ABSTRACT
One of the major issues around which the Maoist movement in India operates is the poor or the absence of governance and development in and around the Maoist-present areas. Additionally, tribal and other forest-dwelling marginalized groups struggle to protect their sources of livelihood as the state-led development projects tend to deprive them of their rights and livelihood. It is around the issues of people’s grievances over governance, the state response, the presence of the Maoists, this chapter investigates state of the tribals and their governance structure at the time of independence and the measures proposed by the makers of the Indian Constitution to integrate them into the mainstream. How far were these measures helpful in achieving their vision, what were the shortcomings noticed, whether that led to the emergence of insurgency, and what further steps were taken to meet that challenge are the key issues discussed in the next section. After a brief analysis of the recent attempts to improve governance in light of the insurgency, this paper concludes with policy recommendations for effective governance in the Maoist-affected areas that can minimize the risk of conflicts, if not eliminate them altogether.
