Forestry Development and Tribals in India

Since the independence, India have established well-organized system of protection for the tribals which actually means the indigenous peoples. This system has the constitutional safeguards, reservation in the Parliament and State Legislatures and reservation in government service and so on. Government also has conducted various area development plans and projects for tribals. But actual life of tribals has been worsening. In India there are over 200 tribal groups and their population was about 51.5 millions which constitutes 7.5% of total population in 1981. Many of them are even now depending heavily on forest for hunting, shifting cultivation and collection of various forest products which are called Minor Forest Produce (MFP). MFP is important for tribals to get foods and money income. But after the British colonization, colonial government nationalized forest and started to deprive their traditional rights to forest including MFP under the colonial forest policies. Main objective ofthese policies is commercial utilization of forest. Independent India succeeded to the colonial policies. Recently concerns to environment and tribals are rising. But the basic objective of forest policies and administaration is to foster the development of commercial forestry. One of such example is Baster Pine Plantation Project which started in 1976 in Madhya Pradesh state. Such a monoculture of forestry is threatening the life of tribals