Tribal Political Integration in the Grassroots Level Governance: A Study from Scheduled and Partially Scheduled District of Odisha
Author : Sushree Sangeeta Sarap
Abstract :
Odisha is one of the most tribal populated state in India constituting 62 types of tribal groups. Schedule Tribe is an administrative term used for the purpose of “administering” certain specific constitutional privileges, protection and benefits for tribal people, historically considered disadvantaged and backward. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act gave statutory status to the Panchayat in the village areas. The Parliament extended the provisions of 73rd Amendment Act to the Scheduled Areas by passing Provisions of Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 which gives autonomy to tribal communities to govern themselves through their own customary systems of self-government and also acknowledges their traditional rights over natural resources.
The present paper aims to discuss the integration and participation of tribal in Panchayat and Panchayat activities in the fifth scheduled area. The primary data was collected from Subdega, baneigarh Block of Sundargarh district and Jamankira Block Samablpur district. Anthropological methods like interviews, observation, and case study were used for the in-depth understanding of the participation of women in the study area.
The main observation of the study is that tribal are participating in the political activities but not aware about their rights. When it comes to elected members they are not aware of their role and responsibility at ground level and depend on the other officials of the panchayat. Development schemes, Education and specially Conversion plays major role to bring the tribal into a secular form or modern democratic form rather than practicing their traditional form of council.
Keywords :
Tribal political participation, tribal integration, traditional political system, modern political system
