Vol. 6, Issue 9, Part A (2020)

Abstract
Tribal development policy from its inception has always been beset by a contradiction, namely to recognize the uniqueness of tribal communities (including their governance systems) but yet deliver the benefits of mainstream development. In practice, the former has, for the most part been undermined, seemingly to attain the latter. However, even the latter goal mostly has not been achieved because of the wider priorities of ‘growth’ and ‘development’ for the nation. Over the last two decades since the adoption of the New Economic Policy in 1991 and the drive to speed up the growth process, a widening gap between the goals of national development and tribal development has emerged. The accelerated attempt to exploit natural resources in the name of economic growth has led to maladministration and misgovernance (‘governance deficit’) and neglect in terms of infrastructure, development and welfare (‘development deficit’) in tribal areas. These failures of state policy have led to the spread of Left Wing Extremism (LWE), pervasive now in 83 districts of the country. The purpose of this paper is limited to detailing tribal development policy in India and the tensions that exist between mainstreaming development and protecting the rights of tribal communities. While the historical narrative illustrates the possibilities within a parliamentary democracy to pass ‘progressive’ legislations, it also suggests how hegemonic discourses of development undermine these legislations in practice.