RESOURCE RICH TRIBAL POOR Displacing people, destroying identity in India’s indigenous heartland A Report by ActionAid India ActionAid R-7 Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi 110 016 Indian Social Institute (New Delhi) www.actionaidindia.org LAYA RESOURCE RICH TRIBAL POOR Displacing people, destroying identity in India’s indigenous heartland A Report by ActionAid Indian Social Institute (New Delhi) LAYA Resource Rich Tribal Poor All rights are reserved. The document may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The analysis and policy recommendations of this Report do not necessarily represent the views of ActionAid India. Copyright © ActionAid 2008 Research conducted in 2007 Report published in 2008 Designed and Printed by: New Concept Information Systems Pvt. Ltd. Email:
[email protected] Foreword Even after six decades of national reconstruction process by way of agricultural, industrial, mineral, infrastructural and other related developments, India still suffers from low level of development and poor quality of life of its population. Incidence of poverty, malnutrition, morbidity and mortality, and non-literacy are still high among them. Much of these are attributed to slow and low pace of development, and rapid and accelerated pace is seen as a way out. It is however, doubtful if development as has been pursued in the last sixty years of independent India, offers the solution. If it did, tribal India would have been much better placed today than it had been in the past. After all, much of the development projects that India has witnessed in post-independent era have taken place in tribal regions, especially in regions adjoining the States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.