Manoj H P (15EE01014) Ashok Nehra (15EE01030) Introduction:
• India has an admixture of 437 tribes. Tribes of Odisha comprise a
great diversity with unique and vibrant socio-cultural life. In India, Odisha (Orissa) has the largest number of tribes, as many as 62 Tribes. • According 2011 census, Tribes that constitute an impressive 23 percent of the total population of the state. • Tribal economy is subsistence oriented. Their substance economy mostly based on Collecting, hunting and fishing for food. They do often plough some land and raise crops. They use very simple technology with a very simple division of labour, its often limited to family’s own use. Issues Faced By Tribal People: • Social exclusion Exclusion issues in India are gaining more relevance by the day. A large majority of people are yet to enjoy the benefits of development and still remain excluded. Social exclusion has got at its centre the idea that some individuals are outside the society in one way or the other. The practices of tribes also alienate them from general population. • Poverty and Indebtedness Majority tribes live under poverty line. The tribes follow many simple occupations based on simple technology. The primary occupations are hunting, gathering, and agriculture using most primitive technology. There is no profit and surplus making in such economy. Hence their per capita income is very meagre, much less than the Indian average. Banking facilities in the tribal areas are so inadequate that the tribals have been forced to rely on moneylenders • Education Earlier Government had no direct programme for their education. But in the subsequent years the reservation policy has brought about some changes. Most tribes live in abject poverty. It is not easy for them to send their children to schools, as they are considered extra helping hands Most of the tribes are located in interior and remote areas where teachers would not like to go from outside. Health and Nutrition
• Lack of Access to variety of vitamin-rich foods are having a negative
impact on tribal health. The Tribal population suffers from chronic infections and diseases out of which water borne diseases are life threatening. They also suffer from deficiency other diseases. Infant mortality was found to be very high among some of the tribes. Malnutrition is common and has affected the general health of the tribal children as it lowers the ability to resist infection, leads to chronic illness and sometimes leads to brain impairment. Concept of Private Property Land as a prime resource has been a source of problem in tribal life because of two related reasons first, Dependency, i.e. tribal dependency on land and second, improper planning from government agencies The Rules of the government which supports the concept of private property in land has also adversely affected tribals whose community-based forms of collective ownership was placed at a disadvantage in the new system. Cultural Problems Due to contact with other cultures, the tribal culture is undergoing a revolutionary change. It has led to degeneration of tribal life and tribal arts such as dance, music and different types of craft. Remedial Solutions 1. Health Services • The importance of making health service facilities available at micro level with more emphasis on tribal. As a result the health issues are dealt by clubbing them together with nutrition, sanitation, family planning, health education, awareness generation etc. The village community health workers chosen by village people it now follows a decentralised agenda. • Access to supplementary source of vitamins and nutrient will go long way in combating Malnutrients and vitamin-deficiency based diseases. • Assimilation- Assimilation is one of the ways of dealing with the tribal problems. • Thus, according to this approach, we cannot deal with tribal problems on the basis of tribal culture and life but by changing them into the frame of new community. • According to this solution advocated by the social reformers and voluntary organizations, assisting and encouraging the tribals to assimilate them with the mainstream of national life, can alone permanently solve the tribal problems. • This approach has its own limitations . • Complete assimilation is a difficult task. The tribal are not prepared to give up all of their traditional tribal beliefs, practices and ideas. Any attempt to impose the external cultural practices on them, creates in them guilt feelings, confusions and mental conflicts. • This solution may even create economic, religious and moral degradation among them. 3. Education:
• The capacity building initiatives quite clearly must involve a high
emphasis on the education sector, i.e. education for tribals to gain the power and self reliance and to cope with and transform their material reality. The universalization of primary education in India since 1950 is emphasised but yet remained underperformed. • In recent decade a number of incentives are provided, e.g. Sarva Siksha Mission in 2003 – providing elementary education to all children in the age group of 6 – 14 by the year 2010. Mid day meal scheme 2001, which gives a mid day meal to school going children that dramatically increased the enrolment rate. • Land alienation within tribes is a serious problem. • A special protection should be provided for the local tribes by a process of categorization of tribes both for the purpose of preventing land alienation from lesser-developed tribes, and for a more equal distribution of reservations and other constitutional provisions.