MEDIA AND TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT

WHO ARE THE ‘ADIVASIS’

•A heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India.

•They comprise a large chunk of indigenous minority of the total population of India.

•Adivasi societies are particularly present in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and some north-eastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar island.

WHO ARE THE ‘SCHEDULED TRIBES’

•The term Scheduled Tribes first appeared in the Constitution of India in Article 366 (25)•According to Article 342, the President can specify a scheduled tribe after consultation with the State Governor.• Morley Minto Reform, Montague–Chelmsford Reforms and Simon Commission talked about reservation of seats

TRIBALS IN MUGHAL PERIOD

• Far better off than the Dalits

• Enjoyed full ownership of forest lands

without any intervention from Mughals

• Tribal lord’s approval mandatory for local rulers

TRIBALS IN COLONIAL PERIOD

•The tribal population resented the British encroachment.

•The Britishers imposed feudalism in all parts of the country.

•The Jagirdari and Zamindari system resulted in the land dispossession.

•A number of tribal revolts happened in the 18th century like the Santal Hul rebellion.

PROBLEMS FACED BY TRIBALS IN INDIA

•Poverty and Indebtedness

•Health and Nutrition

•Education

•Cultural Isolation

•Economic Problems

•Language Barriers

• Unwanted Displacement

PROBLEMS WITH NAXALISM AND MAOISM

•Due to the failure of Govt. and media

•Linguistic problem prevails between the Govt. and tribals

•They take refuge with the Naxalites and Maoists and this increases insurgency.

• Inform the tribals of their rights and policies meant for them

• Radio proves to be a boon since majority of tribal people cannot read news paper

• Tribal people are apprehensive towards non-tribal entering their ‘territory’ and influencing their lives but media is generally not disallowed

• So media can interact with these people and bring their problems to the forefront

HOW CAN MEDIA HELP IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT

“It was taken so swiftly when a news paper intervened. Surely then, it could also have been taken up oven an year ago, then the tribals themselves raised the issue. But our system is not responsive to the poor. Least of all to the adivasis and the harijans.”

ANOTHER SIDE OF THE COIN…

• corporatization of media

• disinterested journalists

• no country for development journalism

SANJEEV SRIVASTAVASocial worker in Dantewada district

“What I saw in Dantewada at first was media houses like NDTV taking full interest in reporting what the government was doing for it’s adivasis. They contacted the authorities and conducted interviews of tribals and ngo workers.

When the State Government proposed a civil intervention and provided arms to the new found citizen army, it earned much appreciation from media as well. But as soon as the plan started backfiring and Salwa Judum proved itself equally unruly and fatal, they started to take their steps back.

The intention with which they had come (to cover the story of adivasis caught between the strangles of Naxalism and govt policies) was lost midway.”

MILES TO GO BEFORE WE SLEEP

• Inclusion of ICT for tribal development

• Channeling awareness campaigns in govt. media

• Media institutions should hold workshops which will sensitize students towards tribal issues

BIBLIOGRAPHY

-THE PLANNING COMMISION OF INDIA-WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM-WWW.THEHINDU.COM-WWW.THEINDIANEXPRESS.COM-WWW.GOOGLE.COM/IMAGES-MEDIA AND TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT,JAGANNATH PATI-EVERYBODY LOVES A GOOD DROUGHT,P. SAINATH-WWW.COUNTERCURRENTS.ORG-WWW.CGNETORG.ORG-A HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION, CONFLICT, AND RESISTANCE,C.R. BIJOY