Demographic Descriptions and Socio-economic Status of Tribal People Subsisting in Rarh Region of West Bengal, India

Abstract

There is much discussion on the issue of forest-dependent livelihoods of tribes and their unique culture. It is essential to know the demographic structure of the tribal household and to understand the socio-economic status of the tribal household. The present study has attempted to analyze the demographic structure of the tribal household and to investigate the socio-economic status of the tribal household. The study mainly depends on the primary household survey. Only a base map has been collected from the secondary source. Purposive stratified random sampling technique has been used to collect primary data. A total of 150 households were surveyed. The findings indicate that the socio-economic status of the tribal household declined from east to west of the study region due to natural and human resources showing a declining trend towards the same direction. Also, the study compares inter-regional variation of different socio-economic factors. For their socio-economic empowerment, the tribal people deserve a very intensive development policy implementation with a bottom-up approach. The earlier studies are fragmented, haphazard and maximum works are on the cultural level, that’s why this study is very unique and important.

The Complexity of the “Tribal” Question in India: The Case of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

“…Since these are predominantly forest-based areas with a high concentration of poverty, high levels of malnutrition, the tribal in these regions stand—both socially and economically—at a much lower level than those in northeast India. The Adivasis living in the hinterland are characterized by very low asset holding, low level of human capital, lack of political participation in the decision-making process, problems of malnutrition and no political voice (De Haan and Dubey, 2005; Saigal and Shrivastava, 2022; Satpati and Sharma, 2022). In addition, they are not only subjected to multidimensional deprivations (Bakshi et al, 2015) but also vulnerable to different kinds of shocks (Dayal et al, 2014: 73–80; Kannan and Raveendran, 2011).…”