VAID'S ICS – Best UPSC Anthropology Coaching in Delhi Since 1985

Comprehensive Classroom Course · Admissions openRegister now
+91 93113 37737
  • +91-93113 37737, +91-99999 46748
  • 73(FF), Old Rajender Nagar Market, Delhi - 110060
  • MON to SUN 9.00 am - 6.00 pm
Facebook Youtube Instagram
Menu
Enquire Now
Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2023/Paper II/Tribal Development, Policy & Safeguards
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2023 20 Marks Model Answer Available

Shifting Terrains of India’s Tribal Policies — 2023 Paper II

Question · 2023 · Paper II · 20 Marks

Elucidate the shifting terrains of India's tribal policies in colonial and post-colonial periods.

Model Answer

VAID ICS

APPROACH

  • Demand of Question: Trace the evolution of tribal policies from British colonial rule (extraction/isolation) to post-independence (integration/development) and the recent shift towards rights, self-governance, and targeted welfare. Evaluate the continuities (paternalism/resource exploitation) despite changing policy language.
  • Structuring the Response: Introduce the trajectory using anthropological framing (Isolation -> Assimilation -> Integration). Detail the Colonial Phase (Scheduled Districts, Excluded Areas). Discuss the transitional debates (Elwin vs. Ghurye) and Nehru's Panchsheel. Detail the Post-Colonial Developmental Phase (Schedules V/VI, TSP). Highlight the Rights-Based Turn (PESA, FRA) and recent targeted schemes (PM-JANMAN). Conclude with a critical evaluation using Virginius Xaxa's observations.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover: Scheduled Districts Act (1874); Excluded/Partially Excluded Areas (1935); Verrier Elwin vs. G.S. Ghurye; Nehru’s Tribal Panchsheel; Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP); PESA (1996), FRA (2006); Xaxa Committee Report; PM-JANMAN (PVTGs).

MODEL ANSWER

Introduction Anthropologist L.P. Vidyarthi classified the historical trajectory of India’s tribal policy into three distinct phases: colonial isolation, assimilationist tendencies, and post-colonial integration. Today, this has further evolved into a rights-based framework of empowerment. However, while the policy language has shifted from paternalistic extraction to democratic self-governance, structural tensions over resource control persist.

  1. The Colonial Terrain: Extraction and "Exceptionalism"British policy was fundamentally driven by resource extraction (timber, minerals) and political pacification following massive tribal uprisings (e.g., Santhal Hul, Munda Ulgulan).
  • Policy of Isolation: To ensure unhindered extraction and maintain law and order, the colonial state adopted a policy of administrative exceptionalism.
  • Legal Instruments: The Scheduled Districts Act (1874) and the Government of India Act (1935) created "Excluded" and "Partially Excluded" areas. These isolated tribes from mainstream political developments, ostensibly to "protect" them, but practically creating ethnological zoos to maintain an unchecked, paternalistic grip.
  1. The Transitional Debate: Isolation vs. AssimilationAt independence, a fierce anthropological debate shaped future policies:
  • Isolation (Verrier Elwin): Initially advocated for "National Parks" to protect tribes from capitalist exploitation and cultural degradation.
  • Assimilation (G.S. Ghurye): Argued that tribes were "backward Hindus" and should be fully assimilated into the mainstream to end their socio-economic isolation.
  • Integration (The Middle Path): Led by Jawaharlal Nehru and anthropologists like D.N. Majumdar, the State adopted "Integration"—bringing tribes into the national mainstream without destroying their distinct cultural identities.
  1. The Post-Colonial Terrain: Protective Integration and WelfarismThe early decades of the Republic were marked by top-down developmentalism:
  • Constitutional Safeguards: The Fifth and Sixth Schedules provided asymmetric governance. Article 46 mandated the state to protect STs from social injustice.
  • Nehru’s Tribal Panchsheel (1954): Advocated development along the tribes' own genius, respecting their land/forest rights, and avoiding over-administration.
  • Developmental Architecture (1970s onwards): The introduction of the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) and Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP) focused heavily on targeted welfare, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation.
  1. The Contemporary Terrain: Rights-Based Turn and Targeted WelfareBy the 1990s, realizing that welfarism had failed to prevent massive land alienation (what the Virginius Xaxa Committeecalled "asymmetrical development"), the policy terrain shifted toward participatory rights and targeted inclusion:
  • Democratic Decentralization (PESA, 1996): Democratized the Fifth Schedule by empowering the Gram Sabha with rights over minor forest produce, local planning, and dispute resolution.
  • Restitution of Rights (FRA, 2006): Acknowledged historical injustice by granting individual and community titles over forest lands, shifting tribes from "encroachers" to legal environmental stewards.
  • Recent Interventions: Focus has shifted to highly vulnerable sub-groups and educational mobility, evidenced by the PM-JANMAN scheme (focusing heavily on PVTGs) and the expansion of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS).

Continuities and Contradictions: The Xaxa Critique Despite the progressive shift on paper, sociologist Virginius Xaxa notes a persistent implementation gap. The colonial legacy of resource extraction continues, with tribal regions remaining the epicenter of state-sponsored displacement for mining and dams. Bureaucratic reluctance to fully implement PESA and FRA demonstrates a lingering paternalism that still largely views tribes as passive welfare recipients rather than rights-bearing citizens with resource sovereignty.

Conclusion India’s tribal policy has traversed a complex terrain—from colonial subjects to welfare beneficiaries, and progressively toward democratic stakeholders. However, the true test of this evolving framework lies in bridging the gap between de jure rights and de facto realities, ensuring that the State's developmental ambitions do not overrule the constitutional mandates of tribal autonomy and ecological justice.

2026 Write an account on the contribution of Verrier Elwin in developing policies for the tribal populations in post-independent India. 2026 Article 371A of the Indian Constitution. 2026 Discuss the impact of democratic institutions on the tribal populations of India. 2026 Write an account on Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST).

Want feedback on your answer?

Join the Anthropology workshop or get structured answer-writing guidance from VAID ICS.

Join Workshop Contact VAID ICS

UPSC Anthropology Optional 2023 — Paper II

28 questions

5(d) Dravidian languages and their subgroups

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 2. Demographic profile of India > Linguistic elements > Dravidian family
2023Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

1(b) Interface between Purushartha and Ashrama

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.1 Structure and nature of traditional Indian social system > Varnashram, Purushartha
2023Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

5(e) Karma and Rebirth

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.1 Structure and nature of traditional Indian social system > Karma, Rina and Rebirth
2023Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

5(b) Ramapithecus-Sivapithecus debate

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.2 Palaeo-anthropological evidences from India > Siwaliks
2023Paper IIPrehistoric ArchaeologyModel answer available

5(a) Scheduled areas

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.1 Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes > Scheduled Areas
2023Paper IITribal Development, Policy & SafeguardsModel answer available

5(c) Village as little republic

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 5.1 Indian Village > Indian village as a social system
2023Paper IIVillage India, Urbanisation & Social ChangeModel answer available