ABSTRACT

It has been noted in earlier chapters that Gujarat has a large tribal population. It is fairly well spread in the eastern parts of the state. Until very recently, there were 29 tribes out of which three have been de-notified. This group of tribes in Gujarat include five primitive tribal groups (PTGs). They are more vulnerable than the rest and hence deserve special attention of the state. Each tribe is likely to have sub-groups and each of these sub-groups would have its own panchayat and system of social and economic governance. Economic governance has come down significantly after independence, where forests and common land under various uses by these sub-groups have been transferred to the forest and other government departments. History suggests that governance and administration of tribal groups in the country in general and Gujarat in particular has not always been sensitive to their sociocultural traditions. Non-tribal society that formed a substantial part of society developed an interest in tribal areas mainly because the utility of forest, water and mineral resources increased significantly during the last 200 years. Such interest began in the middle of the 19th century, and in the last 150 years there has already been significant erosion of the forest resource base.