What was the most significant consequence of industrialisation for the tribal population in the Jharkhand region?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option 1: Because of heavy migration, they lost control over the resources and there was a serious decline in the proportion of the tribal population in the region.
Option 1: Because of heavy migration, they lost control over the resources and there was a serious decline in the proportion of the tribal population in the region. Correct. Industrialisation brought large-scale in-migration, which weakened tribal control over land and resources and significantly altered the demographic composition of the region.
Option 2: Tribal communities in Jharkhand got prosperous by selling their land to industries. Incorrect. Industrialisation did not generally make tribal communities prosperous. Instead, many lost their land and traditional means of livelihood, resulting in displacement and marginalisation rather than economic advancement.
Option 3: Tribal communities were central in the process of industrialization. They became industrial labourers and achieved social and financial mobility. Incorrect. Although some tribal people found industrial employment, they were not the principal beneficiaries of industrialisation. Many remained economically disadvantaged and experienced displacement instead of widespread social and financial mobility.
Option 4: Tribals from Jharkhand migrated to other cities to find more industrialized jobs. Incorrect. The major demographic change was the migration of non-tribal populations into Jharkhand, not the large-scale migration of tribal communities out of the region.
NCERT: Many tribal concentration regions and states have also been experiencing the problem of heavy in-migration of non-tribals in response to the pressures of development. This threatens to disrupt and overwhelm tribal communities and cultures, besides accelerating the process of exploitation of tribals. The industrial areas of Jharkhand for example have suffered a dilution of the tribal share of the population. But the most dramatic cases are probably in the North-East. A state like Tripura had the tribal share of its population halved within a single decade, reducing them to a minority. Arunachal Pradesh is feeling similar pressure