planning and regional development

7/27/2019 Planning and regional development

1/14

The State Cant See the People

for the Land and the Trees

The Unjust Adivasi

Predicament in

Independent India

In Search of a New

Direction

1anar-kali.blogspot.com

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html


2/14

Traditional Adivasi Character istics

Subsistence non-accumulativeeconomy

Living in small communities

tightly knit by kinship and labourpooling customs

Fierce defenders of theirresource bases which arecrucial to their livelihoods.

Non-literate song and dancebased culture

Patriarchal Social Structure



3/14

British Policy in Adivasi Areas

Creation of Forest Department -In search of timber needed for ships

and railway lines

Extension of settled agriculture to enhance land revenue -

Zamindari/Malguzari and Ryotwari land settlement.

Introduction of non-adivasi settler communities to facilitate the above

policies

Adivasis pushed out from plains areas into the upper watersheds and

hilly regions

Adivasis fought back valiantly against this injustice

Promotion of adivasi difference as a counter to the movement for

national independence



4/14

Post-independence Legal

FrameworkA Dicey Proposition

Constitution retainscolonial centralised structure of theGovt of India Act of 1935

Indian Forest Act, Land Acquisition Act, Indian PenalCode, Crim. Proc. Code retained

Fundamental Rights and enabling legal entitlements

have to be secured through expensive litigation

Provisions of Fifth Schedule not binding Provisions of Sixth Schedule clash with State Powers



5/14

The Constitution Within the

Constitution

Fifth ScheduleGovernor may on theadvice of the Tribal Advisory Council

prevent the application of general lawsto Scheduled Areas. Applicable innine states in the Eastern, Central,Western, Northern and Southern India.

Sixth ScheduleAutonomous DistrictCouncils with extensive fiscal andadministrative powers. Applicable inthe states of the Northeast.



6/14

Denial of Entitlements after

I ndependence

Zamindari/Ryotwari common lands taken over byFD but without following proper procedure.

Settlement in Princely States heavily dispossessedAdivasi communities. Problem of Forest Villages.

Encroachments into revenue common lands andforest lands and regularisation.

Displacement due to development projects

Mal-functioning of social and development sector



7/14

Developmental Mal-function

Introduction of Tribal Subplan in

1975 to target adivasis

Neglect of Dryland Agriculture in

the Upper Watersheds

Unsuitability of IRDP packages

Unsuitability of Education

Irrationality of Health Services

anar-kali.blogspot.com 7


8/14

Legal Wrangles

Denial of Basic LiberalDemocratic Rights

Non-implementation ofAtrocities Act, Usury Acts,Restoration of alienated land

provision.

Conflicting laws, policies, GRs,Court Judgments.

Legality of JFM GRs

Denial of Right to Livelihood



9/14

Other Socio-economic Dynamics

Adivasis considered asmenials by the OBCs andthe Upper Castes and thisgives strength to the Statesoppressive policies.

Globalisation has resulted inan increase in the value puton natural resources and soadivasi habitats are beingtargeted even more.



10/14

Repressive Whip, Cooptive Sop and

Adivasi Self-rule

Bhuria Committee Report andthe recommendation of 50%share for adivasis in

development projects PESA.

Confrontation in adivasi areas

Consequences of Maoist

Movement Influence of Money Power in

Elections

Decay of Traditional AdivasiCulture



11/14

Action Taken By Adivasi Mass

Organisations

Mass Action

Court Cases fought at the

local level

The Samatha Case

Intervention in the

Godavarman Case

Advocacy throughvarious national level

forums

Recognition of Adivasi

Rights Act



12/14

The Road Ahead

Positive integration into Modern Society,

Economy and Polity

Scope for Cultural RevivalAnarchism as a lifeline from the perils of Modern

Development

Opportunities for Research, Advocacy, Legal andMass Action



13/14

Readings

Achebe, C (1990): Things Fall Apart, Allied Publishers, New Delhi.

Banerjee, R (2008): The Decline and Fall of the Adivasi Homeland : A

Tale of Two Worlds, The India Economic Review, Vol. 5 No. 3

Banerjee, R (2005):Pillar to Post in Quest of Justice, Economic andPolitical Weekly, Vol. 40 No. 31

Breman, J (1985): Of Peasants, Migrants and Paupers: Rural Labour

Circulation and Capitalist Production in West India, Oxford

University Press, Delhi.

CSCST (The Comissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes,

GOI) (1990): Twentyninth Report, 1987-89, Govt. of India

Publications, New Delhi.

Hardin, G (1968): The Tragedy of the Commons, Science, No. 62.



14/14

Readings (cont.)

Mies, M (1999):Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale:

Women in the International Division of Labour,Zed Books, NY.

Rahul (1997b):Reasserting Ecological Ethics: Bhils' Struggles in

Alirajpur, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 32 No.3 Savyasachi (1999): Tribal Forest Dwellers and Self Rule: Constituent

Assembly Debates on Fifth and Sixth Schedules, Indian Social

Institute, Delhi.

Shah, M, Banerji, D, Vijayshankar, P S & Ambasta, P (1998):India's

Drylands: Tribal Societies and Development through EnvironmentalRegeneration, Oxford University Press, Delhi.

Sharma, B D (2001): Tribal Affairs in India: The Crucial Transition,

Sahayog Pustak Kutir Trust, Delhi.

Thoreau, H D (2000): Walden: Or Life in the Woods, Harper, NY.

anar-kali.blogspot.com 14

planning and regional development

Documents