Jharkhand are now been declared to have less then 50 %
Adivasis and there is a plan to de-schedule these blocks.
59 Non-Adivasi political forces in Jharkhand are very strong and aggressive. They pressure the
government to their terms. PESA 1996 does not allow any non – Adivasis to hold office in the Adivasi
Panchayat village, where as Jharkhand PRA 2002 allows the non-Adivasis to hold office which is again
an encroachment on the privilege of Adivasis, as the non-Adivasis have already illegally or
fraudulently occupied the lands in Adivasi areas and are now seeking power in village panchayats.
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