Well I was kind of in a dilemma too regarding the title of the post and ended up jazzing it a little.Scheduled Tribes of India a.k.a STs have been here for a while now and by a while I mean way before our ancestors i.e. the Aryans invaded Indian territories.But sadly their seclusion from the mainstream has not diluted till date.They have been isolated from all the progress and development we and our communities have witnessed.They still live in the dense flora of India surviving on subsistence pre-agriculture economy with bows,arrows and stones.
According to the Article 342 of our constitution, our President has the power to declare a community as ST.Though there is no constitutional definition or criteria, general conventions have developed mainly after the 1931 census.Indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture,geographical isolation, shyness of contact and backwardness being some of the general identifiers.The 2001 census puts the overall population of STs as 8.2% of the total population.Interestingly this is spread over 15% of our geographical area and ergo thinly populated.And maximum tribal population in my own state M.P.Although never came across anyone as I haven't been into the wild.
Although they are way behind the mainstream in all indicators, but they have a better sex ratio and child sex ratio as compared to the rest.Probably because they haven't reached the female foeticide stage.Ignorance can be a bliss !
Post independence a lot has been done for the STs. At least as far as amending the constitution is concerned.But then few tribal activists feel that we should not interfere into the lives of tribal people and they should be allowed to develop on the lines of their own genius.A brain teaser for the human rights activist.To help or to isolate.Some feel that if they are removed and brought to mainstream they will loose the long kept culture and would not cope up with the outside world.On the other hand the government has obligation for the promotion of their educational and economic interests as tribes are the weaker sections of the society.As stated in the Directive Principles of State Policy.
Lately we have seem many cases when the tribes opposed the development projects by the government in their lands.They apparently are happy with what they have and do not want interference.Rather than forcing developments on these people we should pass the dais for taking a call to them making them aware of the current scenario and the developments made by the world.They should be allowed to make an informed decision.Even though to us they are just Jhingalalas, but they are also humans.They are also the citizens of India.And they also enjoy Fundamental Rights.
According to the Article 342 of our constitution, our President has the power to declare a community as ST.Though there is no constitutional definition or criteria, general conventions have developed mainly after the 1931 census.Indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture,geographical isolation, shyness of contact and backwardness being some of the general identifiers.The 2001 census puts the overall population of STs as 8.2% of the total population.Interestingly this is spread over 15% of our geographical area and ergo thinly populated.And maximum tribal population in my own state M.P.Although never came across anyone as I haven't been into the wild.
Although they are way behind the mainstream in all indicators, but they have a better sex ratio and child sex ratio as compared to the rest.Probably because they haven't reached the female foeticide stage.Ignorance can be a bliss !
Post independence a lot has been done for the STs. At least as far as amending the constitution is concerned.But then few tribal activists feel that we should not interfere into the lives of tribal people and they should be allowed to develop on the lines of their own genius.A brain teaser for the human rights activist.To help or to isolate.Some feel that if they are removed and brought to mainstream they will loose the long kept culture and would not cope up with the outside world.On the other hand the government has obligation for the promotion of their educational and economic interests as tribes are the weaker sections of the society.As stated in the Directive Principles of State Policy.
Lately we have seem many cases when the tribes opposed the development projects by the government in their lands.They apparently are happy with what they have and do not want interference.Rather than forcing developments on these people we should pass the dais for taking a call to them making them aware of the current scenario and the developments made by the world.They should be allowed to make an informed decision.Even though to us they are just Jhingalalas, but they are also humans.They are also the citizens of India.And they also enjoy Fundamental Rights.
2 comments:
rightly said, government should work towards creating more awareness and fostering thought leadership among the tribals rather than deciding it for them.
Yes they are definitely a part of the society. However, as they are not aware of their rights, it is up to the mainstream leaders to make sure these jhingalalas are not devoid of their basic rights
Post a Comment