Syllabus: Paper II > 6.1 Tribal situation in India > Definition of tribe; indigenous peoples debate
Tribal Development Programme of the XIIth Five-Year Plan — 2017 Paper II
Question · 2017 · Paper II · 15 Marks
Give a critical appraisal of any one tribal development programme during XIIth Five-Year plan. Give your suggestions for any improvement in the programme.
Model Answer
VAID ICSApproach
- Demand of Question:Assess sex-ratio imbalance through demographic mechanisms and sociocultural institutions; distinguish overall sex ratio from child/sex ratio at birth and avoid a single-cause “female foeticide” answer.
- Structuring the Response:Define indicators and historical pattern -> prenatal discrimination -> postnatal mortality/nutrition -> marriage/kinship and economic structures -> regional variation -> policy and anthropological synthesis.
- Key Dimensions to Cover:Census 2011 sex ratio and child sex ratio, sex-selective technology, son preference, patriliny/patrilocality, dowry and old-age security, female nutrition/health, migration effects, regional contrasts, PCPNDT Act; Amartya Sen “missing women”; kinship and gender-value perspective.
Model Answer
Introduction The sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) and the child sex ratio (0-6 years) are critical indicators of gender equity. The Census 2011 recorded an overall sex ratio of 943, but a historically low child sex ratio of 919. Anthropologically, this imbalance is not a biological accident but a socially produced demographic reality, driven by a complex interplay of kinship norms, political economy, and modern technology.
Body (Draw a Cause-Web Diagram: Center: "Sex-Ratio Imbalance" ➔ Arrows pointing outward to: Patriliny/Patrilocality, Prenatal Technology (Misuse), Dowry/Property Economics, Differential Nutrition/Health, Male Migration. End arrow ➔ Child/Adult Sex Ratio disparity.)
- Son Preference Embedded in KinshipIn many patrilineal and patrilocal communities (especially in North and West India), sons are essential to reproduce the lineage, inherit ancestral property, and perform crucial death rituals (pind daan). Conversely, daughters marry out (kanyadaan). Thus, the cultural value of children is tied heavily to descent and residence institutions, rendering sons as long-term household assets.
- The Political Economy of DaughtersStructural economic factors exacerbate son preference. The inflation of the dowry system, unequal de facto inheritance (despite the Hindu Succession Amendment Act, 2005), and the lack of state-sponsored old-age security make daughters appear economically "costly."
- Technology and Prenatal Sex SelectionParadoxically, rising prosperity and fertility decline have worsened the child sex ratio in many regions. As desired family sizes shrink (e.g., to one or two children), the pressure to ensure at least one son increases. This leads to the misuse of ultrasound technology for sex-selective abortions, explaining why economically advanced states (like Haryana and Punjab) historically showed the most adverse ratios. The PCPNDT Act (1994) seeks to curb this, but clandestine networks persist.
- Postnatal Discrimination and MortalityAs economist Amartya Senhighlighted in his "Missing Women" thesis, the imbalance is also caused by excess female mortality after birth. Deep-seated patriarchal biases result in differential breastfeeding, delayed medical care for girls, and nutritional deficits, systematically reducing female survival rates across the life course.
- Migration and Measurement (Adult Ratio)The overall adult sex ratio is additionally distorted by male-selective labor migration. Urban centers (like Mumbai or Delhi) show heavily skewed male ratios due to incoming migrant workers, while source states (like Kerala or Uttarakhand) may show feminized demographic profiles.
Conclusion Correcting the sex-ratio imbalance requires a holistic anthropological approach. Strict enforcement of the PCPNDT Act is necessary but insufficient. True demographic parity demands the dismantling of patrilineal biases, ensuring women's secure property rights, providing state-backed old-age security, and transforming the cultural ideology that locates family continuity exclusively in sons.
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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2017 — Paper II
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