Scheduled Tribe Population Research Articles

Diversity in Child Mortality and Life Expectancy at Birth Among Major Tribes in Selected States of India

To provide tribe- specific child mortality rates and health indicators from selected states in India. We used Census 2011 data and Coale Demney methodology to estimate the infant mortality rate (IMR), under-five mortality rate (U5MR) and expectation of life at birth (LEB) for 123 tribes of selected states of India. The estimated IMR and U5MR were higher in scheduled tribe population compared to respective state's total population. The IMR varied from 124 in the Birhore tribe of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and the Bharias of Madhya Pradesh to 48 per 1000 live births in the Gamit tribe of Maharashtra. Similarly, the U5MR varied from the highest (203) in the Birhore tribe of Chhattisgarh to the lowest (57/1000 live births) in the Gamit tribe. The LEB varied from 72 years in the Gamit tribe of Maharashtra to 51 years in the Birhore tribe of Chhattisgarh. The study reveals that tribes have gross variation in child mortality rates and there is pressing need to prioritize tribe-specific action plans to improve their health indicators.

Agricultural Intensification, Diversification and Migration as Livelihood Strategies Among Rural Scheduled Tribe Population of Palasbari Revenue Circle: A Case of India

The key objective of this study is to examine the livelihood practices and strategies adopted by the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of the Palasbari Revenue circle, Assam, India. For empirical analysis, 132 households were surveyed from 6 areas dominated by the ST population, namely Kallapara N.C. (Satargaon), Jimirigaon, Rani Khamar, Chouthala, Jupangbari, and Kochpara, which aggregates to 553 sample populations. It was surveyed by stratified random sampling method from January to March 2020. The results show that livelihood diversification, agricultural intensification and temporal migration are three of the major strategies adopted by the population to meet their needs.

Spatial pattern and determinants of diagnosed diabetes in southern India: evidence from a 2012-13 population-based survey.

The diabetes epidemic is expanding rapidly in India, with 69.2 million people living with diabetes in 2015. This study assessed the spatial pattern and determinants of diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the districts of six states and one union territory (UT) in southern India - a region that has a high prevalence of diabetes. Using cross-sectional population-based survey data from the 2012-13 District Level Household and Facility Survey-4, the prevalence and magnitude of diagnosed diabetes at district level for the population aged 18 years and above were computed. Moran's I was calculated to explore the spatial clustering of diagnosed diabetes prevalence. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and Spatial Lag (SL) regression models were carried out to investigate the spatial determinants of diagnosed diabetes prevalence. The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was found to be substantially higher than that of self-reported diabetes in southern India (7.64% vs 2.38%). Diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the study area varied from 10.52% in Goa to 4.89% in Telangana. The Moran's I values signified positive moderate autocorrelation. Southern India had 14.15 million individuals with diagnosed diabetes in 2012-13. Bangalore had the highest number of persons with diagnosed diabetes, and Palakkad had the smallest number. In the OLS and SL models, the proportion of people with secondary education and above, wealthy and Christian populations were found to be significant determinants of diagnosed diabetes prevalence. In addition, in the OLS model, the proportion of Scheduled Tribe population showed a negative relationship with diagnosed diabetes prevalence. In order to prevent or postpone the onset age for diabetes, there is a need to raise awareness about diabetes in India.

Study of the Scheduled Tribes Population with special reference to their health, Sabang, Pingla and Debra Block, Dist. Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal

Study of the Scheduled Tribes Population with special reference to their health, Sabang, Pingla and Debra Block, Dist. Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal

Precarity as a Coping Strategy of the Gonds: A Study of Insecure and Long-distance Seasonal Migration in Central India

Studies on the informal economy in India show how precarious it is to be a migrant worker in an informal economy and how migrant workers are perpetually at risk of being exploited by market forces. They show how horizontal networks in India along the exploited class of labourers have never worked due to vertical social base (Pattenden, 2010). Therefore, they call for a stronger role of the state in organising and regulating the livelihoods in rural India. On the other hand, scholars studying changing labour, land and capital relations in rural India (Breman, 2010) have shown that there is a constant precarious condition of debt that such workers have to navigate and contest. The article shows how Gonds, a Scheduled Tribe population, who are facing forest evictions and are internally displaced, have resorted to long-distance migration in India. In the absence of state provisioning and formal recourse to law due to the inability to read and write, the Gonds are left to fend for themselves. Precariousness has become a normalised way of life to avoid starvation and indebtedness. However, this article also shows that circular and seasonal migration is valued and considered to be a successful strategy for most rural households. It also involves improving social networking skills and their knowledge of the market and the work. Above all, this strategy helps Gonds to be debt-free and independent as possible.

Mental health research on scheduled tribes in India.

Background:The burden of mental illness among the scheduled tribe (ST) population in India is not known clearly.Aim:The aim was to identify and appraise mental health research studies on ST population in India and collate such data to inform future research.Materials and Methods:Studies published between January 1980 and December 2018 on STs by following exclusion and inclusion criteria were selected for analysis. PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase, Sociofile, Cinhal, and Google Scholar were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. Quality of the included studies was assessed using an appraisal tool to assess the quality of cross-sectional studies and Critical Appraisal Checklist developed by Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Studies were summarized and reported descriptively.Results:Thirty-two relevant studies were found and included in the review. Studies were categorized into the following three thematic areas: alcohol and substance use disorders, common mental disorders and sociocultural aspects, and access to mental health-care services. Sociocultural factors play a major role in understanding and determining mental disorders.Conclusion:This study is the first of its kind to review research on mental health among the STs. Mental health research conducted among STs in India is limited and is mostly of low-to-moderate quality. Determinants of poor mental health and interventions for addressing them need to be studied on an urgent basis.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION AMONG TRIBALS OF NABARANGAPUR DISTRICT OF ODISHA

Financial inclusion simply means the process of ensuring access to formal financial products and services at an affordable cost to vulnerable groups such as the weaker sections and low income groups and unbanked sections of people of the society. Tribal peoples are the most vulnerable sections of the society and they live mostly in isolation from mainstream society. In this backdrop, the present paper has tried to assess the status of financial inclusion and financial awareness among Scheduled Tribe (ST)population in backward areas of Nabarangapur district of Odisha. Multistage purposive sampling has been used for selection of respondents. It has been observed that nearly all sample households have at least one savings bank account but access to bank and other financial institutions is very less. It appears that major portion of bank accounts has been opened to receive government benefits and other money transfer. It also appears that people are aware about banking and other financial facilities but are not using these facilities properly because of illiteracy and low level of income. It appears that majority of sample respondents are illiterate and are extremely poor. The study concludes that sample tribal HHs of the surveyed area can be said to be financially included only in terms of having savings bank account but in terms of financial awareness and use of financial facilities they are lacking behind.

Prevalence of Undernutrition and Anemia among Santal Adivasi Children, Birbhum District, West Bengal, India.

India’s Adivasi scheduled tribe population is disproportionately affected by undernutrition and anemia, thereby prevailing in the poorest wealth deciles denominated as socially and economically vulnerable. This study was designed to assess the extent of child undernutrition (conventional and composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) classification), as well as the burden of anemia in children and its independent nutrition specific and sensitive drivers, moreover to reflect the living conditions of Santal Adivasis. The research survey was conducted in 21 Santal villages, Birbhum District, West Bengal, in 2015. An overall 307 children (aged 6–39 months) and their mothers (n = 288) were assessed for their hemoglobin (Hb) levels (HemoCue Hb201+) and anthropometric indices such as height/length, weight and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Moreover, socio-demographic household characteristics were surveyed. The study confirmed Adivasi children lagging behind national average with a high prevalence of undernutrition (height-for-age z-score (HAZ) 51.9%, weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) 49.2%, weight-for-height z-score WHZ 19.0% and CIAF 61.6%) and of moderate and severe anemia (Hb < 10 g/dL, 73.3% altogether). Child’s age <24 months, low WAZ scores, morbidity (any fever, diarrhea or respiratory infection) on the checkup day or during previous week, low maternal Hb level, and lack of dietary diversification were identified as predictors for anemia, thereby warrant targeted interventions to decrease the high anemia rates assessed in the study site.

The persistent influence of caste on under-five mortality: Factors that explain the caste-based gap in high focus Indian states.

ObjectiveAlthough under-five mortality rate (U5MR) is declining in India, it is still high in a few selected states and among the scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) population of the country. This study re-examines the association between caste and under-five deaths in high focus Indian states following the implementation of the country’s National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) program. In addition, we aim to quantify the contribution of socioeconomic determinants in explaining the gap in under-five death risk between the SC/ST population and non-SC/ST population in high focus states in India.Data and methodUsing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), we calculated the U5MR by applying a synthetic cohort probability approach. We applied a binary logistic regression model to examine the association of under-five deaths with the selected covariates. Further, we used Fairlie's decomposition technique to understand the relative contribution of socioeconomic variables on under-five death risk between the caste groups.FindingsIn high focus Indian states, the under-five mortality risk between well-off and deprived caste children has declined in the post-NRHM period, indicating a positive impact in terms of reducing caste-based inequalities in the high focus states. Despite the reduction in under-five death risk, children belonging to the SC population experience higher mortality rates than children belonging to the non-SC/ST population from 1992 to 2016. Both macro level (district level mortality rates) and individual (regression analysis) analyses showed that children belonging to SCs experience the highest likelihood of dying before their fifth birthday. A decomposition analysis revealed that 83% of the caste-based gap in the under-five deaths is due to the distribution of women’s level of educational attainment and household wealth between the SC/ST and non-SC/ST population. Program indicators such as place of birth and number of antenatal care (ANC) visit also contributed significantly to widening caste-based gaps in U5MR.ConclusionThe study indicates that there is still room to improve access to health facilities for mothers and children belonging to deprived caste groups in India. Continuous efforts to raise the level of maternal education and the economic status of people belonging to deprived caste groups should be pursued simultaneously.

A regional analysis of housing, availability of household amenities and modern facilities in scheduled tribe population in Uttarakhand

India has recorded unprecedented development over recent years, in near about all aspects of development either be economic or technological, yet the pace of development has not been even rather it is unevenly distributed among the regions as well as among the various social groups of country. The condition of living in many territories/regions have been observed lagging far behind compared to progressing territories/regions, likewise, the certain groups of the nation such as STs/SCs were seen to be deprived of better quality of life than the other socio-economically endowed communities. The many of initiatives have been taken by the government since its independence towards the social and economic upliftment of them and as a result there has been witnessed remarkable improvement in their socio-economic condition but even, they are still far behind the desired level of development. These marginalized sections of society still remain deprived of standard housing condition, basic amenities like; potable water, kitchen and bathroom facility, clean fuel, electricity and modern facilities. Moreover, whatever be the changes in their living conditions, have not been even among them, thereby striking the disparity in their living condition because of their remotely located and hardly reachable habitants. Therefore, having assumed all these things, the present study has been carried out to assess the extent of scheduled tribe population to accessibility and availability of housing, amenities and facilities, and to inspect the regional variations in housing condition and availability of household amenities and modern facilities among the scheduled tribe population in Uttarakhand states. The study is entirely based on secondary sources of data collected form census of India, publication 2011, New Delhi. The district of the state has been considered as the smallest until of study. For the assessment of regional variations, statistics like z-score and composite z-score have been applied. The overall analysis reveals the notable aerial variations across the state in level of development in respect of housing and household amenities and modern assets. The paper also attempts to recommend some pertinent suggestions for eradication of regional disparity and overall development of scheduled tribe population of Uttarakhand state.

Gaps in infant and child mortality among social groups and its linkages with institutional delivery and child immunization using census and National Family Health Survey (2015-16)

Infant and child mortality are considered as one of the most important indicators of social and economic development of the nation. This paper intends to shed light on the prevalence of infant and under-five death rates with special reference to differentials in SCs, STs, and non-SCs/STs population in India. In addition, to determine the factors affecting child immunization and institutional delivery by different background characteristics. The present study has used Census 2001 and 2011 for estimating the infant and under-five mortality. The National Family Health Survey (2015–16) has been used to assess the gaps in institutional delivery and coverage of child full immunization between SC, ST, and other caste population and also to assess the covariates of insitutional delivery and full immunization. The study observed the high infant mortality rate and under-5 mortality among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe, while it is much lower among non-SC/ST population in 2011 census. The result of logistic regression suggests that caste has significant impact on access to institutional delivery and child immunization, adjusted for other socio-economic variables. All the castes are more likely to gain access to both institutional delivery and child immunization compared to scheduled tribe population. The study result shows the persistent poor health outcome among the SC/ST population in India. There is need to focus on this section of the population to achieve the sustainable development goals of child health and its core agenda “No one left behind”.

Active and Healthy Ageing among Scheduled Tribes in India

Active ageing is the key word in any debate on ageing of population around the globe. But research on aging have seldom considered the plight of marginalized groups nor tried to quantify the overall wellbeing of aged among tribal community in India. On this perspective this paper tries to explore the data available on tribal elderly population in an attempt to quantify the active ageing process of the tribal elderly population in India. Scheduled tribes in India have a lesser proportion of aged with 6.9% of the population above 60 years compared to 8.6 among the general population in India. Employing McGahan composite index normalization the composite indices is estimated. The health index values indicate that only one in ten elderly have good health. Community participation index depicts a better scenario with more elderly being scored under the ‘moderate’ and ‘good’ participation index. Distribution of elderly population by security index shows that ‘good’ security index values are observed among the medium wealth quintile category of elderly. Overall the Scheduled Tribe population in India shows a moderate level of active ageing. Females are slightly at disadvantage in the overall active ageing index. Welfare of the tribal elderly population demands attention in par with the general population in promoting active ageing among the tribal elderly population in India. A holistic approach encompassing health, social, economic and psychological aspects could be promoted with strong government support for the active and healthy ageing of the tribal population in India.

Professional and Technical Education Scenario of the Scheduled Tribe Population in Malda District &amp; West Bengal

Professional and Technical Education Scenario of the Scheduled Tribe Population in Malda District &amp; West Bengal

Investment-Induced Displacement in Central India

India’s abundant natural resources are a key feature of its newfound status as an emerging market that attracts foreign investments. As the country’s output of metals and their ores increases, investments to secure deals over mineral deposits and manufacturing plants increase. Apart from direct funding for new projects, new investments pay for a large increase in the deployment of security forces, multilayered briberization, and protection money that also funds Maoist outfits, in yet another unending war that is fundamentally a resource war around mineral and metal production—primarily steel and aluminum as well as coal and water. In this article, Damodaran and Padel examine the mining operations in Central India where Vedanta Resources, a corporation that has become symbolic of neoliberal capitalism in India today, brings huge new foreign investments in to exploit India’s resources under the logic of emerging markets. About a quarter of postcolonial India’s scheduled tribe population has been displaced by development projects, often through foreign loans and investments.

ROLE OF INDIGENOUS FOOD CROPS IN TRIBAL LIVELIHOOD OF WESTERN SATPURA IN AKKALKUWA TAHSIL NANDURBAR DISTRICT.

Indigenous food crops refer to crops that have their origin in native place. Added to these crops are those that were introduced into the country or any region and are now recognized as naturalized or traditional crops. These crops are produced and found growing in the native place various weather conditions with many found in the wild. They are grains, vegetables and fruit. Akkalkuwa tahsil in Nandurbar district is mostly scheduled tribe population lives about 85 percent of the total population. The Bhil, Pawara and Dhanka Tadvi etc. tribal communities were dependent primarily on their own agricultural produce and a variety of forest based products for livelihood. In this paper has focused on identify different types and importance of indigenous food crops in study area. In the study area, the available cultivable land is less than the forest cover area to the total geographical area and it is about three percent area was under the irrigated. In fact the study area most of the farmers, their cropping pattern was a kharip type, agriculture is mainly depends on rainwater. It may be observed that most of the tribal people has been cultivated the indigenous crops of more, banti, padi, rala, lal jawar, kodra etc., vegetables and fruits. The varieties of millets traditionally produced were locally consumed and were hardly sold. They were primarily stored for food security.

An analysis of atrocities against scheduled caste and scheduled tribe population in India

Despite the constitutional protection and benefits in form of equal rights and affirmative action and the protective laws enacted for the protection and upliftment of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, the caste-based discrimination is still persisting in India and the scheduled castes/tribes are frequently made targets of physical and sexual violence. This research paper aims to discuss the rate of registered cases of atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in India. It is seen that the rate of crime against SCs/STs is rising and they are continually facing various types of atrocities committed by upper caste people. The states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Andhra Pradesh and Bihar witness a high incidence of crimes against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Registered cases were taken from the National Crime Records Bureau ‘crime in India \’ for India and from DIG (deputy inspector general) Police Office, Nainital, Kumaun region (Uttarakhand) for Kumaun region of Uttarakhand.

A Qualitative Study on the Health and Education of Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGS) of Gudalur, Tamil Nadu

In India, Tribal constitute 8.61% of the total population numbering 104.28 million (2011 Census) and cover about 15% of the country’s area. Nilgiri district had the highest percentage of (3.16%) scheduled tribe population in Tamil Nadu. About 50% of the tribal population is concentrated in Gudalur taluk, the remaining 50% of the tribal population is distributed in the other three taluks. Toda, Kota, Irula Kurumba, Kattunayakan and Paniya were the six primitive tribal groups found in Nilgiri. The study facilitates to understand the health and educational status of the tribes in 3 villages Kadalakolly, Muttimoola and Thangamalai at Gudalur taluk using qualitative method. The finding shows that there exist less importance to health and education and lack of motivation in progress of education and health which leads to the poor health and lack of knowledge and awareness. The study suggests the implementation of the community organization as a social work method to stimulate a professional approach to develop them.

Prevalence of α+-Thalassemia in the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Populations of Damoh District in Madhya Pradesh, Central India

This study was carried out to ascertain the allelic frequency of α+-thalassemia (α+-thal) in Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe populations of the Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Random blood samples of Scheduled tribe (267) and Scheduled caste (168), considering the family as a sampling unit, were analyzed for the presence of the –α3.7 (rightward) (NG_000006.1: g.34164_37967del3804) and –α4.2 (leftward) (AF221717) deletions. α+-Thal was significantly higher in the Scheduled tribals (77.9%) as compared to the scheduled caste population (9.0%). About 58.0% scheduled tribals carried at least one chromosome with the –α3.7 deletion and 20.0% scheduled tribals carried the –α4.2 deletion. Frequency for the –α3.7 allele was 0.487 in the scheduled tribal populations in comparison to 0.021 in scheduled castes. Allelic frequency for –α4.2 was 0.103 and 0.024, respectively, in the above communities. No Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for α-thal gene (p < 0.05) was detected in the tribal population, indicating the presence of selection pressures in favor of α-thal mutation and adaptation.

Malaria situation in India with special reference to tribal areas.

Background & objectives:In India, malaria is a major public health problem in States having predominantly tribal population. The objective of this analysis was to find out the incidence of malaria in various States/districts having varied proportions of tribal population using National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) data.Methods:States and districts were classified into three categories based on proportions of Scheduled Tribes (ST) population as <10, 10-29.9 and 30 per cent + ST population. Five year average (2008-2012) of all important malaria indicators collected by NVBDCP was taken to normalize the effect of annual fluctuations in malaria incidence.Results:State level analysis revealed that ten States/UTs with 30 per cent or more tribal population comprising only three per cent of total population, contributed 14 per cent of total malaria, 21 per cent Plasmodium falciparum and 29 per cent of deaths due to malaria. Similarly, district level analysis showed that districts with 30 per cent or more tribal population comprising about eight per cent country's population contributed to 46 per cent of total malaria cases, 70 per cent P. falciparum and 47 per cent malarial deaths in the country.Interpretation & conclusions:Our analysis showed that the neglect of the ethnic communities in tribal areas would be detrimental to the overall reduction of morbidity and mortality due to malaria. The fight against the increasing burden of malaria in tribal belt requires adoption of multiple approaches and socio-economic development of the tribal communities.

Educational Disparities across Dalits in Karnataka

Though the Karnataka state is striving towards achieving universal literacy at a faster pace, but still 35% of the Scheduled Castes population and 38% of the Scheduled Tribes population is still illiterate. The following study analyzed the educational status of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and briefly commented on the various educational policies and programmes being implemented in the state for the welfare of dalits. It is found that the literacy rates of Dalits are far behind the benchmark goal of 85% by the Planning Commission. Female SCs and STs are quite worse off when compared to male SCs and STs. This is a cause of concern and one of major challenge that the State should address on a priority concern. The Gross Enrolment Ratio in Secondary Education and Higher Education across Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is quite lower than the GER goal of Planning Commission. Achieving better enrolment and passing achievement rates from lower to higher stages of education across dalits are some of the major issues that need to be tackled. Further they should also follow the Four A’s framework of the Right to Education at each stage of education for enhancing the capabilities of marginalized groups in order to fulfill the objective of fostering inclusive growth in the state.. It will go long way in sustaining the Dalits improvement in the growth process.