ABSTRACT:

To understand the process of decentralization among tribals, it is important to reflect and engage on the historicity of tribal development in India. This paper thus is broadly divided into two sections. The first section briefly provides historical details of the shifting perspectives of tribal development approaches in India in the context of a brief demographic profile of their present status. The second section, ‘Decentralisation and After’, looks critically at the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) and also analyses lapses and constraints in its implementation across states.