Economic
Highlights
New Delhi, 11 June 2013
Development Needs Re-definition
AUTONOMY MUST FOR TRIBALS
By
Shivaji Sarkar
Three years ago
then Union Home Minister Chidambaram set a two-three years deadline for
solving/eliminating Naxalites. His answer: Heavy police action. Soon after, 76
CRPF men were killed by the Maoists in jungles bordering Orissa and Jharkhand.
The killings continue today.
During
2010-12 over 2030 people were killed, up from 1600 in 2009, despite that the
number of Central forces and expenses have more than doubled. Undoubtedly, police
action is not a paying proposition.
The latest
attack on Chhattisgarh’s Congress leaders speaks of the Naxals strength along-with
their liaison with some leaders. Preliminary investigations reveal that intra-Party
rivalry led to the Naxalites being used.
This is
nothing new. Some years ago an Andhra Pradesh Party had an alliance with Naxal
groups which paid dividends with the Party winning a massive majority. But Naxal
activities expanded there and neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Orissa. In West Bengal too it supported Mamata’s Trinamool whereby
it won most of Jhargram’s seats.
True, Naxalism
might be linked to development but growth is not the Maoists agenda as they
reap benefit because of under-development. Also, it has become a political
issue leading to a crisis owing to the Government’s failure to address the
local populace’s real issues of livelihood and deprivation.
Last month,
Union Tribal Minister Kishore Chandra Deo underscored blatant violation of the Constitution’s Article 244, Schedules 5 and
6: To protect the tribal’s rights and protect the rights of other ethnic groups
in the North-East. These led to tribals being denied forest land rights
including their dwelling units leading to severe discontent and alienation.
Importantly,
the Schedules vests Governors with unbridled and unfettered independent
legislative authority. Whereby, via a notification he can direct that an Act shall
not apply to Scheduled or other areas in the State and repeal or amend any Parliament
or Assembly Act or existing law in Scheduled areas, when good governance or
peace is disturbed due to land or money-lending issues.
This apart, there are simpler solutions which are not being adhered to.
Recently the Supreme Court upheld the primacy of Gram Sabha and amended forest
rights rules which came into force from last September. Stating, the Fifth
Schedule’s object is to preserve tribal autonomy, their cultures and economic
empowerment to ensure social, economic and political justice for the
preservation of peace and good governance in Scheduled areas.
Pertinently,
the Centre-appointed the Bhuria Committee to recommend whether the Panchayat
Raj system could be extended to Scheduled areas favoured democratic
decentralization in 1995. Based on this report, the Panchayat (Extension to
Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, was enacted.
Yet, neither
the Centre nor State Governments are adhering to basic tribals’ welfare.
Forgetting that forests belong to them, not even to State Government’s which
continue to deprive the poor tribals’. Worse, State corporations and societies
registered under the Companies Act too are blatantly usurping tribal land
overlooking that just being State entities does not give them unfettered
rights.
Thus,
various MoUs signed by Central and State Governments, be it Orissa, Andhra,
Chhattisgarh or West Bengal to allow bauxite, iron ore or other minerals mining
are unconstitutional. They also have no right to lease out land belonging to
tribals to private corporates.
Alas, State bodies
are circumventing Constitutional provisions through disinvestment,
notwithstanding the Union Cabinet’s approval. These decisions are ultra vires.
Undoubtedly,
mining activities are ecological disasters. Not only does the local populace
suffer humiliation by being uprooted from their homes but also deprives them of
sustainable livelihood, compromises other rights and turns them into refugees
and destitutes. Certainly, it is not development when tribals are deprived of
their livelihood and denied jobs to increase profits of some entities.
Tragically,
Naxalism growth since the mid-1960s is commensurate with the blatant corporatisation
of tribal land. Wherein, in some pockets these corporates use the Red Brigade
when it suits them to further their causes.
Undeniably,
the definition of development by a State per se needs to be rejected as the unrest
in most tribal areas is linked to their uprooting. If they are being forcefully
evicted from their homeland and forest to which they are tremendous emotionally
attached as it sustains their livelihood, a violent backlash is expected.
True, through
its Bharat Nirman campaign the
Government is busy proclaiming that tremendous development is taking place. The
reality is the opposite. Already, two Central initiatives to push
development in Maoist-affected areas are in trouble.
The Government has
slashed funds for the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) and road connectivity
project in Naxal-affected districts to provide basic infrastructure facilities
to poor tribals and villagers. The Road Transport Ministry has earmarked only Rs
5400 crore for roads in Red terror districts against the required Rs 16,000 crore.
In addition, the
Centre has earmarked just Rs. 1,000 crore for targeted development in Naxal
districts, less than half of the Rs. 2,400 crore that is released annually to
82 districts under the IAP. There is no “nirman”
or at best truncated activities in these areas.
More than
development tribals need jobs. There are hardly any. Sadly, sitting in the
comfortable offices in Delhi, none realise the problems of people living in
remote inaccessible areas. Centralised planning and procedures of allocation
has become an instance of non-governance.
Notably, the Planning
Commission needs to be decentralised. There should be separate Planning
Commissions for these remote areas sans elite bureaucrats. Discussions should
take place with States’ people about what they need in different regions.
Significantly, the
Maoists have utilised the system better. They have local level committees to
induct villagers and create a sense of hostility against the nation. Add to
this, bureaucratic response has been timid and hackneyed.
Clearly, the
nation needs to solve Maoism. Towards that end it must take governance to
remote areas wherein development has to be needs based. It also has to ensure
that the local people culture and tribal autonomy is preserved. Remember, large
corporate investments only create islands of discontent.
True, development
is not the panacea. Punjab was the most developed State when terrorism started
there during the eighties. Therefore, the quality and type of development would
decide the well-being of the people and growth of the nation.
In sum, the Naxal
problem needs intricate ‘out-of-the-box’ solution. Neither police action can
solve it nor an overdose of corporate investment. The Government along-with the
locals needs to come up with a novel, humane approach to integrate the Adivasis. ----- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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