After India gained independence the manner in which our constitution was framed was to uplift all the sections of our society. This should have made the life of adivasis easier. But the contrary happened, leading to their further exclusion. Which of the following was a major reason for this having occurred?
(A) The Government's monopoly over forest
(B) The building of dams over rivers
(C) Providing education to the tribal communities
(D) Acquisition of land for mining
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) Only
(A) The Government’s monopoly over forest Correct. After Independence the government’s monopoly over forests continued. Denied access to forests and land for cultivation, adivasis lost the mainstay of their livelihoods.
(B) The building of dams over rivers Correct. Capital-intensive industrialisation needed power-generation capacity, which lay in adivasi areas. Adivasi lands were rapidly acquired for new dam projects, and millions were displaced without appropriate compensation or rehabilitation.
(C) Providing education to the tribal communities Incorrect. Education widens a community’s opportunities; it did not push adivasis out. Their exclusion came from losing their forests and lands.
(D) Acquisition of land for mining Correct. Mineral resources too were concentrated in adivasi areas, and adivasi lands were acquired for new mining projects. Justified in the name of ‘national development’, these policies were also a form of internal colonialism.
NCERT (2025-26): “Adivasi Struggles … After the Independence of India in 1947 the government’s monopoly over forests continued. The policy of capital-intensive industrialisation adopted by the Indian government required mineral resources and power-generation capacities which were concentrated in Adivasi areas. Adivasi lands were rapidly acquired for new mining and dam projects. In the process, millions of adivasis were displaced without any appropriate compensation or rehabilitation.…” |