On the Future of Indigenous Traditions - Munin

The state administrative mechanism in the hands of people from these adjoining
regions or state, who have manipulate matter in the ways they would go in their
favour, or the groups they represent, making the state its administrative system,
including the legal systems, work to their advantage.
A whole range of issues can be listed here falling out of the mentioned situation. One
among the important issues worth mentioning here is the census of population
distribution of different groups. That is, if a certain block within a district or a district
itself in a state, percentage of Adivasis is shown lower than a required for it to be a
scheduled district; the general rule will be applied to these areas as against the special
rules for Adivasi dominated areas. It would no longer give special consideration to the
special rules that protect the Adivasis customary and traditional rights. The non-
Adivasis coming from outside will be able to own land in these regions for private
and commercial purposes or exploit it for commercial purposes. Rules regarding use
of forest and land, including timber logging, mining and other developmental plans
will apply. Adivasis in this case will no more be having special privileges as against
the general category population. The general category groups see most of these areas
as potential areas for commercial exploitations, which today they claim the Scheduled
Area’ rules to be an obstacle in its exploitation. In the last section of the next chapter I
have elaborated how the re-distribution of blocks and districts can show the Adivasis
to be less than the required percent in the census, thus the threat of de-scheduling of
these areas. However, before this we shall discuss in the following chapter of the
political association of the Adivasis, investigate where the difference lies and its
importance.
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