Tribals Meet, Who Cares
300 tribal organisations, under the banner of Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples met in New Delhi for three days, lead by Dr. Ram Dayal Munda, the Congress member of NAC and Mr. Kanti Lal Bhuria, the Minister of Tribal Affairs. The news was covered only by the Tribune (April 2).
THE meeting concluded that tribal leaders across the country are worried about extremism, conflicts, human rights violations and large-scale migration in the tribal belt of the country. The meeting also debated on the dispossession of life supporting resources - land. forest, water and culture - in the name of public interest and aggressive national development policies in the form of mining, industry, power plants, big dams, wildlife sanctuaries and military installations.
DOES it make any sense? The discussions go on and on but nothing concrete happens. Does not the minister know the root cause of tribal problems? The government is simply not interested in tribal development as tribals do not form pressure groups. Their votes can be assured by simple promises. They can be lured easily.
ALMOST two decades ago, the last Commissioner for SCs and STs, Dr. B.D. Sharma in his 29th Report as Commissioner had, through analysis of facts, clearly implicated the government including the President and the Governors. Despite given immense powers by the Constitution, the President and Governors did precisely nothing to improve the lot of tribals, particularly in Scheduled Areas. Mungekar Committee of Planning Commission, in its report in 2008 also blamed the governors and pointed out that no steps were initiated by the government with respect to the concerns raised by Governors. N.C. Saxena Committee, investigating the issue of mining in Odisha in Oct. 2010 put the blame on the ministries of tribal affairs, rural development and environment & forests for tribals' plight.
THE Home Minister, a couple of months ago accepted the responsibility for disillusionment of tribals from the government and emergence of Maoists in tribal belt.
Despite all this blame game, the government has not come up with concrete steps to help tribals in protecting their traditional rights. Such meetings cannot conceal the true colours of tribal development.
THE truth is further enforced by P.S. Krishnan in Frontline (April 8) as he has meticulously analised the fund allocation in the Budget 2011. Towards the end of Sixth Plan it was decided that money allocated for tribal development in the budget shall be in proportion of the tribal population, i. e. about 8.2%. But in this Budget, there is a gap of Rs. 18,835 crores. This deficit in the spending has been on the rise since Tenth Plan but none in the government or the opposition is concerned. During the last several years, while most other ministries have overspent their budget as shown in the RE (revised estimates), the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has failed to spend even the original budget so much so that in the last financial year, i.e. the Ministry spent only just more than 65% of the budget earmarked for it.
Why the Ministry for Tribal Affairs is silent?
THE meeting concluded that tribal leaders across the country are worried about extremism, conflicts, human rights violations and large-scale migration in the tribal belt of the country. The meeting also debated on the dispossession of life supporting resources - land. forest, water and culture - in the name of public interest and aggressive national development policies in the form of mining, industry, power plants, big dams, wildlife sanctuaries and military installations.
DOES it make any sense? The discussions go on and on but nothing concrete happens. Does not the minister know the root cause of tribal problems? The government is simply not interested in tribal development as tribals do not form pressure groups. Their votes can be assured by simple promises. They can be lured easily.
ALMOST two decades ago, the last Commissioner for SCs and STs, Dr. B.D. Sharma in his 29th Report as Commissioner had, through analysis of facts, clearly implicated the government including the President and the Governors. Despite given immense powers by the Constitution, the President and Governors did precisely nothing to improve the lot of tribals, particularly in Scheduled Areas. Mungekar Committee of Planning Commission, in its report in 2008 also blamed the governors and pointed out that no steps were initiated by the government with respect to the concerns raised by Governors. N.C. Saxena Committee, investigating the issue of mining in Odisha in Oct. 2010 put the blame on the ministries of tribal affairs, rural development and environment & forests for tribals' plight.
THE Home Minister, a couple of months ago accepted the responsibility for disillusionment of tribals from the government and emergence of Maoists in tribal belt.
Despite all this blame game, the government has not come up with concrete steps to help tribals in protecting their traditional rights. Such meetings cannot conceal the true colours of tribal development.
THE truth is further enforced by P.S. Krishnan in Frontline (April 8) as he has meticulously analised the fund allocation in the Budget 2011. Towards the end of Sixth Plan it was decided that money allocated for tribal development in the budget shall be in proportion of the tribal population, i. e. about 8.2%. But in this Budget, there is a gap of Rs. 18,835 crores. This deficit in the spending has been on the rise since Tenth Plan but none in the government or the opposition is concerned. During the last several years, while most other ministries have overspent their budget as shown in the RE (revised estimates), the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has failed to spend even the original budget so much so that in the last financial year, i.e. the Ministry spent only just more than 65% of the budget earmarked for it.
Why the Ministry for Tribal Affairs is silent?
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