Lok Sabha Question No. 968 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-17
Subject: Migration of Tribals
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: SHIVKUMAR CHANABASAPPA UDASI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS) LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 968 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2018

## MIGRATION OF TRIBALS

## 968. SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Tribals are quitting farming fast and one of every two tribal households relies on manual labour for survival and 55 per cent of tribal population now resides outside their traditional habitats and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether displacement and enforced migration has led to an increasing number of Scheduled Tribes working as contract labourers in the construction industry and as domestic workers in major cities and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether any steps have been taken to mitigate migration of poor tribals away from habitats and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JASWANTSINH BHABHOR)

(a) to (b): As per the 'Report of the Expert Committee on Tribal Health 'Tribal Health in India' Bridging  the  Gap  and  a  Roadmap  for  the  Future',  104  million  tribal  people  in  India  are  largely concentrated in ten states and in the North-East. Almost 90% of the tribal population of the country lives in  rural  areas.    There  are  90  districts  or  809  blocks  with  more  than  50%  tribal  population  and  they account for nearly 45% of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the country.  In other words, almost 55% of the tribal population lives outside these 809 tribal majority blocks.

The above report also states that as per Census, 2011 over two-thirds of the tribal population is working in the primary sector (as against 43% of the non-tribal population), and is heavily dependent on  agriculture  either  as  cultivators  or  as  agricultural  labourers.    The  tribals  people  are  increasingly moving from being cultivators to agricultural labourers. A comparison between Census, 2001 and 2011 shows that the proportion of cultivators reduced by more than 10%,  while the proportion of agricultural labourers increased by 9% among the ST population.  It is estimates that, in the last decade, about 3.5 million tribal people have left agriculture and agriculture-related activities to enter the informal labour market. Displacement and enforced migration has also led to an increasing number of Scheduled Tribes working  as  contract  labourers  in  the  construction  industry  and  domestic  workers  in  major  cities. Currently, one of every two tribal households relies on manual labour for survival.

(c):  Constitutional  provisions under Schedule - V provide safeguards against displacement of tribal population because of land acquisitions etc. The Governor of the State which has Scheduled Areas is empowered to prohibit or restrict transfer of land from tribals and regulate the allotment of land to members of the Scheduled Tribes in such cases.

Government has also enacted several Laws which have specific provisions with regard to displacement, rehabilitation and resettlement of tribal people.  These include:

- The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
- Right  to  Fair  Compensation  and  Transparency  in  Land  Acquisition,  Rehabilitation  and Resettlement Act, 2013.

Further the Ministry of Tribal affairs is implementing inter-alia the following schemes for mitigating migration of tribals and their upliftment:

- Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS)
- Grants-in-Aid  under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution
- Scheme  of  Grant-in-Aid  to  Voluntary  Organizations  working  for  the  Welfare  of  Scheduled Tribes
- Scheme of Vocational Training in Tribal Areas
- Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
- Scheme of Girls & Boys Hostels for STs
- Scheme of Ashram Schools in Tribal Sub-Scheme Area
- Scholarship Schemes for ST Students
- National Fellowship And Scholarship for Higher education of ST students.
- Support to Tribal Research Institute (TRIs)
- Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum   Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP

National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, also extends financial assistance at concessional rates of interest to Scheduled Tribes for undertaking income generation activities.

****