8% of people walking on the Indian soil
are tribals, i.e. over 8 crores Indians, leaving aside dalits and other
marginalized communities.. The common notion which non-tribals have about
tribals is that they are uncivilised, aboriginal, uneducated and living in
jungles. Anthropological sciences have categorised some people as aboriginals,
tribals, etc. In modern democracy, ST / SC categorisation makes some people
look different from the others. Every state in India has pockets of tribal
villages and population. In the year 2000, Government of India created two new
states, called as tribal states: Chattisgarh and Jarkhand. At the outset, one
key question that rises is: Is this a sign of empowerment be it politically,
culturally or otherwise to the tribals in India? North Eastern states have
unique number of tribal communities. Of course, Orissa, Bihar, U.P., M.P.,
Rajasthan, Maharashtra, A.P. and Gujarat have also large pockets of tribal
habitations. Andaman and Nicobar islands have rare and vast tribal dwellings.
In 2001, on the 54th Independence Day of India, we witnessed
gruesome images of starvation deaths in Orissa. Five and a half decades of
National Development has not reached these interior villages. It is clear that
we do not have a balanced National Tribal Development Policy and Practice.
Due to rural unemployment and under-employment, numerous tribals as
well as dalits are migrants to cities where they exist as rickshaw-pullers,
darwans, porters and perform menial jobs for survival. In most rural
conditions, the two key problems that Indian tribals face are: Indebtedness and
Land alienation. Illiteracy, Ill-health, Ill-economic structures are
the expressions of exploitation and drudgery of life the tribals experience.
The experience of tribal development in Chhota Nagpur area has shown
that education and legal empowerments can better the lives of the tribals who
experience abject poverty. Though most NGOs and other Development Organisations
do not take on board the formal education among tribals and others, as it is
the duty of the Governments to provide, education that provides socio-economic
cultural and political status remains the single long-standing developer and
changer of ethos in the lives of individuals, families and communities.
It was absolutely touching to see Guri Duggal, a woman from Kui tribe in Phulbani district, swell up with tears of
joy when she said: “for so many years, I have experienced only starvation,
beating from my drunken husband and hardship of walking endlessmiles in search
of firewood and food. Today, I cannot describe the joy I am feeling, the inner
freedom I experience, as member of this Self Help Group
!”. The resources of Caritas India are provided towards empowering such
individuals and communities who gradually become aware, take actions and
gradually decide for their own development as families and communities. >Our
Response and Positive Measures to assist the Tribal Communities in our
neighbourhoods, districts and in various states in enabling them and building
their capacities:
Community Level Awareness and Action:
Community level awareness about the tribal realities and their development
needs to restore human dignity among them.
Support Agricultural and Livelihood Programs to provide sustainable
life-support occupations and enterprises to the tribals in all the seasons
Promotion of Self-Help Programs among tribals as well as other economically
backward sections in your area
Water Shed Management , Social Forestry and other Bio-Diversity measures to
protect the natural resources
School / Institutional Level Awareness and Action:Education of
tribal children and the young to emerge higher in the social scale and enter
the mainstream of the society
Conscientize the concerned about the less privileged tribals and enable them to
acquire their rights so that thirst, hunger, starvation and death can be
prevented.
Concretely, the children and the young can be given education and exposure to
the realities of tribals so that everyone can express their human solidarity.
Guidelines and Questions for Discussion in Groups / Communities / Organisations
/ Gatherings of People:
1. What are the tribes and the size of the tribal population living in your
area? What problems of survival and human needs do they face?
2. What steps can you take to bring awareness to the others and what assistance
can you provide
3. What can you do advocate with other like-minded groups and organizations
about the issues affecting tribal communities and acquire constitutional rights
and provisions in favor of tribals?
4. Can many communities / institutions / organizations come together to do
advocacy on behalf of tribals and network to bring justice to the tribal
communities?
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