Preserving Tribal Culture

Why in the News?

The Odisha government’s Special Development Councils Model has achieved significant progress towards achieving Preservation of Tribal Culture.

The Special Development Councils (SDCs) of Odisha:

1. It was introduced in 2017 to preserve the culture and heritage along with economic development of 62 tribal groups in the state including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
2. It is a fully State funded initiative for a period of five years.
3. Initiatives taken:
4. 1. 21 Tribal proficiency centres were established to use and propagate the 22 diverse tribal languages in the state by educating the frontline workers- ASHA workers and other non-Odia speakers about tribal language and dialects.
   2. Conservation of ~4500 sacred groves in the villages that stands as a testament to tribal beliefs of Gods inhabiting the trees. Strict orders restricting resource extraction are also been implemented.
   3. Artisan ID cards have been issued to ~40000 tribal artisans by simultaneously preserving their culture and ensuring employment opportunities.
   4. 50 Tribal Resource Centres have been established to enable efficient transfer of knowledge among the tribal population.

          4. Evaluation of the initiative:

1. 1. The Council has complete autonomy over the utilisation of funds, thereby quicker and practical decision-making processes have become possible.
   2. The composition of the SDC has been truly representative by constituting an inclusive membership,
      1. The chairman – Eminent Tribal person from the local community.
      2. The chairperson and Vice-chairperson – one among the two shall be a woman.
      3. Other members- members from various tribal groups nominated by the government.
   3. Shift from One-Size-fits-all approach to specificity approach, thus being a model for culture-sensitive and culture-inclusive economic development.

About:

Who are Tribes?

• International Labour Organisation: Indigenous and tribal peoples are those peoples “whose social, cultural and economic conditions distinguish them from other sections of the national community, and whose status is regulated wholly or partially by their own customs or traditions or by special laws or regulations”
• Indian Constitution Definition:
• • Article 366: Scheduled Tribes as those communities, who are scheduled in accordance with Article 342 of the Constitution.
  • Article 342: Only those communities who have been declared as such by the President through an initial public notification or through a subsequent amending Act of Parliament will be considered to be Scheduled Tribes.
• Lokur Committee: Essential characteristics for a community to be identified as a Scheduled Tribe,
  • a) indications of primitive traits
  • b) distinctive culture
  • c) shyness of contact with the community at large
  • d) geographical isolation
  • e) backwardness

How is the distribution of Tribes in India?

1. 2011 Census: The tribal population of the country is 10.43 crore, constituting 8.6% of the total population.
2. 89.97% of them live in rural areas and 10.03% in urban areas.
3. Decadal population growth rate: 23% from census 2001 to 2011.
4. The sex ratio for the overall population is 940 females per 1000 males and that of Scheduled Tribes 990 females per thousand males.
5. The tribes are scattered in all States and Union Territories in India except states of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Chandigarh.
6. STs inhabit two distinct geographical area:
   • 1. Central India More than half of the Scheduled Tribe population is concentrated in Central India,

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                            b. North-Eastern Area.

      7. Mizoram has the highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes (94.43) and Uttar Pradesh has the lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes (0.57)

What are the contributions of Tribal groups?

1. preserving water, forests and land
2. tribal community has been reduced to a minority in their own state.
3. Tribal areas have been neglected when it comes to development in the education and health sectors

What are the issues faced by Tribal groups in India?

1. Encroachment of tribal land, water, forest leading to land alienation.
2. Access to health facilities is low leading to life expectancies among tribals way lower than the mainstream population.
3. Education, employment opportunities are bleak.
4. Vulnerable to abuse, violation and crime against STs on the rise.
5. Domestic violence against ST women is also a common issue.
6. STs are considered lowest in the hierarchy of social order and are therefore treated as impure or unclean and are socially distanced and living outside the mainstream Hindu society.
7. Displacements induced by development activities such as construction of industries, mining, wild life sanctuaries, parks, etc.,
8. Threat to the existence and continuance of tribal language and culture.

For instance, schooling and employment demanding the knowledge of English, the new generation tribes overlook the importance of their own language and culture.

What are measures taken so far?

1. Fifth Schedule in the Constitution of India
   • • Deals with the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in any state except the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
2. The Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (or PESA), 1996
   • • Enacted on the recommendations of Bhuria Committee Report, 1995.
     • Applicable to Scheduled areas to guarantee self-governance through Gram Sabhas.
     • The Gram Sabha shall have the authority to approve plans and programmes related to:
       1. Social and economic development
       2. certifying utilization of funds by gram Panchayats,
       3. identification of beneficiaries under poverty alleviation programs
       4. protect natural resources, including minor forest produce
       5. Gram Sabha is to be consulted before land acquisition.
     • Ten states- Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana- have declared Fifth Schedule areas.

3. Forest Rights Act/ Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act:
   • • Powers conferred to Gram Sabha: Authority to grant rights to the marginally and tribal communities after assessment of the extent of their needs from forest lands.
     • The Act recognizes and vest the forest rights and occupation in Forest land in Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) who have been residing in such forests for generations.
     • The act identifies four types of rights:
       1. Title rights – ownership of land to tribals or forest dwellers up to a maximum of 4 hectares of land.
       2. Use rights – rights of forest dwellers for extraction of minor forest produce.
       3. Relief and development rights- rehabilitate in case of illegal eviction or forced displacement
       4. Forest management rights- right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource for its conservation and sustainable use.