Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2005, publiée 95ème session CIT (2006)

1. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in reply to its previous comments. It also notes the 10th Five-Year Plan (2002-07) and the latest report of the National Commission on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which contain a great deal of information on the situation of tribal people in the country and on the Government's measures in this respect.

2. In this regard, the Committee notes the significant progress made in some respects in improving the situation of tribals, as reflected in the report and accompanying documents. These include allocation of significant sums for the benefit of tribals, improvements in monitoring of the disbursement of these sums, and improved outcomes, such as increases in the literacy rates and increased vocational training of tribals.

3. The Committee also notes the Government’s comments on the observations received from the Chemical Mazdoor Sabha, a workers’ organization, in 2003, concerning the treatment of tribals displaced as a consequence of the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and Power Project. In its reply, it indicated that the Supreme Court had found that the measures taken were adequate and that construction of the dam should be continued, and that the observations in question simply raised the same questions again. The Committee takes note of the Supreme Court’s decision, and recalls that it has requested on numerous occasions information available to indicate that all the persons displaced had been compensated or resettled in conformity with the Convention.

4. It also notes, however, that the progress achieved lags behind that of other citizens of the country. For instance, though tribal literacy rates are rising, the literacy gap between tribals and others has continued to widen. The Committee also notes from the 10th Five-Year Plan that between 1951 and 1990, 21.3 million persons were displaced from their traditional lands in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa, including 8.54 million tribals. The Committee notes that only 2.12 million tribals had been resettled. According to the Plan, the consequences have been "loss of assets, unemployment, debt bondage and destitution".

5. The Committee therefore requests the Government to continue providing information in its reports on the progress achieved and the obstacles encountered in implementing the Convention, and its own policies, for the improvement of the situation of tribals in India including the 6.42 million tribals who have not yet been resettled.