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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2020/Paper II/Tribal Problems & Displacement
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2020 20 Marks Model Answer Available

Development-induced Displacement Among Tribal People — 2020 Paper II

Question · 2020 · Paper II · 20 Marks

Explain the impact of development-induced displacement among the tribal people in India with suitable examples.

Model Answer

VAID ICS

Approach

  • Demand of Question: Explain the multidimensional impact of development-induced displacement on tribal communities with suitable Indian examples.
  • Structuring the Response: Cover livelihood, social organization, culture, identity, health and political consequences, followed by rehabilitation concerns.

Model Answer

Introduction

Development-induced displacement refers to involuntary relocation caused by dams, mines, industries, infrastructure, conservation projects and urban expansion. Tribal communities are disproportionately affected because many development projects are concentrated in forested and mineral-rich areas inhabited by Scheduled Tribes.

Why tribals are especially vulnerable

For tribal communities, land is not merely an economic resource; it is linked with:

  • clan and lineage identity;
  • subsistence;
  • customary political authority;
  • sacred landscapes;
  • ancestral memory.

Hence:

Loss of land → Loss of livelihood + Social relations + Cultural identity

  1. Loss of livelihood: Displacement separates communities from agricultural land, forests, grazing grounds and water sources. Forest-dependent activities such as collection of minor forest produce, hunting and fishing may decline.

Cash compensation rarely substitutes for a land- and forest-based subsistence economy.

  1. Landlessness and proletarianization: Agricultural and forest-dependent households may become:
  • casual labourers;
  • construction workers;
  • mine workers;
  • urban informal-sector workers.

This produces a transition from relative subsistence autonomy to market and wage dependence.

  1. Disruption of kinship and community: Tribal settlements are often organized around clans, lineages and territorially localized kin groups. Scattered resettlement weakens:
  • reciprocal labour;
  • kinship support;
  • village solidarity;
  • customary dispute settlement.
  1. Erosion of customary institutions: Traditional councils and village headmen often derive authority from community control over territory. Relocation can weaken these institutions and increase dependence on external bureaucracy.
  2. Cultural and religious dislocation: Sacred groves, burial grounds, ancestral sites, hills and rivers may be submerged or made inaccessible.

Such losses cannot be adequately compensated monetarily because:

Market value of land ≠ Cultural value of territory

  1. Health and nutritional consequences: Displacement may cause:
  • food insecurity;
  • reduced access to forest foods;
  • malnutrition;
  • psychological stress;
  • greater exposure to unfamiliar disease environments.
  1. Gendered impact: Tribal women often depend heavily on forests and commons for food, fuel and minor forest produce. Their losses may remain invisible when compensation is paid primarily to formal male title-holders.
  2. Social differentiation: Compensation may benefit legally recognized landowners while:
  • landless households;
  • forest users;
  • shifting cultivators;
  • artisans

receive less support, creating new intra-community inequalities.

  1. Identity and political mobilization: Loss of territory can stimulate ethnic and political assertion because tribal identity is often territorially rooted. Development projects may therefore generate movements demanding land, autonomy and recognition.

Suitable examples

  • Sardar Sarovar Project: Displacement in the Narmada Valley affected several Adivasi communities and contributed to the emergence of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
  • Hirakud Dam, Odisha: Large-scale displacement affected rural and tribal populations dependent on land and local resources.
  • Rourkela Steel Plant: Acquisition of land in Odisha displaced several tribal households and transformed traditional livelihood systems.
  • Mining regions of Jharkhand and Odisha: Mining and industrial expansion have repeatedly generated conflicts over tribal land, forests and rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation problem

Effective rehabilitation requires:

  • land-for-land wherever feasible;
  • recognition of customary and community rights;
  • community-based resettlement;
  • livelihood restoration;
  • Gram Sabha participation;
  • protection of sacred and cultural sites;
  • long-term rehabilitation rather than one-time compensation.

Conclusion

Development-induced displacement among tribes is therefore not simply physical relocation but a process of economic, social and cultural dislocation. Development becomes equitable only when tribal communities participate meaningfully in decisions and their territorial, livelihood and cultural rights are protected.

2026 Make a critical appraisal of Niyamgiri movement against mining-induced displacement. 2026 Write an account on the prevalence of sickle cell disease among the tribal populations of India. What are the initiatives undertaken by the affected states to tackle with this disease? 2026 What are the major challenges tribal communities are facing in contemporary India? 2025 Examine the environmental and biocultural factors influencing the health of tribals of India.

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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2020 — Paper II

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