Does India’s tribal development policy reflect the aspirations for a socially grounded and equity-based…

Question

Does India’s tribal development policy reflect the aspirations for a socially grounded and equity-based governance ? Justify your answer.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

India's tribal development policy reflects socially grounded and equity-based governance only partly: PESA, the Forest Rights Act and PM-JANMAN embody it on paper. In practice over a third of FRA claims are rejected and tribals bear a disproportionate share of project displacement.

**Introduction**

Scheduled Tribes form 8.6% of India's population (Census 2011), and the Constitution promises them self-rule through the Fifth and Sixth Schedules and equity through Article 46. Nehru's Panchsheel (1959) sought development along their own genius.

**Where Policy Reflects Grounded and Equitable Governance**

1. **Self-rule in law**: PESA (1996) makes the gram sabha competent to protect customs, community resources and minor forest produce.
2. **Forest rights**: The Forest Rights Act (2006) restores community rights; in the Niyamgiri case (2013) Dongria Kondh gram sabhas rejected bauxite mining.
3. **Equity in budgets**: The Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes obliges central ministries to earmark a share of their outlays for Scheduled Tribes.
4. **Most excluded first**: PM-JANMAN (2023) saturates 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups with housing, roads and water, and Eklavya schools extend education.

**Where Practice Falls Short**

SKETCH: spectrum | Where Tribal Policy Sits
left: Isolation
right: Assimilation
- Elwin's protection
- PESA and FRA
- Nehru's Panchsheel
- Saturation schemes
- Project displacement

1. **Delayed self-rule**: States took decades to frame PESA rules, and departments still override gram sabha consent.
2. **Rights denied**: Ministry of Tribal Affairs data show over a third of FRA claims rejected.
3. **Displacement**: The Xaxa Committee (2014) found tribals bearing a disproportionate share of project displacement, as the Great Nicobar project now threatens the Shompen.
4. **Top-down delivery**: Schemes are designed far from the village, and Adi Karmayogi (2025) has only begun training tribal-responsive local cadres.

**Conclusion**

Tribal policy reflects these aspirations only partly: grounded and equitable on paper, hollowed out by extraction-led development and weak enforcement. Honouring gram sabha consent and FRA titles is the way to make Panchsheel a governance reality.

Does India’s tribal development policy reflect the aspirations for a socially grounded and equity-based governance ? Justify your answer.

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