Background and Objectives of the Seminar

According to 2011 Census, India has 104 million Tribal populations, which is around 8.6% of total population. Tribal population is majorly found in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal and some North-Eastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Health and educational facilities have not reached the Tribal areas fully due to geographical and cultural reasons, which create barriers to get proper health care and education. The encroachments of forest areas due to developmental activities are slowly depriving their economic advantages of using forest. The Constitutional provisions have always secured the rights of Tribals in India through reservation and other provisions. Article 16(4) of Indian Constitution empowers the state to make reservation for backward class of citizens, which includes Tribals. Through Article 330 and 332, Government of India have reserved seats in Lok Shaba and State Legislative Assemblies for their political participation. Article 19(5) protects the civil and domicile rights of Tribals in any part of the country. Article 46 directs state to positively discriminate for the welfare of weaker section, in particular Scheduled Caste and Tribes to protect them from exploitation.

Article 275(1) provides grant-in-aid for approved Tribal Welfare Schemes. Article 338 of The Constitution of India grants the right to appoint a Commissioner to look after welfare activities of tribes. The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 or PESA was enacted by the Government of India for ensuring self-governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India. In this direction, the Government of India passed the Forest Rights Act, 2006 to protect the rights of Tribals in forest area. The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, was enacted in 1989 to prevent atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, being home for many endangered tribes, drew the attention of the Government of India immediately after independence for their protection. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956 was intended to protect the interests of socially and economically backward aboriginal tribes, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Tribal Councils) Regulation, 2009 provides greater autonomy for the Nicobari Scheduled Tribes to manage their affairs through councils. The JARWA Policy of 2004 protects the Jarwa tribes from outside interference and preserves their social organisation, mode of subsistence and cultural identity. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation, 2012 safeguards and protects the endangered tribes from extinct by protecting their interests.

The present seminar is an attempt to critically evaluate the status of Tribals through inter-disciplinary approach using perspectives from Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics and Law to identify and understand the grey areas in Tribal research and to suggest legal and policy measures for Tribal welfare. Such critical academic endeavour, involving academicians, policy makers and practitioners will widen the research scope of Tribal discourse contributing towards Tribal development and empowerment.