Evaluation Report on Integrated Tribal Development Projects PEO Pub No. 136

Abstract

Al the time of the 1981 census from out of India's total population of 68.52 crores nearly 5.16 crores or some 7.53 per cent consisted of Scheduled Tribes. These tribes live mainly in forests and comprise some 150 different communities of varying sizes who speak about 105 different languages and dialects and many more subsidiary dialects. The origin of these communities goes back to antiquity. They vary widely in their level of socio-economic development, cultural background and heritage, traits, psyche, etc., and constitute perhaps the least economically developed segments of the country’s popluation. The constitution of India makes mention of Scheduled Tribes in a special manner. While as part of the development programmes undertaken since the commencement of planned efforts after Independence attention was, among other things, sought to be given to the amelioration of the economic condition of these tribes as well gradually it began to be felt that in order to improve the lol of the Scheduled Tribes population a comprehensive and concentrated effort was called for. Therefore, with a view to giving special attention to the problems of development of Scheduled Tribes, the instrument of tribal sub-plans was devised during the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-79) and separate tribal sub-plans were, for the first lime, formulated for the purpose for 16 Stales and two Union Territories. Altogether these covered some 63 per cent of the total tribal population of the country. For operational purposes, the tribal sub-plan areas were divided into 180 Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDPs).