Mysuru: Prof. C.G. Hussain Khan, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Karnatak University, Dharwad, regretted that the benefits given by successive governments at the Centre and State for the welfare of tribals were not reaching the targeted community.

He was speaking at the one- day regional seminar on customs, beliefs and practises of Jenukuruba and Koraga, particularly vulnerable tribal groups in Karnataka, at Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Nazarbad, in city this morning.

He said that 8 per cent of the population of the nation were tribals. India has the second highest number of tribal population in the world. There are 705 tribes settled across the country. Unfortunately, the benefits announced by the governments are enjoyed by the tribals settled in semi-urban and rural pocketed areas, but not by tribal groups like Jenukurubas, Koragas and others settled in tribal hamlets in the fringes of forest or inside the forest.

Though the Governments had implemented several programmes for welfare of tribals under five-year plan, schemes like Mahatama Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) and other such programmes, the life of vulnerable tribal groups have not yet improved since independence.

Currently, the government has been implementing uniform schemes for welfare of tribals. As different groups of tribals are practising different customs, beliefs and tradition, the programmes implemented by the government have not bore fruits, he said. Hence, he suggested the government to introduce a centralised and specific targeted tribal welfare programmes for empowerment of vulnerable tribal groups.

Census of Jenukurubas  

In his address, Director of Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute, Prof. T.T. Basavanagowda said that the State government has been conducting socio-economic census of vulnerable tribal groups’ population in forested areas. The census report has almost reached finishing stage and it will be submitted to the government shortly.

He said Karnataka has more than 75 different tribes. Vulnerable tribal groups like Koragas are settled in large numbers at Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts while Jenukurubas resided in huge numbers in forest areas of Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts. The socio-economic census study of vulnerable tribal groups will help the government to come up with community specific empowerment schemes and programmes, he said.