Impacts of Government Policies on Sustenance of Tribal ... - Samata

More documents

Recommendations

Info

elating to environmental conservation andothers with the tribal people who coexistwith the environment. The government hasalso made efforts to prioritise theconservation <strong>of</strong> the area. In addition to theprotective environmental legislations thatexist in the country there are a number <strong>of</strong>areas in the Eastern Ghats that have beendesignated as wildlife sanctuaries andnational parks and that serve as refuge forseveral endangered species <strong>of</strong> flora andfauna. The central government, recognisingthe unique ecology and with the aim <strong>of</strong>protecting and preserving the sameproposed the development <strong>of</strong> two biospherereserves in the state <strong>of</strong> Andhra Pradesh—one <strong>of</strong> them in Chintapalli inVisakhapatnam district. While this is awelcome move, its success would alldepend on how serious the government isabout the proposal and its strength towithstand the powerful industrial lobbieslike that <strong>of</strong> mining. 2Tribal communities, theirlifestyles and livelihoods in theEastern GhatsThe Eastern Ghats are home to a number <strong>of</strong>tribal communities some <strong>of</strong> them from theVTGs. The state <strong>of</strong> Orissa is home to 62different tribal communities <strong>of</strong> which thetribes in the Eastern Ghats include Khonds(Kandho), Gond, Santal, Soara, Kolha,Shabar, Munda, Paroja, Bhotada, Bhunya(Bhuiyan), Kissan, Oraon, Bhumiya,Bhathudi, Kharia, Binjhal, Koya, Kol,Saunti, Gadabas, Mirdhas and Juang. InAndhra Pradesh that has 35 different tribalcommunities 32 <strong>of</strong> these communities livein the Eastern Ghats. These include Andh,Bagata, Bhil, Chenchu, Dhulia, Gadaba,2 At the time <strong>of</strong> finalising this report the state government <strong>of</strong>Andhra Pradesh is reported to have rejected the suggestion by theMoEF to designate Chintapalli as a biosphere reserve citingproblems for the local population and for the development <strong>of</strong>industries like mining in the region.An adivasi woman from Ananthagiri situated inthe Eastern Ghats <strong>of</strong> Visakhapatnam districtGond, Goudu, Hill Reddy, Jatapu, KondaKammara, Kattunayakan, Kolam, KondaDora, Konda Kapu, Konda Reddi, Khond,Kotiya, Koya, Kulia, Mali, Manne Dora,Nooka/Mukha Dora, Naikpod, Nayak,Pardhan, Porja/Parangiperja, Reddi Dora,Rona/Rena, Savara, Thoti and Valmiki.There are a total <strong>of</strong> 36 different tribalcommunities in the state <strong>of</strong> Tamil Nadu, <strong>of</strong>which three <strong>of</strong> them—Sholaga, Uraly andMalayali—live in the Eastern Ghats.The traditional economies <strong>of</strong> the tribalpeople centre around hunting, foodgathering, slash and burn/shiftingagriculture, flatland cultivation, vegetablegrowing, NTFP collection and trading. Thegeography, topography, and availability <strong>of</strong>forests, land and water determine the kind <strong>of</strong>traditional occupation that varies greatly.Paddy and a wide variety <strong>of</strong> traditionalmillets, cereals and pulses are grown insubsistence agriculture to meet householdneeds. These are supplemented by10
vegetables, fruits, and roots and tubers some<strong>of</strong> which are cultivated while others arecollected from the forest. Several otherforest produce too contribute to their dietthat includes, for example, honey andgooseberry. The forest is also an importantsource <strong>of</strong> fuelwood, timber and medicines.There have been several shifts in thetraditional livelihood patterns that replacedbarter system <strong>of</strong> old with commercialactivity, and included also the introduction<strong>of</strong> horticulture, plantation, monocultures andcash crop cultivation. C<strong>of</strong>fee, cashew,pineapple, tobacco are some examples.Large populations <strong>of</strong> these tribal people,especially from the VTGs, live in some <strong>of</strong>the most remote and scattered hamlets andvillages with no access to basicinfrastructural facilities like health,education, roads or transportation. Poverty,malnutrition and ill-health plague them atevery stage in their lives. Today their uniquelanguages, culture, customs and traditionscarefully passed on over hundreds <strong>of</strong> yearsis being eroded steadily and is in danger <strong>of</strong>being lost to the future generations.Constitutional and legalsafeguards for the adivasis inAndhra PradeshThe adivasi communities in the EasternGhats <strong>of</strong> Andhra Pradesh, several <strong>of</strong> whomare VTGs, live in hill-top villages that areremote and difficult to access. Historicallythese communities have been living here forhundreds <strong>of</strong> years, and their existence hasbeen intrinsically linked to the forests,ecology and lands. However, externalinfluences, as far back as the colonial times,have exploited them to access the richnatural resource base in the region. Thelands and forests on which they aredependent have been encroached upon bynon-tribals and they face a constant threatfrom development projects that could resultin their displacement (some <strong>of</strong> whichalready have resulted in not one but multipledisplacements). This is inspite <strong>of</strong> the severallegal and Constitutional safeguards thathave been provided to protect their rights.The Fifth Schedule and ScheduledAreasThe Fifth Schedule [under Article 244 (1)(Provisions as to the Administration andControl <strong>of</strong> Scheduled Areas and ScheduledTribes) <strong>of</strong> the Constitution <strong>of</strong> India]essentially provides a historic guarantee tothe tribal people in the country on the rightover their lands. The Fifth Schedule dealswith the administration and control <strong>of</strong>specified areas (termed Scheduled Areas)and the tribes living in these areas. ThePresident <strong>of</strong> India, exercising the powersconferred to him under the Fifth Schedule,in the year 1950 declared specified areas inthe country as Scheduled Areas. Currentlynine states in India—Andhra Pradesh,Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,Orissa and Rajasthan—have regionsdemarcated as Scheduled Areas.As per the Fifth Schedule the Presidentholds the power to direct that the whole orany specified part <strong>of</strong> a Scheduled Area shallcease to be a Scheduled Area or a part <strong>of</strong>such an area; increase the area <strong>of</strong> aScheduled Area (after consultation with theGovernor <strong>of</strong> the state); alter the boundariesbut only by way <strong>of</strong> rectification, declarethose areas post rectification as ScheduledAreas, and rescind and make fresh ordersrelevant to Scheduled Areas.Administratively the Fifth Schedule Areasare part <strong>of</strong> the states in which they aresituated. However, the Governor may makeregulations for the peace and goodgovernance <strong>of</strong> these areas that includeregulations that (a) prohibit or restrict thetransfer <strong>of</strong> land by or among members <strong>of</strong> thescheduled tribes (STs) in such area; (b)regulate the allotment <strong>of</strong> land to members <strong>of</strong>11
Page 4: List of Abbreviati
Page 7 and 8: IntroductionThe Constitution <stron
Page 9 and 10: Mitra, a community-based organisati
Page 11 and 12: Table 1: Vegetation types o
Page 13 and 14: Faunal diversityFaunal records incl
Page 15: are typical of hig
Page 20 and 21: union territories in the country en
Page 22 and 23: exploitation in the Scheduled Areas
Page 24 and 25: and more than 10.13 lakh titles hav
Page 26 and 27: A coffee plantatio
Page 28 and 29: capacity building of</stron
Page 30 and 31: Rs. 40/- per kg was obtained; almos
Page 32 and 33: Table 5: Exploration data for bauxi
Page 34 and 35: Adivasi women at the public hearing
Page 36 and 37: division. The coastline is broken a
Page 38 and 39: stream. In 2007 piped water to a ta
Page 40 and 41: Table 7: Land details of</s
Page 42 and 43: improve the soil fertility; finger
Page 44 and 45: lack gram, green gram, ginger, chil
Page 46 and 47: Table 10 : Land area under c<strong
Page 48 and 49: purposes only. Wood from different
Page 50 and 51: Table 13: NTFP collection calendarP
Page 52 and 53: Orangesgrown athomeSome amount <str
Page 54 and 55: Hens are raised for meat and sold f
Page 56 and 57: emaining had worked anywhere betwee
Page 58 and 59: Major findings and discussion• Ag
Page 60 and 61: nutrition with meat from huntingadd
Page 62 and 63: government are oft
Page 64 and 65: Forested hill slopes of</st
Page 66 and 67:
supplementing the inadequate housin
Page 68 and 69:
Table 15: Some data on child labour
Page 70 and 71:
of a range NTFP an
Page 72 and 73:
• The environment is facing sever
Page 74 and 75:
Land alienation and violation <stro
Page 76 and 77:
ReferencesAgarwal, A. and S. Narain
Page 78 and 79:
Government Order M
Page 80 and 81:
Sudhir, SNV. 2005. Nalco trip fails
Page 82 and 83:
Common name Local name Botanical na
Page 84 and 85:
Annexure 3: Compensation paid for l
Page 86 and 87:
Integrated Tribal Development Autho
Page 88:
Dhaatri Resource Centre for Women a
show all

Impacts of Government Policies on Sustenance of Tribal ... - Samata

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?