Dynamics Of Tribal Rehabilitation In Tripura

Dynamics of Tribal

Rehabilitation in Tripura

Indraneel Bhowmik

&

Prof. Aparajita Mukherjee

Presentation at the 8th session of the ICSP

organised by VBU, Santiniketan, 2008 2

The Discourse

� Introduction

� Rehabilitation- what, why & how

� Natural Rubber- Profile

� NR based rehabilitation

� Observations

� Critical evaluations

� Conclusions



Tripura- the land & the people

� Second smallest in size but second largest in

population in the NER

� 60 percent land under forest cover & mostly hilly

� Ethnic mix- 31% ST, 17% SC

� Population growth- mostly during partition & the

1971 War

� Predominance of Jhum cultivators- migratory

� Bangla speaking majority- settled cultivation



Rehabilitation

………..of the poor landless shifting cultivators

as they lived in abject poverty deprived of any

human development facilities

……….by providing them a settled life with

viable economic opportunity to enjoy the

fruits of development and avail the education

and health facilities



•The first attempts at rehabilitation -1930-31.

-70,400 acres (11264 ha)- Kalyanpur Reserve in the

Khowai subdivision

•First Five Year Plan- special emphasis to the tribal

welfare programmes----- Colonisation of the jhumias-

pilot project at Belonia sub-division in 1953.

�TTADC in January 1982; Sixth Schedule- 1985; & STDCL in 1979

�Tribal Sub Plan- proportionate budget provision by each development

department of the state government

� 37 point development package HIMSWKANG in 2003

�Special Area Based Development Projects

�Rehabilitation programmes for jhum cultivators- agriculture, forest, plantation,

etc

Rehabilitation process…….some measures



� Considerable decline from in the last two decades- 55049 households in

1987 (Tribal Welfare Department) ……………….. 28628 households in 2005

(State Forest Department)

� Success of the rehabilitation schemes undertaken by

� Tribal Welfare Department

� TRP & PGP Department

� Autonomous District Council

� Tripura Rehabilitation Plantation Corporation (TRPC)

� Forest Department

� Agricultural Department

� Tripura Forest Development Plantation Corporation (TFDPC)

Progress in Rehabilitation Projects

Rubber plantation has been exceptionally successful



Natural Rubber

� Wide usage– 50000 articles

� Supply limited to geo-physical conditions

� Highly traded commodity

� India’s unique position- major consumer as

well as major producer

� Expansion in traditional zone –saturation

� Tripura- leader among the non-traditional

areas



Natural Rubber in Tripura

� Introduced as part of afforestation in 1963

� Rubber Board office in 1969

� 2nd largest domestic producer, 36000 ha

� State led expansion

� 1992- World Bank Project

� 2005- Tripura Rubber Mission

� NLRSB- potential of 100000 ha

� Target- 85000 ha by 2030



Economics of Natural Rubber

� Long Economic life

� Labour intensive-

� Highly Profitable-

� Inter-linkage of the domestic price with the

international price

� The optimum land size - semi-medium (2 ha to 4 ha)

� Small farms subsist only with household labour

10.42 yearsPayback period

2.07BC Ratio

Rs.149680NPV

19%IRR

ResultsIndicators



Rubber based Rehabilitation� encompass land occupancy rights around 1 hectare for a family ( head of the family is called beneficiary)

� entitled to the subsidy provided by Rubber Board

� given technical support and training

� number of beneficiaries clubbed together as a unit to enjoy the economies of scale

� the rubber tree has a long gestation period –seven years

� the beneficiary is employed as labourer in his own field

� adopt intercropping like banana and pineapple

� income accrues after maturity at the sale of latex

� agencies as marketing associates- ensured market

� processing as part of society formed by the beneficiaries



12101029996943111447Total:

15020420426513047Block Plantation

by Rubber Board

30000NA1521TTAADC

60057854543673964TRPC

16024724724132915TFDPC

BeneficiaryAreaBeneficiaryArea

2007-08

Target

2006-07Till 31/03/2006Agency

Source- TRPC

Extent of Rehabilitation of shifting cultivators through Rubber Plantation



60,758/-1828156412642006-07

33,458/-1585151411822005-06

25,989/-1036139610442004-05

20,250/-91713359212003-04

Average Income

per beneficiary

(Rs./pa)

Production

(MT)

Number of

Beneficiaries

Area

tapped (ha)Year

Source- TRPC

Average earning of TRPC beneficiaries against supply of latex & scrap



Observations

Achievements

Macro

� Revenue

� Employment

� Value Addition

� Environment

Micro

� Income Flow

� Employment

� Surplus

Hurdles

Macro

� Managerial Inefficiency

� Insurgency

� Industrial Backwardness

Micro

� Low Productivity

� Less Efficient

� Indifferent attitude for

education & health



Critical evaluation� Lack of attitude for saving-

� Concerned for the short term; Conspicuous Consumption

� Appointments of wage labourers for tapping- effecting yield

� Booming rubber sector- greater interest

� AAGR of NR Price -11.79% between 1999-2005

� Craze for tilla land - large scale leasing by Capitalist farmers-

Possibility of land owners turning out to be tappers

Vulnerable to vagaries in the international market



Social Impact of Rubber based Tribal

Rehabilitation in Tripura

� Transition from wage earner to rent seeker

� Underutilization of labour

� Stagnation or rather maintenance of status quo

even after availing facilities

� Underutilization of resources

NEED- Increasing Social Awareness & Consciousness



Thank You

Your comments & suggestions are welcome at

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Dynamics Of Tribal Rehabilitation In Tripura