Tribal development remains poor: Tribal Ministry report

December 28, 2016

According to recently released annual report of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the tribal population in India lags behind other social groups on various social parameters.
The tribal population lags in parameters such as child mortality and infant mortality and women’s health, education, poverty etc.

Key Highlights of report

Vast majority of tribal population is engaged in agricultural labour. It has the largest number of anaemic women.
Mortality rates: The community also has registered the highest child mortality and infant mortality rates compared to other social groups.
Education: The gross enrolment ratio (GER) among tribal students in the primary school level has declined from 113.2 in 2013-14 to 109.4 in 2015-16. Besides, dropout rate among tribal students is alarming.
Poverty: The overall poverty rates among the tribal population have fallen compared to previous years. They remain relatively poor when weighed against other social groups.
Health infrastructure: It has also been found wanting in tribal areas. There is a shortfall of 6,796 sub-centres, 1,267 primary health centres (PHCs) and 309 community health centres (CHCs) in the tribal areas at an all-India level as on March 31, 2015.
Gaps in rehabilitation: There are gaps in the rehabilitation of the tribal community members displaced by development projects.
Only 21 lakh tribal community members have been rehabilitated so far of the estimated 85 lakh persons displaced due to development projects and natural calamities.