As a country as whole, the tribal regions and thereby the tribal people are the poorest segment of our society.

The situation in Gujarat in respect of the tribal regions and tribal people is no way much different than the overall situation of the tribal regions and people in the whole country.

As per the census report 1991, the tribal population in Gujarat was around 15 % of the State population. This in itself is not a small percentage. The entire tribal population in Gujarat is concentrated in nine districts ranging from Ahwa (Dang) to Ambaji (Banaskantha), what is commonly described as Eastern belt of Gujarat (Purva Patti). However, the heavy concentration of the tribal population is in the districts Dahod, Dang, Narmada (carved from Bharuch), Surat, Valsad and Vadodara. Though the highest percentage of the tribal population is in district Dang, which is around 94 % (Census 1991), but, numerically, it is low in the sense the entire population of Dang in 1991 was only 1,44,000. Numerically and also percentage wise, district Dahod has very high tribal population in the form of around 73 % of the total population of the district coming around 16 lacs (Census 1991).

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS

Whenever the development issues of Gujarat vis-à-vis the present conditions are discussed, most of the time, the focus is on Kutch and Saurashtra regions, and thereby the development priorities are also directed towards these politically powerful and highly vocal regions. Admitably, these two regions have serious problems and their conditions demand special attentions. However, the fact has to be remembered that the poorest regions and people in Gujarat belong to the tribal regions. Apply any indicators and parameters and one finds that the tribal regions and people are the most backward in Gujarat. In the human development index, all the ten most backward talukas (at the bottom of the table) in Gujarat happen to be the tribal talukas (Hirway, 1999). This alarming situation should be enough for the State, its Planners and Politicians to accord highest priority to the tribal regions and tribal people so that these regions and people may go up the development ladder.

PARADOXICAL SITUATION

When we take into account the natural resources, particularly, in the form of land, including forest land and water, it is difficult to understand the backwardness of these tribal regions. With the available natural resources as above, these regions should not have been backward, and yet, they are the most backward. Who is responsible for such paradoxical situation ? Fate ? Irony ? Apathy of everyone ? I think, last one is more valid reason.

When we talk of apathy of the State or the Government, it is not that the efforts have not been made to improve the conditions of the tribals. Infact, there have been serious efforts to improve the conditions of the tribals and huge amount have been spent on such efforts all these years. However, the impact of such efforts and investments are not visible and most of the tribal regions, with some exceptions here and there, have remained more or less at the same level as they were few decades ago. The proof of this statement is, to repeat, in the fact that the 10 most backward talukas in the State are the tribals and other tribal talukas also fall in the bottom portion of the development ladder.

Our national picture, in which many of our well-planned and well-intentioned schemes have failed at the implementation level, is more true in case of the tribal regions. Look at various schemes and the investments in the tribal developments since the introduction of Tribal Sub Plan approach and one finds that the success rate between 25 - 50 % of any such schemes and investments would have made tremendous impact on the lives of the tribals. Even this much has not been achieved is the mockery of our tribal development programmes, particularly, their implementation.

WHAT IS THE REMEDY ?

Considering the overall situation in the tribal regions, so many things and so many programmes need to be taken up. However, I would emphasis on giving priority to certain sectors and focus our attention and efforts on these priority sectors if we want quick and tangible impact. This is not to suggest that other programmes should be ignored. What I want to re-emphasis is that if our efforts are well focussed on three sectors, water, land and education, there would be remarkable impact.

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

All our tribal regions have, in a normal year, reasonably good rainfall and all the regions have very intensive drainage network in the form of rivers and rivulets. Incidentally, the runoff is very high in all these regions. Therefore, the water resources development in the form of water harvesting and proper utilization of harvested water need to be given very high priority. There are several success stories, which indicate that on availability of irrigation, the conditions of the people get remarkably transformed. In district Dahod, there are several tribal villages where the seasonal migration was as high as between 50 - 70 % of the population, came down to less than 10 % on the availability of irrigation. The recent Gujarat pattern of tribal development does emphasis on water resources development. However, what is needed is not only high focus, but also a plan and provisions to optimize the development of water resources of good quality in ten years period. Beyond that period, the situation may be unmanageable for any remedial measures.

The development of water resources will logically result in the development of agriculture, horticulture, dairy and other ancillary activities related with the agriculture development. In the present day situation, on availability of irrigation, the horticulture activity on a meager half an acre of the land may prove extremely beneficial to the tribal family. This has been demonstrated successfully, by some NGOs working in the tribal regions.

PLANTATION ON THE PRIVATE AND GOVERNMENT LAND

The forestry / plantation on the Government wasteland, including the forest land and the private land has enormous potential in all our tribal regions. Barely, 100 years ago, all our tribal regions had dense forests on majority of the land, which was based on ideal land use pattern. This is to be restored to the extent possible in the present context.

There is more than 10 lac hectares of the forest land in our tribal regions. This source, if well managed, well protected, with proper sharing pattern for the tribal community alone can bring revolutionary impact on the lives of most of the tribal people around such forest lands. Dang, though a very small district, has more than 96 % of its total land as forest land. Next comes Dahod district, which has 25 % of the land under the Forest Department, but quantum wise it is more than 1,30,000 hectares, which is not only sizeable, but it can help majority of the tribal households in the district. What is more significant in all these tribal regions is that, atleast, 25 % of the privately owned land is suitable only for forestry. In some hilly regions even around 40 % of the privately owned land is worth forestry. Combining the available forest lands and other land worth forestry, it would be between 40 - 50 % of the total land of that specific region, which has potential for the plantation activity. One can imagine the benefit of the successful forestry plantation on around 26 lac hectares of the land in our tribal regions in Gujarat. If we are really serious for the development of these tribal regions, we do not have any other choice than the development of forestry on such suitable land. I leave it to the economists to calculate the economic benefits of such activity at such a scale. I can only substantiate with our experience that on the development of forestry on the suitable private land, the tribal families could be successful in coping with any exigencies, including coping with the drought situation. If each tribal household has a wood lot of 500 - 1,000 trees, it would be handy to meet any exigency. My Organization has successfully demonstrated this approach, covering around 40,000 tribal families, having their own private wood lot, the assets of which are valued at Rs. 300 crores at present.

In recent years, the tribal regions have witnessed very heavy degradation of its land, both forests and non-forests. If this process is not arrested by suitable and prompt measures, like the development of water resources and the plantations, our tribal regions have potential to become deserts, much faster than one can imagine.

EDUCATION

My third priority area is education.

On paper there are adequate numbers of schools, atleast primary schools, including Ashram Shallas in all our tribal regions. Yet, the literacy rate in most of the tribal regions is lowest in the State. Apart from this poor literacy rate and abnormally heavy drop outs, the most serious issue is the quality of education in the tribal regions. One wonders how our tribal boys and girls would compete with the world in this liberalization and globalization age, with the existing quality of education. I think, this is an area on which the tribal leaders should ask themselves whether they are happy with the quality of education for their boys and girls ? If not, what are the remedies ? There is no future for our tribal boys and girls unless relevant and quality education is given to them. The curriculum needs to be reviewed in light of the market needs and the teachers involved in imparting the education need to be inculcated with missionary zeal. Any compromise on these two aspects will close the doors of career development for our tribal boys and girls. The author of this paper has knowledge of some so-called model schools - Adarsh Shallas in the tribal areas, which have zero result in the secondary school examination. One generation of dedicated teachers can transform the quality of education among the tribal dominated schools and colleges. To ignore this need may cost the tribals very heavily, and would widen the gap further between the progressive communities and the tribal community.

It is a fact that the education standard everywhere in our country and State has deteriorated. However, the urban, semi-urban, upper class, middle class and even lower middle class people of other communities support their children with private tuitions and coaching classes. The poor, particularly, the tribal parents, cannot afford this luxury of private tuitions and coaching classes, as these parents themselves struggle for their very existence. As a result, the children of poor families, in this case the tribal families will always be at the receiving end unless the quality of education imparted in their schools improves significantly.

It is usually observed that the tribal students are very poor in languages, science and mathematics. This scenario, if continues, will cost very heavily to the tribal students. The special efforts are needed to equip tribal students in above three most important subjects.

With all probability, the future job market will be dominated by information technology and service sector. Our tribal boys and girls need to be equipped for this emerging market needs.

The special feature of Gujarat’s all-round progress revolves around business and enterprising qualities of its people. The tribal boys and girls need to be equipped to join these main stream qualities of Gujaratis, as the dependence on the Government jobs will lead to uncertain future for most of the educated tribal boys and girls.

In conclusion, the development of extremely backward tribal regions requires holistic approach in which, all types of activities need to be incorporated and integrated. But, a strong focus on above three sectors is very vital for the tribal regions, if we want to witness fast and tangible progress in our tribal regions by 2010 and beyond.

20.01.2001