Tribal and the land issues in India

Alienation, a term for grabbing the lands of the tribal peoples by non-tribals, is widespread in India. Land is not merely an important economic asset; its ownership is also socially valued, sought, and denied. Land frees the marginalized from the clutches of everlasting bondage for want of a sustainable livelihood. Land, forest, and agriculture are the main natural sources of livelihood of the tribals. The only remaining asset for tribals when they are separated from these means of survival is their labour, and they remain dependent on large land holders for their survival. The forest which is an inseparable part of the social and cultural life of the tribals (Chaudhari, 1995), when denied to them, starts affecting them adversely-- food, wood for houses, agricultural implements, fuel for cooking, and other necessary things including their protection. (Burman, 1994)