Status of Adivasi Livelihoods Report, Jharkhand and Odisha
As the original inhabitants of this land, the ones who came here before all of us, we might expect the Adivasis to be leading the most privileged lifestyle — accessing the best of the resources and enjoying the best of comforts. Of course, that is not the way things are. The stark reality we acknowledge in the heart but do not speak lest it upsets the apple cart. Leave alone enjoying the best of comforts, Adivasis of India do not even lead a halfway decent life- that is the travesty of the times.
Adivasis live in the abundant hills in our countryside, most of which were, some are even now, luxuriant with green forest cover. But, since the hills, mountains and forests they inhabited were exploited for economic gains, the Adivasis found themselves systematically disenfranchised of what was originally theirs. They have been displaced and dispossessed from their habitats, many of them multiple times, for construction of large dams, mining, the establishment of industries or in the name of protecting wildlife. That the fast growth and development of our economy, the benefits which a lot of us enjoy in great measure, has resulted in unending distress for our Adivasi communities is an inconvenient truth that we rather not articulate. It is estimated that about a crore of Adivasis, 40% of all displaced people in India, have been displaced since independence on account of ‘development’ projects. To be fair, the Government of India and the different state governments have put in place many welfare schemes for the Adivasis, but these lack both in design and implementation.