Pushed to the Margins: The Crisis Among Tribal Youth in India During COVID-19

Abstract

Lack of awareness, lack of availability of non-farm activities, lack of nutritional facilities, inadequate health infrastructure, restricted movement to forest areas, and reliance on herbal medicines are some of the worst conditions that the indigenous population had to face worldwide, during the pandemic. Around 10.45 crore (10.45 million) indigenous population that resides in India are at stake because of economic inequality and social stigma. Lack of developmental measures in India has always led the tribal population to dwell at the margins without proper resources of economic sustenance. The announcements of lockdown and proposals for industrial projects approved during the lockdown period further aggravated their conditions. With the help of secondary data, news reports, and international agency reports, the article tries to critically review the conditions of the tribal population in India, the measures taken by the government, and the role of local organizations in helping tribal people to sustain the pandemic.