Published Paper Details:

Abstract: Who are indigenous people? Can tribes be called indigenous? Very often they experience non- recognition of their cultural identity. They are excluded from the mainstream society and are marginalized and they are called indigenous. They face discriminatory approaches and stigma. Culture of tribes gives rich ethnographic details about their cultural practices, perception and behavioural aspects. In India tribes often experience displacement and relocation from their traditional territories, and dispossession of their lands and resources by both government-led and private-led projects. They are engaged in extractive industries, logging, large-scale plantations mega-projects and dams. The traditional knowledge and the effective use and preservation of their lands, forests and natural resources can inspire measures for conservation. Traditional medicines and practices can be shared for the benefit of the wider society. The transition from the tribal to the peasant society is complicated and diversified. Tribal development because of the diverse situations has to be area-specific. Other problem of tribal development emanates from equating tribal areas with any other economically backward area and recommending identical packages of measures for their upliftment. Tribes specifically Scheduled tribes of Maharashtra are also experiencing more or less same situation. The sense of marginalization and alienation has resulted in fragmentation of tribal economy and society. Most tribal displaced by development projects or industries have not been satisfactorily rehabilitated. The basic system of laws governing Tribal Rights is still extremely unclear. It is therefore imperative to create a task force that should undertake a �Harmonisation of Laws� for scheduled tribes. A national plan of action for comprehensive development is warranted which would serve as a road map for the welfare of the tribal. There should be convergence of regulatory and development programmes in the tribal areas. The authorities involved in determining the inclusion and exclusion of tribes in the list of Scheduled Tribes should adopt a mechanism of consultation with the major States and those with tribal populations on the basis of which a comprehensive methodology with clearly defined parameters is arrived at. This paper is highlighting the proposition of socio-economic and developmental issues of scheduled tribes of Maharashtra.