Changing pattern of occupational structure among the karbis of Karbi Anglong District in Assam.

The Karbi tribe is a hilly tribe located in the Karbi Anglong District in Assam. Agriculture is the prime economic source of income of the Karbis. Jhum cultivation was the main agricultural system practiced by their forefathers. Now a day, a considerable portion of the present generation of the Karbi people are engaged in different non-agricultural activities. It is seen that the percentage of the people engaged in the primary sector is decreasing. As a result, the percentage of workers in the secondary and tertiary sector is gradually increasing among the Karbis. The researcher through this research work has tried to find out the occupational changes of the Karbis living in Karbi Anglong District of Assam. The case study has been conducted in four villages, namely Umpanai, Rongchek, Lanklam and Beylangso located in Hamren Sub division (Hamren is now recognized as a district as West Karbi Anglong). This study is based on the primary data source, which has been collected randomly from the field with the help of questionnaire. The study has revealed that with the passage of time, many Karbis of the new generation have changed their parental occupations to other new occupation. Therefore, a shift in the occupational structure along with the resultant socio-economic changes is being observed among the Karbis residing in Karbi Anglong District.