Tribal Development through Evidence-based Policy
Abstract
Tribal Sustainable Development through Evidence-based
Policy and Planning: A major issue in post-Independence India has been a misreading
of demands of tribal communities. What they have been demanding pertains to choice
upholding their traditions and customs and having ownership over natural resources.
The problem with most central legislations including the Fifth Schedule is that
they have an inbuilt top-down structure whereas guarantee of these demands require
a bottom-up approach. Moreover, the communities in these areas had faced years of
encroachment, alienation from their land and exploitation of their natural resources
by private corporations. It is necessary to bring in development but also to ensure
the rights and dignity of these communities. The motive is to ensure that the people
themselves are involved in their own development and in determining their political
and financial administration. Post independence of India, the policy of the state
has reaffirmed the commitment of the state to preserve and protect the distinctiveness
of tribal culture, language and custom. To assist the state and central government
and cater to the needs of the tribal population in policy and research, the network
of Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) needs to be activated as a think tank for tribal
development). The potentialities of tribal research institutions have not been harnessed
fully.
Tribes in India: A Brief Introduction
Tribals are the most vulnerable sections of society
living in remote areas with limited accessibility and exposure to the mainland areas.
The Constitution recognises a tribe under Article 342 as a Scheduled Tribe. The
President can, in consultation with the Governors of state, publicly notify a particular
group as a Scheduled Tribe based on certain parameters such as geographical isolation,
economic backwardness, distinctive culture, language, and traditions, etc.
Tribal groups are in fact, fairly heterogeneous, both
culturally and economically and have adopted modern religious systems while also
keeping in touch with their cultural roots. There have been numerous constitutional
safeguards provided for Scheduled Tribes. The PR Memorial Report, 2006 classifies
them into four categories namely, safeguards related to
·
Protection: Articles 15, 16, 19, 146,
342
·
Development: Articles 46, 275
·
Administration: Articles 244, 275
and
·
Reservation: Articles 330, 332, 334,
335, 340.
Apart from these provisions in the Constitution, there
are also other safeguards such as the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and the Scheduled
Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,
2006. Despite these constitutional provisions, the current status of tribal communities
in India, particularly in the central belt, is very poor as they continue to face
alienation, displacement, and exploitation.
Scheduled Tribes constitute 8.6 per cent of the total
population numbering 10.45 crore according to 2011 census. Despite their significant
population, they are among the most economically and socially deprived sections
of the country (Refer Table 4.13) . Comparative Human Development Indices show that
compared to other social groups Scheduled Tribes lag far behind. Their proportion among the rural poor
and among agricultural labourers is much higher than other social groups. Child
Mortality Rates, Infant Mortality Rates are also high in Scheduled Tribes. Tribal
groups, particularly those in Fifth Scheduled Areas, have been the worst victims
of displacement and alienation.
According to Xaxa (2014), tribal community for centuries
had their own systems of administration, language, and culture and used to have
control over natural resources on Jal, Jungle and Jameen. However, with the advent
of colonial rule, the conditions of tribes began to change drastically as new uniform
systems of ruling tribals, and non-tribals alike were introduced. Even though in
a number of such areas, the colonial government did concede self-rule to some extent,
particularly in remote and inaccessible areas, but the larger administrative system
had been transformed. The setting up of this structure was completely alien to the
tribal groups. This led to large scale alienation of land between 1951 and 1990,
85 lakh tribals were displaced due to projects related to mining, dams, and wildlife
sanctuaries. This is 40% of the total proportion of displaced people of 2.13 crores.
Of these, only 21 lakhs were successfully rehabilitated It is important to keep
these facts in view in order to understand that despite the existence of a number
of welfare programmes and schemes, tribal communities are still marginalized and
are worse-off than other groups.
A major issue in post-Independence India has been a
misreading of demands of tribal communities. What they have been demanding is self-sufficiency,
but the schemes that have been designed for them have only provided for decentralisation.
This demand pertains to choice upholding their traditions and customs and having
ownership over natural resources. The problem with most central legislations including
the Fifth Schedule is that they have an inbuilt top-down structure whereas guarantee
of self-sufficiency requires a bottom-up approach
One of the major issues as Xaxa (2014) points out is
that these laws are themselves alien to the communities. The inability to comprehend
these laws, the absence of support structures and mechanisms to facilitate understanding
and guidance makes the presence of such legislations ineffective for these communities.
Menon and Bijoy (2014) argue that despite the presence
of a number of enabling provisions to strengthen tribal autonomy, there are limits
to these provisions as there are several tribal habitations outside the notified
Scheduled Areas that cannot avail legislative measures to protect them.
Even within the Scheduled Areas, conditions are not
very promising. The Governor is given the power to introduce legislations for maintaining
peace in the Scheduled Areas, but he is bound by the Cabinet and the Council of
Ministers. Further, the annual reports that the Governor is required to submit to
the President on the administration of the Scheduled Areas is irregular and mostly
continues to be a routine matter. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs in a letter to
the Governors dated 4 April 2013 stated that the Governors need to proactively exercise their powers to protect the
rights of the Scheduled Tribes.
State's commitment to preserving and protecting the
unique characteristics of tribal culture, customs, and language
The policy that India adopted after gaining independence
reiterates the state's commitment to preserving and protecting the unique characteristics
of tribal culture, customs, and language. To assist the state and central government
and cater to the needs of the tribal population in policy and research, the network
of Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) was started in 1953. The first such institute
was established in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in 1952, followed
by Ranchi (Bihar) and Chhindwara (MP) in 1954. Till now, 28 Tribal Research Institutes
are operating across the country; all of them are administered by the various state governments and supported by the Ministry of Tribal
Affairs, GOI. In certain ways, Tribal Research Institutes act as organizations
of research studies on significant and relevant subject areas focusing on tribal
welfare and development and capacity building of individuals and agencies involved
in tribal affairs, preservation and promotion of tribal cultural heritage, the resource
and supporting arm for States with inputs evidence-based planning and relevant legislation.
These Institutes work with State Governments to provide
planning inputs, carry out research, monitoring and evaluation studies, collect
data, detect obstacles to Tribal Socioeconomic Development, and comprehend, promote,
and preserve their culture. The main focus for supporting the program is also on
stakeholder capacity building and training, as well as knowledge advocacy that would
aid in the formulation of evidence-based planning and policy. A crucial element
of all these programs is training. TRIs are receiving funding for research under
the "Support to TRIs" program from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Periodic inspection by many Committees/Commissions/
Study
Since their inception, the TRIs have been subjected
to periodic inspection by many committees/commissions. All have recognized the value
of TRIs in tribal socio-economic growth and the preservation and distribution of
tribal culture, arts, artifacts, and so on.
Among the significant observations and findings are:
The Report of
the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission (Dhebar Commission, 1961 had suggested that functions of the TRIs should be redefined
to include
·
Gathering of fundamental socioeconomic
information for use in the creation and execution of tribal plans, especially those
related to economic development
·
Research on crafts and industries
to support tribal people's economic development by utilising their abilities and
locally available materials and resources
·
Analysis of tribal welfare programs
with a focus on how they affect the attitudes, abilities, and knowledge of the affected
communities as well as the social and economic changes they bring about.
·
Assistance to State Governments in
the training of personnel engaged in tribal welfare
·
Studying tribal philosophy in order
to create tribal language primers and textbooks, a compilation of folk songs, folklore,
tales of tribal heroes, etc.
·
the Tribal Welfare Department's field
employees being instructed in tribal languages or dialects
The Report of the study team on Tribal Development
Programmes - All-India, Committee on Plan Projects, Planning Commission (1969) had
acknowledged the role and importance of TRIs in Tribal Development Programmes. The
report stated that the advisory committees set up by the state governments to guide
and review the progress of the TRIs do not meet regularly. The result is a lack
of direction and the absence of stimulus, which a periodical regularly often provides.
For effectiveness, these bodies should meet both regularly and positively. The report
also suggested that the TRIs should have necessary experts in disciplines like agriculture,
corporations, industries, forests, education, health etc.
Report of the steering committee: Providing the Tenth
five-year plan's scheduled tribes with more power (2002-2007)
The committee suggested that tribal areas establish
a clear personnel policy to guarantee that
·
As a prerequisite, all officers and
employees assigned to Ministries and Departments working for the development and welfare of the STs must
undergo sensitization training and awareness programs at the respective State Tribal
Research Institutes or to be conducted by a National Level Institute for those who
are working at national level
·
As the DoPT has done for the IAS officers,
the training program ought to be made mandatory;
·
All concerned officers in states with
a tribal population should be required to serve for a minimum of five years in backward
tribal areas;
·
The Officers deployed or working in
the areas or sectors dedicated for the welfare and development of STs should be allowed
to complete a minimum period of five years unless required to change for the interests
of STs; and
·
Offering incentives in form of housing, , special allowances health care, etc.
In addition, they should receive training from Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs);
in situations where TRIs are not present
in a particular State, they should receive training from a neighbouring TRIs so they can become familiar with the policies
and procedures as well as the issues facing the tribal people. They would be able
to operate more efficiently and gain empathy for the tribal community as a result.
(Planning Commission, 2001).
Panchayat Leaders, Teachers, Health Workers, and Anganwadi
Workers may be given access to home remedy kits containing ISM&H Medicines for
use. To document the effectiveness of herbal medications traditionally used by tribal
people, all Research Councils of Tribal Research Institutes, ICMR research centres,
ISM&H, Population Research Centres should collaborate on a regional scale. (Planning
Commission, 2001).
Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) Strategy on TRIs-2012
Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth
(Planning Commission, 2013 pp 250) stated that not all of the potential of
tribal research institutions is being utilized. This plan proposed directing the
TRIs to adopt an action research participative approach, particularly with regard
to PVTG development and livelihood programmes, by utilising their technical and
professional staff. To ensure that the all the TRIs work in tandem, one of these
TRIs must be designated as the nodal agency for the region.
Report of the High-Level Committee on Socio economic,
Health and Educational Status of Tribal Communities of India, 2013 under the Chairmanship
of Prof. Virginius Xaxa, had suggested for “the strengthening and broadening of
research and training activities in the TRIs.”
Tribal research organisations must conduct studies,
research, and documentation in order to give state governments planning input. They
must also conduct training, workshops, and seminars, establish tribal museums to
display tribal artefacts, record customary laws, and engage in other related activities.
The majority of Tribal research institutes are constrained by both financial and
human resource issues. Due to the regulations governing fiscal restraint, recruitments
for open positions have been put on hold in many states, neglecting tribal research
institutions in the process. These institutions need to expand and strengthen their
research and training efforts.
To accomplish these goals, the Tribal Research Institutes
would need to execute the following:
- Increase their ability to organize and connect with relevant academic
bodies, organisations, and research institutes.
- As part of the TRI structure, establish a dedicated research cell, training
department, conference & meeting room, library, residential facilities
for participants and museum as the bare minimum of infrastructure.
- Help with the hiring of a core group of professionals, consisting of
specialists in a range of fields, such as statistics, anthropology, development
studies, ethnography and tribal studies. It is recommended that the TRIs Director
be employed full-time.
As NILRED's (eds) book Reflecting on India's
Development containing chapter on TRIs Revisited: An Outcome Perspective
Analysis by Wordsworth & Kumar 2018 emphasizes on the welfare and developmental
aspects, especially in the area of tribal development in India. It is argued that
governments have initiated various policies, but poverty levels are still high among
the tribal groups as compared to other communities (pp. 205). In this context, TRIs
were established to deal with the problems of Tribal communities. TRIs play pivotal
roles in the development and welfare of the tribals through various schemes at different
levels. The institution of the first TRIs in the 1950s is also discussed, which
reflected the Panchsheel policy of then Prime Minister Nehru’s Government (p 205).
The report highlights that the main objective of the TRIs is to improve the living
standards of tribal communities by providing them with better planning inputs. However,
the absence of a central body for research guidance and coordination causes unnecessary
delays and obstacles to this primary goal. It is stated that the research work on
TRIs mainly focuses on their socio-cultural aspects and languages but lacks in terms
of their livelihood, or very little is done (pp. 206). The TRI activities are ‘piecemeal’
and unstructured, and there are no coordinated and standard practices at the national
level like NSSO and NSO have.
It is suggested that focusing on aspects like poverty
and economic disparity should be the main thrust for the progress of Tribal Development.
There is a need to reshape the role of TRIs functioning to cater to the well-being
of the tribal communities. A suggestive comment is also mentioned that states with
the highest tribal populations or TRIs catering to more people should have adequate
space and staff. TRIs of Andaman Nicobar and Madhya Pradesh are compared in this
regard (pp. 217). To enhance the research work, the manpower and staff should be
increased. Additional workloads like verification of caste certificates, etc., at
state levels also burden the work of TRIs. Considering the present global reach
of people through the internet and having access to information globally, digitization
of the TRIs library and resources is also necessary (pp.230).
A Report by National Council of Applied Economics Research
on Evaluation of Functioning of TRIs in Assam, November, 2011 found that the research
staff at TRI, Assam does not have a research degree, according to the study on
TRI Assam.
Standardizing
research publications is necessary because TRIs are government-affiliated organisations
that receive funding from the federal government for particular purposes. This standardisation
stems from standardising the research process itself. As a result, there were no
formal guidelines or requirements for publishing study findings. At the moment,
content is released at random. Nonetheless, they have published a number of monographs,
series, special publications, etc.
Following measures are suggested to evolve TRIs as a
knowledge hub and make it more effective in terms of delivery quality output ( Suggestions
summarized on basis of various study findings) :
1. Basic Infrastructure: Tribal Research Institutes need
to be revamped to develop them as Top-Class Research Institutes/ Centres of Excellence
in tribal research and development. Most of the TRIs do not have basic infrastructure.,
Central Government is funding the TRIs to develop their own building, training centre,
conference hall, hostel for accommodation and food, and strengthen the museum as
per their needs. All TRIs should have its own building, manpower and resources to
perform core activities.
2. Standard monitoring and evaluation tool: A
standard monitoring and evaluation tool for the TRIs should be developed. There
is a dire need of an effective monitoring and evaluation procedures to evaluate
TRIs performances.
3. Standard staffing pattern of the TRIs: The
staffing pattern of the TRIs is not uniform in general. Many TRIs do not have full-time
regular Directors. State officers are given additional charge of TRI, and in such
cases chances of mandatory functions of the TRIs lose focus. Most of the tribal
research institutes are facing manpower shortage in research and training due to
the state governments' shortage of funds and negligence in filling out the vacant
positions. There should be a support for emolument of human resources for at least
five years based on their needs and performance. Grant basis support for research, training and contractual
project or administrative staff should be continued. .
4. Updation on TRI Portal: All TRIs must have consolidation
of data base of Research Projects allocated in last 5 years by uploading the details
of research projects, status of progress and project specific fund utilization in
the portal. TRI portals should be enriched with quality information, quality data,
success stories etc. TRIs should undertake mapping of assets created for STs and
ST development. TRIs need to increase the number of experts in various fields, and
various workshops should be conduct for interactions with the local Tribes.
5. Autonomy and functional freedom: TRIs
are not provided full autonomy and functional freedom from the State governments,
there should be full autonomy given to the TRIs to conduct research and training.
6. Training of the faculty and staff of TRI’s: There
should be proper training of the faculty and staff of TRIs in research methodology,
techniques of impact evaluation and use of longitudinal data, in consultation with
other reputed national level institutes having strong capacity & expertise to
undertake survey work at the national and subnational level. All these research
trainings should be done by expert personnel.
7. Quality Evidence Based Research: The
purpose of undertaking research by TRIs should not only be to assess the problems but also to find suggested
solutions to be considered for implementation in the interest of STs. The TRIs should
come out with some best practices which can be showcased and replicated by others.
TRIs to take outcome-based research projects, where outcome can be measured at the
end of the projects. Such projects can be in the priority areas of Entrepreneurship
Development, Education, , Livelihood, , Water Conservation; Health Cow based Organic
Farming, Preservation of Art and Culture, Tribal Migration, Development of model
Atma Nirbhar village, Model districts and Digitalisation etc.
8. The TRIs should be associated with reputed organisations with domain knowledge
and expertise based on the nature and specific requirements of projects. TRIs should
also undertake Action Research projects in these fields. TRIs can collaborate with
such CoEs to build their strength by utilizing their domain expertise based on the
requirements. Further, the tribal research scholars who are receiving scholarship
from Ministry for doing PhD should be associated with such research projects. TRIs
should review the research studies involving external experts on completed studies
of State/ National importance.
9. Research and Publications: Research publications of TRIs must
be standardized. Some of their publications are monographs series, special publications,
etc. There are only a few TRIs who are publishing their research work in peer-reviewed
journals. Guidelines and publication rules should be developed for the TRIs. As
far as possible, reports, research papers, and other books may be published in e-book
form. Hard copies may be published in limited quantity.
10. Preservation of Cultural heritage: It
is expected TRIs to play a significant role in preservation, promotion and protection
of cultural heritage of tribals. The TRIs may prepare calendar of events like tribal
festivals, exhibitions, sports events, dance & music competitions (physical
or virtual), painting competition, workshops, seminars, exchange visits and other
such programs to be conducted by them during the year and seek specific funds under
the scheme. Domain expertise and strength of these organizations can be suitably
tapped for organizing such events. Tribal Research Institutes have to do much in
promoting art, custom & culture and in providing policy inputs to state governments.
Also, the TRIs should collaborate focusing on the betterment of the most socially
backward and economically disadvantaged groups of India. Since their establishment,
they have been functioning in isolation to each other.
11. Tribal Museum: Countless tribal artifacts are housed
in the museum; most of them reflect tribal culture and models. Even though museums
are an integral part of some institutes, the popularity of the museums is minimal.
So, there is a need to check the reach of these tribal museums.
12. Ranking of Tribal Research Institute: Ranking
of Tribal Research Institute based on their infrastructure, administration, skilled
human resources, training and capacity building, research and publication, collaboration
with other institutes and practices in various fields i.e., research & evaluation,
development activities (FRA, Health, Education, PESA) is not done as of now, so
there is need to develop a ranking index for the TRIs.
Tribal Research Institutes must be revamped and empowered
since the majority of them are unable to achieve their goals as a result of limited
support on the part of the corresponding State Governments and ineffective operations
(Planning Commission, 2001). These institutions must step up and expand their training
and research endeavours (HLC, 2013). Tribal research organizations must conduct
studies, research, and documentation in order to give state governments planning
input. They must also conduct seminars, and workshop, training,
record customary laws, establish tribal museums to display tribal artifacts,
and engage in other related activities. Both financial and human resource issues
constrain the majority of Tribal research institutes. Due to the fiscal restraint,
recruitments for open positions have been put on hold in many states, neglecting
tribal research institutions in the process. These institutions need to expand and
strengthen their research and training efforts (HLC,2013). There is a need of tapping
the full potentials of TRIs. By sharing best practices, fostering collaboration,
and developing strategy with action plan, the TRIs may create a more efficient and unified approach,
ultimately optimizing their contributions to tribal development. Furthermore, it
offers a platform for policy and strategy development and efficient resource allocation,
emphasizing a holistic approach to fortify these crucial research institutions.
Annexure-1
Table 1: General profile of Tribal Research Institutes in India
References
1. Report
of the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission. 1960-61.
https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10973/52579
2. Report
of the study team on Tribal Development Programmes All-India.
(1969). https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10973/51406
3. Report
of the steering committee on empowerment of the scheduled castes, other backward
classes and minorities for the tenth five year plan (2002-2007) Planning
Commission
4. Planning
Commission. (2013). Twelfth five-year plan: Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable
Growth. Planning Commission.
https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-08/12fyp_vol1.pdf
5. William
Wordsworth, A.P., Kumar, Y. (2018). Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) Revisited:
An Outcome Perspective Analysis. In: NILERD (eds) Reflecting on India’s Development.
Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1414-8_10
6. Evaluation
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Council of Applied Economics Research (NCAER), 2011.
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Communities of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, May, 2014.
8. Menon,
Ajit & Bijoy, C R. (2014). The Limits to Law, Democracy and Governance, YOJANA,
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https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132798
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