Tribal Development and Non-Governmental Organisations

NGO initiatives aimed at development have a long history in India. The individual efforts of social workers are expressed in micro-terms but it deals with conditions that are caused by large macro-structures. There are number of NGOs working for the tribal development in India. The author has studied NGOs from the area in Adilabad district engaged in the tribal development. These NGOs tackle development related issues and other orientation programmes widely. There are some NGOs who's nature is health and education of tribal development and there are some who are engaged on construction. In the present study, the aims and objectives, project area, target group, views of NGOs on problems of tribal communities, their suggestions have been studied. The work of NGO has been evaluated on the basis of nature of work, their priorities, staff position, their views on self-sufficiency, need for continuity of work. Their perception on tribal liberation and need to work all NGOs under one banner also has been sought. Thus, this book evaluates the role of NGOs working with tribal communities in the study area of Adilabad district in Telangana state. their strengths and weaknesses, future thrust. 

The non-governmental or the voluntary organisations have been playing a crucial role in all the socio-economic spheres. including that of the tribal peoples, in India. At one level, they can be termed as the means by which the nation makes optimum use of its human resources. However, the mushrooming of voluntary organisations working in the field of rural development in recent years has generated widespread debate about their role, structure, programmes and performance. A unique feature of voluntary organisations is that they stimulate voluntary action among the target community and involve the progressive elements of that community. In the present context of human resource development, voluntary organisations, in their functioning, have demonstrated the freedom and flexibility of working with a personal touch, a capacity for initiative and experimentation with novel programmes. Thus, voluntary organisations exercise full freedom in selecting localities for programme implementation and are free of bureaucratic hassles. In the Indian context, the attributes of a tribe are that they live in relative isolation of hills and covered forests, and often in geographical areas inaccessible to the mainstream population. Tribes generally are groups without a written letter or script. Their sense of history is shallow or mixed with mythology, and in terms of their cultural ethos, language, customs, institutions and beliefs, they stand out from other sections of society.